|
John Carter
TAXES AND SPENDING (sic): "John Carter believes that we cannot tax and spend our way to prosperity." Well, Duh!
John promises to support the elimination of unnecessary government programs without enumerating a single unnecessary government program. John supports "Sunset Legislation", much of which already exists and is conveniently ignored by legislators.
Elimination of capital gains taxes will do little or nothing to relieve economic recession. Taxes are collected whether by taxing corporations or individual consumers each April 15th.
There is no future in reducing bureaucratic red tape It should be eliminated entirely.
TRANSPORTATION: John fails to mention SH130 as a real solution to ease the congestion on I35 through Central Texas. SH130 should be a federal project and should be designed as a through route for NAFTA traffic to stimulate trade. It should be supported by those who use it through tolls to ease the burden on taxpayers. By doing so, I35 and US183 would require a lower rate of maintenance and upgrade.
An interstate highway through Brazos County sounds like a massive pork barrel project. Instead, SH6 could be upgraded. SH21 and US190 need maintenance. The idea of more highways is a lot more appealing than one costly superhighway that receives limited usage.
CONSERVATIVE VALUES: Conservative political values should not be confused with religious and family values.
EDUCATION: John appears to be quite confused on education issues since he contradicts himself in several places on his web site concerning education.
Having been a district judge, John should know that the Constitution of the United States assigns no authority to the federal government regarding education. It is the responsibility of local and state governments, but especially it is the responsibility of parents of students.
John has expressed support for increased funding for the education system. What this does is place all students at the incompetence level of the lowest common denominator. One-size-fits-all federally mandated curricula have no place in modern schools.
To his credit, John is correct in supporting federal grants to institutions of higher learning for research that have merit.
NATIONAL DEFENSE: It is agreed that our military forces need to be maintained to a degree of top readiness. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen and their families deserve the best that we can give them.
DOMESTIC SECURITY: "John believes in giving our federal agencies, especially the proposed Department of Homeland Security, the financial resources they will need to fight terrorists and prevent criminal activities before they affect our families, our economy, and our future." Homeland security procedures in itself routinely adversely affects all Americans by terrorizing little gray-haired ladies with crochet needles at airport check points.
The Department of Homeland Security promises to be the biggest scam ever perpetrated on the American people. It will be the biggest taxing and spending boondoggle so far. Several hundred thousand federal employees showing the same degree of competence as the Internal Revenue and/or Immigration Services. Homeland security is everyone's job. We should allow aircrews to carry arms, and perhaps even holders of concealed carry permits.
HEALTHCARE: John has chosen to demonize HMOs in order to support costly social programs that deal with healthcare. In short, socialized healthcare is not an enumerated right.
SOCIAL SECURITY: It is agreed that Social Security should be privatized. An individual today can expect a return of only about 20% of investment due to system mismanagement.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT: John doesn't understand the mechanics of conserving our oil. As long as foreign governments are willing to sell oil to the U.S. at competitive prices, we should be willing to import it. We should, however, plan for the contingency for when oil becomes unattainable. Domestic exploration should be encouraged while production should favor imports without becoming dependent on the imports. Alternative sources should be researched.
CRIME & PUNISHMENT: One of the fastest growth industries in the U.S. is the prison industry. Hardened criminals are constantly being released to make room for those convicted for more minor offenses. John should know that the War on Drugs has been a dismal failure.
Commentary
John Carter appears to be another snake oil salesman. He talks about cutting government costs, but doesn't seem to know where. By the statements on his own web site, he supports a more intrusive government with growth at taxpayer expense.
Also significant, John failed to complete The National Political Awareness Test promoted by Project Vote Smart. This denies voters the opportunity to evaluate in his stances on issues in greater detail.
|
