Spending
We need to live within our means and balance
the budget. The culture
of pork-barrel earmark spending must be brought to
an end. Every
discretionary project should be thoroughly analyzed,
prioritized,
debated and voted on in plain public view. Every new
government
program should have an end date.
Taxes
Congress should make the 2003
tax relief permanent. This simple action
will prevent a substantial tax increase for most
Americans in 2011. The
marriage penalty and death tax should be abolished
once and for all.
Health Care
Government-sponsored health
care and the associated bureaucracy and
mandates is not the answer. Instead, we should
reinvigorate the private,
direct-pay health insurance market and allow
consumers to purchase
insurance across state lines. We need to eliminate
frivolous lawsuits
to free our physicians from the ever increasing
malpractice insurance
premiums that drive them to stop practicing.
The Tax Code
The current Tax Code is a
disgrace. We should replace it with a Flat Tax
that taxes all income only once, at the source, at a
single low rate.
Individuals would receive generous personal and
dependency allowances
and companies would be able to immediately expense
equipment
purchases. Millions of families would be removed
from the tax rolls and
the remainder would be able to compute their taxes
within minutes.
The savings in compliance costs would be enormous.
The reduction in
the corporate tax rate would promote domestic
investment and keep
jobs here in
Energy
Energy is an economic, national security and environmental issue. We should adopt a comprehensive energy policy that includes increased drilling for domestic oil, as well as clean-burning coal, nuclear, solar, wind and geothermal power.
Iraq & The War on Terrorism
The "Surge" and related counterinsurgency operations, implemented by the brave men and women of the U.S Armed Forces under General David Petraeus' leadership, have worked. Our military deserves our support, respect, and gratitude. We should continue to encourage the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own affairs, and build a stable nation in the Middle East, which is in our long-term strategic interest. I would encourage members of Congress to take time to understand the conditions on the ground before taking partisan stands on the conflict.
Trade
Congress should pass the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. This Agreement would open up Colombia's markets to American goods; 90% of Colombian goods already enter the U.S. duty free. Exports accounted for 40% of our Nation's economic growth in 2007. Trade creates jobs, higher wages, and lower prices. The Agreement contains the same worker and environmental standards as the Peru Free Trade Agreement, which passed in December 2007.
Foreign Policy
Congress should enact free trade agreements, build alliances of countries to participate in the missile defense shield program, and combat radical Islamofacism. The Democrat leadership in Congress changed the rules to prevent a vote on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which would have opened Colombia's markets to American goods (90% of Colombian goods already enter the U.S. duty free) and created American jobs. The proposed agreement contained the same worker and environmental standards as the Peru Free Trade Agreement, which the House passed in December 2007. Trade creates jobs, higher wages and lower prices.