TEN
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT
1. Governments (federal, state, and local) have an obligation under the Constitution to provide those public services that will establish justice, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and for future generations.
2. Taxes are necessary to pay for the costs of government.
3. To achieve fairness and stability, a variety of taxes should be employed such as the sales tax, property tax, personal income tax, corporate income tax, estate tax, and the gasoline tax.
4. The personal income tax should be simple, and should be designed so as to not drive those who are in poverty further into poverty, and to not drive those who are above the poverty level down into poverty.
5. Since property and sales taxes are regressive, with lower income people paying a larger share of their income in those taxes than wealthy people, the income tax should be progressive. Under a progressive income tax people with a higher income pay at a higher tax rate.
6. Since the costs of government must be paid, an effort should be made to have our tax system raise adequate funds to cover expenses. If the government borrows to pay for current expenses, future generations will be required to pay those costs, with interest. If deficit spending is required during bad economic times, the borrowed funds should be paid back during good economic times.
7. Our system of electing representatives to serve in government should be fair and democratic. The election system should not be dominated by big money interests.
8. Governments should assure that the free enterprise capitalist system is allowed to work by assuring open competition and eliminating unwarranted subsidies and tax breaks to favored firms.
9. Wasteful, unnecessary spending should be eliminated (e.g. pork barrel spending and corporate welfare), and corruption eliminated at all levels. Citizens should have confidence that tax dollars are being well spent.
10. Governments should assure that the following public services are adequately funded:
● Education
● Transportation: public transit and bicycle & hiking trails as well as highways
● National defense
● Environmental protection
● A “safety net” of subsistence for those unable to provide for their minimal basic needs
● The administration of justice
● Social Security and Medicare
● Parks, libraries, water systems, and other public services desired by the citizens