Thursday, May 21, 2009
Say NO, To The Status Quo !
| The Republican party is at a crossroads. Many elected officials have strayed away from our foundation of a representative government that is limited but effective. Some have lost all credibility when it comes to the government’s stewardship of the taxpayer’s dime. Others have forgotten that they are given power from the people, not the other way around. Some have even come to believe that they are above the law and lost sight of the fact that they must live by the same set of laws they create for the people. A few Republicans have abandoned their willingness to deal with controversy or discuss social issues. Others have lost their capacity for sound economic policy development and some have even given up on defending the defensive actions of our nation. The result is an electorate that looks upon the Grand Old Party as no different and no better than the Democrat Party. That perception is why we are at the crossroads we find ourselves confronting today. The failings of some Republicans yesterday, have resulted in the minority status that all Republicans maintain today. A minority status that has brought us to the intersection of success and failure. If we lack innovation, act with timidity and do not admit the past mistakes and transgressions of those, even within our own party, we will turn onto the road of definite failure If we are prepared to think and act boldly, be honest about our party and those in it, and are willing to adhere to our core principles, than the road to success will be ours. And I intend to see to it that success is in fact ours. That is why I announce my intention to seek the U4prez Republican nomination for President. I do not seek this nomination simply for the honor that getting it would be. I seek the nomination to participate in a process that articulates why and how the Republican approach to the governance of America is the right approach. I will participate in the nomination process to propose, defend and strengthen policies that are best for our nation and its people. But this is not a campaign merely for the G.O.P.. We must remember that Republican victories are more for the sake of our nation’s fate than for the sake of our political affiliation. America does not exist for the purpose of Republican victories but the Republican Party, the Republican Party, that I represent, exists to help make Americans winners and to insure the enduring success of our nation. Not the other way around. For these reasons I hope to influence the Republican direction by campaigning on a platform that is based on our nation’s security and the non-negotiable demands of human dignity, which are a virtual manifesto of conservative principles that must be the foundation from which all policies are launched. It is from this foundation that I shall present my policy initiatives to insure that government gets out of each and every American’s ways in their pursuit of happiness. The non-negotiable demands of human dignity that I seek to base all future federal action on were outlined by a former American President and they ring as true today as they did yesterday. They are our belief in Equal Justice, Freedom of Speech, Limited Government Power, Private Property Rights, Religious Tolerance and Respect for Women, Life and the Rule of Law. With those staples of human dignity in mind, I seek to present a policy direction that strengthens our national sovereignty, restores state’s rights, secures our safety and prosperity, plots a specific course that brings us closer to energy independence, establishes legislative restraint, debt reducing fiscal responsibility and restores confidence in our future. This can not be achieved by simply opposing or imitating Democrats. It can only be achieved by differentiating ourselves from the liberal thinking that puts more faith and control in the bureaucracy of government than its people. It can not be achieved by simply suggesting that we drill for more oil, reduce taxes, or cut down on the growth of government . It can only be achieved by getting these things done and presenting superior, innovative, clear, concise, concrete initiatives that lead to the economic empowerment of our people, sustainable energy independence, radical reform of ,not the tax code, but rather our entire tax system and the elimination of entire government entities. To date, the collective governance of our nation by those on the left of the political spectrum, on the right of the political spectrum and even those smack dab in the middle of it, have failed to do any of that. Our government is investing our money in the private sector. Bureaucratic agencies are governing the business of free enterprise, offering warrantees on products, taking ownership of banks and through it all, unemployment, prices and fear are all rising high, while, production, investment and confidence are all sinking low. This is not the result of freedom and the efforts of hardworking Americans. It is the results of a government that is too large, too intrusive, too powerful, governing too many aspects of our private lives and mismanaging its self and its legitimate responsibilities. And so, I choose to run for the Republican presidential nomination on a platform of true reform………reform of the government itself and not just what government does, but how it does it too. I choose to demand that our federal government enter into an era of legislative restraint and to demand a restoration of state’s rights that up to now have been eroded to a level of disgraceful proportions. I choose to lead an anti-government crusade that attacks the modern day, status quo of the federal bureaucracy. I say “no” to the status quo. This is not a rhetorical crusade. It is a true, literal struggle to correct generations of federal abuse and misdirection that has put us on a trajectory that is far removed from the one that our constitution and founding fathers originally set us out on. I know that I will not always be a perfect protector of constitutional intent. I have been raised during a time and age where little attention has been paid to the unconstitutional increase and control of government in America. But I also know that we must break the cycle that spins us further and further away from the personal freedoms that our constitution intended. And I know that we may not be able to eliminate all the excesses of government at once but the illegitimate expansion of government has been going on for over a hundred years and although its reversal will not happen immediately, the change in direction must begin now. We also cannot simply change generations of the publics wrongful expectations of government. This will take time too. It will take time to make people realize that social security was never meant to be ones sole source of income during their golden years. It will take time to make people realize that our government was never intended to involve itself in free and private enterprise. It was never intended to be the paternal or maternal guardian that weans us through a public trough of legislative initiatives that control everything from what we eat to what we learn and what we earn. But we must break this cycle and my candidacy seeks to do just that. There will be many changes that I seek but the first blow to the status quo in my crusade against government largess, and its current overreaching scope, will be the dismantling and elimination of the Departments of Commerce, Energy, Education and Housing and Urban Development. These are not the only steps I will take or only tentacles of government that I will chop off. They are merely the first. The goal here is to cut the size of the bureaucracy, and take the federal government out of governing in areas of responsibilities that are not in its jurisdiction. We will examine rational approaches to consolidate, privatize, and/or devolve back to the states any of the functions of these four cabinet level positions, that may have any constitutional merit. In addition to a focus on limiting the size and scope of government and attempts to curtail federal interference, I will take on our oppressive tax code. I do not propose that we tweak it or simplify it. I do not want to merely adjust it. I propose to scrap it and replace it with a fair and equitable system that supports the essential and constitutional functions of the federal government and taxes no one American more than another. When the issues of taxes is raised I will not support any measure that raises them on any group of Americans. I will not support any continuation of the existing system of economic oppression. I will promote and fight for the adoption of a flat tax. Specifically, the Flat Tax Reform Act which I originally proposed during the first legislative session of U4prez. In it are specified measures that simply uses one rate to tax Americans on their income. There will be no taxation on death and government profit from dying. There will be no twisted regulations that require miles and miles of regulations that double tax individuals and small businesses and creatively finance government waste and fraud. The rich will still be paying a greater share of the taxes in America but they will not be targeted for punishment because of their successful efforts or legal pursuit of happiness. Nor will any other American be the economic target of a federal government that tries to operate beyond its means. A flat tax is one rate for one America. Other stipulations in the Flat Tax Reform Act include a required two thirds majority to successfully raise or lower the initially proposed flat tax rate of 16%. All of these are steps that will be taken in addition to budget cutting measures that will start with the elimination of Congress’ recent 2.8% pay raise. In addition to that I propose to repeal the legislative mechanism that automatically grants Congress such pay raises in the future. On top of that, I am proposing the Congressional Performance Pay Act. It is a measure that would reduce Congressional representative salaries by 12% and link elected officials salaries to the economy that they manipulate into either growth or contraction. The measure will reduce or increase their salaries by a percentage linked to the national unemployment, inflation and GDP rates. If the economy that Congress manipulates is tanking, so will the salaries of each federal representative. If it improves, so too will the level of pay that Congress receives. But within limits of course. The raising of taxes or creation of new ones will also result in a reduced percentage of the salary that those in Congress receive. As for the entire government payroll, a priority of my administration will be a freeze on federal hiring’s and wages for a period of two years and a 5 year plan for reducing the size of the government payroll through the attrition of many mid and low level government employees who are deemed non-essential and expendable This moratorium will not be applied to essential personnel in the fields of security, emergency services and health. But, this does not give free reign to such entities as the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services. In fact a comprehensive audit of these two agencies will be conducted along with a comprehensive and public audit of the entire federal government which includes our judiciary and both houses of Congress. This I will initiate if by only executive order if necessary. But in direct regard to the Department of Homeland Security I seek to scrutinize and reform the excesses of power that are granted through it. The creation of this agency led to the greatest increase in the size of government in history as well as the most comprehensive re-organization of government in our history. Until now. Now, is the time to reshape and streamline government with more than just words but action. The need for centralized and coordinated control and organization of our nation’s critical defenses and emergency services was never in doubt after learning the lessons of 9/11. However, somewhere along the line, the Department of Homeland Security became an all encompassing power that in some cases is above the law and in other cases unaccountable. It has begun to take on a systemically ingrained abuse of power that, through the years, the Department of Commerce has been known for. This must be nipped in the bud. I do not come before you today to declare the DHS dead. The defense and security of our nation is too important and it is the primary constitutional responsibility of our federal government. So I seek not to dismantle this crucial, well intentioned aspect of our national government. But I do seek to insure that its excesses in staffing, power and cost are in line with the new order of our crusade against the status quo of modern government. Regarding other fronts I will present to you my case,……a Republican case,…. for our proper role in the world and our efforts to combat illegal immigration and terrorism. I will highlight the methods we must carryout in order to secure our borders, ports and energy, transportation and communication grids. I will reintroduce the Energy Independence and Efficiency Initiative that helps secure an energy rich future that is safe and sustainable, issue legislation that will make the practice of eminent domain policies nearly impossible to carryout and I will present procedural reforms to the legislative drafting process that will help to eliminate riders which often lead to hidden pork barrel spending measures and other hidden initiatives. I will also support an Enumerated Powers Act which would require legislators to point to the specific language in the constitution that constitutionally justifies their proposed legislation or constitutional authority for any proposed spending measure. These are but a few highlights of the candidacy that I introduce to you,…..my candidacy, for the Republican Presidential nomination. There are many more issues to discuss such as education, the environment, trade, and a host of foreign relations and threats. But there are also many more weeks ahead of us in this process and I shall do my best to use those weeks to cover it all. I just ask that you give me that chance. If you are a Republican, you may wish to label the positions I take as neo-con or liberal, extreme or not extreme enough. You may wish to paint the solutions I present as being to the left or the right. That will be your prerogative. But you take that path at your own risk. It is a risk that jeopardizes you’re ability to unite our party based not on left or right but rather right or wrong. You will be risking our ability to cut through labels and establish a party that can once again be a beacon for freedom loving Americans who are fed up with the growth of government and an apologetic approach to our enemies. If you are a Republican who seeks to divide us by pointing fingers or blaming one another for the failures of Republicans in the past than you risk cloaking us in a shroud of defeat that will doom us to roll down the road of failure. As for me, I am not your typical Republican but if there is a label you would like to place on me, my user ID makes the type of Republican that I am, no secret. I am a bleeding heart, Jack Kemp conservative. It is a description I proudly wore long before the term “compassionate conservative” was penned. It is a description that I cherish as much as I do the conservative legacy of influence and achievements that Jack Kemp left behind. If you are not a Republican, I ask you to step up and prove to us where the Republican policies that I will lay out lack the ability to achieve their intended purpose and I ask you to present your plans. Offer your better policies. And do so within the confines of the rules we must play by. The rules of our nation’s constitution. Such a respectful competition of ideas will go beyond benefiting one political party or another with a win at the polls. It will benefit our nation and those starved to continue living in a land of the free and the home of the brave. I thank those of you who have taken the time to read my declaration of candidacy for the Republican nomination and for considering the path that I have outlined. May you and each and every American be forever endowed with the power that freedom offers, the optimism that the enduring American spirit creates and the promise for the pursuit of happiness that our constitution clearly guarantees. And remember,............ Say no to the status quo. |
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