America continues to struggle with stubbornly high unemployment, debt, spending, and division in many areas. Rather than concentrating on the negativity, one must seek answers to today's problems in our country. A better path for our country is supported by the majority of Americans and would move us forward. Research shows us that there are solutions which would have a ripple effect throughout our economy and would resolve many of our struggles. These solutions are not supported by either party, yet they are embraced by Americans, regardless of political affiliation.1. We must reduce corporate income taxes.
This sounds counterproductive to some of our issues, but it has been proven to work. Previously written, Want Jobs? Lower Corporate Taxes details the studies and supportive documentation. In summary, a 1% decrease in corporate tax rates yields a 1% growth in GDP. GDP growth leads to higher revenues to the government and higher employment. If you are not familiar with GDP, the definition is fairly straightforward and infers why this growth is helpful:
The monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period, though GDP is usually calculated on an annual basis. It includes all of private and public consumption, government outlays, investments and exports less imports that occur within a defined territory.GDP = C + G + I + NXwhere:"C" is equal to all private consumption, or consumer spending, in a nation's economy
"G" is the sum of government spending
"I" is the sum of all the country's businesses spending on capital
"NX" is the nation's total net exports, calculated as total exports minus total imports. (NX = Exports - Imports) (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gdp.asp)
2. We must reduce personal income taxes for taxpayers.
Again, this may seem counterproductive, but it is proven to work. There is a caveat in this approach; in order to lower personal income taxes, revenues lost should be obtained in other ways. There are several routes this could be obtained and this article is not going to explore this in-depth. If you are interested in this subject matter, The Effects of Terminating Tax Expenditures and Cutting Individual Income Tax Rates offers an extensive piece of research into this approach. In summary, the most effective way to reduce personal income taxes is to broaden the base of taxpayers. The article above, explores 11 tax credits that could be eliminated and the resulting effect on the economy. Personal income taxes have a miniscule effect on our deficit. Most of all, 50% of Americans believe they are paying too high of Federal taxes. Support for such a proposal would be easy to garnish.
3. Special interests must be eliminated.
Special interests cloud political discourse. Both sides of the political spectrum continue to be frustrated and disgusted by special interests. Big oil, green energy, and other political favors anger all political spectrums. Is there any doubt that this annoys nearly every political persuasion?
4. Political offices must be available to average citizens.
Washington and our elected officials seem out of step with average citizens. How can multimillionaires truly understand the middle class, much less, represent them in a political setting? Some of our representation does understand and works hard to stay in touch. However, it seems that more and more politicians do not listen, understand, or truly engage their electorate. Average, hard-working citizens certainly understand the problems we face in society. Election reform, aimed at making public office more attainable to average citizens would ground our representation in reality.
5. Encourage family values.
The American family is breaking down, and this is leading to issues in our society. The breakdown of the American family is affecting education, employment, and our social programs. Out of wedlock birthrates have climbed above 40% for the first time in American history. Children are being raised by single mother's at a very high rate. This poses the problem of a mother raising a child, helping them with school work, and trying to make a living. For many this is not possible, and they must rely on government assistance to feed, cloth, and shelter their family. Not to mention, it is difficult to help kids learn if you have to work multiple jobs to keep afloat. Family values are a cornerstone to helping our poor and middle class get ahead.
6. Gun ownership should continue for citizens.
It would seem that people would oppose gun ownership, if we just listen to the talking heads and our media. However, a vast majority of Americans still believe in the right to keep and bear arms; a full 74% of those polled by Gallup in October support citizens owning handguns. Of this same sample, only 31% support stricter laws.
7. Deficit spending must end.
Americans overwhelmingly blame our deficit spending on wasteful programs. Overall, 73% of all Americans believe this is to blame for our deficit.
8. Government must be downsized.
A full 60% of Americans believe the government is too big. People recognize that our government has become too intrusive and do not like it. At the same time, only 7% of Americans believe the government is too small. This can only be attributed to extremists who are for socializing America. It seems this would be a win-win for Americans.
9. A strong military is essential.
A strong military has two values for America; first, it employs many people in our country. Second, we need to protect ourselves from terrorism, both foreign and domestic. Over the past 15 years, it has become abundantly clear that certain sects around the world do not like us. Due to our welcoming nature, we are at risk for terrorism from those who immigrate with bad intentions, as well as those abroad who hate us.
10. The national budget must be balanced.
Again, an overwhelming 85% of Americans polled, agree that our budget should be balanced. Americans realize that we are funding our government on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Americans naturally believe in self-reliance and do not believe in stealing from others. Balancing the budget would bring stability to our markets and employers. As discussed above, one of the main components of balancing the budget would be cutting wasteful spending.
11. Illegal aliens are here illegally.
Illegal immigration has become an epidemic in our country. It is hard to even know the exact amount of illegal immigrants, due to lack of tracking abilities. For the purpose of this article, one can just state there are millions. As Americans, we tend to support the rule of law. Illegal immigration is no different. Poll after poll show a lack of support for amnesty and the preference to treat illegal immigration for what it is...illegal.
The general public overwhelmingly favors immigration reform. Poll after poll shows that Americans want well-enforced, sensible, and sustainable immigration laws.
- 59% of likely voters believe that the “policies and practices of the federal government encourage illegal immigration.” Only 23% disagree (Rasmussen, September 2011).
- 72% of likely voters believe parents should be required to prove they are legal residents when registering their child for public school; only 21% oppose such a requirement. Only 32% believe that children of illegal aliens should be allowed to attend public school in the U.S., opposed to 53% who disagree (Rasmussen, August 2011).
- 81% of likely voters oppose granting in-state tuition to illegal aliens in their state, with 12% supporting tuition breaks for illegal aliens (Rasmussen, August 2011).
- 66% of likely voters say that gaining control of the border is more important than amnesty for illegal aliens. Only 27% believe amnesty is more important (Rasmussen, July 2011).
- 43% of Americans believe that immigration to the U.S. should be decreased, 35% believe that it should be remain at its present level, while only 18% believe that it should be increased (Gallup, June 2011).
(More information: http://www.fairus.org/facts/public-opinion)
12. Pro-domestic employment is indispensable and needs to be addressed.
Many aforementioned paths feed into this idea. Without domestic employment, we have no way to sustain ourselves. With high unemployment now, this seems to be a reasonable consideration for improving America. Americans want to work, yet we lack enough jobs for all employable citizens. A pro-growth strategy towards domestic employment would only make sense to pursue. Unfortunately, our leaders in Washington seem to be more concerned about social issues than this simple agenda item.
13. Stop the bailouts and stimulus packages.
These items only feed into our deficit spending. As discussed prior, this only feeds more into the overspending. It also creates animosity among Americans. For political reasons, many people disagree over who the winners and losers should be, when stimulating the economy or bailing out failed corporations.
If you agree with the above, you are not alone. Poll after poll shows high interest in solving these issues and addressing them in the ways prescribed. Don't sit on the sideline; get involved and write your congressperson, call them and tell them you want these issues addressed. If our representation is not going to address it, we will have to band together and make them start listening to us, the people.
14. Most of all, if you agree with the above, you just agreed with the Tea Party.
Do feel like a rebel extremist, right-wing, racist, crazy, lunatic? No? Isn't that what they all are? If you agreed until I pointed this out, then turned to disgust, then you are not being honest with yourself. If your mom said, "Don't judge a book by its' cover" and you now find yourself still hating the Tea Party, you are judging based upon the Media and leaderships spewed hatred. Think about why there is disdain for the Tea Party. The Tea Party represents a large piece of America. And, most of all, the Tea Party represents disempowering government intervention in a host of issues. Government officials, regardless of party, like to keep the power in their hands. When Americans band together and begin to strip this power, they get selfish and resort to name calling.
If you are honest about this, you can find out more about the Tea Party - See more at: http://www.teaparty.org/about-us/#sthash.aqi4TkqT.dpuf
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