Issue Position: Tax Reform

Issue Position

Imagine a government where the goal of the legislators was not power, but to supply the citizens with constitutionally mandated services with the smallest possible burden on the economy.
That is my vision and would be the goal toward which I would work.

Achieving all or even part of that vision would result in…

*Lower taxes for individuals--like YOU and me

*Higher wages and improved benefits--because businesses would have more money with which to pay wages and benefits while still making a profit

*More and better jobs--because more money in the private sector economy means more demand for the production of goods and services that YOU and I want to buy

*Economic growth--because more and more businesses and industries would be attracted to a Minnesota with a lower tax burden

WE NEED TO TAKE THE WARNING

What is happening in Europe with the Euro and the members of the European Economic Community (EEC) is only a foreshadowing of exactly what can and will happen here in the United States.

These troubles have come upon Europe because tax-and-spend career politicians have discovered that they can win re-election by making highly-visible promises to help special interest groups and crony capitalists while the damage to the economy and the ordinary taxpayer was concealed. However, while the damage was hidden incrementally, over time the mounting burden of regulation and taxation slowly destroyed various sectors of the economy.

THE MEASURE OF THE TRUE BURDEN OF GOVERNMENT ON THE ECONOMY IS SPENDING, NOT TAXES.

Why?

Because the money the politicians spend comes from only one source--the taxpayer: that's YOU and me!
If the money is collected in taxes immediately, it comes out of our pockets immediately and we have less money to spend on the things we need or want.

If the government borrows the money--through bonds, for example&mdashit comes out of the economy as "credit" and there is less money available for businesses or individuals to borrow. This leads to higher interest rates or tighter credit requirements, so businesses cannot borrow the money to start-up, grow, or expand.

And, of course, the bonds still need to be paid-off at some time in the future. This means both YOU and I will be paying off these debts, or our children and grandchildren will be paying for the spending our government has done today.

IT'S TIME TO ELECT FOLKS TO OFFICE WHO PLEDGE TO THINK MORE ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION THAN THEY THINK ABOUT THE NEXT ELECTION

I am reasonably certain that YOU feel very much the same way I do about this matter: My children and grandchildren deserve to grow up in liberty and in a flourishing economy in the same way that previous generations of Minnesota citizens have.

As elected officials, we may have the right to burden future generations with debt simply because we have no stomach or backbone to say, "No," but we have a moral obligation not to place such a burden on the backs of our children and our children's children.

I HAVE THAT BACKBONE

When elected, I will make it my business to …

*Bring UN-common sense back to government taxation and spending, returning fiscal responsibility and sanity to the process

*Help revitalize the economy by fostering an environment for real job creation through lower taxes and a reduced burden of regulation on businesses

*Promote accountability and transparency in government budgetary and spending processes

*Work to end waste and crony capitalism that infects much of government taxation and spending through off-budget entities and more

*Reduce taxes on individuals

*Increase local control of taxes in order to give YOU, the citizen, greater influence in tax-and-spend decisions

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