15 Non-negotiable Core Beliefs
Politics is inherently concerned with compromise. The Tea Party draws so much ire because it is constituted by self-righteous maximalist ideologues. They don’t want to remodel a house with good bones - they want to burn it down. Scorched earth popularism will only be detrimental to the nation.
- Illegal aliens are here illegally.
No disagreement from me.
- Pro-domestic employment is indispensable.
Manufacturing jobs aren’t returning to the United States. Barriers to trade that keep such industries artificially alive are empirically detrimental to domestic welfare. The US should base its economic goals on comparative advantage.
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A strong military is essential.
This isn’t a value exclusive to the Tea Party. Hilary Clinton for example has championed this belief on multiple occasions. Hard power Democrats and Republican are a dime a dozen in the so called establishment.
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Special interests must be eliminated.
Why? Lobbyists are entitled under the first amendment to use their money as they see fit.
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Gun ownership is sacred.
Man possesses an inherent right to self-defense.
- Government must be downsized.
The growing complexity and breadth of domestic and international issues, along with a growing population, require that government proportionally expand, no more and no less.
- The national budget must be balanced.
This conflicts with number three. Defense economists have long posited that a globe trotting forward deployed military requires deficit spending.
- Deficit spending must end.
See number seven.
- Bailout and stimulus plans are illegal.
How so? They are important, even vital tools of macroeconomic policy. TARP for example was essential to the recovery of the US economy.
- Reducing personal income taxes is a must.
Why? They should ebb and flow with macroeconomic policy.
- Reducing business income taxes is mandatory.
Why? They should ebb and flow with macroeconomic policy.
- Political offices must be available to average citizens.
No, it shouldn’t. Political offices should be reserved for the best and brightest. Politics should not devolve to populism. The average American is ignorant of the rudimentary basics of domestic and foreign policy, and the United States should not be guided by a popularity contest.
- Intrusive government must be stopped.
No arguments from me there. What constitutes intrusive is up for debate.
- English as our core language is required.
It is the de facto language of the United States, and the international lingua franca. The US needs to invest heavily in strategic languages, however.
- Traditional family values are encouraged.
The traditional conception of the nuclear family needs to evolve with the times. Its strengths should be retained, however. The US is not a Christian nation and should not base its policies on Christian religious sensibilities.
