I hate to start off with a disclaimer, but here goes. The Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative House Republicans, has put out an “action plan” designed to rally support for conservative measures on Capitol Hill. The driving force behind the “action plan” is Rep. Jeb Hensarling, who I used to work with (make that “for”, really) when he was Phil Gramm’s state director and I was a lowly constituent-services drudge. I think Jeb is one of the best conservative leaders in Washington, and one of the people who (if given the opportunity) is going to save this country. And what we have here is a start — a very well-intentioned start, but just that.
There are eight prongs to the action plan, which I will go over in this post:
1) THE END OF PORK-BARREL SPENDING
House Republicans are committed to ending pork-barrel spending. We will not wait on the Democrat Majority to end “Bridges to Nowhere” and “Monuments to Me”—we declare an immediate earmark moratorium and pledge to reform the system. We also pledge to uphold any future veto of a spending bill that is pork laden and does not lead to a balanced budget.
The good news: This is sort of a foundational principle of conservatism, Congressional style. This is something that shouldn’t ever need to be said — and yet, given the dismal track record of Congress on this very issue, it needs to be said, and repeated as often as possible, written in letters of gold, let’s say. I only wish the declaration was a little bit more effective. “If you’re a House Republican, and you lard up appropriation bills with earmarks, or allow the same to be done, you might as well resign and go open up a used bookstore in Boulder or a patchouli oil stand in Berkeley. There is no place for you in the Republican Party. Begone.”
The bad news: With a Democratic majority, and entrenched Republican “old bulls” throughout the appropriations process, this has about the same force as the mice voting to bell the cat.
2) LIMITING WASHINGTON TAXES AND SPENDING TO WHAT MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES CAN AFFORD
House Republicans are committed to eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax and preventing the scheduled tax increases in 2010 from taking more from the paychecks of hard-working, middle class families. We are also committed to amending the U.S. Constitution to limit the growth of federal spending to the level at which middle class Americans can afford. Except in time of war or national emergency, our spending limit amendment would prohibit federal spending from growing faster than the economy.
The good news: I never cared much about AMT reform until I had to pay it; it bites. If the Republicans (with allies in high-income areas of the blue states, like where I live in NJ) can repeal or ameliorate the durn thing, they will have done a good day’s work.
The bad news: Republicans couldn’t get balanced budget amendments (or any other kind of amendments) passed when they were in the majority, how are they going to do it now? And whatever the (considerable) merits of extending the Bush tax cuts past 2010, that’s not going to get addressed in this Congress, anyway — heck, even if it did, a President Obama would just rescind the cuts again at the first opportunity. Let’s try to stay in the real world.
3) A FAIR, SIMPLE TAX CODE THAT AMERICANS CAN UNDERSTAND AND HAVE A RIGHT TO EXPECT
House Republicans are committed to ending a tax code that is too long, too complex and too unfair. Specifically, our legislation would provide comprehensive, individual income tax reform by providing individuals an alternative, two-tier flat tax system that can be filed on one page. Taxpayers can choose the new, simplified system or stay with the current tax code—whichever option suits them.
The good news: I like the freedom-of-choice idea; I wish they’d apply it to the AMT. You can pay your taxes the normal way, or pay much higher rates on the AMT with fewer deductions. You can pay your taxes at the Clinton rates or the Bush rates. You can pay the death taxes, or not. What’s wrong with that, I ask you?
The bad news: The flat tax has even less chance of actually getting passed than any of the Constitutional amendments. The biggest achievement of the Democrats in the past twenty years (other than staving off impeachment) has been in discrediting the flat tax, despite its undeniable success in Europe. There’s a lot of groundwork that needs to be laid before the flat tax can even be brought out of mothballs.
4) A FAMILY-FOCUSED, PATIENT-CENTERED HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
House Republicans will reform and improve our current health care system, by 1) providing a refundable health care tax credit to every American to purchase affordable health care coverage, and 2) broadening the array of choices for health insurance plans, by allowing individuals to purchase plans available in other states. These measures will allow Americans who like their current health plan to keep it, while encouraging all individuals to own and control a personal and portable health insurance policy.
The good news: Tax credits are the best conservative bulwark to the constant calls for creating an unaffordable, megalithic socialist European-style health care system. And freeing up the market for health insurance can’t help but bring rates down.
The bad news: Nobody likes their current health care plan; I’d give mine away in a second if I could get something better. (I wouldn’t mind the system that House Republicans and other federal employees get.) But it doesn’t matter; no health care legislation is going to be passed in advance of either Obama or HRC getting into the White House (and if McCain wins, it’s not one of his priorities).
5) AMERICAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE THROUGH INCREASED EXPLORATION
House Republicans are committed to increasing American energy supplies to lower prices and reduce dependence on Middle Eastern Oil by incentivizing conservation and allowing energy exploration in Alaska and the Outer Continental Shelf, as well as the development of cleaner coal technologies and alternative fuels.
The good news: I would have said something about how drilling in the US helps keep our dollars from going to support dodgy regimes in Saudi, Russia and Venezuela, but you can only do so much, and it’s not like this wasn’t written by a committee to begin with.
The bad news: What does the development of alternative fuels mean? More ethanol subsidies? More tariffs against Brazilian sugar ethanol? No thanks.
6) A LEGAL FRAMEWORK THAT ALLOWS US TO PREVENT TERRORIST ATTACKS
House Republicans are committed to preventing terrorists from attacking America. House Republicans will empower our intelligence agencies to intercept terrorist communications with sources outside of the United States without the lengthy process of getting a warrant that could jeopardize the ability to thwart an attack.
The good news: Anything that Republicans can do to point out the essential fecklessness and irresponsibility of Democrats on this issue is good.
The bad news: Doesn’t say anything about having a legal framework that allows us to execute captured terrorists. The only thing worse than not having bin Laden definitely dead is not having KSM and his merry men in the cold, cold ground, and it is a national disgrace (and a triumph for the radical defense bar, which is the same thing) that he still breathes air and eats couscous.
7) A MORAL APPROACH FOR PARENTS TO PROTECT AND EDUCATE THEIR CHILDREN
House Republicans are committed to supporting parental rights, by 1) ensuring that a child cannot be transported across a state border for an abortion without the consent of a parent or legal guardian, and 2) empowering parents to maintain control over their family’s personal education decisions.
The good news: A new idea in the abortion debate? Could be, of course, I don’t pay much attention one way or another. Interesting, even if it’s dead on arrival.
The bad news: Somebody explain what 2) means. Are we talking homeschooling here? I would hate — absolutely hate — for Republicans to be the party that tells people to abandon public education and teach their kids at home. (Before you sprain your finger leaving a comment, I am not hating on homeschoolers here, and I suppose I could live with some sort of legislation that protects individual rights to homeschool. But, durn it, you don’t make public education better by being less involved with it, you just don’t, and public education is one of the things that makes this country great, and you can tell the religious leader of your choice that I said so.)
A WELFARE SAFETY NET THAT FOSTERS MARRIAGE AND WORK
House Republicans are committed to extending many of the current welfare work requirements to other programs—namely food stamps and housing—so that those who are not old, young, or disabled are either working in the private sector or serving in their community. Such reforms will ensure a more stable environment for low-income children by encouraging their parents to marry and raise them in two-parent homes.
The good news: Welfare reform; there’s a stealth issue in this election, and anything Republicans can do to jump all over it is a good thing. We know what HRC thinks of welfare reform (I am still pretending that she has a shot here) and I think we have a good idea what Obama thinks of it, which is probably not much.
The bad news: They left out Medicaid and CHIP, for starters.
So, overall, not a bad list, certainly a strong (if a little unrealistic) platform for a conservative agenda in the coming months. I do wish this particular drum wasn’t beating so many overused tocsins, but that’s what you get a lot of in politics. The problem is, of course, that actions speak louder than words. When Newt Gingrich ran on the Contract with America, the words came with a promise of action. Here, the signatories simply don’t have the might to force a vote on even one of the list items. Whatever the RSC says, they’ll have difficulties getting moderate Republicans to do — and you can write off the Democrats on most, if not all, of what’s left.
