Saturday, June 09, 2012
A Conservative’s Agenda
A partial list of issues that perhaps Romney will pursue.
Obviously, I do not have any startling insight into what Romney would do if elected, since I am nowhere close to him or his people. Not to miss an opportunity to say something about what I think needs doing, however, here are a few ideas from my personal grab bag:
1. Regulations: There should be a thorough review of the regulations and Executive Orders instituted by Obama with the intent to rework them to promote fiscal responsibility, job creation, and a sane environmental policy.
2. Administrative Agencies: The enormous welter of agencies that have grown up in the last four or five administrations, now over 1,700, needs to be thoroughly examined for overlaps, redundancies and improvements, or even elimination, not to mention a hard look at the books for fraud and abuse. In this process, the senior levels of management across the board need to be examined for willingness to support Romney policies, and not Obama policies, and either let go or shifted to non-impacting positions, and replaced with willing executives.
3. Energy: Do what is necessary to open up oil drilling wherever there are good finds, and get the pipeline situation solved. Ensure that the coal industry has what it needs to produce all the coal needed both profitably, and as cleanly and economically possible . Promote R&D for new energy sources, and make it simple for new starts to get through the regulation maze. Restore nuclear energy to a favorable status, and streamline the approval process, while remaining mindful of safety requirements. Get firm control of the EPA.
4. Government Unions: Outlaw them and phase them out over a few years. Restore the government pay scales and benefits to a par with industry over time.
5. Judges: Begin the process of vetting appointees to judgeships across the nation that meet the goals of good legal minds, willingness to interpret the Constitution and not actively work to change it, and that are conservative in outlook. No judicial activists, please.
6. Small Businesses: Take a hard look at the workload imposed on small businesses to meet a host of regulations, and make every effort to reduce the load as far as possible.
7. Healthcare: Start over. repeal Obamacare. Ensure it is a free market solution with minimal government intervention, possibly based on the existing Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security structures, but streamlined and cleared of fraud and abuse, and put on a sound financial basis (not sure how all of this can be done, but it must be!). Phase it in over time, and allow existing participants to continue as is.
8. Spending: Spending levels must be reduced to lower significantly or clear the current trillion dollar per year deficits over the next decade, and to make headway in serious reductions to the national debt. This must involve every government agency and program currently existing or about to come into existence, including all entitlements. This cost review parallels #2 above.
9. Taxes: Serious consideration to some form of Flat Tax should be given, so long as all of the current tax programs are halted in turn, thus avoiding the horror of both a progressive income tax and a Flat Tax. I believe that Article 16 of the Constitution needs revision. Everyone should pay something in taxes, even if a mere token results. Taxes whose sole purpose is redistribution of wealth must be banned.
10. Defense: This major function of government must be maintained at a war-winning level, perhaps not at the level of being able to fight two major wars simultaneously, but at least one of them, plus fighting a limited conflict somewhere, and defending the US and its possessions. The war-fighting gear and equipment, aircraft, ships, tanks, missiles, and ordnance must be first-rate and continually modernized to “avoid technological surprise” as the old saying goes. From a cost point of view, the gross level of expenditure in constant dollars would probably fall near where it is now, or a tad less.
11. Various Subsidies: All subsidies should be reviewed for possible reduction or elimination by law over time.
12. Education: The entire federal government education edifice should be reviewed for reduction or elimination, with the exception of student loans. The fundamental job here is for the states, not the federal government. There should be a needs-based allocation of grant funds for states, but without any federal strings attached. The basic courses being taught and the slant which has most recently been taught must be changed to return to thorough preparation for succeeding in life tomorrow in this nation, and including vocational training where possible. Teachers and professors that hold to a liberal view and cannot fall in line with this new direction must be released. Students must be exposed to many forms of thought, but they must not be brainwashed by flaming liberals.
13. Foreign Policy: First of all, it must be made clear that the US will not accept any incursions into and reductions of the sovereignty of this nation in any form, whether UN-sponsored or otherwise. Second, we should downplay the role of the UN where it affects our goals and directions, since as a voting block most of the states are anti-American and work to our disinterest with a large sum of our money every year. That money should be reduced substantially. The organization is corrupt and should not be trusted. We should promote a coalition of what we understand as democratic states to adjudicate world conflicts. Let the UN be a forum for sounding off, but as a governing and limiting body it is not acceptable.
14. Social Issues: The first issue in this category is abortion. My own preference is to ban all abortions, except in specific cases of triage, where the life of the Mother is at stake, and where there has been a rape. Abortion on demand is killing, and a clear violation of the Ten Commandments.
The second issue is same-sex marriage, which I believe is not necessary, in that all of the privileges of marriage can be had via civil unions or contractual agreements, thus obviating the necessity for expanding the definition of traditional marriage arbitrarily.
15. Immigration: I believe that immigration must be attacked simultaneously on many levels, including: 1) Regaining virtually full control of our borders; 2) Ensuring that illegal immigrants currently in the nation are rounded up and deported over a reasonable timeframe; 3) That the Obama initiative is carried out fairly; 4) That a well-policed migrant worker program is devised and set to work; 5) That we adjust our quota system to favor those who have talent, skills, education, experience and satisfactory prospects of earning a living; 6) That the program and policies allowing chains of relatives to gain admittence be dropped; 7) That the automatic citizenry provisions be eliminated for those born in the US to non-citizens; 8) That companies using imported workers be held financially accountable for them, and ensure that they meet the provisions of residency and work permits; 9) That we must solve the high crime rates originated by Hispanics and break up the gangs; and finally, 10) that our entire law enforcement manpower be given licence to question and arrest suspected illegal immigrants. There is much more that needs to be done, but I have hit the highlights here.
(There is a book on national directions that needs to be written, but I have neither the knowledge, the energy nor the inclination to attempt it, so I will punt now!)
To the degree that Governor Romney adopts these directions once he is elected, or something similar and perhaps even better, I will be quite pleased.
A partial list of issues that perhaps Romney will pursue.
Obviously, I do not have any startling insight into what Romney would do if elected, since I am nowhere close to him or his people. Not to miss an opportunity to say something about what I think needs doing, however, here are a few ideas from my personal grab bag:
1. Regulations: There should be a thorough review of the regulations and Executive Orders instituted by Obama with the intent to rework them to promote fiscal responsibility, job creation, and a sane environmental policy.
2. Administrative Agencies: The enormous welter of agencies that have grown up in the last four or five administrations, now over 1,700, needs to be thoroughly examined for overlaps, redundancies and improvements, or even elimination, not to mention a hard look at the books for fraud and abuse. In this process, the senior levels of management across the board need to be examined for willingness to support Romney policies, and not Obama policies, and either let go or shifted to non-impacting positions, and replaced with willing executives.
3. Energy: Do what is necessary to open up oil drilling wherever there are good finds, and get the pipeline situation solved. Ensure that the coal industry has what it needs to produce all the coal needed both profitably, and as cleanly and economically possible . Promote R&D for new energy sources, and make it simple for new starts to get through the regulation maze. Restore nuclear energy to a favorable status, and streamline the approval process, while remaining mindful of safety requirements. Get firm control of the EPA.
4. Government Unions: Outlaw them and phase them out over a few years. Restore the government pay scales and benefits to a par with industry over time.
5. Judges: Begin the process of vetting appointees to judgeships across the nation that meet the goals of good legal minds, willingness to interpret the Constitution and not actively work to change it, and that are conservative in outlook. No judicial activists, please.
6. Small Businesses: Take a hard look at the workload imposed on small businesses to meet a host of regulations, and make every effort to reduce the load as far as possible.
7. Healthcare: Start over. repeal Obamacare. Ensure it is a free market solution with minimal government intervention, possibly based on the existing Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security structures, but streamlined and cleared of fraud and abuse, and put on a sound financial basis (not sure how all of this can be done, but it must be!). Phase it in over time, and allow existing participants to continue as is.
8. Spending: Spending levels must be reduced to lower significantly or clear the current trillion dollar per year deficits over the next decade, and to make headway in serious reductions to the national debt. This must involve every government agency and program currently existing or about to come into existence, including all entitlements. This cost review parallels #2 above.
9. Taxes: Serious consideration to some form of Flat Tax should be given, so long as all of the current tax programs are halted in turn, thus avoiding the horror of both a progressive income tax and a Flat Tax. I believe that Article 16 of the Constitution needs revision. Everyone should pay something in taxes, even if a mere token results. Taxes whose sole purpose is redistribution of wealth must be banned.
10. Defense: This major function of government must be maintained at a war-winning level, perhaps not at the level of being able to fight two major wars simultaneously, but at least one of them, plus fighting a limited conflict somewhere, and defending the US and its possessions. The war-fighting gear and equipment, aircraft, ships, tanks, missiles, and ordnance must be first-rate and continually modernized to “avoid technological surprise” as the old saying goes. From a cost point of view, the gross level of expenditure in constant dollars would probably fall near where it is now, or a tad less.
11. Various Subsidies: All subsidies should be reviewed for possible reduction or elimination by law over time.
12. Education: The entire federal government education edifice should be reviewed for reduction or elimination, with the exception of student loans. The fundamental job here is for the states, not the federal government. There should be a needs-based allocation of grant funds for states, but without any federal strings attached. The basic courses being taught and the slant which has most recently been taught must be changed to return to thorough preparation for succeeding in life tomorrow in this nation, and including vocational training where possible. Teachers and professors that hold to a liberal view and cannot fall in line with this new direction must be released. Students must be exposed to many forms of thought, but they must not be brainwashed by flaming liberals.
13. Foreign Policy: First of all, it must be made clear that the US will not accept any incursions into and reductions of the sovereignty of this nation in any form, whether UN-sponsored or otherwise. Second, we should downplay the role of the UN where it affects our goals and directions, since as a voting block most of the states are anti-American and work to our disinterest with a large sum of our money every year. That money should be reduced substantially. The organization is corrupt and should not be trusted. We should promote a coalition of what we understand as democratic states to adjudicate world conflicts. Let the UN be a forum for sounding off, but as a governing and limiting body it is not acceptable.
14. Social Issues: The first issue in this category is abortion. My own preference is to ban all abortions, except in specific cases of triage, where the life of the Mother is at stake, and where there has been a rape. Abortion on demand is killing, and a clear violation of the Ten Commandments.
The second issue is same-sex marriage, which I believe is not necessary, in that all of the privileges of marriage can be had via civil unions or contractual agreements, thus obviating the necessity for expanding the definition of traditional marriage arbitrarily.
15. Immigration: I believe that immigration must be attacked simultaneously on many levels, including: 1) Regaining virtually full control of our borders; 2) Ensuring that illegal immigrants currently in the nation are rounded up and deported over a reasonable timeframe; 3) That the Obama initiative is carried out fairly; 4) That a well-policed migrant worker program is devised and set to work; 5) That we adjust our quota system to favor those who have talent, skills, education, experience and satisfactory prospects of earning a living; 6) That the program and policies allowing chains of relatives to gain admittence be dropped; 7) That the automatic citizenry provisions be eliminated for those born in the US to non-citizens; 8) That companies using imported workers be held financially accountable for them, and ensure that they meet the provisions of residency and work permits; 9) That we must solve the high crime rates originated by Hispanics and break up the gangs; and finally, 10) that our entire law enforcement manpower be given licence to question and arrest suspected illegal immigrants. There is much more that needs to be done, but I have hit the highlights here.
(There is a book on national directions that needs to be written, but I have neither the knowledge, the energy nor the inclination to attempt it, so I will punt now!)
To the degree that Governor Romney adopts these directions once he is elected, or something similar and perhaps even better, I will be quite pleased.
Labels: 2012 Election, Conservatism, Government
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