Political gimmicks sometimes work, sometimes don’t – but whichever category this falls into, radio talk show host Laura Ingraham‘s “Ten for 10” petition provides a good list for candidates to support in 2010:
1) Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights (TABOR). Limit federal spending growth to the percentage in population growth plus the rate of inflation; provide taxpayers the option of filing a post-card sized return using a low, flat tax rate of 15%
2) End Tax-funded abortions. Stop federal payments to Planned Parenthood and prohibit any taxpayer-subsidized health insurance plan from covering abortion
3) Defend American Borders. Complete America’s border-protection initiatives using remaining funds from the so-called stimulus bill
4) King Dollar. Preserve a strong dollar so that Americans’ savings aren’t wiped out by inflation and the U.S. dollar remains the world’s reserve currency
5) Empower American Business. Immediately slash corporate tax rates to 15% and scrap the capital-gains tax altogether
6) Defend America. Strengthen America to defend our homeland and fully fund an operational, layered missile-defense system
7) Statism Exit Plan. De-fund czars; immediately cease bailout payments to failed companies; ban future bailouts
8) End Generational Theft. As few believe America’s entitlement programs will be able to pay benefits to future generations, provide younger workers the choice of diverting payroll/Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts
9) Restore America’s System of Justice. Introduce penalties for frivolous lawsuits, where those who launch unsuccessful lawsuits are liable for the defendants’ legal bills
10) American Energy Independence. All-of-the-Above strategy that embraces alternatives, expands and accelerates exploration and production of oil and natural gas, and jumpstarts dramatic increases in nuclear power
The petition page is found here, and it includes a few big name supporters.
Redstate.com brought my attention to it, and I scanned a few of the comments posted. It’s hard to argue with this:
“With all due respect to you and Laura those are all, with the exception of (2), hackneyed platitudes. I care in 2010 about only one thing: spending cuts; real, meaningful, specific spending cuts. Unless the party coalesces around reducing spending, I’ll be voting as close to a straight Libertarian ticket as the ballot allows me. My conscious doesn’t allow me to do anything else.”
And this:
“And with all due respect, the way to reduce expenditures is to reduce expenditures.”
Someone was using this quote in their signature line:
“On the free market, everyone earns according to his productive value in satisfying consumer desires. Under statist distribution, everyone earns in proportion to the amount he can plunder from the producers.” — Murray Rothbard
