Monday, August 29, 2005
A Modest Proposal
At this moment, Hurricane Katrina is pounding Louisiana, causing hundreds of millions of dollars of damage, killing people and destroying homes, and most importantly, killing dozens of endangered species of worms, mollusks, and coastal marine wildlife. This kind of havoc must not be permitted to continue. I call on Congress to take action immediately to ban hurricanes. How can our elected leaders, those charged with protecting and taking care of us, sit idly by while these merciless storms pound our coasts? Solve the problem once and for all: ban hurricanes!
Friday, August 26, 2005
Time to drill
With oil prices hitting record highs, oil supply from foreign sources not meeting demand, and gas prices at $2.55/gallon, it appears that the time for sitting on our oil reserves in Alaska has passed, and the time to tap into it is here. The environmentalists will not doubt throw a fit about the prospect of drilling for oil in Alaska. Most of them have never even been there. Alaska is 656,425 square miles of mostly nothing. The total population density of the state is less than one person per square mile. If you exclude Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau there is less than one person per three square miles. An oil drilling operation the size of Rhode Island would occupy less than a quarter of a percent of the land in Alaska, leaving 99.75% for the occasional human and all the animals. Surely we should continue to develop more fuel efficient cars and fuel cell technology to generate energy from hydrogen, but in the mean time, let the drilling begin!
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Unilateral pullout is a bad idea
Today Israel is unilaterally pulling out of the West Bank, territory which they captured from Jordan in 1967 in a war started by Jordan and Egypt. This is apparently bowing to pressure from Palestinian militants and their wave of suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians. However, it will not end the conflict or appease the terrorists. The hardline Palestinian groups responsible for the violence will not be satisfied until Israel ceases to exist. In fact, this pullout will only embolden them. Seeing results from their reign of terror will encourage them to continue. In the end, the international good will they generate will not be worth the heavy cost.
Hat in the ring
Today I am officially announcing my candidacy for President in 2008. I expect this web site to be the start of a groundswell of grassroot support which will sweep me clear to the White House. Hey, it worked for Howard Dean.
Unlike most candidates, I will not start my campaign with a bunch of fluffy, feel-good speeches, but rather by laying out my platform and stating positions on as many important issues as possible.
1. Government spending -- In my first year in office, my major task will be to eliminate entire categories of government spending. Any program which is ineffective, wasteful, or unbeneficial will be cut. Any spending which subsidizes or promotes irresponsible behavior will be eliminated. Bill which exceeds the scope and authority of the Federal Government as defined in the Constitution will be repealed. A vast number of pieces of Legislation which make dubious claim based on the "interstate commerce" clause will fall into this category. Programs dealing with issues better handled at a state or local level will be eliminated. These cuts in spending will create an immediate budget surplus, preparing the way for tax code changes.
2. Tax code replacement -- I will propose a complete repeal of the tax code and a new consumption tax to replace it. Eliminate the income tax, payroll tax, capital gains tax, gift tax, death tax, alternative minimum tax, self-employment tax, corporate tax, and all the special perks which lobbyists have pushed on us for decades. Then repeal the 16th Amendment to assure that the income tax is gone for good. I will replace it with a 20% sales tax on all new goods and services. Each month, every family will receive a "prebate" consisting of the taxes they would pay to live at the poverty level. This will result in millions of families paying little or no taxes. Regardless of what a person earns, if they live modestly, save and invest in our economy rather than consume, their tax bill will be light. Live extravagantly and the tax bill will be higher. Congress may not like this, because it will take away one of their largest sources of power -- manipulation of the tax code. However, the consumption tax will no longer punish the creation of wealth, which is the driving force of our economy. It will encourage saving and investing and remove loopholes which cause businesses to operate inefficiently. Americans for Fair Taxation has a proposal similar to mine.
3. Social security -- Having eliminated the payroll tax which funds the current Social Security system, we need a new way to ensure that everyone has a chance to reach a secure retirement. Because there is no tax on income or capital gains, middle and upper income people can save and invest as they see fit. IRAs and 401ks will no longer be necessary. Lower income people will be eligible to establish their own Social Security account, which they will own. Their own contributions will be matched by government money on a scale determined by their income. Participants will invest their money in any of a number of appropriate investment options, including well-diversified stock and bond mutual funds. The funds will be eligible for withdrawal at retirement age, to pay college expenses, or in case of certain hardships.
4. Terrorism -- I will continue with President Bush's policy of hunting down and killing or capturing terrorists wherever they may be hiding. I will be an unapologetic friend and ally of Israel. I will make sure that we continue to have the best military in the world to accomplish this objective and to maintain peace and a solid defense.
5. Second Amendment -- I will repeal all gun control laws which prevent law-abiding citizens from owning or bearing arms appropriate for a well-regulated militia. This includes the Gun Control Acts of 1934 and 1968, and the Brady Bill. As Commander In Chief of the armed forces I will issue an executive order protecting the right of all citizens to carry firearms as part of the citizen militia. I will enforce tough penalties on those who misuse firearms in the commission of a crime.
6. Abortion -- Abortion is the killing of a unique and individual human being. I will do all that is possible to eliminate the abortion industry and end this horrific practice. I will eliminate all Federal funding of abortion, push for a reversal of Roe V. Wade, and pursue all judicial and legislative routes to stop abortion.
7. Regulation -- I will replace excessive government regulation with free market regulation. I will require full disclosure of safety, health, and quality information from manufacturers and providers of goods and services. Consumers will then be able to make informed decisions about what products to buy.
8. Campaign reform -- I will propose a campaign reform bill which permits campaign contributions only from individuals registered to vote in the district of the candidate. Second-hand contributions will not be permitted. All contributions must be publicly disclosed.
Please drop me a line and let me know what you think of this.
Announcement of my running mate will be forthcoming.
Unlike most candidates, I will not start my campaign with a bunch of fluffy, feel-good speeches, but rather by laying out my platform and stating positions on as many important issues as possible.
1. Government spending -- In my first year in office, my major task will be to eliminate entire categories of government spending. Any program which is ineffective, wasteful, or unbeneficial will be cut. Any spending which subsidizes or promotes irresponsible behavior will be eliminated. Bill which exceeds the scope and authority of the Federal Government as defined in the Constitution will be repealed. A vast number of pieces of Legislation which make dubious claim based on the "interstate commerce" clause will fall into this category. Programs dealing with issues better handled at a state or local level will be eliminated. These cuts in spending will create an immediate budget surplus, preparing the way for tax code changes.
2. Tax code replacement -- I will propose a complete repeal of the tax code and a new consumption tax to replace it. Eliminate the income tax, payroll tax, capital gains tax, gift tax, death tax, alternative minimum tax, self-employment tax, corporate tax, and all the special perks which lobbyists have pushed on us for decades. Then repeal the 16th Amendment to assure that the income tax is gone for good. I will replace it with a 20% sales tax on all new goods and services. Each month, every family will receive a "prebate" consisting of the taxes they would pay to live at the poverty level. This will result in millions of families paying little or no taxes. Regardless of what a person earns, if they live modestly, save and invest in our economy rather than consume, their tax bill will be light. Live extravagantly and the tax bill will be higher. Congress may not like this, because it will take away one of their largest sources of power -- manipulation of the tax code. However, the consumption tax will no longer punish the creation of wealth, which is the driving force of our economy. It will encourage saving and investing and remove loopholes which cause businesses to operate inefficiently. Americans for Fair Taxation has a proposal similar to mine.
3. Social security -- Having eliminated the payroll tax which funds the current Social Security system, we need a new way to ensure that everyone has a chance to reach a secure retirement. Because there is no tax on income or capital gains, middle and upper income people can save and invest as they see fit. IRAs and 401ks will no longer be necessary. Lower income people will be eligible to establish their own Social Security account, which they will own. Their own contributions will be matched by government money on a scale determined by their income. Participants will invest their money in any of a number of appropriate investment options, including well-diversified stock and bond mutual funds. The funds will be eligible for withdrawal at retirement age, to pay college expenses, or in case of certain hardships.
4. Terrorism -- I will continue with President Bush's policy of hunting down and killing or capturing terrorists wherever they may be hiding. I will be an unapologetic friend and ally of Israel. I will make sure that we continue to have the best military in the world to accomplish this objective and to maintain peace and a solid defense.
5. Second Amendment -- I will repeal all gun control laws which prevent law-abiding citizens from owning or bearing arms appropriate for a well-regulated militia. This includes the Gun Control Acts of 1934 and 1968, and the Brady Bill. As Commander In Chief of the armed forces I will issue an executive order protecting the right of all citizens to carry firearms as part of the citizen militia. I will enforce tough penalties on those who misuse firearms in the commission of a crime.
6. Abortion -- Abortion is the killing of a unique and individual human being. I will do all that is possible to eliminate the abortion industry and end this horrific practice. I will eliminate all Federal funding of abortion, push for a reversal of Roe V. Wade, and pursue all judicial and legislative routes to stop abortion.
7. Regulation -- I will replace excessive government regulation with free market regulation. I will require full disclosure of safety, health, and quality information from manufacturers and providers of goods and services. Consumers will then be able to make informed decisions about what products to buy.
8. Campaign reform -- I will propose a campaign reform bill which permits campaign contributions only from individuals registered to vote in the district of the candidate. Second-hand contributions will not be permitted. All contributions must be publicly disclosed.
Please drop me a line and let me know what you think of this.
Announcement of my running mate will be forthcoming.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Freedom is worth fighting for
On September 11, 2001 we learned what happens when evil is allowed to go unchecked.
Throughout the 1990's, Osama Bin Laden attacked the United States, our military, and our embassies around the world. He was behind the first bombing of the World Trade Center, the attacks on our Marine barracks, the USS Cole, and two of our embassies. Each time his thugs carried out one of these attacks, President Bill Clinton gave a speech in which he vowed to bring the people responsible for these atrocities to justice. But in the end, Bill Clinton spent more money and committed more resources to going after Bill Gates than Osama Bin Laden.
If appeasement worked, there would have been no 9/11.
Osama Bin Laden believed that America would continue to do nothing of substance in response to his attacks. Was he ever wrong. America was tired of leaders who didn't lead, and elected a new President who didn't respond to terrorist attacks with half-hearted criminal investigations. Instead, he recognized this as a war which must be fought and won. He is taking the fight to the rocks that these terrorists hide under, and he is systematically dismantling the terror organizations before they can attack us again.
Just as we are endebted to the patriots who fought for our independence and liberty in the past, we owe honor and graditude to our brave soldiers who risk their lives today in Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the world fighting for the freedom of the oppressed, and ultimately for the preservation of our own freedom. To every man and woman in our armed service: our prayers are with you, we support you, we honor you, we thank you.
Throughout the 1990's, Osama Bin Laden attacked the United States, our military, and our embassies around the world. He was behind the first bombing of the World Trade Center, the attacks on our Marine barracks, the USS Cole, and two of our embassies. Each time his thugs carried out one of these attacks, President Bill Clinton gave a speech in which he vowed to bring the people responsible for these atrocities to justice. But in the end, Bill Clinton spent more money and committed more resources to going after Bill Gates than Osama Bin Laden.
If appeasement worked, there would have been no 9/11.
Osama Bin Laden believed that America would continue to do nothing of substance in response to his attacks. Was he ever wrong. America was tired of leaders who didn't lead, and elected a new President who didn't respond to terrorist attacks with half-hearted criminal investigations. Instead, he recognized this as a war which must be fought and won. He is taking the fight to the rocks that these terrorists hide under, and he is systematically dismantling the terror organizations before they can attack us again.
Just as we are endebted to the patriots who fought for our independence and liberty in the past, we owe honor and graditude to our brave soldiers who risk their lives today in Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the world fighting for the freedom of the oppressed, and ultimately for the preservation of our own freedom. To every man and woman in our armed service: our prayers are with you, we support you, we honor you, we thank you.
Welcome
Welcome to my new blog, where I will share my wit, wisdom, and rare insight with the world.
"There is always a certain meanness in the argument of conservatism, joined with a certain superiority of its fact."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, lecture, December 9, 1841
This blog is dedicated to the following principles:
1. America is great in spite of its government, not because of it
2. The earth is not fragile. Capitalism is not a threat to the environment.
3. Without the Second Amendment, the rest of the Bill of Rights is meaningless.
4. Budget deficits are caused by excessive spending, not insufficient taxation.
5. Parents are responsible for raising their kids, not villages and certainly not Hillary Clinton or the Federal Government.
6. Entrusting your retirement to the stock market is less risky than entrusting it to Congress.
7. Terrorism is an evil which must be wiped out, not appeased.
8. Most of the things that Congress does are outside of its Constitutional authority.
9. Free Market forces are better at improving society than government regulations.
10. Subsidizing irresponsibility is a very bad policy.
"There is always a certain meanness in the argument of conservatism, joined with a certain superiority of its fact."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, lecture, December 9, 1841
This blog is dedicated to the following principles:
1. America is great in spite of its government, not because of it
2. The earth is not fragile. Capitalism is not a threat to the environment.
3. Without the Second Amendment, the rest of the Bill of Rights is meaningless.
4. Budget deficits are caused by excessive spending, not insufficient taxation.
5. Parents are responsible for raising their kids, not villages and certainly not Hillary Clinton or the Federal Government.
6. Entrusting your retirement to the stock market is less risky than entrusting it to Congress.
7. Terrorism is an evil which must be wiped out, not appeased.
8. Most of the things that Congress does are outside of its Constitutional authority.
9. Free Market forces are better at improving society than government regulations.
10. Subsidizing irresponsibility is a very bad policy.
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