Defense
The defense of the of the country is the federal government's foremost responsibility. Nothing else matters if citizens are unable to pursue their interests in safety. When I speak of defense, I mean exactly that. Defense does not mean occupying other nations. Defense does not mean being policemen to the world. Defense does not mean nation-building. Defense does not mean stationing our troops throughout the world, in more countries than most people could name. Defense means protecting our citizens from foreign attacks on our soil. Being bordered only by two oceans, Canada, and Mexico; we should be able to provide that defense at less expense than our recent military endeavors. Defense means monitoring foreign visitors. Defense means developing a working anti-missile system that would prevent any threat from rogue leaders of distant nations.
Defense means not allying ourselves with other nations, which could turn their enemies into our enemies. Defense means open trade with all other countries, not antagonizing them with economic sanctions or embargos.
Defense of our nation means protecting our citizens and defending their rights, not defending our citizens by trampling on their rights.
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The Budget
This one issue covers a multitude of topics. Politicians use the budget process to reward their friends. See the "Job Description" page to review what Congress is allowed to do and barred from doing by the Constitution. The forgotten Tenth Amendment restricts the federal government from assuming powers not delegated by the Constitution. Therefore, I will oppose any budget that includes items not called for in the Constitution. While that may sound drastic, so would be the tax cuts covered by the next issue (The Funding of Government). Politicians in Washington D.C. will no longer decide where or what your children will be taught. They will no longer decide what your retirement benefits will be. They will no longer choose your insurance benefits. They will no longer tell you how to run your business. They will no longer decide what medicines you may take, or who you may choose to be your doctor. Most importantly, they will no longer mortgage our children's future.
Many politicians continue to promise government benefits to chosen constituent groups at the expense of all others, pretending the debts they create will never need to be repaid. Others are at least reasonable enough to suggest balancing the federal budget. But a gadzillion dollar budget can still be balanced with a gadzillion tax dollars. We must remove the crushing weight of the federal budget from the backs of working people and businesses.
The Funding of Government
Funding a constitutional budget will cost far less than what we've become accustomed to. The Sixteenth Amendment, which authorized the income tax, allowed politicians to reach deep into our pockets to pay off their political debts. That must end. Therefore, I will support any effort to repeal that amendment. A constitutional budget can be supported by constitutionally authorized tariffs and excise taxes. Though tariffs may be easily abused and are not conducive to a truly free market, I would support a low, universally even tariff on imported products. I would also support corporate taxes since corporations are, in fact, government-created entities. It is reasonable to expect corporations to pay for consideration they receive.
Some politicians support a national sales tax in lieu of the income tax. I do not, for several reasons. They are meant to replace, not reduce, the amount of money being transferred to Washington, D.C. At proposed rates, people will try to evade the payment of a sales tax, therefore enforcement will have to be increased to collect the money. If you think the I.R.S. is bad, imagine what its replacement would have to be like, delving not into the money you earn, but into every purchase you make. Supporters of a national sales tax also mean to use it to replace corporate taxes which, as mentioned before, I feel are justified.
With far less of your money being sent to be used by politicians in Washington, D.C. you can choose what charities to support, what insurance to purchase, how to invest for retirement, and where to send your children to school.
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