Issue Position: Fiscal Responsibility
Issue Position
he government must stop spending more than it brings in. Deficit spending is not sustainable, and it's imperative that we stop it NOW.
The United States Government must balance its budget immediately No business could survive if it used the United States government as its financial model.
The US Government currently owes more than $17.5-trillion dollars. That works out to just more than $53-thousand dollars for every man, woman and child in this country.
The federal government must prioritize its spending to fulfill the objectives set forth in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. We must eliminate all projects and programs that go beyond the founding fathers' original intent.
I favor getting rid of:
Department of Homeland Security. This department has 240,000 employees and a budget of slightly more than $60-billion for the 2014 fiscal year.
US Department of Education. The jobs performed by Education's 5,000 employees could be better performed at the state and local level. The $67-million budget could be redirected toward paying off the national debt.
Social programs, other than Social Security and Medicare, should be defunded from the federal budget and handled as described in the "Welfare and Entitlements" section of this platform.
Social Security and Medicare should be reformed to completely honor its current commitments, but to be abolished over time, to comply with the dictates of the Constitution.
This is a partial list, and every department of government should be closely scrutinized and eliminated unless they play a critical role in fulfilling the mandates of the Constitution.
The State of Tennessee has a "Sunset Law" which is designed to ensure that agencies of state government do not exist indefinitely. At its creation, the agency is given a "sunset" date. At the end of its term, the agency must show compelling reason for its continued existence, or it shall cease to exist on the date specified. The US government should do the same, with public hearings prior to renewal or extensionof any department.
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