Table of Contents:
Cut government waste to fix dangerous bridges
In the wake of the dramatic collapse of the Interstate 5 bridge in Mount Vernon, Wash., on May 23, federal and state politicians will make their usual claims that ever-higher government spending is needed — funded by more taxpayer dollars and more deficit spending — to fix the country’s roads in need of repair.
But it’s a fraud. More money is not the answer. Much lower total government spending is.
The first step is to open the government’s books to learn how those federal and state government politicians are spending the trillions of dollars they already collect and spend every year.
“Don’t be surprised to learn that, in most states, less than 2 percent of state government spending goes toward building, fixing, or maintaining roadways,” said Libertarian National Committee Executive Director Carla Howell.
Levi Tappan,
LP Arizona
Elected in May 2013
to Page City Council
Tappan credits his widespread presence in the community as one of the deciding factors in his election.
"I kept a real low budget and went door to door, talking to people," Tappan said. This gave him a personal perspective on their concerns and hopes for a better city government.
Tappan had an early taste of his eventual electoral success during the March 12 primary. During that contest, the ex-Marine scored 15.9 percent of the vote. He finished second in a field of 10 candidates, which included prominent local businessmen and members of the community. He lagged behind the winner, well-known local businessman Dennis Warner, by only 1.2 percent.
Tappan, who works as a sonographer at the local hospital, aims to promote economic growth and cut government spending. Like many residents of Page, Tappan is concerned about the constantly rising cost of city government.
"The city budget has grown from about $15 million to $20 million over the last 10 years, and the population has practically remained the same,” he said.
Read the rest at LP.org!
John Wayne Smith,
LP Florida
2014 Candidate
for Governor
There has hardly been a political battle in central Florida during the past 40 plus years in which this 67-year-old Leesburg, Fla., native has not been involved.
In 1969, he ran for the Leesburg City Commission, a race he repeated in 1970 and again in 2001. He threw his hat into the race for the Ocala City Commission in 1983, and for mayor of Ocala in 1985.
In 1986, 2000, and 2004, he was a candidate for the Florida State House, achieving an unprecedented showing in his most recent race.
“In the 2004 race, I received the highest number of votes for a Florida Libertarian in state house races in 2004,” Mr. Smith recalled. “That was 19,124 votes for 24.75 percent. In five of these races, I received over 20 percent of the vote.”
Read the rest at LP.org!
George Brown,
LP Pennsylvania
2013 Candidate for
State Representative
Brown said that Pennsylvania's lack of economic growth is a subject that hits home for taxpayers. "We have a roughly 8 percent unemployment rate in Pennsylvania right now," he said. In order to revive slumping employment prospects, Brown proposes eliminating the corporate income tax along with other taxes and regulations that keep investment outside the state.
"We have the highest corporate income tax, I think in the country, at 10 percent," Brown said. "We have something called a capital stock and franchise tax. Businesses are taxed on the value of their stock even if they don't make any money. We have a limit on losses that you can carry forward, which prevents high-tech companies from locating here because they often lose a lot of money the first couple of years, until they get their idea into production."
Problems like these call for a decisive solution, and Brown is ready to sponsor legislation that will slash the government taxes and policies that now stand in the way of economic growth. Bumping the corporate income tax down a few percentage points simply isn't enough.
"Eliminate it altogether," Brown said. "Take it down to zero. Right away — not phasing it out." Brown would also eliminate other business taxes, including the capital stock and franchise tax.
Read the rest at LP.org!
Please donate today to the Libertarian Party today. Shrink government — expand liberty.2600 Virginia Ave, N.W. Suite 200, Washington D.C. 20037
Content not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment. All that we ask is that you keep it civil and clean. Thanks.