COMMENTARY - Keep the "Memorial" in Memorial Day
By Karen Farthing
Originally published 05:18 PM, Monday May. 25, 2009
PADUCAH, KY - As we relax and enjoy this long weekend, I ask that we remember why, on Monday, we are given liberty to spend the day away from work. Memorial Day is to be a day of remembrance, a day to honor those who have given their last full measure of devotion to God, country, and family. Many refuse to actively participate - either because they've forgotten the meaning of the day, or because they feel that to celebrate Memorial Day is to glorify and celebrate war.
Memorial Day is not a celebration of war - it is a day of both solemnity and joy. It's the day that we pay homage to our fallen, celebrating honor, loyalty, integrity, and sacrifice. It's the day that we express joy that we are alive, and are the recipients of prosperity and liberty - largess purchased by the blood of our heroes. It's a day of renewal, where we pledge again to support the families of those who died in battle.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by General John Logan with his General Order Number 11. It was first celebrated on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Confederate and Union soldiers buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The following is General Logan's address. The eloquence contained therein speaks to my heart, and captures so well the meaning of remembrance.
HEADQUARTERS GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
General Orders No.11, WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 1868
The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, "of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion." What can aid more to assure this result than cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes? Their soldier lives were the reveille of freedom to a race in chains, and their deaths the tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.
If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.
Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan.
It is the purpose of the Commander-in-Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to lend its friendly aid in bringing to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith.
Department commanders will use efforts to make this order effective.
By order of
JOHN A. LOGAN, Commander-in-Chief
N.P. CHIPMAN, Adjutant General
Official: WM. T. COLLINS, A.A.G.
On Monday, while you're enjoying the holiday, please take some time to honor our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who died in service to their country. Fly the flag at half-mast until noon. Take a moment at 3:00 pm to recognize their sacrifice, if only in your thoughts. If you have time, visit a monument or place a flower on the grave of a soldier.
I'll end with these words from a poem by Moina Michael, penned in 1915:
"We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies."
Friday, July 10, 2009
Taxed Enough, Already!
COMMENTARY: Taxed Enough Already!
By Karen Farthing
Originally published 04:05 PM, Sunday Apr. 12, 2009
Updated 04:05 PM, Sunday Apr. 12, 2009
In honor of our Tax Day “Taxed Enough Already” (TEA) Party on the 15th, I thought that a discussion of who bears the ultimate responsibility for taxation was appropriate. Most people realize that we pay out an enormous amount of taxes, but has anyone actually thought about how much we really pay?
Let’s take income taxes, to start. As you know, the more you make, the more you pay. As a matter of fact, the top twenty five percent of wage earners in this country pay more than eighty percent of all income taxes collected. Note that these are individuals, not corporations. There is also a large percentage of the population who pay no income taxes.
Based on IRS tax data released for 2006 (the most recent data released), the top-earning 25 percent of taxpayers (AGI over $64,702) earned 68.2 percent of the nation's income, but they paid more than four out of every five dollars collected by the federal income tax (86.3 percent). The top 1 percent of taxpayers (AGI over $388,806) paid about the same amount of federal individual income taxes as the bottom 95 percent of tax returns.
That’s quite a few words to describe a relatively simple concept, so let me sketch it out.
Top 25 % (AGI over $65K)
$$$$
Bottom 75%(AGI under $65K)
$
Or, here’s a better illustration. The top 50% of wage earners (those earning more than $31,987 per year) paid over 97% of all income taxes collected, while the bottom 50% (those earning less than $31,986 per year) paid only 3%.
Top 50%
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Bottom 50%
$$$
Your state and local income taxes follow roughly the same pattern.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably surprised to learn where you fall on the wage earners’ scale. My husband is a police officer and I work in sales. Neither one of us makes a lot of money, but together we fall just within the top twenty five percent. We’re doing better than a lot of people, and I’m not complaining. But with five kids to raise, that money gets spent just as fast as we make it!
Now, if that’s where it stopped, I could live with that. Ours is a progressive tax structure, which means that those who earn more pay more, and those who earn less pay less.
But that isn’t where it stops. Here’s a short list (ha!) of taxes levied against us. It is by no means all inclusive.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
Business License Tax
Capital Gains Tax
CDL Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Court Fines (indirect taxes)
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (42 - 51 cents per gallon)
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Interest Expense (tax on the money)
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Local Income Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Municipal Insurance Tax (Homeowner’s or Renter’s Insurance Tax)
Occupancy Tax (Hotel Room Tax)
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Septic Permit Tax
Service Charge Taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Taxes (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Road Toll Booth Taxes
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Toll Bridge Taxes
Toll Tunnel Taxes
Traffic Fines (indirect taxation)
Trailer registration tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle Insurance Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers’ Compensation Tax
I’m sure I could find a complete list somewhere, but this list was more than enough to make my point. We are taxed on just about everything. If government can require, regulate, or produce something, it can be taxed. We’re taxed when we earn, sell, buy, or die.
And then there are the taxes that we don’t even realize we’re paying, because they are included in the prices of the things we buy, or they result in reduced wages or benefits. I’m going to lapse into what my husband calls “geek speak” for a minute, but bear with me, okay?
There’s a term that economists use – incidence of taxation – to describe who ultimately bears the responsibility for paying taxes. There have been multitudes of studies using various methodologies (all with really long, complicated titles), and there is absolutely no consensus on what methodology is most accurate. So I’m not going to discuss them in depth. (If you’re an economist and you’re reading this article, feel free to e-mail me and tell me how I’m not giving a complete discussion of the incidence of taxation.) I’m going to discuss, in a general way, how taxes levied upon businesses cause the business owner to act.
Let’s assume that you own an energy company, and you produce electricity. You sell your electricity to a distributor, who sells to the end user. You are taxed by the government for every unit that you sell. The first thing you’re going to do is try to avoid the tax. You are going to employ a platoon of tax experts to find you a loophole. Those tax experts directly affect your profitability, so you have to raise your price per unit. Unfortunately, there is no loophole to be found, so you have to pay the tax. At this point, you can do one of two things – raise your price, or decrease wages/compensation to the people who work for you. You could also do both.
Since you’re the only producer of electricity for your area, you can raise your price and your distributor will pay it. The distributor then raises his price (because now he’s paying your taxes, his taxes, and his tax experts), because his end user can only get electricity from him. So, the end user assumes the responsibility for paying your tax and the distributor’s tax. And, oh yeah, he’s going to be taxed again. So the incidence of tax in this case falls on the consumer.
For the next example, let’s say that you own a factory that makes bread. You are in direct competition with a bunch of other bread makers. You sell your bread to a wholesaler, who sells his bread to a retail supermarket chain, who sells their bread to the consumer. Your utility rates just went up, so now you have to figure out what to do to keep your price competitive. It costs you more to make each loaf of bread, but you can’t raise your price too much because you would price yourself out of the bread market. You decide to raise the price of a loaf of bread just a little, and to lower the wages you pay your employees just a little, in order to make ends meet. Thankfully, your factory isn’t unionized so you can get away with this. Now, no one is happy, but at least you’re still in business. At this point, the incidence of taxation has fallen on labor, but it doesn’t stop there. Since your price went up, so did the price your wholesaler pays. Your wholesaler increases his price, and then the retailer increases his price. So, indirectly, the incidence of taxation again falls on the end user – the guy who buys your loaf of bread.
Are you seeing a pattern here?
Corporations and businesses do not pay taxes. Sure, they hand over a chunk of change to the government every quarter, but they have passed that tax responsibility on to the next entity in the chain. It then gets passed and passed and passed until the consumer pays it, and gets taxed again. Taxation is the ultimate con, because it doesn’t matter where the tax is levied – the only winner is government.
So the next time you hear someone say that corporations and businesses are greedy and need to be taxed more, remember who actually pays the tax - me and you.
Our tax structure is irrevocably broken and labyrinthine. We pay and pay and pay, and our government spends and spends and spends. Now they’ve not only spent our money, but that of the next three generations, as well. Please join all of us at our TEA Party on tax day, April 15th, and make your voice heard. Enough is enough!
By Karen Farthing
Originally published 04:05 PM, Sunday Apr. 12, 2009
Updated 04:05 PM, Sunday Apr. 12, 2009
In honor of our Tax Day “Taxed Enough Already” (TEA) Party on the 15th, I thought that a discussion of who bears the ultimate responsibility for taxation was appropriate. Most people realize that we pay out an enormous amount of taxes, but has anyone actually thought about how much we really pay?
Let’s take income taxes, to start. As you know, the more you make, the more you pay. As a matter of fact, the top twenty five percent of wage earners in this country pay more than eighty percent of all income taxes collected. Note that these are individuals, not corporations. There is also a large percentage of the population who pay no income taxes.
Based on IRS tax data released for 2006 (the most recent data released), the top-earning 25 percent of taxpayers (AGI over $64,702) earned 68.2 percent of the nation's income, but they paid more than four out of every five dollars collected by the federal income tax (86.3 percent). The top 1 percent of taxpayers (AGI over $388,806) paid about the same amount of federal individual income taxes as the bottom 95 percent of tax returns.
That’s quite a few words to describe a relatively simple concept, so let me sketch it out.
Top 25 % (AGI over $65K)
$$$$
Bottom 75%(AGI under $65K)
$
Or, here’s a better illustration. The top 50% of wage earners (those earning more than $31,987 per year) paid over 97% of all income taxes collected, while the bottom 50% (those earning less than $31,986 per year) paid only 3%.
Top 50%
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Bottom 50%
$$$
Your state and local income taxes follow roughly the same pattern.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably surprised to learn where you fall on the wage earners’ scale. My husband is a police officer and I work in sales. Neither one of us makes a lot of money, but together we fall just within the top twenty five percent. We’re doing better than a lot of people, and I’m not complaining. But with five kids to raise, that money gets spent just as fast as we make it!
Now, if that’s where it stopped, I could live with that. Ours is a progressive tax structure, which means that those who earn more pay more, and those who earn less pay less.
But that isn’t where it stops. Here’s a short list (ha!) of taxes levied against us. It is by no means all inclusive.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
Business License Tax
Capital Gains Tax
CDL Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Court Fines (indirect taxes)
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (42 - 51 cents per gallon)
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Interest Expense (tax on the money)
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Local Income Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Municipal Insurance Tax (Homeowner’s or Renter’s Insurance Tax)
Occupancy Tax (Hotel Room Tax)
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Septic Permit Tax
Service Charge Taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Taxes (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Road Toll Booth Taxes
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Toll Bridge Taxes
Toll Tunnel Taxes
Traffic Fines (indirect taxation)
Trailer registration tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle Insurance Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers’ Compensation Tax
I’m sure I could find a complete list somewhere, but this list was more than enough to make my point. We are taxed on just about everything. If government can require, regulate, or produce something, it can be taxed. We’re taxed when we earn, sell, buy, or die.
And then there are the taxes that we don’t even realize we’re paying, because they are included in the prices of the things we buy, or they result in reduced wages or benefits. I’m going to lapse into what my husband calls “geek speak” for a minute, but bear with me, okay?
There’s a term that economists use – incidence of taxation – to describe who ultimately bears the responsibility for paying taxes. There have been multitudes of studies using various methodologies (all with really long, complicated titles), and there is absolutely no consensus on what methodology is most accurate. So I’m not going to discuss them in depth. (If you’re an economist and you’re reading this article, feel free to e-mail me and tell me how I’m not giving a complete discussion of the incidence of taxation.) I’m going to discuss, in a general way, how taxes levied upon businesses cause the business owner to act.
Let’s assume that you own an energy company, and you produce electricity. You sell your electricity to a distributor, who sells to the end user. You are taxed by the government for every unit that you sell. The first thing you’re going to do is try to avoid the tax. You are going to employ a platoon of tax experts to find you a loophole. Those tax experts directly affect your profitability, so you have to raise your price per unit. Unfortunately, there is no loophole to be found, so you have to pay the tax. At this point, you can do one of two things – raise your price, or decrease wages/compensation to the people who work for you. You could also do both.
Since you’re the only producer of electricity for your area, you can raise your price and your distributor will pay it. The distributor then raises his price (because now he’s paying your taxes, his taxes, and his tax experts), because his end user can only get electricity from him. So, the end user assumes the responsibility for paying your tax and the distributor’s tax. And, oh yeah, he’s going to be taxed again. So the incidence of tax in this case falls on the consumer.
For the next example, let’s say that you own a factory that makes bread. You are in direct competition with a bunch of other bread makers. You sell your bread to a wholesaler, who sells his bread to a retail supermarket chain, who sells their bread to the consumer. Your utility rates just went up, so now you have to figure out what to do to keep your price competitive. It costs you more to make each loaf of bread, but you can’t raise your price too much because you would price yourself out of the bread market. You decide to raise the price of a loaf of bread just a little, and to lower the wages you pay your employees just a little, in order to make ends meet. Thankfully, your factory isn’t unionized so you can get away with this. Now, no one is happy, but at least you’re still in business. At this point, the incidence of taxation has fallen on labor, but it doesn’t stop there. Since your price went up, so did the price your wholesaler pays. Your wholesaler increases his price, and then the retailer increases his price. So, indirectly, the incidence of taxation again falls on the end user – the guy who buys your loaf of bread.
Are you seeing a pattern here?
Corporations and businesses do not pay taxes. Sure, they hand over a chunk of change to the government every quarter, but they have passed that tax responsibility on to the next entity in the chain. It then gets passed and passed and passed until the consumer pays it, and gets taxed again. Taxation is the ultimate con, because it doesn’t matter where the tax is levied – the only winner is government.
So the next time you hear someone say that corporations and businesses are greedy and need to be taxed more, remember who actually pays the tax - me and you.
Our tax structure is irrevocably broken and labyrinthine. We pay and pay and pay, and our government spends and spends and spends. Now they’ve not only spent our money, but that of the next three generations, as well. Please join all of us at our TEA Party on tax day, April 15th, and make your voice heard. Enough is enough!
Five Fixes
COMMENTARY - Top Five Fixes
Originally Published 03:12 PM Friday, March 27, 2009
These days, almost everyone I talk to is enraged over the state of our economy and the direction in which our country is being driven by our elected officials. It doesn’t matter who I talk to – Republican, Democrat, conservative, or liberal – almost everyone is saying the same thing. “What the heck are they thinking?”
Most people feel completely disconnected from our political leadership. They feel that our money is being spent by Congress like a teenager at the mall with Dad’s credit card. They feel that legislation being enacted is increasingly restrictive, and does not reflect their values.
I agree. I’m neither a Democrat, nor a Republican. I feel as if neither party has anything to offer me, as both parties’ platforms are completely removed from what I consider reality. Of course, my version of reality may be very different from yours because I’m that dreaded, conservative Libertarian.
I believe that government should be as small as possible – only big enough to prevent us from falling into total anarchy. I think that the worst phrase anyone can utter is, “There oughta be a law about…” People should be allowed to suffer the consequences of their own stupidity without being subject to a bunch of laws instituted “for our own good.” For example, if you want to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, you should be allowed to do so. As a rider, you are accepting responsibility for the head injury you’re going to suffer if you are involved in a collision.
I’m also big on gun owners’ rights, personal responsibility, personal freedom, and smaller taxes. I’m all about the Bill of Rights, and am a strict constructionist regarding interpretation of the Constitution.
That said, if I could implement policy changes or influence the effect that government has on our economy, rights, and responsibilities, I would target five specific areas: smaller Federal government, a more equitable tax structure, immigration reform, energy, and manufacturing.
1. Stop or curtail the encroachment of the Federal Government onto powers reserved for the States and the People by doing the following:
a. Prohibit further use by the Federal Government of the Commerce Clause into areas that have very little reasonable connection to the physical conduct of commerce or trade. The clause was originally intended to prohibit states from imposing duties on goods imported from another state, or from assuming a protectionist or isolationist stance as regards to trade. It was not intended to enable the Federal Government to use the clause as an "umbrella instrument" to extend broad police powers throughout the nation, or to enable the growth of said government to support said powers. For a good analysis, please see:
http://federalistblog.us/2006/08/busting_congress_interstate_commerce_myth.html
b. Repeal the 16th Amendment and institute the Fair Tax.
c. Remove or dismantle the following federal agencies, and return those responsibilities to the states: The Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Health and Human Services. These departments deal with matters that can be best administered, implemented, and enforced at the State and Local Government levels.
d. While I won't advocate overturning Roe v. Wade, I will say that this decision was one of the most overreaching acts of the Supreme Court, and is one of the most egregious examples of the usurpation of States' rights by judicial fiat. This decision opened the door that has allowed the Court to change its view from that of constructionist constitutionality to that of "popular" constitutionality. We must be vigilant in watching for these types of decisions, even though there is very little recourse available to us once a decision has been penned.
2. Institute term limits for those elected to the House and Senate - 4 terms cumulative.
3. Exhaustive and extensive overhaul of the immigration system to include the following:
a. Design, implement, and build physical and technological barriers to entry at our northern and southern borders. This process, from inception to completion, must be implemented within 18 months. We have the means, the knowledge, and the manpower to do so. Our border security (or lack thereof) represents the largest threat to our national security. Our most clear and present danger is from a Central American diaspora, as evidenced by the waves of illegal immigrants entering via our southern border. This is nothing new. Blanket amnesty was issued during the Reagan administration, and we were supposed to fix the problem at that time. We did not, and are now suffering the consequences. We have organized crime syndicates and gangs from Central America operating the drug trade with impunity all over the country – not just in the southwest. Worse, though, is the crushing weight that our social services, healthcare facilities, law enforcement agencies and schools are carrying. Providing services for upwards of 20 million people who do not pay taxes is bankrupting many states, and there is no long term fix. This is a case of the Federal government failing to exercise one of its enumerated powers, but expecting State governments to foot the bill.
b. At this point in time, it is logistically and administratively improbable that we can collect and eject all persons residing and working illegally in our country. However, some sort of interim status needs to be granted to those persons who are otherwise living peaceably (albeit illegally) within our borders until final disposition of their status can be made. Identification of those who wish to stay is a must, as is identification of those whose reasons for residing here are purely criminal. Rather than tapping the State Department to issue Visas, we should immediately empower Immigration and Customs Enforcement to issue identification numbers (not SSNs) to those who voluntarily present themselves with definitive proof of identity, and collect fingerprint and DNA data to be married to said identification. Issue 12 month temporary worker status to said people, and tax their earnings in accordance with IRS guidelines. Further, those who are here illegally, albeit with temporary status, must pay a penalty of $5000 per person per annum, to be collected with their taxes. This $5000 is to be collected at the State level, to help pay for services provided by the State. c. After announcement of the temporary worker program, all persons resident in this country illegally have 90 days to report and be issued identification. Thereafter, any person detained by law enforcement or contacted by social services who cannot or will not provide verification of their identity will be subject to criminal prosecution for illegal entry (in addition to any other charges) and eventual deportation.
4. Immediately institute an “energy blitz” with no government interference or subsidies. We desperately need to obtain energy independence, so that hostile nations whose interests have nothing to do with the success of the United States can’t dictate to us what we will and will not do. There is plenty of money to be made in energy, whether in conventional fuels or renewables. If government will get out of the way, we will achieve the independence we require.
5. Re-empower domestic manufacturing concerns by eliminating or decreasing the cost of conducting business in the United States. Domestic manufacturers are at a 32% competitive disadvantage when compared to the other nine countries who are our direct manufacturing competitors. The costs driving that disadvantage are comprised entirely of taxes, regulatory compliance, torts, and labor. Every one of those costs can be controlled or mitigated by favorable actions implemented by our Congress, such as reducing or eliminating the taxes levied on products sold as exports, implementing tort reform, and passing or enforcing right to work statutes.
I think I'll stop there. I have plenty of other ideas, but these would be an excellent start.
Originally Published 03:12 PM Friday, March 27, 2009
These days, almost everyone I talk to is enraged over the state of our economy and the direction in which our country is being driven by our elected officials. It doesn’t matter who I talk to – Republican, Democrat, conservative, or liberal – almost everyone is saying the same thing. “What the heck are they thinking?”
Most people feel completely disconnected from our political leadership. They feel that our money is being spent by Congress like a teenager at the mall with Dad’s credit card. They feel that legislation being enacted is increasingly restrictive, and does not reflect their values.
I agree. I’m neither a Democrat, nor a Republican. I feel as if neither party has anything to offer me, as both parties’ platforms are completely removed from what I consider reality. Of course, my version of reality may be very different from yours because I’m that dreaded, conservative Libertarian.
I believe that government should be as small as possible – only big enough to prevent us from falling into total anarchy. I think that the worst phrase anyone can utter is, “There oughta be a law about…” People should be allowed to suffer the consequences of their own stupidity without being subject to a bunch of laws instituted “for our own good.” For example, if you want to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, you should be allowed to do so. As a rider, you are accepting responsibility for the head injury you’re going to suffer if you are involved in a collision.
I’m also big on gun owners’ rights, personal responsibility, personal freedom, and smaller taxes. I’m all about the Bill of Rights, and am a strict constructionist regarding interpretation of the Constitution.
That said, if I could implement policy changes or influence the effect that government has on our economy, rights, and responsibilities, I would target five specific areas: smaller Federal government, a more equitable tax structure, immigration reform, energy, and manufacturing.
1. Stop or curtail the encroachment of the Federal Government onto powers reserved for the States and the People by doing the following:
a. Prohibit further use by the Federal Government of the Commerce Clause into areas that have very little reasonable connection to the physical conduct of commerce or trade. The clause was originally intended to prohibit states from imposing duties on goods imported from another state, or from assuming a protectionist or isolationist stance as regards to trade. It was not intended to enable the Federal Government to use the clause as an "umbrella instrument" to extend broad police powers throughout the nation, or to enable the growth of said government to support said powers. For a good analysis, please see:
http://federalistblog.us/2006/08/busting_congress_interstate_commerce_myth.html
b. Repeal the 16th Amendment and institute the Fair Tax.
c. Remove or dismantle the following federal agencies, and return those responsibilities to the states: The Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Health and Human Services. These departments deal with matters that can be best administered, implemented, and enforced at the State and Local Government levels.
d. While I won't advocate overturning Roe v. Wade, I will say that this decision was one of the most overreaching acts of the Supreme Court, and is one of the most egregious examples of the usurpation of States' rights by judicial fiat. This decision opened the door that has allowed the Court to change its view from that of constructionist constitutionality to that of "popular" constitutionality. We must be vigilant in watching for these types of decisions, even though there is very little recourse available to us once a decision has been penned.
2. Institute term limits for those elected to the House and Senate - 4 terms cumulative.
3. Exhaustive and extensive overhaul of the immigration system to include the following:
a. Design, implement, and build physical and technological barriers to entry at our northern and southern borders. This process, from inception to completion, must be implemented within 18 months. We have the means, the knowledge, and the manpower to do so. Our border security (or lack thereof) represents the largest threat to our national security. Our most clear and present danger is from a Central American diaspora, as evidenced by the waves of illegal immigrants entering via our southern border. This is nothing new. Blanket amnesty was issued during the Reagan administration, and we were supposed to fix the problem at that time. We did not, and are now suffering the consequences. We have organized crime syndicates and gangs from Central America operating the drug trade with impunity all over the country – not just in the southwest. Worse, though, is the crushing weight that our social services, healthcare facilities, law enforcement agencies and schools are carrying. Providing services for upwards of 20 million people who do not pay taxes is bankrupting many states, and there is no long term fix. This is a case of the Federal government failing to exercise one of its enumerated powers, but expecting State governments to foot the bill.
b. At this point in time, it is logistically and administratively improbable that we can collect and eject all persons residing and working illegally in our country. However, some sort of interim status needs to be granted to those persons who are otherwise living peaceably (albeit illegally) within our borders until final disposition of their status can be made. Identification of those who wish to stay is a must, as is identification of those whose reasons for residing here are purely criminal. Rather than tapping the State Department to issue Visas, we should immediately empower Immigration and Customs Enforcement to issue identification numbers (not SSNs) to those who voluntarily present themselves with definitive proof of identity, and collect fingerprint and DNA data to be married to said identification. Issue 12 month temporary worker status to said people, and tax their earnings in accordance with IRS guidelines. Further, those who are here illegally, albeit with temporary status, must pay a penalty of $5000 per person per annum, to be collected with their taxes. This $5000 is to be collected at the State level, to help pay for services provided by the State. c. After announcement of the temporary worker program, all persons resident in this country illegally have 90 days to report and be issued identification. Thereafter, any person detained by law enforcement or contacted by social services who cannot or will not provide verification of their identity will be subject to criminal prosecution for illegal entry (in addition to any other charges) and eventual deportation.
4. Immediately institute an “energy blitz” with no government interference or subsidies. We desperately need to obtain energy independence, so that hostile nations whose interests have nothing to do with the success of the United States can’t dictate to us what we will and will not do. There is plenty of money to be made in energy, whether in conventional fuels or renewables. If government will get out of the way, we will achieve the independence we require.
5. Re-empower domestic manufacturing concerns by eliminating or decreasing the cost of conducting business in the United States. Domestic manufacturers are at a 32% competitive disadvantage when compared to the other nine countries who are our direct manufacturing competitors. The costs driving that disadvantage are comprised entirely of taxes, regulatory compliance, torts, and labor. Every one of those costs can be controlled or mitigated by favorable actions implemented by our Congress, such as reducing or eliminating the taxes levied on products sold as exports, implementing tort reform, and passing or enforcing right to work statutes.
I think I'll stop there. I have plenty of other ideas, but these would be an excellent start.
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