Populist Federal Issues

There are federal issues being proposed by Republican politicians that are Populist. They include lowering federal spending to reverse “trickle-up redistribution of wealth”, lowering the corporate tax rate, dismantling Obamacare, closing the border, removing obstacles to energy production, removing unnecessary regulations and stopping immigration to free up jobs for Americans. All of these will increase jobs and help the economy.

Unhelpful Federal Issues

There are issues that have been put forward by Republicans that could have scuttled this last victory.  These are positions I would not considered “Populist” and they should not be proposed.

The Fair Tax and Flat Tax proposals should be dropped and tucked away for a time when they might make sense. That would be a time where we had full employment with the middle class fully restored and unconstitutional federal government activities had been returned to the states.

The Fair Tax is a national sales tax replacement for our unconstitutional income tax. It will show up on grocery bills along with our 7% state sales tax. It will hit consumers with every purchase. That is not a Populist proposal.

The Flat requires that the federal government get its expenses down to live on a flat 15% income tax.  Do that first. Proposing that now sounds like elite benefitting changes.

Caution

Reducing the Corporate Tax from 35% should be done in a process that lowers this tax rate in exchange for the repeal of subsidies and tax breaks in the current tax code.  This is the same process that should be used in lowering individual income tax rates.

We will need to get the unconstitutional activities out of the federal government and returned to the states; then we should move to the Fair tax.

Restoring the Constitution is Populist

Obamacare needs to be repealed, but that would be vetoed. So, Republicans plan to remove the mandates, fines and 30 hour requirements as job killers.  No Republican should indicate that whatever fixes are passed and signed should make voters think that they would continue with federal interference with unconstitutional activities if they take the Whitehouse after 2016. The Populist message is that Republicans would leave this to the states.

The other thing Republicans need to stress it that safety-net programs will stay in place, the economy will be restored and the safety-net programs will be revisited with input from the “general people”.

(Populism is a political doctrine that appeals to the interests of the general people, especially contrasting those interests with the interests of the elite.)

Unpopular Federal Actions

Republicans should go after bogus EPA regulations and other federal spending on Agenda 21 implementation in the budget to get spending cuts.

Excessive Immigration has created our high unemployment. Congress should do whatever it can to reduce or stop immigration.

Republicans should be alert to remove the most unpopular unconstitutional federal agencies most harmful programs. This may be Education, Energy, EPA, HUD, Interior etc. based on the danger they pose. Scandals and abuse should not be swept under the rug, but should be openly discussed as abuse of citizen’s property rights and other rights.

Federal employee bonuses and parachutes should be suspended. Foreign aid should be curtailed. Global warming mitigation should be suspended. These are not essential to restoring our economy.

Attacking all of this is Populist.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader