[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
And how do you expect the “Fair Tax,” or any tax policy McCain would come up with, to finance the things on “The American Families Agenda” of the House Republican Committee?
[/QUOTE]
As I said The National Taxpayers Union Foundation’s (NTUF’s) candidate cost analysis for the GOP candidate John McCain called for spending hikes of $6.9 billion. Dated March 3, 2008 Page Not Found - Search - National Taxpayers Union NB I don’t know if NTUF based the cost analysis on McCains current website.
[QUOTE=elucidator]
By cutting taxes, of course! Really, BG, do try and keep up, won’t you?
[/QUOTE]
Of course! All businesses reduce costs while increasing income so should the US government. The House Republicans generally like to empower the individual, local, and state governments to solve problems as they are closer to most problems, DUH. The feds responsibility is to provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and **our Posterity **and not much else but a little income redistribution from time to time is necessary to fix particularly egregious or time critical problems. Thats why Republican and Democrat synergy has worked so well in the past.
Now I have annotated the list with my opinion of how McCain should finance the things on “The American Families Agenda”. I will review McCain’s agenda on his website and see how it jives, See http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/4dbd2cc7-890e-47f1-882f-b8fc4cfecc78.htm.
Budget negative means either increased revenues, (read my lips no new taxes) or reduced costs.
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Lower gas prices and energy costs – McCain getting elected will reduce gas prices. History is repeating itself with this election. See File:Oil Prices Since 1861.svg - Wikipedia Gas prices spiked before the 1976 elections and again in the middle of Carters term. Then as soon as Reagan was elected the gas prices came down. budget minus
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Provide for a family-friendly work week – Any one of the legislative ideas here http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/792/context/archive would not cost the government and would have little effect on price of doing business as the management of the responsibility to provide for a family-friendly work week is placed on the employer, budget neutral
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Grow our small businesses – Additional Tax revenues recoup the cost of incentives, budget negative
*Allow workers to take their benefits with them when they change jobs – Small regulation of the insurance companies is needed. budget neutral
*Take care of our parents and grandparents – Is obvious that all should respect our elders. Legislation, TBD
*Assure health care for all – Assure early detection and diagnosis. When the number of patients requiring extraordinary procedures is significantly reduced then health insurance costs are significantly reduced and will be within reach of most peoples budget. Budget positive.
*Make prevention a national priority – Devise legislation for mandatory exercise in the workplace is required in conjunction with family-friendly work week, budget neutral
*Crackdown on child predators and gangs – Is obvious legislation, budget neutral
*Provide health care for our neediest children – The Missouri MC+ is a model seems to work and probably could be tweaked, legislation **TBD **
*Reduce the costs and burden of college tuition – Full tax credit with maintained GPA of 2.5 (my idea). Budget positive.
*Ensure every child in America can read and write - Local funding of NCLB, budget neutral
*Increase local control – You bet, **budget neutral
**
Ensure our schools perform for our children – Local oversight of NCLB, budget neutral
*Take care of our troops, veterans and their families – For a job well done, Budget positive
*Win the war on terror – Reduce troop strength in Europe to 60,000 by 2015 from 100,000 in 2006, eliminate 14,500 civilian slots in Europe. See http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54317&archive=true. This reduces costs but necessary wars and occupations are costly, Budget positive
*Secure our borders – More debate regarding a national policy is necessary. Certain States are taking steps to restrict employment and benefits of illegal immigrants and maybe the best near term solution, budget neutral
I have worked in the government before. I would add one item to the list.
*****Reduce the budget of every agency of the federal government by 10% every 5 years forcing those agencies to review their priorities and refocus on their most essential missions.
