Downsize the federal government

Rugged Individualism: An American Art
Thank you, Melissa, for the opportunity to address the need for a restoration of American self-reliance.

I came to the Reform Party because neither of the two major parties puts forth an agenda that promotes individual responsibility. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," is no longer the mantra of either party. Both Governor Bush and Vice President Gore propose new government entitlements while neither ensures that the projected surplus will be used to guarantee benefits already enacted.

Whether the issue is health care, childcare, education or retirement, Bush and Gore offer big government solutions. They may differ slightly in rhetoric or method, but the government-as-nanny philosophy is in firmly entrenched in the Democratic and Republican Party establishments.

I believe that we must first make certain that the government can keep its current promises to seniors, veterans and the next generation of retirees; then determine what to do with any surplus that might exist. The "surplus" is money that taxpayers have overpaid for federal government services due to high tax rates and high levels of employment. The money belongs to the people and I would return it to them.

The government can encourage self-determination and self-reliance in the same way that John F. Kennedy did over a quarter of a century ago -- use the Bully-Pulpit to rally American's sense of independence. Additionally, I would downsize the federal government and restore the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. Government, more often than not, stands in the way of innovation and progress. As President, I would get the federal government out of they way of teachers, parents, small business and state and local governments. These few steps would go a long way toward encouraging the "rugged individualism" that has defined this nation since its inception.