Fair taxes and balanced budgets

Taxes are necessary for the maintenance of infrastructures, our military, and for the pay of government employees. Our tax code, however, requires a virtual Ph.D. to understand and apply correctly and there is plenty of discussion about how to both simplify the tax code and ensure that everyone pays their fair share for the welfare of our nation.  There is also the matter of an ever-growing 14 trillion dollar debt we owe as a nation, primarily to China, and how to get out from underneath such a load while maintaining a balanced budget.  Here are my suggestions.

1) Implement a flat tax rate based strictly on income.

A flat tax rate of 15% for all persons of legal voting age is fair and reasonable. It ensures that no one bears too great an economic burden but that all participate to the best of their ability. 

2) Eliminate all deductions and tax credits.

Deductions and tax credits complicate the tax code unnecessarily and create special protections for special interest groups. 

3) Eliminate all welfare and entitlement programs.

Tax money should never be used to fund charity programs of any kind. Using tax money to fund charities is like forcing a man at gun point to give his money to someone else. Not only does it breed resentment, but it also lends to distrust.  People are more likely to give when they are not forced to do so, and to give more generously when they give voluntarily. Let those who are concerned about those in need roll up their sleeves and do something about it personally or get together with other like-minded individuals and  work together to do something about the problem. 

All those who have paid into Social Security should be given a lump-sum refund along with 1% interest for each year the money was kept from them, and no more than that. Retiring for reasons other than your physical or mental incapability of working is something that should be discouraged, not endorsed. For those seniors who have reached a state where they are no longer capable physically or mentally of working, let them be cared for first by their families, then by their Church or other organization they belonged to, and then by those in the community.  

4) Where possible, replace paid government employees with volunteers.

If Americans are committed to these things, if they believe they are worth keeping, let them demonstrate their care and commitment by service and not by forcible taxation.

5) Establish a national language, and only print documents in that language.

Printing costs money, and printing in multiple languages is a huge waste of time and resources. Establish a national language (I do not care if you pick Spanish, English, Latin, or some derivative thereof, but pick one) and then only print things in that language.  Catering to those who refuse to learn the national language does not help anyone and creates an atmosphere of distrust and disunity.

Executive Order: National Defense Resources Preparedness

On March 16, 2012 President Barack Obama published a new executive order with the rather benign sounding title of National Defense Resources Preparedness.  Many worried that this order was paving the road for Obama to declare martial law.  Martial law means that all voting privileges are suspended and the rule of the people is done by police or military force.  This power is usually reserved for times of war, or times of extreme emergency when normal government operations are simply not possible.

There were some in the media who assured readers that this executive order was nothing to concern the average citizen.  Several similar executive orders have been signed in the past, and at least one media outlet claimed that there were virtually no changes between those executive orders and this one.  That media outlet either jumped the gun in reporting the facts, did not clearly understand what they read, or is in league with the President.  A close reading of the contents of this particular executive order should be enough to chill the bones of any freedom loving American.

The first point of concern comes in Part II - Priorities and Allocations under Sec. 201 (6) (b) where it states that "The Secretary of each agency delegated authority under subsection (a) of this section (resource departments) shall plan for and issue regulations to prioritize and allocate resources and establish standards and procedures by which the authority shall be used to promote the national defense, under both emergency and non-emergency conditions. This is a concern because, if read correctly, this seems to mean that the authorities being granted by the president to the various agencies under control of the executive branch have the president's permission to apply every rule in this executive order not only during times of emergency but also during times of peace.

In previous similar Executive Orders, there were provisions made to limit the scope of the powers that the order granted. There is no such provision in this executive order, if anything it seems to be a broadening of the reach of the powers granted.

The second major point of concern is in Sec. 201 (6) (e) Where it grants the Secretary of the resource department the authority to "control the general distribution of any material (including applicable services) in the civilian market".  This means that not only can the government come in and tell any business owner what to provide and to whom, but it isn't just limited to material goods.  It includes services, which means that this gives the government permission to dictate what labor someone must perform and for whom they must perform it.

The third major point of concern reinforces concerns raised in Sec. 201 (6) (e) and is found in Sec. 502 under the title Consultants.  The wording that is particularly troublesome is this, "The head of each agency....is delegated the authority of the President...to employ persons of outstanding experience and ability without compensation..."  In other words, the President has just signed an order that allows him to not only confiscate goods belonging to ordinary citizens but to enslave them, and there does not need to be an emergency for him to do this.

Welcome to the United Slave States of America.

Separating Church and State is Impossible

First, let me define the terms I am using.  Church is any body of people who share a common faith and practice a common religion.  Faith is any system of belief about how the universe came into being, how it operates, and the purpose of humanity within that universe.  Religion is the framework in which you live out your faith.  For example, Catholics believe that the universe was created by God, operates according to laws which are understandable and discoverable by humanity through scientific investigation and divine revelation, and that human beings were created by God for the purpose of loving and being loved by God.  We believe that human life begins at conception and has value because God values it and not because of anything we might or might not do. We believe that all human beings are endowed by their creator with free will. Our religion is that because our lives have the purpose of loving and being loved by God, we are happiest and healthiest when we live our lives in accordance with His will as handed down to us through Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium, and the Pope.  We defend life from conception through natural death. Even though we understand that genetics and environment may play a role in making it more difficult for someone to choose the right behaviors, we still hold people accountable for bad behavior because to do otherwise would be to treat them like animals, as animals cannot rise above these things but human beings can.

Every true Catholic brings our religion into the public square, and we cannot help but do so. It is our measuring stick by which we determine for whom to vote; what causes to support with our time, talent, and treasure; what subjects ought – or ought not – to be taught in a public school; and where our tax money should be spent.  A politician or judge who is truly Catholic will act and judge accordingly.  Those who do not act in accordance with the Catholic faith and religion do not belong to the Catholic Church.

Atheism is also a Church, although very different from the Catholic Church. Atheists believe that the universe came into being spontaneously, operates according to laws which are understandable and discoverable by humanity only through scientific investigation, and that human beings are a byproduct of the universe’s operations and therefore have no purpose at all. Most, though not all, atheists believe that human life begins outside of the womb and only gains value when it can prove itself valuable to others.  Their religion, as such, is that since their lives have no purpose it is up to each individual to determine what to do with their lives and that each individual is entitled to live as the individual sees fit provided that the individual does not substantially interfere in the right of everyone else to live the same way.   

Every atheist brings their religion into the public square.  They cannot help but do so.  It is the measuring stick by which they determine for whom to vote; what causes to support with their time, talent, and treasure; what subjects ought – or ought not – to be taught in a public school; and where their tax money should be spent. A politician or judge who is an atheist will act accordingly and judge accordingly. Any politician or person who says that their beliefs will not influence their judgment, the way they vote, or the laws they attempt to enact is a liar and should not be trusted.