Re: Morning Bell: The Heritage Pledge

• Cap Federal Spending: President Obama's proposed budget would increase the national debt from $13 trillion now to $20 trillion by 2020. This is an unsustainable trajectory. We propose a "binding cap" that forces lawmakers back to fiscal sanity.

A cap?  Really?  Congress CURRENTLY operates under various 'caps' ... and Congress REGULARLY votes to change those caps.
Why not propose cutting -- no, GUTTING -- spending?

• Put Entitlement Programs Under the Budget: We propose putting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid into the congressional budget process rather than continue to allow them to grow on auto-pilot without oversight. Lawmakers would establish a five-year budget for these programs and include triggers to keep spending with approved limits.

So the 'Conservative' approach is to 'Conserve' the welfare State?
How about ELIMINATING these?  For instance Social Security ... take an arbitrary age and apologize to those younger ... use a sliding scale for those older ... once the last 'older' kicks the bucket, this catastrophe will be gone.

• Reform Social Security: We should raise the Social Security retirement age and encourage people to work longer by eliminating payroll taxes for those over the retirement age. This would lessen the burden on employers to keep people employed and lessen the burden on Medicare and other entitlements.

Reform?  Again, why not ELIMINATE this socialism.  Are Conservatives FOR socialism?

• Revive Federalism: We must reverse the current trend in which the federal government more and more usurps the traditional state role in areas such as transportation, education, health, homeland security and law enforcement.

Good luck.

• Loan Welfare Money to Able Bodied Recipients: Our plan advises treating welfare assistance to able-bodied adults as a loan to be repaid, rather than a free gift from taxpayers. This will reduce dependency while providing temporary help to those who need it.

Why not get the government OUT of this distribution nonsense?  ELIMINATE the taxes that fund it so that each Individual can find whatever private solution he desires.

• Keep Taxes Low: First, no tax increases, including the planned Obama Tax Hikes as well as the reintroduction of the Death Tax. Instead, cut taxes to spur economic growth.

Define 'low'.  How about ELIMINATING the income tax?

• Implement a Pro-Growth, Pro-Jobs Strategy: We must reduce the top tax rate on corporate earnings, which is currently the second highest among ALL industrial nations, and let businesses immediately deduct investments in new plants and equipment.

Why not ELIMINATE the Regulatory deluge that began with Reagan AND remove all those which were generated prior?

• Peace Through Strength: Defense spending is near historical lows. We must refurbish our armed forces, especially our depleted Navy fleet and vital missile defenses.

Mr. Feulner, you are a buffoon.  Defense spending for the CURRENT fiscal year will EXCEED the previous year by at least $50 billion.  The US spends MORE than the rest of the world combined (if memory serves).  Like the Welfare portion of the Nanny State, so too, does the Warfare portion need to be GUTTED.

Regard$,
--MJ

The power of the statists to exercise unrestrained force against people goes to the essence of all political systems.  Being defined  even by political "scientists"  as an entity that exercises a monopoly on the use of violence within a given geographic area, the state must continue to exercise such unquestioned powers, particularly at times when its credibility and respect are in rapid decline.  The people employed to carry out such powers  be they police officers, TSA employees, militarists, bureaucrats of various stripes, etc.  are the kinds of sociopaths who are eager to exercise such unrestricted violence against others.  The state is the playground bully writ large, and state officials are unwilling to hold their bullies accountable for their wrongs because, to do so, would be to deny the very monopoly status that defines their system. -- Butler Shaffer