Five Priorities for Common-Sense Government
1. Unshackle American Enterprise
The United States has the second highest corporate tax rate among developed countries; which makes it more expensive for companies to do business here than almost any other place in the world. With a high tax burden, US corporations are forced to direct their investments and jobs to other countries where the tax rate is lower. The reason that many large corporations outsource jobs is not because they are disloyal to the US; it is because they can only stay in business by going somewhere else. For companies that cannot afford to move their operations overseas, they have no choice but to cut jobs, cut pay for their employees, and raise prices on the products and services that we buy from them. So America loses out twice: we lose jobs, and costs go up for the things we need to buy. Unreasonable corporate taxes add up to an unreasonable burden on everyone in our society. We need to reform the Corporate tax policy so that companies have incentive to keep their jobs and investments here at home, and to keep the prices for their products affordable.
Beyond these tax related issues, our government continues to add unreasonable administrative requirements on businesses. Regulatory agencies that were once charged with vital tasks, such as protecting workers' safety or preventing fraud, have reached well beyond their original purposes. They have in many cases become self-serving, and have misplaced their priorities. We need to return to common-sense regulation that protects people without getting in the way of business.
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2. Simplify Government
Government services provided to the citizens are bogged down by inefficient administration, and by fraud, waste, and abuse. Government decision-making processes are complicated. Our legislators are asked to vote on bills – sometimes thousands of pages long – before they have had time to read them. Our tax code is so complicated that many Americans are forced to rely on trained experts and tax lawyers just to fill out their tax return documents properly. All of these are symptoms of an overly complicated system of administration in our government. But our government – including appointed officials – should be held accountable for efficient administration of public services, in order to make those services really work for the people. Our tax code should be simplified. Our legislative process should be reformed so that bills before congress are readable, reasonable, and focus only on one issue at a time.
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3. Preserve the Constitution
Our Constitution was designed to limit the powers of the Federal government and protect the rights of the citizens of our country. Yet somehow our government seems to be taking more and more power for itself, while continually limiting the rights of the citizens. The increase of improper political power in Washington has caused corruption in government, has infringed on the rights of the people, and has distorted the relationship between the States and the Federal government. The solution to this problem is to hold our national government accountable to the constitutional limits on its power; and we must once again learn to value the rights and freedoms of all individuals.
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4. Protect our National Sovereignty
The United States depends on loans from foreign countries in order to pay its bills. As a result our security and independence is at risk. We also depend on oil from foreign countries to heat our homes and make gasoline for our cars. Our borders are not secure or smart enough to tell the difference between someone who wants to come here to work and contribute to our society, and someone who wants to come here to do us harm.
If we want to be secure and independent, we must begin to pay down our National Debt, not continue to borrow more each year. We need to develop reliable and sufficient sources of energy here at home. We need to secure our borders and make them smart enough to keep out those who want to do us harm. And we need to keep our military strong and agile, so that we can react quickly and decisively when we face threats from abroad.
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5. Respect the Lives of All Human Beings
We live in a society in which people are constantly segregated into various groups, with some being treated with more respect than others. Government services and the law are applied unequally in our society, with preference given to certain people at the expense of others. In some cases, even the environment and the economy are treated with more dignity and respect than human persons. This goes against the common-sense idea that all people are valuable; and that all human beings have equal value and equal rights. The role of government is to secure and defend the basic rights to life and liberty for all - regardless of age, race, sex, physical ability, or any other factor. We must once again learn to show respect for human life over all other political, environmental, or economic concerns; and we must recognize the inherent value and worth of all human beings.
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