Blueprint for Prosperity: Rebuilding the American Dream – For Future Generations

Guest Commentary
by Joel Marchese, CA-53 Congressional Candidate

The history of the United States is unique and exceptional among nations, to say the least. It began with open rebellion against a tyrannical king, and by embracing constructs of Natural Law (God’s Law) over man’s law: “We the People, hold these truths to be self-evident…that all men are created equal.” Living up to that statement became a cornerstone of idealism which would shape both people and events during the first 75 years after the American Revolution.

Today, we face new challenges and new forms of tyranny, both foreign and domestic. Confronting these challenges with a united effort will secure a better, brighter future for generations of Americans to come. Failing to do so will undue the hard fought progress our fathers and grandfathers sacrificed for, subjugating our children and their children to perils and misfortunes we could only imagine.

As a candidate for the 53rd Congressional District, I say to all San Diegans and Americans, that the time to act is upon us. And, that in the time and age we now live in, the very quality of life which we take for granted as Americans, is in jeopardy. Still, all is not lost. We can take several corrective measures now, both legislatively through citizen involvement, to insure both peace and prosperity for the next century!

If the American voters would grant us a Republican led Senate with a 60+ seat majority, and with House leadership remaining in the hands of Conservatives, then the following policy goals should be pursued:

• Domestic Energy Independence Policy
• Trade School Funding and Manufacturing Sector Renewal bill
• U.S. Constitution Affirmation (a Full Re-instatement of the Constitution – bill)
• Immigration Reform (border security and streamed processing)
• Entitlement Reform (welfare to work re-instated)
• Downsize Government (Defund duplicative programs, cut waste, fraud, shrink Big Gov.)
• Save our Healthcare System (repeal & replace Obamacare plan)
• Educational Reform (vouchers for private and charter schools)
• Tax Reform (lower both corporate and personal income tax rates)
• Legislative Reform and Limitations Act (no bills passed over 100 pages in lengths!)

Blueprint for Prosperity – Summary

1. Energy Independence Policy for America – Support a domestic energy production policy which promotes America’s energy independence through the use of oil, natural gas, next generation clean-burning coal & nuclear power right here in America. Let’s stop depending on other countries for our energy supply and become a world leader in energy exports. In doing so, the United States will not only regain its economic momentum through job creation and exports, but secure new surpluses in wealth and capital plus tax revenue — badly needed to pay off our national debt. Energy production = more jobs = increased tax revenue (without raising taxes!)

2. Trade Schools and Revival of our Manufacturing Capacity – Increase funding for trade schools and revive the manufacturing sector of the American Economy. Not every high school graduate wants to go to college. However, most would like to lead meaningful and productive lives given the choice. Trade schools offer a choice to individuals to learn a lifelong skill or trade. This in turn gives them a huge advantage in life and the opportunity to seek work where work exists. And, like in the days of the pioneers, American mobility really does have its advantages. America invented assembly lines in automotive manufacturing, fast food restaurants, and sent astronauts to the moon. If we want to remain economically diverse and stay competitive in the global marketplace, we had better revive our manufacturing base, and soon.

3. U.S. Constitution Affirmation — Restore the principles and practices of government as outlined in the Articles of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Neither the President nor the Congress have the authority to make up the rules as they go along. This not only weakens our ability to enforce the laws as written, but damages the very fabric of our society through a lack of respect for the rule of law.

4. Immigration Reform – We are and always have been a nation of immigrants. Immigration is the life blood and strength behind our culture. That being said, our immigration system has too many flaws and red tape which promote and foster a culture of illegal immigration. This has to be fixed once and for all. Secure the Border first. Give border-states the resources, manpower and technology to seal the southern border (keeping drug cartels and subversive terrorist groups out of the USA). Streamline and improve the existing immigration system in a way that encourages legal immigration. By creating a temporary worker program, issuing identification cards, using E-Verify and speeding up various stages of the processing system, illegal immigration can be greatly reduced. The politically charged discussion of Amnesty should not be the focus of any solution to illegal immigration. It has been tried before, and only leads to a revisiting of the issue every ten or fifteen years. Reform must be comprehensive but fair for all of those who came to this country before and in the future.

5. Entitlement Reform – Restoring the “Welfare to Work” requirements that promote self-reliance and help people get back to work again is a good thing. We did this during the Clinton Presidency and it worked! The number of people on public assistance dropped dramatically, and so did spending on entitlements. Provide tax credits and incentives to employers who participate in “Welfare to Work” programs, plus initiate and fund trade schools to give people the skills they need to get off of public assistance. The most noble and compassionate thing we can do as a society is to teach people how to fish, not just give them a fish.

6. Downsize the Federal Government – Our government is simply too big! It is dominating our lives and taking over our economy. This goes against everything we as Americans have come to cherish, such as: Freedom of choice, a right to privacy, the entrepreneurial spirit and free enterprise. Trim spending through entitlement reforms, cutting wasteful spending and eliminate unnecessary or duplicative programs wherever and whenever possible. Smaller government helps create a bigger private sector. This promotes economic growth and prosperity for all.

7. Save Our Healthcare System – What took 100 years to develop into a state of the art, world class healthcare system, could be marginalized to the level of inferior, literally by an act of Congress. We’re talking of course about the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare. In plain language, it’s not working. We need to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. It is unacceptable to allow bureaucrats to decide what type of healthcare you can have access to. Obamacare is simply too costly and far too complicated. Already, the new law has caused millions of people to lose their coverage, while healthcare costs are going up, not down. We were promised by President Obama that we could keep our coverage and our doctors, while saving an average of $2,500 per year. Neither of which turned out to be true. Let’s Replace Obamacare with legislation that truly reduces the cost of healthcare through interstate competition among healthcare providers and insurance companies. In addition, we can initiate meaningful tort (legal) reform, while maintaining accessibility with no limitations on pre-existing conditions. Healthcare for those less fortunate could be provided through a combination of funding resources such as payroll deductions, private healthcare savings accounts, or employer tax credits. Additional funding to cover the uninsured could be derived through a “windfall energy tax” as part of the benefits of an expanded domestic energy program. Let’s keep our healthcare system the best in the world while maintaining the integrity of the doctor patient relationship.

8. Educational Reform – In California alone, 1 out of every 5 adults do not have a high school diploma or G.E.D. certificate. Funding for quality education is only part of the problem. We need to offer solutions based on what educators and parents agree on most, and that would be the following: Offer school choice and access to school voucher funding so that parents can place their students in better schools if they choose to do so. Make all private schools and charter schools eligible for these funding vouchers. By increasing competition among educational professionals, we will yield better results for our children’s education and higher outcome levels (graduates).

9. Tax Reform – Lower both corporate and personal income tax rates. In states like Wisconsin, these measures have already been taken – resulting in positive outcomes for both consumers and the states who adopt such measures. Let’s take the “class warfare” argument off the table by adopting some common sense tax reform that works for everyone. A flat tax might be the way to get there!

10. Legislative Reform and Limitations Act – No bill over 100 pages in length should even be considered, let alone passed. Our legislative process has been taken over by a system of bureaucratic red tape and micro-management mentality that complicates and slows the legislative review process – to the point where many law makers are not even reading the bills they are obligated by law to review. This simply has to stop!

Achieving the Goal

By adopting the measures outlined above, we will begin the process of restoring the capacity, strength, and efficiency of our economy, making it the envy of the world, again. We will also secure the competitive edge needed to remain strong among nations, politically and economically. Finally, we will dramatically improve and streamline our legislative process while restoring faith in government. We simply cannot afford to dither or stand idle while countries like China and Russia move ahead of us. Let us stand together in the united effort to raise the quality of life for all Americans – ushering in a new era of prosperity!