September 14, 2001 -- SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA (APJP) -- I understand that President Bush wants Congress to give him a blank check to wage war against an enemy whose identity we don't even know just yet.

Before we even think of doing that, we have to do a few things first:

1) Repeal the tax cuts he pushed into effect.

Most of the benefits went to his already-well-off campaign contributors, and they can afford in times of crisis to help out. It's their patriotic duty. They can forsake their charming little Caribbean tax havens for awhile; it won't hurt them to make sacrifices along with the rest of us. Besides, the tax cut was going to shove our economy off-kilter and into deficits again, even without last Tuesday's direct hits on our financial engines.

2) Use some of the money generated from Step 1 for a sound defense (i.e, one that doesn't involve the worse-than-useless "Star Wars" plan favored by the gadget-happy Darth Rumsfeld, but frowned upon by the Joint Chiefs of Staff), but use some of it to institute a New Marshall Plan for New York City.

Just as the original Marshall Plan rescued a war-racked late-1940's Europe from Stalin's clutches, the New Marshall Plan will keep 21st-century America free and prosperous, as it will finance the rebuilding efforts that will not only make New York City better than before. What's more, this shot in the arm of America will boost the economies of our fellow nations as well, thus staving off the global recession currently staring us all in the face.

If we, as a society, can put aside our selfishness and work towards the common good, we can not only put right what was damaged in Tuesday's attack, we can also improve on what we had. The benefits will be tremendous, for all of us.

What do you say, America? We did it before, and we can do it again. Let's do it!