Primary Beliefs Regarding Government

• The private sector is more efficient than, and more accountable than, the public sector

• The U.S. should have the strongest military in the world

• Separation of church and state

• Competition is good

• Government should exist only to serve the people, by handling things of common need that cannot be done efficiently on an individual basis (e.g., national defense)

• Open government is essential

• Entitlements are not good, but fairness necessitates that Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid be retained in a modified form

• Absent a disability, people should be responsible for taking care of themselves, and parents should be responsible for raising their children; education is best handled locally

• Protection of the environment (and hydrogen is the best long-term vehicle fuel solution)

• A reasonable immigration policy should be enforced, primarily by significantly penalizing employers that hire illegal immigrants

• Fiscal responsibility is a MUST

• Wealthy people should pay substantially more tax than upper middle class people, upper middle class people should pay substantially more tax than middle class people and middle class people should pay substantially more tax than poor people, but, other than those differences, wealth should not be redistributed by government

• The government should be involved in an individual’s personal life only to the extent necessary to protect other people and their property and the environment

• In order for the United States to last for an indefinite period of time, the federal government must move in a libertarian direction (and shrink)

• Eminent domain needs to be restricted to traditional government needs (generally, roads and bridges)
   

I think it’s important to ask one’s self what it is that she or he wants to accomplish in life, and then determine how the federal government should be involved in accomplishing those objectives. Taxes are a forced taking, and they should be minimized. To be fiscally responsible, if you wish to minimize taxes, you have to minimize government.