Late last week the Republicans in Congress came out with their Pledge to America, very simply titled “A Pledge to America”. The beginning of the document is stuffed full of nostalgic bits and pieces from our beloved Constitution and Declaration of Independence. It made me swell with pride at reading it. Now let me get something straight from the outset. I do not wish to write this to in any way sabotage the GOP’s chances of taking the House or Senate in November (as if my small readership would even do that). I am, however, very skeptical of the claims that NOW they MAGICALLY care. I write this because I feel that, while it has some meaning behind it, it is mainly there to solidify even more power in the existing federal regime (in this case “Establishment Republicans). It claims that the American people are standing up and speaking out and how this document is a promise to the people that the Republicans are listening. The document is a dedication to the people that if the Republicans take the majority in Congress that they will whole heartily take on the tasks of correcting our errant path and begin heading back to the Constitution. So let’s look inside and see what it is they propose and we will examine a bit of truth about what will and what will not happen.
“We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored – particularly the Tenth Amendment…” The American people would love this. Can it be done? Yes. Will it be done? I am not so sure about that. It would be incredibly difficult to undue the damage that has been done to the Constitution. The Federal Government is in every aspect of our lives and it would be very small changes first, followed by ever increasing changes in the way the government interferes in our lives. It would mean a stop to subsidies, welfare, food stamps, Social Security, abolishing the Federal Reserve, the Department of Education, numerous other bureaus that are to many to name, the BATFE and other Alphabet Agencies that work above the law everyday in the name of justice. It is however, a start.
“We pledge to advance policies that promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, a robust defense, and national economic prosperity.”
Well that would mean taking the government completely out of the business of… BUSINESS! Greater liberty? Ending the Patriot Act and all the illegal wire tapping and Internet abuses would help.
“A plan to create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more competitive must be the first and most urgent domestic priority of our government.” …”By permanently stopping job-killing tax hikes, families will be able to keep more of their hard-earned money and small businesses will have the stability they need to invest in our economy and help grow our workforce.”
Tell me something Congressmen, short of a Constitutional Amendment, how is it that you will PERMANENTLY STOP ANY tax hike? The only other way is if we continue electing you and that is if we can trust all of you to do the right thing. That is part of the reason we are in this position to begin with, we trusted a politician to do his job.
“If we’ve learned anything over the last two years, it’s that we cannot spend our way to prosperity. We offer a plan to stop out-of-control spending and reduce the size of government.”
“With common-sense exceptions for seniors, veterans, and our troops, we will roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels…”
Common sense exceptions? I get the troops and veterans, but it has been known for decades that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are FAILING.
“Instead of pushing off our long-term fiscal challenges, we will reform the budget process to ensure that Congress begins making the decisions that are necessary to protect our entitlement programs for today’s seniors and future generations.”
You are kidding right? Entitlement programs? When ARE we going to address that? Would it not be better to do away with those sad and tarnished failures and institute a privatized and free-market solution now while we still can? Those Seniors that are on it now and those who will be in 15 years can understandably be kept on. But a REAL CHANGE a REAL REFORM is what is needed now. Not a half hearted attempt at votes. This statement is disgraceful.
“By cutting Congress’ budget, imposing a net hiring freeze on non-security federal employees, and reviewing every current government program to eliminate wasteful and duplicative programs, we can curb Washington’s irresponsible spending habits and reduce the size of government, while still fulfilling our necessary obligations.”
“We will also prevent Washington from forcing responsible taxpayers to subsidize irresponsible behavior by ending bailouts permanently, canceling the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), and reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.”
I applaud this at least, a very minute beginning but one nonetheless.
“We offer a plan to repeal and replace the government takeover of health care with common-sense solutions focused on lowering costs and protecting American jobs. We will enact real medical liability reform; allow Americans to purchase health coverage across state lines; empower small businesses with greater purchasing power; and create new incentives to save for future health needs. We will protect the doctor-patient relationship, and ensure that those with pre-existing conditions gain access to the coverage they need. We will permanently end taxpayer funding of abortion and codify the Hyde Amendment.”
That’s what I am talking about…. get rid of that Constitution and values destroying monstrosity of debt.
“We recognize that these solutions are ambitious, and that we are proposing them at a time of intense public distrust in politicians and the political system. That’s why we are offering a plan to reform Congress and restore trust so that we can put power back where it belongs: in the hands of the people. We will govern differently than past Congresses of both parties. We will require that every bill contain a citation of Constitutional authority. We will give all Representatives and citizens at least three days to read the bill before a vote. We will make sure that the floor schedule and operations reflect the priority of revitalizing the economy, and ensure there is an open process that makes it easier – not harder – to eliminate unnecessary spending on any legislation that spends the people’s money.”
I think people need longer than three days to read 1,000 page plus bills. Why don’t we just set ourselves up for failure now?
Our Plan to End The Uncertainty and Create Incentives for Job Growth
• Permanently Stop All Job-Killing Tax Hikes: We will help the economy by permanently stopping all tax increases, currently scheduled to take effect January 1, 2011. That means protecting middle-class families, seniors worried about their retirement, and the entrepreneurs and family-owned small businesses on which we depend to create jobs in America.
… how are we doing that again???
• Give Small Businesses a Tax Deduction: We will allow small business owners to take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their business income. This will provide entrepreneurs with a much-needed infusion of capital for investment and new hiring.
• Rein In the Red Tape Factory in Washington, DC: Excessive federal regulation is a de facto tax on employers and consumers that stifles job creation, hampers innovation and postpones investment in the economy. When the game is always changing, small businesses cannot properly plan for the future. To provide stability, we will require congressional approval of any new federal regulation that has an annual cost to our economy of $100 million or more. This is the threshold at which the government deems a regulation “economically significant.” If a regulation is so “significant” and costly that it may harm job creation, Congress should vote on it first.
• Repeal Job-Killing Small Business Mandates: One of the most controversial mandates of the Democrats’ government takeover of health care requires small businesses to report to the Internal Revenue Service any purchases that run more than $600. This 1099 reporting mandate is so overbearing that the IRS ombudsman has determined that the agency is ill-equipped to handle all the resulting paperwork.. We will repeal this job-killing small business mandate.
I like the tough talk from the previous statements. There should be over-watch on what “agencies” do that can harm businesses. I am always for Tax Cuts, but I would like to see a TAX REFORM MORE!
Our Plan to Put Government on a Path to a Balanced Budget
• Act Immediately to Reduce Spending: There is no reason to wait to reduce wasteful and unnecessary spending. Congress should move immediately to cancel unspent “stimulus” funds, and block any attempts to extend the timeline for spending “stimulus” funds. Throwing more money at a stimulus plan that is not working only wastes taxpayer money and puts us further in debt.
There is SOOOO much more that can be done immediately than stopping stimulus monies. I think the GOP should work a bit harder on that front.
• Establish a Hard Cap on New Discretionary Spending: We must put common-sense limits on the growth of government and stop the endless increases. Only in Washington is there an expectation that whatever your budget was last year, it will be more this year and even more the next. We will set strict budget caps to limit federal spending on an annual basis. Budget caps were used in the 1990s, when a Republican Congress was able to bring the budget into balance and eventual surplus. By cutting discretionary spending from current levels and imposing a hard cap on future growth, we will save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
There is a problem with this… IT ONLY WORKS WHEN THE PEOPLE IN OFFICE WANT IT TO! There HAS to be an Amendment for this to even come close to sticking. On top of that, we all know the left doesn’t care about the Constitution so why would they listen. There has to be MORE.
• Reform the Budget Process to Focus on Long-Term Challenges: We will make the decisions that are necessary to protect our entitlement programs for today’s seniors and future generations. That means requiring a full accounting of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, setting benchmarks for these programs and reviewing them regularly, and preventing the expansion of unfunded liabilities.
Once again, we should be talking about reforming these horrible programs and re-privatizing them. Quit pandering for votes and have an HONEST discussion about getting rid of them and replacing them with something better.
Overall the Pledge is a start on what needs done, but there is so much to do and let us be honest with ourselves. It would take more than just a simple majority to make any of this happen. At best we can resolve to stop the madness and create a stalemate where nothing is gained or lost. It will take a Super Majority in both the House and the Senate to enact anything that will be worthwhile. That means that all you activist out there need to continue the rally call not just for the short term but probably through the next generation. We can get our Government back from these Socialists and the so-called Republicans but it will mean a lot of work and it will mean years and years of hard work. Keep up the fight for Liberty!
A Pledge To America – http://www.gop.gov/resources/library/documents/solutions/a-pledge-to-america.pdf
Jay
The Hard Right Vs. The Easy Wrong 