bkkcoh
04-30-2008, 08:27 AM
Link (http://www.chronwatch-america.com/articles/2839/1/A-New-quotContract-With-Americaquot/Page1.html)
Balanced Budget Amendment
The original balanced budget amendment was a great idea and one that should be held over from the original Contract. We desperately need to commit to a balanced budget and learn to live within our means as a nation instead of borrowing against the future of our children.
Health Care
We need to understand that health care is a business and that the more regulation we impose on it, the more expensive it becomes. Deregulate the health care business, and prices will come down. The market will make the adjustments as it always does. We need to have a health care climate that keeps states from prohibiting coverage. A great example is obstetric care. If one is a 50-year-old woman and don’t intend on having any more children (or she is anatomically prevented from it happening), then she ought to be able to buy a policy that does not cover any type of obstetric care, just gynecological care. That way she is not subsidizing all of the young mothers in our society. Conversely, if one is 25 and keeps healthy, he should be able to buy a policy that only covers catastrophic care. That way he only pays for the coverage he wants or needs. This type of targeted coverage allows one to have more choices as one's life and needs change. Limit the frivolous lawsuits brought upon the judicial system by people seeking a quick buck, and it will cut down the costs of doing business and thus the premiums as well.
Energy Security
This may be the most important part of the new Contract. We have all felt how energy issues can affect our lives, and we need to have a proactive plan to deal with these issues. Any 21st century energy policy should automatically include three components: 1) Drilling and finding all sources of oil, gas, and related products within our own borders first. We should seek first to be independent. This means drilling in ANWR, off the Outer Continental Shelf, in the Dakotas, off the Gulf Coast of Florida, and in the Arctic Circle; 2) We should be committed nationally to finding and developing alternative fuel sources that a) aren’t counterproductive like ethanol, and b) Don’t cause problems in other sectors of society like food shortages. No, I’m not talking about ridiculous wind farms. I’m talking about true alternative ways of creating gas and oil; 3) We should formulate a long-term strategy to convert old electrical power plant to nuclear and to build new nuclear capabilities. Nuclear power is clean and efficient, and we know how to manage nuclear waste much better now than we did 30 years ago. If it’s good for North Korea, China, Germany, and France, it’s definitely good for us. Developing plans for this three-pronged strategy will help us be independent of oil produced by terrorist states and better ensure our security for generations to come.
Immigration
Much about immigration has been discussed in recent months due to the strain that illegal immigrations put on our society. Is it fair that some people have to wait in line and go through the legal immigration process? Yes, it is fair. We cannot anymore have undocumented illegal immigration because it poses a severe security risk in addition to saddling the American people with things like free health care, food stamps, and other benefits that were and are targeted at legal citizens who are paying for them. Illegal immigration to the United States is not a right. It is a privilege, and there should be certain requirements prior to anyone coming across our borders including learning English first, being able to be economically self-sufficient, etc. Any real enforcement of our border laws should first include a real, identifiable border that is locked down. This means building a wall. This is the first wave of defense against terrorism at home, and it must be built.
Political Accountability
There has been a wave of political corruption on both sides of the aisle that has left much of the American public with a sour taste in its mouths. Americans are increasingly cynical about the ability of someone to go to Congress and do the people’s work. Instead, politicians become beholden to the big money special interests that put them there to begin with. It happens at all levels of government, but the incumbent in Washington can rake in the money and benefits by being there just a few short years. One proposal to end the corruption is term limits, which I’m all in favor of. Make the terms of all representatives and senators 4 years instead of 2 or 6. Have a limit of 2 terms without the possibility of returning in the future. It’s good for the president, and it would be good for Congress as well. Since representatives and senators are sent by the states, each state should have an independent, non-partisan commission that watches over the workings and activities of the legislative branch in Washington to make sure that people are not getting “in bed” with the big money spenders in Washington an elsewhere. Change congressional pay so that representatives don’t have these ridiculous staffs with fancy offices and such. Give each congressman $1 million annually to pay for all offices, staff, stamps, travel etc. Disallow any travel paid for by boosters and supporters. Prevent the president from selling out rooms in the White House to people like Charlie Tree for $250k per weekend like Clinton did. Let the representatives manage this money, but don’t give them any more. No bonuses for being Speaker of the House or Majority Leader, etc. Make it a privilege to serve rather than a perk to be enjoyed. Make House and Senate leaders ride coach like everyone else does when they get on a plane. No military rides or special flights.
Economic Prosperity
The future of our country depends on our economy. The global economy, in which are THE major player, must work efficiently. We have to stop devaluing our own dollar to make China’s goods cheap. We have to realize that we cannot finance our own prosperity by cheapening imported goods. We also cannot manage tariffs the way we have done in the past. This means that we need to eliminate tariffs and stop protecting U.S. companies. Let them survive on their own and sink or swim on their own merits. On the flip side, we need to demand that other countries with whom we trade should necessarily open their ports and allow our goods to flow freely without tariffs as well. I believe it’s a concept called free and fair trade. If countries won’t do it our way, then we won’t do it with them at all. We have enough economic clout to make this happen. Remember, we are the world’s lone superpower, and that’s worth something out there.
Taxation
In order to compete in the 21st century global economy, the United States needs radically to change its tax structure from one based on income to one based on consumption. The FairTax is the way to go. All the benefits of the FairTax are delineated on the website at http://www.fairtax.org. The basic benefits of the FairTax would allow us to attract investment back into the United States and to remove the tax code from being manipulated by Congress to help any one particular group. Flat sales taxes, in lieu of income taxes, have been proven to work in other countries and they would be extremely beneficial to our economy and to the economies of the world as well. Enact the Fairtax; it is freedom-based and fair to all.
The Environment
Environmental issues have taken front seat in many elections over the last decade, and the environment will continue to be a large issue that is interrelated to many other issues, especially economic ones. Conservation and technology are the keys to the environment in the coming decades. We have plenty of oil and related products available to us without paying terrorist countries for them. Environmental whacko types don’t want to consider using safe drilling methods. They would rather us go back to the gathering and Stone Age methods of survival. Horse and buggy transportation sounds good to them. It’s a sort of Unabomber meets the coffee house community type thing. Environmental radicalism is the new home of the old Communist Party, and it is alive and well, continuing to tell lies about the environment so as to scare Americans into changing their lives. What we need in the New Contract is to denounce global warming as a myth (which it is, according to proven science). There is no such thing as man-made climate change. We can’t make or stop hurricanes and tornadoes, and we cannot alter weather patterns with our behavior. What we can and should do is be good stewards of God’s creation. That is significantly different from imposing undue regulation on ourselves in order to assuage our environmental guilt. We need to strive for clean emissions but not to the point where we wreck our economy. We need to find more efficient ways to manage oil and gas operations without castigating and hindering oil companies as “evil.” Becoming energy independent would go a long way in this regard. Being a good steward means proper management, not draconian cuts in usage or radical, almost unhinged decision making with regard to things like ethanol. The environment is resilient, and we are not even close to understanding it all. To think that all truths about the ecosystem are within our grasp is to have adopted a level of pride and arrogance that is beyond help. We need to step back and move slowly on environmental issues. All of the doomsday predictions of Ted Danson and his ilk haven’t come true because they were not based on truth. It was all a big scare. Algore’s global warming garbage has been repudiated by many scientists as bogus, including the founder of the Weather Channel. I’d trust him over a group of politicians from the United Nations any day of the week and twice on Sundays. We need common sense approaches to the environment, realizing that less really is more so much of the time.
Granted I don't agree with all of the tidbits in all of the groups and the devil would be in the details. But all of those ideas are very sound in nature.
Aren't they?
Balanced Budget Amendment
The original balanced budget amendment was a great idea and one that should be held over from the original Contract. We desperately need to commit to a balanced budget and learn to live within our means as a nation instead of borrowing against the future of our children.
Health Care
We need to understand that health care is a business and that the more regulation we impose on it, the more expensive it becomes. Deregulate the health care business, and prices will come down. The market will make the adjustments as it always does. We need to have a health care climate that keeps states from prohibiting coverage. A great example is obstetric care. If one is a 50-year-old woman and don’t intend on having any more children (or she is anatomically prevented from it happening), then she ought to be able to buy a policy that does not cover any type of obstetric care, just gynecological care. That way she is not subsidizing all of the young mothers in our society. Conversely, if one is 25 and keeps healthy, he should be able to buy a policy that only covers catastrophic care. That way he only pays for the coverage he wants or needs. This type of targeted coverage allows one to have more choices as one's life and needs change. Limit the frivolous lawsuits brought upon the judicial system by people seeking a quick buck, and it will cut down the costs of doing business and thus the premiums as well.
Energy Security
This may be the most important part of the new Contract. We have all felt how energy issues can affect our lives, and we need to have a proactive plan to deal with these issues. Any 21st century energy policy should automatically include three components: 1) Drilling and finding all sources of oil, gas, and related products within our own borders first. We should seek first to be independent. This means drilling in ANWR, off the Outer Continental Shelf, in the Dakotas, off the Gulf Coast of Florida, and in the Arctic Circle; 2) We should be committed nationally to finding and developing alternative fuel sources that a) aren’t counterproductive like ethanol, and b) Don’t cause problems in other sectors of society like food shortages. No, I’m not talking about ridiculous wind farms. I’m talking about true alternative ways of creating gas and oil; 3) We should formulate a long-term strategy to convert old electrical power plant to nuclear and to build new nuclear capabilities. Nuclear power is clean and efficient, and we know how to manage nuclear waste much better now than we did 30 years ago. If it’s good for North Korea, China, Germany, and France, it’s definitely good for us. Developing plans for this three-pronged strategy will help us be independent of oil produced by terrorist states and better ensure our security for generations to come.
Immigration
Much about immigration has been discussed in recent months due to the strain that illegal immigrations put on our society. Is it fair that some people have to wait in line and go through the legal immigration process? Yes, it is fair. We cannot anymore have undocumented illegal immigration because it poses a severe security risk in addition to saddling the American people with things like free health care, food stamps, and other benefits that were and are targeted at legal citizens who are paying for them. Illegal immigration to the United States is not a right. It is a privilege, and there should be certain requirements prior to anyone coming across our borders including learning English first, being able to be economically self-sufficient, etc. Any real enforcement of our border laws should first include a real, identifiable border that is locked down. This means building a wall. This is the first wave of defense against terrorism at home, and it must be built.
Political Accountability
There has been a wave of political corruption on both sides of the aisle that has left much of the American public with a sour taste in its mouths. Americans are increasingly cynical about the ability of someone to go to Congress and do the people’s work. Instead, politicians become beholden to the big money special interests that put them there to begin with. It happens at all levels of government, but the incumbent in Washington can rake in the money and benefits by being there just a few short years. One proposal to end the corruption is term limits, which I’m all in favor of. Make the terms of all representatives and senators 4 years instead of 2 or 6. Have a limit of 2 terms without the possibility of returning in the future. It’s good for the president, and it would be good for Congress as well. Since representatives and senators are sent by the states, each state should have an independent, non-partisan commission that watches over the workings and activities of the legislative branch in Washington to make sure that people are not getting “in bed” with the big money spenders in Washington an elsewhere. Change congressional pay so that representatives don’t have these ridiculous staffs with fancy offices and such. Give each congressman $1 million annually to pay for all offices, staff, stamps, travel etc. Disallow any travel paid for by boosters and supporters. Prevent the president from selling out rooms in the White House to people like Charlie Tree for $250k per weekend like Clinton did. Let the representatives manage this money, but don’t give them any more. No bonuses for being Speaker of the House or Majority Leader, etc. Make it a privilege to serve rather than a perk to be enjoyed. Make House and Senate leaders ride coach like everyone else does when they get on a plane. No military rides or special flights.
Economic Prosperity
The future of our country depends on our economy. The global economy, in which are THE major player, must work efficiently. We have to stop devaluing our own dollar to make China’s goods cheap. We have to realize that we cannot finance our own prosperity by cheapening imported goods. We also cannot manage tariffs the way we have done in the past. This means that we need to eliminate tariffs and stop protecting U.S. companies. Let them survive on their own and sink or swim on their own merits. On the flip side, we need to demand that other countries with whom we trade should necessarily open their ports and allow our goods to flow freely without tariffs as well. I believe it’s a concept called free and fair trade. If countries won’t do it our way, then we won’t do it with them at all. We have enough economic clout to make this happen. Remember, we are the world’s lone superpower, and that’s worth something out there.
Taxation
In order to compete in the 21st century global economy, the United States needs radically to change its tax structure from one based on income to one based on consumption. The FairTax is the way to go. All the benefits of the FairTax are delineated on the website at http://www.fairtax.org. The basic benefits of the FairTax would allow us to attract investment back into the United States and to remove the tax code from being manipulated by Congress to help any one particular group. Flat sales taxes, in lieu of income taxes, have been proven to work in other countries and they would be extremely beneficial to our economy and to the economies of the world as well. Enact the Fairtax; it is freedom-based and fair to all.
The Environment
Environmental issues have taken front seat in many elections over the last decade, and the environment will continue to be a large issue that is interrelated to many other issues, especially economic ones. Conservation and technology are the keys to the environment in the coming decades. We have plenty of oil and related products available to us without paying terrorist countries for them. Environmental whacko types don’t want to consider using safe drilling methods. They would rather us go back to the gathering and Stone Age methods of survival. Horse and buggy transportation sounds good to them. It’s a sort of Unabomber meets the coffee house community type thing. Environmental radicalism is the new home of the old Communist Party, and it is alive and well, continuing to tell lies about the environment so as to scare Americans into changing their lives. What we need in the New Contract is to denounce global warming as a myth (which it is, according to proven science). There is no such thing as man-made climate change. We can’t make or stop hurricanes and tornadoes, and we cannot alter weather patterns with our behavior. What we can and should do is be good stewards of God’s creation. That is significantly different from imposing undue regulation on ourselves in order to assuage our environmental guilt. We need to strive for clean emissions but not to the point where we wreck our economy. We need to find more efficient ways to manage oil and gas operations without castigating and hindering oil companies as “evil.” Becoming energy independent would go a long way in this regard. Being a good steward means proper management, not draconian cuts in usage or radical, almost unhinged decision making with regard to things like ethanol. The environment is resilient, and we are not even close to understanding it all. To think that all truths about the ecosystem are within our grasp is to have adopted a level of pride and arrogance that is beyond help. We need to step back and move slowly on environmental issues. All of the doomsday predictions of Ted Danson and his ilk haven’t come true because they were not based on truth. It was all a big scare. Algore’s global warming garbage has been repudiated by many scientists as bogus, including the founder of the Weather Channel. I’d trust him over a group of politicians from the United Nations any day of the week and twice on Sundays. We need common sense approaches to the environment, realizing that less really is more so much of the time.
Granted I don't agree with all of the tidbits in all of the groups and the devil would be in the details. But all of those ideas are very sound in nature.
Aren't they?