A Presidential perspective  by Gene Zarwell (R)

     My vision is to revitalize our economy  by helping entrepreneurs and small businesses generate jobs and create solutions for many major challenges facing America.  By strengthening our underlying foundation, rather than depending upon unearned deficits, we can reclaim “most respected Nation”… perceived as a powerful force for a global economy based on peace, not war. 

     Empowering Entrepreneurial job creation enlarges our tax base ● Creating  positive Domestic Economic policies ● developing strong Foreign Policy strategies affecting security, economic stability, and fair market pricing ● insuring a prominent global position.

     My short term goal within four years, is to reduce oil imports by more than 50% to less than 2 billion barrels per year.  Achieving this goal will largely solve four of America’s greatest needs: (1) improving national security by drying up petro-dollars that fund international terrorism; (2) eliminating both national debt and trade deficit, (3) reducing global warming, and (4) rebuilding America’s repository of intellectual property by focusing our ingenuity and creativity on a clearly defined epic challenge – energy independence – much as setting sights on colonizing the moon.

     Our United States must coexist with more than 200 other nations in a world facing immense challenges, some beyond any one nation's power to solve alone. These challenges will not be overcome without strong long-term global economic growth.  Alan Greenspan, for example, states in his recent book, that somehow, ways must be found to break through a special growth barrier defined by economists.  Greenspan is cautiously optimistic it can be done, even though, it has never been done before.  My long-term goal, then, is to facilitate sustainable economic growth by removing structural impediments to entrepreneurship, improving educational opportunities, reforming existing tax and spending policies that retard economic growth.

     This is not a Presidential issue.  "I honor my mother for not making that decision."

     Each funding category (government programs) needs to be assessed for value rendered against 20-year strategic plans for government responsibilities vs. individual responsibilities.

     Taxes:  Increase reliance on market forces by eliminating, or recapturing the cost of, government subsidies. For example, much of America’s oil addiction was created by massive subsidies for imported oil.  The oil subsidy cripples alternative fuels, helps fund al Qaeda, promotes global warming, increases our national debt, increases our trade deficit, and subsidizes European and Chinese consumers.

     Use tax-policy to refocus regulatory policy away from an emphasis on central planning to instead facilitate the market’s invisible hand by mitigating economic “free riding” and recapturing unavoidable indirect subsidies.

     Repeal of estate tax and maintain a Balanced budget.

     Fixed tax based upon realistic average – 6.6% - could be billed by government on an annual basis or staggered by birth month with projected tax revenues determining Congressional spending caps, thus, eliminating deficits and debt service through assessments against abusing Congressional districts.

     Reorient FEC to facilitating Federal (Presidential and Senate) elections with audit function when campaigns exceed prudent levels of  expenditures not to exceed a one term, maximum amount of wage paid to successful candidates denying additional income from bribes and “special arrangements”.  Manage online voting with “credit-card-like” security. 

     This is a Supreme Court matter giving direction or opinions to Congress for imposition of penalties for Federal crimes and should not be implemented in States unilaterally – each state legislature must adopt or defer judgment to appropriate Federal Court if beyond their capability or jurisdiction without congressional prejudice or interference including crimes outside of "sovereign immunity" as defined in our Constitution as well as in those of each sovereign state.

     Budgeting defense spending for future security needs is based upon timely security assessments.  Congressional representatives have neglected force welfare since 1992.  A 1986 doctrine calling for restructuring troop tables of distribution and authorized personnel to meet projected global skirmishes was ignored for 14 years.  

     New technology developments in weaponry and transport will include cost effective production of robotics, remote controlled systems, and virtual imagery in decreasing risk in security operations.  Strengthening alliances and strategic partners is dependent upon global economics.  

     Homeland economics requires that military and entrepreneur entitlements have parity with congressional entitlements requiring reductions in some and increases in others. 

     Each school district should reflect that community’s goals and objectives rather than a National model that doesn’t meet student needs to build individual strengths and loyalties as citizens contributing to state gross product, security, and economic development.  

     Education will need a new direction for higher teaching standards to raise student intellects and discard teaching to lowest level just to compete on a global scale.

     Government must get out of the way and let businesses micro-manage their affairs without legislative failures establishing universal policies not based upon market strategies, appropriate wages and benefits to keep our National work force employable, healthy, and globally competitive in evolving price wars.

     Encourage remedies through private sector enterprise to solve environmental contamination on a competitive – low bidder resolution to common sense waste and toxin management of U.S. eco-system management without restrictions from Federal agency interference.  Each State has responsibility to assure its citizens acceptable environmental, living conditions; and has that right to impose upon their violators those remedies to satisfy that guarantee.  

     Developing alternative energy production should be encouraged at State levels with guidelines from an adjunct Energy Department Ombudsman.

     License only felons and illegal aliens, thus giving a blanket responsibility to adult citizens to eradicate a gun problem by respecting their constitutional right to bear arms for self-protection and that of their community without police intimidation or media initiated persecutions.  This will require every adolescent receive formal training or basic military discipline enhancing parental responsibility.  

     It has been reported that nations removing guns from citizens had increases in gun violence since it was illegal to protect oneself against criminal gun slingers.

     Health is an individual responsibility that need not be universally funded.  Paid healthcare has been recognized as a benefit for contributing to profit in many corporations and abused by many who do not.  Federal Government intervention has only made many members of Congress wealthy and plan participants unhealthy.  

     It is time to wean hypochondriacs off toxins and use common sense to ward off National catastrophic diseases introduced by terrorist plots as we honor healthy individuals rather than celebrate addicted ones.  

     Citizens who take care of themselves should be rewarded for limited or no claims rather than bilked for neglegence by others.

     Revert to Ellis Island processing and implement a “J1” visa for all aliens seeking an invitation for entry into these United States for whatever reason.  With English speaking as an official language this process could be expedited for those with ESL when applying for permanent residency or citizenship.  

     Under such visa, a sponsor would vouch for character and support through available jobs or a qualifying net worth.

     Encourage market economies, property rights, free press, and self-governance that can address many international challenges indirectly.  

     As Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen states, “in the terrible history of famines in the world, no substantial famine has ever occurred in any independent and democratic country with a relatively free press.”

     Through co-production and co-defense strategies assisted nations could build adequate economies to support their citizens resulting in a security network where contributions would and productivity would determine amount of  proportional financial add-ons are required to support those participating nations.  

     If done right, private enterprise will stabilize these areas lacking wealth through co-opt programs benefiting these economic centers. 

     Sanctions without a global consensus or support from local governments requires increased intensity in negotiations as other rogue global leaders experience wealth from oil play poker with U.S. assets and resolve.  Economic support and diplomatic sanctions have little value if other nations outbid the bluff.

      If Entrepreneurs negotiated in “Free Trade” agreements, markets would take on “best interest” for buyers and suppliers benefiting each nations’ workforce and legitimize those governments violating “best practices”, honestly, and fairly; if desiring repeat or reciprocal advantages.  

     Nations need to become minor stakeholders in Joint Ventures created to increase international trade by industry or market.  Stakeholders would assure “best practices” cooperation in competitive positions or equal share profits.  Economics is moving money through a community to increase value multiple times before it longer impacts.  

     Deficit spending denies that value; thus, expends value with negative impact to grow.

     America’s long term security depends upon maintaining a strong economy. A hundred years of experiments by other countries with socialism and other economic models prove free market economies are superior. Productivity in the USSR, for example, was 70% less than US productivity. To the extent possible, competition is based upon America’s strength: economics.  Unleash challenge and reward American entrepreneurs. 

     Engage in military adventures only as a last resort. When unavoidable, seek victories without exchanging bullets as President Reagan did with "Star Wars".

     Equality is constitutionally based. Any action that withholds fundamental rights from classes of citizens weakens America by decreasing the pool of human and intellectual capital.  Government dependancy is not a right.

     Incorporate health and life expectancy improvements achieved over the past half century by gradually raising the retirement age from 65 to 70

     It must be “grand mothered” and diminished through local leadership taking charge of this weakness within their jurisdiction.  

     It is not a Federal issue that entrepreneurs cannot create jobs in certain states.   Legislators must reassess where their state capital comes from.  Entitlement shares 85% of most state budgets counting on Federal income tax monies to fund that nut.  

     Most people when given a chance to succeed,  will.  If not, they will take dependency for all they can.

Copyright by GeneZarwell4 President.US 01/01/2008, Washington DC USA