It’s no wonder. This year, our nation’s leadership failed to deliver time and time again on what was asked of it. Congress began an earnest debate on immigration reform, but ended up with nothing more than a plan to build an expensive fence. The House of Representatives knew our nation needed an increase in the minimum wage, but then cynically tied it to a repeal of the Estate Tax, in essence a tax cut for our nation’s wealthiest. The White House rolled out a plan to make health care affordable and reliable for seniors, but left these seniors vulnerable to paying out of pocket when they failed to address the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs. Across the board, the problems impacting Americans went without address on the federal level.

To make matters worse, as Americans struggled they were told that all was fine. “Our Economy is Strong” said the President over and over again. Americans needed to look no further than their paychecks spread thin by stagnant wages, their outstanding credit card balances as more and more families go into debt just to cover the basic costs of living, and their skyrocketing insurance premiums to know the truth. But while it was the worst of times for many, it was the best of time for some. Our nation’s wealthiest citizens continued to grow wealthier thanks to federal public policy promoting it.

At least on the state level, policymakers got to work. Illinois greatly expanded access to pre-school programs. Vermont enacted a plan to make health care more affordable that not only outshines the Massachusetts “individual mandate,” but puts the rest of the nation to shame. The Wisconsin state legislature passed a law that reduces greenhouse gas emissions while lowering energy costs and creating new jobs.

Americans voiced their frustrations often unjust policies in new ways in 2006. Take, for example, the groundswell of online activism. Blogs provided the medium for regular citizens to weigh in. People organized using the Internet for living wage campaigns and congressional ethics reform. And new technology enabled regular people to hold their elected officials accountable.

While conservatives continue to shell out time and money in service of shrinking government, Americans are ready for a government that does more than fail to act or pass the buck. Those who look to government to do what we desperately need it to do—raise the minimum wage and make prescription drugs more affordable, for starters—are waiting with baited breath to see if the incoming congressional majority will deliver on the policies it has promised.

Please join us as we take a look back at 2006. 

The Executive Summary

The Best of Public Policy in 2006

The Worst of Public Policy in 2006

The State of the States

The DMI 2006 Injustice Index

Eye on the Right

DMI Interviews 8 People Advancing Progressive Public Policy in 2006

Hot List: The 2006 Required Reading List for Progressives

The Year in the Netroots

Voices of 2006