By Wayne Allyn Root
#1) Simple. STAND DOWN. We can only turnaround this economy if the next President understands government doesn’t create jobs. And government doesn’t improve the economy. But it can create the environment conducive for economic growth and high-wage, middle class job creation. You do that by getting government the hell out of the way. STAND DOWN. Streamline it, make it smaller, limit its power, fire incompetent and redundant government employees (we have 22 million of them), reduce government employee pensions, reduce taxes so the people have the money, not the government, and rip regulations to shreds. Ronald Reagan proved it works- with 20 million new jobs created almost overnight, by simply cutting taxes on individuals from 70% to 28%, and dramatically cutting regulations. He did it in the middle of the same kind of economic malaise and misery as we suffer from today. It really is that simple.
#2) Throw out the entire IRS Code and empower American taxpayers and Small Business with a Flat Tax. This tax reform emulates the most successful and prosperous economy in the world- Hong Kong- with a 15% flat tax, including deductions for mortgage and charity, and it includes a capital gains tax rate of 0. It’s a proven winner. This one Reagan-esque action will empower small businesses across the USA and unleash the greatest economic expansion and job creation in history.
#3) Empower American business with the same 15% flat tax rate as individuals, plus a one-time “tax holiday” to bring $2 trillion kept offshore back to USA- an instant windfall to create millions of new jobs. In combination with the new flat tax, pass major tort reform that prevents frivolous lawsuits. That will create jobs, instead of lawyer fees.
#4) Repeal and Replace Obamacare. Obamacare is destroying the US economy – killing jobs, raising taxes, imposing onerous regulations, and raising insurance premium prices and prescription drug prices through the roof for middle class Americans. This is why GDP growth is 0. This is why manufacturing, shipping and retail sales are all a disaster. The people are out of money. The U.S. economy cannot recover unless we kill Obamacare. We can’t play around the edges. Stick a cross through it’s heart like a vampire.
The answer is so simple- freedom. Health freedom, health savings accounts, make all health costs tax deductible and pass tort reform- bankrupt the lawyers, not the American people.
#5) Repeal every regulation imposed by both Obama and George W. Bush. The biggest regulation years in history were all under Obama and the last year of the Bush Administration. Regulations are strangling the economy.
This is how we create record job growth. It’s time for a reset. Let’s go back to the year 2000, the last year of Bill Clinton. Our economy was prosperous and growing. We lived just fine with the laws in place at that moment in time. So why do we need the thousands of costly new regulations on the books since then? Let’s erase every regulation passed by both Obama and Bush and reset to the year 2000.
#6) Reign in the EPA and Reduce Job-Killing Green Energy Regulations. Do you want to know why we are losing our middle class? In Texas the average energy job pays well over $100,000 per year. Obama’s regulations are wiping those high-wage jobs off the map…and replacing them with low wage and part-time jobs. Not only do global warming and green energy regulations kill jobs, they are also dramatically raising electric bills that the poor and middle class simply can’t afford.
The answer is to repeal regulations, pass the Keystone Pipeline, open offshore and on-land drilling of oil and natural gas to make the U.S. less energy dependent on hostile regimes across the world. In one common sense move we create high wage jobs, lower the cost of living, save the middle class and starve the funding of terrorism.
#7) Build the wall and secure our borders with both Mexico and Canada. We must secure the border to protect our country, economy, and the safety and health of our citizens. The only job of the American government is to protect the jobs and wages of AMERICANS. Illegal immigration is overwhelming the system with debt, spending and entitlements.
Building the wall, securing the border and stopping anyone here illegally from collecting welfare, food stamps or entitlement checks of any kind must be a top priority of the next president.
The wall and a strict e-verify system will also ensure all of our citizens- including legal immigrants- will have their jobs and wages protected from illegal immigrants flooding into America competing for the same jobs. The bonus is a secure border prevents radical Muslim terrorists from entering our nation.
#8) Declare a National Debt Emergency. Our national debt is a disgrace and national security emergency. Debt is a job killer. Just look at the so-called PIGS of Europe: Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy. Debt has destroyed their economies while creating unemployment rates of 20% and above for adults… and 50% or higher for youth. The President must declare a national emergency to make paying down the debt the top priority of this nation.
We can start by cutting incompetent and redundant government employees (we now have 22 million of them)…and reducing the salaries and pensions of government employees to the level of the same jobs in the private sector. Why are they a privileged class?
We must audit every government agency from top to bottom and expect government to operate like a successful business. If they aren’t performing, close them down.
Finally, the President must fight for a Balanced Budget amendment. It’s time to force Congress by law to spend within our means.
#9) Term Limit the Politicians and hold them accountable. We cannot make America great again unless we fire career politicians. No one has a right to stay in office for life
And from this day forward Congress has to live by same rules as the American people. Anything Congress passes applies to them and all government employees as well.
#10) We must Reform and Limit Entitlements. Every able-bodied American collecting welfare or any other government entitlement check must be required to work. No more free rides. If you need welfare, you’ll get it. No one will starve in America. But you’ve got to work for that government check. Middle class Americans get up and go to work each day. Why shouldn’t every person on welfare have to do the same thing?
Like the laws in place in the UK, each family will be limited to a maximum income from all entitlement checks combined. No person or family on welfare should ever again receive more money than a hard-working middle class family. Otherwise why would anyone go to work each day?
#11) One of the most important issues in America is choice… School choice. The next president needs to repeal Common Core, eliminate the Department of Education, distribute all the federal money back to each state to use as they decide is best…and bring education closer to the only people that matter- the children and their parents, not the teacher’s unions. Education should be run from the bottom up, not top down.
The federal dollars we’re spending on education now are failing miserably. My daughter was homeschooled and graduated last year Magna cum Laude from Harvard. Today she is on full scholarship at the finest university in Germany getting her Masters in Economics and Government. It doesn’t take a teacher’s union to raise a child, it takes a great mom and dad who give a damn. No amount of federal money or intervention can change that.
#12) We must reign in government agencies like the IRS and NSA. The next president must pledge to investigate, fire and prosecute anyone who was involved in the persecution of President Obama’s political opponents and critics. The IRS works for the taxpayers, not the other way around. Those that deliberately targeted conservatives because of their political beliefs and those that covered up this travesty must be prosecuted and sent to prison. There can never again be harassment by the IRS (or any other government organization) of taxpayers for their political beliefs.
The next president should also pledge to pass privacy laws to limit the NSA’s domestic surveillance on American citizens.
#13) Maintain a Strong National Defense. We must restore the greatness of our U.S. military, improve pay, increase morale and make taking care of our most valuable resource- our veterans – a number one priority. No vet will ever again die on a waiting list at a VA hospital. Everyone involved in that VA scandal must be fired and prosecuted.
And…To keep our citizens safe, we must stop the importation of Syrian refugees…and immediately cancel the dangerous, reckless, outrageous Iran treaty. We must all agree to make it a national priority to protect and support our great ally, Israel.
And it’s time to end that curse called political correctness before it gets us killed. Obama is endangering our children’s lives by being unwilling or unable to name our number one enemy and national security threat- Islamic extremism, and we should be determined to destroy this threat with no option off the table.
Lastly, we must put military leaders, not lawyers, in charge of war and all rules of engagement.