One of our long time sayings at Tea Party Nation is that the Tea Party should not endorse candidates; candidates should endorse the Tea Party. We have run around with our speculations and arguments over who is the best candidate. Is it Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Allen West or someone else?
On Tea Party Nation, we have discussed a Tea Party Platform. Here is a suggested Tea Party Platform based on comments people have made in response to questions we have asked on TPN. In creating the platform, we decided the following criteria would apply. We looked for what is most important to the Tea Party that could be expressed in a Tea Party Platform, that conservative candidates could sign on to and could reasonably be done in the first four years of a conservative administration. The list is not exhaustive. We limited the platform to ten issues.
Here is the proposed Tea Party Platform:
1. Cut spending. An immediate reduction in spending to 2004 levels. Government spending in 2004 was approximately $2.3 trillion. This one action will almost immediately balance the budget.
2. Create a commission for the elimination of wasteful spending. The commission would have six months to go through the federal budget and propose the elimination of spending that is simply wasteful, fraudulent or programs that do not work, have achieved their goals when they were created, or have simply failed. The commission’s proposal would go to Congress for a straight up or down vote and cannot be amended by Congress. It would then go to the President for signature.
3. Close the border with Mexico. Use military forces to completely seal the border to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, illegal narcotics and terrorists from Mexico.
4. Enforce immigration laws currently on the books. Have ICE investigate employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants and prosecute those who do.
5. Cut taxes to stimulate the economy. While our long-term goal needs to be the replacement of the income tax with a consumption based tax, the immediate goal should be to stimulate the economy with tax cuts. Start with an across the board 30% cut in personal income taxes corporate taxes and the elimination of the capital gains tax.
6. Elimination of the Department of Education and Energy, which have failed miserably in their jobs, as well as an immediate freeze in hiring new government employees, except in the area of defense and national security.
7. Create a plan to make American energy self sufficient within four years, by drilling and exploiting the natural resources we have here in America. This would include repealing laws that allow bureaucrats or liberal activist groups to file lawsuits that stop drilling or the construction of new refineries. Create rewards for those who can create marketable energy alternatives.
8. Repeal NAFTA, CAFTA and all the other free trade agreements. For America to remain a viable economic superpower, the country must have a manufacturing base. Not only do we need a manufacturing base to employ Americans, we also have crucial infrastructure components, such as power generators that are no longer made in America. If these components were destroyed in a terrorist attack, America could be crippled until we could get replacements, assuming that we could.
9. Either win Afghanistan or get out. The purpose of the military is not nation building. It is to destroy the enemy. Either we take the gloves off and let the military win in Afghanistan or we pull out.
10. Put together a commission to provide a plan to reform Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Social Security and Medicaid are rapidly heading towards insolvency. We need a plan to reform these programs.
This is a ten-point platform that is the proposed Tea Party Platform. It will not have everything everyone wants, but remember this is just the first platform. Two or Four years from now, we will have another plan; building on the successes we have after 2012.
What does everyone think?
Permalink Reply by James Aberdeen on 
Permalink Reply by joetheeconomist on Cut 1 through 10. Make 1 through 10 Term limits and everything else is taken care of except maybe #9. Once you remove the honey, the bees will leave of their own accord.
1. Term limits
2. Term limits
3. Term limits
4. Term limits
5. Term limits
Permalink Reply by Daniel Marks on Permalink Reply by joetheeconomist on Permalink Reply by Richard Wohltmann on Permalink Reply by Brutus on Permalink Reply by Brutus on It really depends on the term limits themselves. Too short and they will play follow the leader. Too long and there is potential for corruption.
"If he doesn't know what the job is, he shouldn't have campaigned for it. I never applied for a job that I didn't know what I was getting into."
Every job you have had, you have known how to do it, without any training from day one. Interesting. I wish that I had your abilities, I could have joined the Army as a General, rather than a private, or could have been a store manager rather than a dishwasher when I started at the restaurant.
I am not saying that term limits wouldn't be a good thing, I am saying that some caution in how they are enforced in necessary.
Permalink Reply by tom dodd on
"...should be able to hit the ground running after a week or two..."
IN FACT, each should have legislation already written in his/her briefcase, ready to introduce minutes after being sworn into office...
...the only reason for an extended indoctrination period, is for the lobbyist to have the needed time to bribe them!
Permalink Reply by Terri Nicholson on Many of those who decide to make a run for office do so because they do not like what is going on and want to make a difference.
Typically they already have a VAST amount of knowledge on congressional issues and are ready to do what it takes to make a difference.
We've got the most conservative senator in office who is a STRONG proponent FOR term limits and even proved it by limiting himself and leaving when his seat was up in the House. He then moved on to the Senate and will leave after his term is up there as well....unless he leaves much earlier and makes a run for the White House.
It certainly does NOT take long at all for corruption in Washington to sink in to newbies who have been elected to office for the first time.
The career politicians have GOT to go as we have NO proof at all that their longevity in in office has been beneficial to us whatsoever.
© 2013 Created by Judson Phillips.
