If I was going to run for the office of the President of the United States of American these would be some of my campaign platform issues. My main position would be to reduce the size of the federal government. While I have great concern for the well being of all people, I believe that self sufficiency should be the goal in all assistance provided. Pearl S. Buck said best more than a century ago, "when I give a man a fish I feed him a meal when I teach a man to fish I feed him for a lifetime." When I give a person need something and don't at same time teach that person how to provide for their own needs then I make that person a slave to me.

What do you think? I don't want you to get all mad. I will appreciate respectful responses to ideas with out any name calling.

1.    Term limits – Eliminate career politicians no elected member of congress shall serve more than 12 years in office total, in either the U.S. House of Representatives and or the U.S. Senate.
2.    Supreme Court – The term of each court justice shall be a maximum of twenty years, starting with all new appointees.
3.    Budget – The legislature will produce a balanced budget for presidential acceptance no less than ninety days prior to end of each fiscal year. Failure to produce an acceptable budget will result daily reduction in salary for the elected representatives (not their paid staff.)
a.    There will be a 5% across the board budget cut for the next five years.
b.    There will be no deficit spending.
c.    Dollars available for the budget will already be in the treasury from the previous year’s tax revenue. The budget will not be done based on projected revenues.
d.    There will be no new programs that require new taxes, if a new program is desired then an old one must be eliminated.
e.    The President will be able to veto on a line item basis.
f.    Money for Social Security payments will be put into to a trust fund and cannot used or borrowed against for any other purpose.
g.    Current Social Security liability will be paid out of general funds until such time as the SS Trust fund is built up to pay the then current obligations.
h.    Social Security will end for children born after 2020.
 
4.    Income Taxes – All tax deductions will be eliminated (with the exception of a deduction for charitable giving.) and all personal income will subject to income tax with no tax up to $100,000 per tax paying unit. (Tax paying unit is an individual or a married couple (one man and one woman))
a.    There will be a 25% tax on incomes from $100,001 to $250,000.
b.    There will be a 30% tax on incomes from $250,001 to $500,000
c.    There will be a 35% tax on incomes from $500,001 to $1,000,000.
d.    There will be a 40% tax on incomes from $1,000,001 to $5,000,000
e.    There will be a 45% tax on income over $5,000,001.
f.    Charitable giving will result in a dollar for deduction for all gifts to not-for-profit, non-political organizations.
g.    Deductions for those taxpayers with $100,000 in income or less they will receive a refund dollar for dollar for their contributions.
h.    Charitable giving may lower a taxpayer into a lower tax bracket except that it will not lower one into the no tax bracket. (Income $100,100-$100 giving= income $100,000 and no tax liability will not work.)
i.    There will be no inheritance taxes.
 

5.    Business Taxes - Businesses will be assessed taxes.
a.    Regulation tax – 10% tax on the gross revenue to pay for the cost of appropriate regulation. This cost of doing business may not in anyway be passed on to the consumer.
b.    Other taxes – Other taxes may be assessed as required for limited government oversight.

6.    National Defense
a.    Great savings can be accomplished by greater cooperation between the various branches of the military.
b.    Vehicles for regular highway transport of personnel in non-combat conditions will be procured off-the-rack standard production vehicles. The government (US Military should purchase standard production models for prices comparable to other fleet purchasers.)
c.    All combat ready vehicles will be built to the same specifications for all branches. A US Navy hummer will be the same as US Marine, or US Army hummer.
d.    Planes and helicopters will be designed and acquired on mission based specifications not branch based. (The close air support fighter is the same for the Air Force as for the Marines.)
e.    All military bases analyzed and evaluated on the basis of national defense needs only.
f.    Wars when deemed necessary will be prosecuted to fullest military extent.  
g.    All military procurement will use civilian regular production products when ever possible. (A hammer is a hammer no need for military specifications beyond what is acceptable for civilian use.)

7.    Education – Education is best handled by the local school board. Eliminate the Department of Education and all federal control of education.
8.    Agriculture – Eliminate the Department of Agriculture each state will regulate the processing and inspection of all animal products. The states can agree on universal standards.
a.    No agricultural subsidies.
b.    No federal price supports

9.    National Parks and Federal land – All public land administration and will be financed by fees for use.
10.    Environmental Protection Agency – Eliminate the agency and let the states handle regulation and protection from pollution and industrial waste.
11.    Mining – Eliminate Mining Safety Agency let the various states manage mine safety issues.
12.    Housing – Eliminate Housing and Urban Development. Housing is a state and local issue best handled on a state and local level.
13.    Advice and Consent – Congress will act on all presidential nominees with an up or down vote no longer that than 45 days after the nomination.
14.    New legislation – For every new law that is proposed in either house there must be a law removed from the books.
15.     Life – I believe that human life (a person is formed) begins at conception; therefore every person has the unalienable right to life granted by our creator. A woman does not have a special right to end the life of her unborn child for any reason. I understand that there are rare situations when an unborn child can be a danger to the life of the mother in those rare occasions the mother, her family, and her doctor must make the best medical choice for her. The law should allow this without interference.
a.    Every effort should be made to provide for the care of any child that a mother is unable to care for; the life of the child should not be an undue burden.
b.    The mother should have the choice of keeping the baby or giving the baby for adoption.
c.    The adoption process should be made easier on the state and local level. The federal government should have no part in the process.