Ok sorry about this article not being posted sooner. I swear I told Blogger to post it the day after the debate. But here it is now for your reading pleasure.
On June 13, CNN held an open debate for declared and undeclared GOP candidates for the Republican nomination in the 2012 Presidential race. Today’s blog is devoted to answer the questions that were asked of the candidates. Some questions were posed specifically to specific candidates and will be answered as a general question. The questions were pulled from the CNN.com Live Blog of the event as well as my own viewing of the event. The full event can be watched at the CNN website.
What are your plans to create jobs and cut government spending? (Follow up: How do we get to 5% growth with tax cuts if that did not happen under President Bush?)
As President of the United States I first would order a full scale audit of all federal regulations and the entire federal bureaucracy. The purpose of this audit is to look for unnecessary, conflicting and unconstitutional federal regulations that are placed on business. Each federal agency will be required within my first six months in office to report on those regulations to me which I would submit to Congress for their debate and approval. Secondly, I would submit a plan to government to massively overhaul the federal bureaucracy. This plan would eliminate, consolidate, or reform many executive departments and other federal agencies to save the American citizens money.
The United States did not get a 5% economic growth under President Bush because he just cut taxes. President Bush and the Republicans in Congress, most of whom were kicked out of office in 2006, 2008 and 2010, did not cut spending. The government must cut its spending as well as the taxes we lay on our citizens to get the economy of the United States growing at any percentage.
What three steps would you do to de-fund "Obamacare" and repeal it as soon as possible?
First, I would not appropriate any funding in the budgets I submit to Congress every year. Any budget that would try to restore or add funding to enforce such legislation would be vetoed by me as President. Secondly, I would ask members of Congress to submit a new bill that would replace Obamacare with common sense legislation that creates a true free market system for our citizens to buy affordable health insurance but also hold insurance companies responsible for cutting citizens who have premiums all their life and then are dropped when they need it most. Thirdly, I would go after waste and abuse within Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other federal entitlement and welfare programs to save the American people more money and make the federal government more fiscally responsible.
Will you have a balanced approach to governing including all parties and groups?
I guess it depends on what you mean by a balanced approach to governing. All groups, caucuses, political parties, intentest groups have a right and a privilege to lobby their case before the Congress of the United States. As President my balanced approaches to governing will include balancing the power of the federal government against the Constitution of the United States. And if the Constitution does not give the federal government the authority to govern in that area then it will be vetoed. I don’t care if the ideas come from Republicans, Democrats or Libertarians, from Conservatives, Liberals or Moderates. The Constitution is the balancing that all laws must be weighted against and many have been found wanting.
How will you return or keep manufacturing jobs in the U.S.?
For manufacturing jobs to be returned to the United States must include steps taken within the first question. Federal regulations on businesses must be reduced only to the necessary and proper regulations that are constitutional. I would return the regulation of businesses to the states. There is no authority in the Constitution for the federal government to generally regulate business. The original intent interstate commerce clause of Article I, Section 8 was to prevent the states from hindering trade with the other states since they were supposedly in union with each other. As Presidents, I will let the free market decide where businesses thrive and flourish based on the different regulations of the 50 states returning authority in this area back to the states and local governments.
Where do you fall on the right to work? Would you support federal right to work legislation?
Every citizen has the right to work in any job that they want to pursue, if they are the best citizens for that job. It is not the job of the government to force its workers to join a specific group to practice their chosen profession. It is not the job of the government to force any private business to support or hire employees from a particular group. It is an inalienable right of the people to freely work in any legal profession without restriction or forced association with another group. I would not support federal right to work legislation because it has not authority within the U.S. Constitution. I would strongly encourage the states to pass such legislation if they choose to do so, under the 10TH Amendment and the principle of Federalism.
What standards to do you have for government assistance in private enterprise?
None. It is not the job of the federal government to assist private enterprise. It is the job of the federal government to ensure the states are not practicing commercial protectionism or monopolistic practices that prevent private enterprise.
TARP? Bailout a success?
Bad idea, hastily drawn together and is quickly becoming a federal government slush fund. Bailouts are never a success, but if there is one way TARP was a success it is this. Banks did not lend out the money we gave them. If they had, the influx of $800 billion in new loans would have decreased the value of the dollar and increased inflation. The banks saved us by not lending out the money.
Those banks that made bad choices should have been allowed to fail. Stronger banks would have been created or risen up to take their places. The same is true in the cases of GM and Chrysler.
What is the role of government in space exploration?
It is the job of the government to provide the standards by which private enterprise can start the exploration and research of space. I do not see a need to cut funding from NASA as this time nor stop setting our sights for higher goals in this area. I want to set a goal that the U.S. will have a permanent citizen run base on the moon in the next ten years.
How will you improve housing? (What would you do to right the housing ship?)
It is not the job of the federal government to ensure every citizen owns a house. It is not the job of the government to subsidize home ownership with the taxes of the citizens who rent. It is the job of the state and local governments to improve and regulate housing legislation.
How would you keep Medicare solvent? Social Security?
The United States citizens are on the hook for more than $63 trillion in unfunded liabilities in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The first act I would take as President is to recommend to Congress that they enact legislation that prevents the Congress and future presidents from drawing upon the surplus taxes collected from individuals and businesses would not be included in the general fund. Included in that legislation would be that Congress cannot appropriate revenue from specific purposes and taxes to other programs.
Secondly, I would encourage Congress to consider a serious overhaul of both system which would include raising the age that citizens could draw upon Social Security and Medicare. When the system was designed, the “retirement age” was three years past the average life expectancy. The system needs to be reformed in a responsible way to protect it for future generations or to spit us all out of the system while protecting those in the system and those who will realistically need the system for their retirement survival. It is not the job to provide retirement pensions or old age medical insurance to the citizens of this nation. This is a job of personal responsibility for the citizens to accomplish.
Will Congress raise the debt ceiling?
I hope not, because it will finally force us as a government to confront the serious fiscal situation we face as a nation.
Separation of Church and State?
This is not a constitutional doctrine. The original intent of the Freedoms of Religious practice in the 1ST Amendment was to prevent the encroachment of government in religion, not to prevent religion from encroaching on the job of government. In fact many of our laws and parts of our Constitution are based off of religious text such as the Bible.
Are American Muslims less committed to the constitution than Christians or Jews?
Not necessarily, but there are elements of the Muslim community that would like to see Sharia Law implemented as the law of the land inside the United States. This would be a violation of the establishment clause in the 1ST Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Any separatist Muslim community in the U.S. that lives by these standards is more than likely in violation of the U.S. and state constitutions, as well as state statutes in several areas.
Overturn laws allowing same-sex couples to legally marry?
It is not the job of the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the laws passed by the people of the states in regards to marriage. The states have the right under the 10TH Amendment to regulate marriage, and this power does not belong to the federal government. Any Supreme Court decision regarding this issue should be focusing on the issues related to Full Faith and Credit in Article IV of the Constitution.
Stance on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell?"
I believe that homosexual men and women have the right to serve without prejudice or discrimination in the United States military. I also know this makes many people, including some men and women in our military, uncomfortable. I feel that there are regulations and laws on the books within the Uniform Code of Military Justice that would protect any man or women who serve in our military from being harassed sexually by any member serving with them. This change over will also take time and must be handled sensitively. Homosexual men and women must be protected from those who might do them harm or harass them. But there will also be heterosexual men and women who will not want to be housed or shower with homosexual men and women. We need to make sure their needs and beliefs of these men and women respected, as much as we protect the beliefs of homosexual men and women.
Should Romney's changed position on abortion rights be an issue in this primary?
The right to an abortion is not about a woman’s right to choose, it is about the inalienable right to life we all have granted by our Creator, which was expressed in the Declaration of Independence. We in the United States must make it a point to protect those who are the most vulnerable.
Most abortions in the United States are elective. Many people make the argument about babies created out of rape or incest. Less than 1% of all abortions are because of these reasons. I would be willing to consider this as an option in legislation but there are better options than killing an innocent victim of said crimes.
What is your plan for preventing illegal immigrants from using U.S. services?
Enforce immigration law currently on the books. Period. There is much more to be said about immigration law, its enforcement and removal of the old quota system, but if we enforce the laws of this nation, many will voluntarily self-deport to their countries of origin. Enforcing current passed legislation would go a long way in preventing illegal immigrants from taking advantage of U.S. services.
Should governments be allowed to seize private land for major projects to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil?
The government is prevented by the 5TH Amendment to the U.S. Constitution from seizing private property unless it is being used for public use. Giving land to private companies to make jobs that benefit a local community or tax base is not a viable public use, which is why many states are fighting back against these eminent domain abuses by local and state governments. Nevada is one example when the citizens of that state passed the PISTOL initiative a few years ago.
Time to bring our combat troops home from Afghanistan?
As long as the mission is accomplished and we have no fear that terrorist organizations will be setting up bases within that country anymore. It is time to withdraw all American soldiers from areas of the world where we are no longer needed. We have bases all over the world that cost the American tax payers billions of dollars a year and are unnecessary for our protection, the sole job of the United States military. Our main military and defensive objective is the capture or destruction of all elements of Al-Queda and any other terrorist organizations that seek to destroy and kill Americans.
Opinion on involvement in Libya?
We have no reason to be there. The people of Libya have never asked for our help, nor do we really know whom we are helping.
Shut down military bases that aren't vital to national security to pay off national debt?
Ask and answered. If we close these bases along with several other reforms and changes that need to be made to the Department of Defense, U.S. citizens could be saved billions every year.
Which person on this stage would you ask to join your administration?
I would ask that Congressmen Paul to serve as my Secretary to the Treasury. I would ask former governor Cain to serve as my Secretary of Commerce. The general rule which I would follow though in appoints to the administration would be to take people with common sense and separate from government to serve in their capacity. These normal everyday people could probably point out the fraud, waste and abuse that are found in these systems, easier than those already in the system.
