From the Tea Party Patriots.
The Contract from America serves as a clarion call for those who recognize the importance of free market principles, limited government, and individual liberty. It is the natural extension of a movement that began in the local communities and quickly spread across America in response to unprecedented government expansion, reckless spending, and a blatant disregard by our leaders of the nation’s founding principles.
During the past several months, hundreds of thousands of Americans have debated thousands of ideas to solve our nation’s most pressing problems. It has been an open process and has provided a genuine opportunity to give voice to a broad cross section of concerned Americans.
Now we enter the next phase; to narrow the list and let America draft the final version of the Contract from America. Click here to vote on your priorities. The final document will be unveiled on Thursday, April 15, 2010. Together, we can and will make a difference.
DEMAND A BALANCED BUDGET
Begin the Constitutional amendment process to require a balanced budget with a two-thirds majority needed for any tax hike
STOP THE TAX HIKES
Permanently repeal all tax hikes, including those to the income, capital gains, and death taxes, currently scheduled to begin in 2011.
COMMIT TO REAL GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY
Every bill, in its final form, will be made public seven days before any vote can be taken and all government expenditures authorized by any bill will be easily accessible on the Internet before the money is spent.
PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION
Require each bill to identify the specific provision of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do what the bill does. (Proposed by: Brooke Storrs, Midland, MI)
PASS MARKET-BASED HEALTHCARE & HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM
Make health care and insurance more affordable by enabling a competitive, open, and transparent free-market health care and health insurance system that isn’t restricted by state boundaries.
ENACT FUNDAMENTAL TAX REFORM
Adopt a simple and fair single-rate tax system by scrapping the internal revenue code and replacing it with one that is no longer than 4,543 words–the length of the original Constitution.
END RUNAWAY GOVERNMENT SPENDING
Impose a statutory cap limiting the annual growth in total federal spending to the sum of inflation rate plus the percentage of population
LET US SAVE
Allow young Americans the choice of opting out of Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes, creating both real financial security in retirement through the freedom to own your personal retirement savings, and reducing the long-term unfunded liabilities of the federal government
PROTECT INTERNET FREEDOM
No regulation or tax on the Internet.
GIVE PARENTS MORE CHOICES IN THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN
Improve American education by reforming the broken federal role through eliminating ineffective and wasteful programs, giving parents more choices from pre-school to high school, and improving the affordability of higher education.
PASS AN “ALL OF THE ABOVE” ENERGY POLICY
Authorize the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources from unstable countries and reduce regulatory barriers to all other forms of energy creation, lowering prices and creating competition.
PROTECT FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
Prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from using funds to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine in any form, including requiring “localism” or “diversity” quotas.
RESTORE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY & CONSTITUTIONALLY LIMITED GOVT
Create a Blue Ribbon taskforce that engages in a complete audit of federal agencies and programs, assessing their Constitutionality, and identifying duplication, waste, ineffectiveness, and agencies and programs better left for the states
PROTECT PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS
Block state and local governments that receive federal grants from exercising eminent domain over private property for the primary purpose of economic development or enhancement of tax revenues.
REJECT CAP & TRADE
Stop costly new regulations that would increase unemployment, raise consumer prices, and weaken the nation’s global competitiveness with virtually no impact on global temperatures.
STOP THE PORK
Place a moratorium on all earmarks until the process is fully transparent, including requiring a 2/3 majority to pass any earmark
AUDIT THE FED
Begin an audit of the Federal Reserve System
NO MORE BAILOUTS
The federal government should not bail out private companies and should immediately begin divesting itself of its stake in the private companies it owns from recent bailouts.
STOP CAREER POLITICIANS & CURB LOBBYIST POWER
Begin the Constitutional amendment process to require Congressional term limits.
SUNSET REGULATIONS & ENACT FUNDAMENTAL REGULATORY REFORM
Sunset all regulations in order to eliminate those that are wasteful, unconstitutional, and ineffective, and place strict limits on the ability of agencies to create regulations
LET US WATCH
Broadcast all non-security meetings and votes on C-SPAN and the Internet.
A lot of common sense stuff on that list. I’d add The Fair Tax.