Throughout the
race for the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney has been the steady force,
maintaining a lead position by idling in second place as all the other
candidates take turns in the lead. None of his competitors have seemed to stay
in first long enough to seem like a legitimate threat. But now, after a month
and a half of primaries and caucuses, Rick Santorum may have a chance to keep
his momentum going and stay in the lead. Does Santorum have what it takes to
fix the nation's economy?
Republican presidential
candidate Rick Santorum is currently backed by the religious right and it is no
wonder why. He has strongly denounced what he deems as immoral actions,
espousing extreme views regarding American freedoms -- many of which actually threaten
freedom. Some of Santorum's comments make him appear willing to impose his
worldview on other nations, which is good news for social conservatives, but
terrible news for fiscal conservatives and the nation as a whole.
" No
more leading from behind for America ," is the second item
on Senator Santorum's issues page .
From an economic standpoint, this sounds great. Upon closer inspection,
however, Santorum makes it evident that he would like to continue American
"nation-building" efforts like those in Afghanistan and Iraq, but
this time in Cuba and Iran.
Santorum makes it abundantly clear that he plans not only to expand
the American Empire, but to also impose his religious views on the political
world at home and abroad. He is concerned about other nations trying to
"oppress the Church and others who believe in the inalienable rights of
life and liberty." This concern seems less rooted in the freedom of
religion enshrined in our government, and more out of the persecution of
religious denominations in favor of those to which Santorum is sympathetic.
Regardless, any further meddling in international affairs is
simply not financially feasible.
Being the liberator of all the worlds oppressed might be a noble
idea, but the United States is $14 trillion in debt. Our government is
borrowing money from our economic competitors in Asia and all over the world.
Initiating more conflicts, not to protect the American homeland but to push
American ideology, is both vain and unaffordable. It's easy for Santorum to
talk about the Islamist threat, and to propose the same sort of "regime
change" talked about in the Bush years, but the conflicts in the Middle
East have shown that these exercises are neither simple nor cheap.
Santorum fails to realize that freedom must be grasped by those
seeking it. It cannot be forced on a nation by foreign "liberators."
Despite the good he sees in our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the reality is
that the U.S. military is seen as an oppressing force by many, and this will
not change any time soon. A strong U.S. presence does create freedom fighters: people
fighting to free their homeland from the grasp of American influence. The U.S.
military calls them "terrorists."
If the United States is looking for peace, it must be the example
of peace. Bombing schools and hospitals, killing women and children, destroying
families -- these are not the examples of peace and freedom that will lead to a
better world. This is the path to more war and destruction.
What America is truly in need
of is a sound economic plan. Santorum's vague economic plan has many bad points
and a few good ideas.
The first part of his plan is to cut government spending, stop
Americans from getting healthcare, and fire 10 percent of government workers.
Cutting spending sounds good, but the reality is that the job market will only
get worse as more Americans compete against each other for a decent livable
wage.
His solutions to America's health care problem: citizens are on
their own with pre-taxed dollars. This is not a financially sound solution. It
will deter preventative treatments, keeping health care costs higher over all.
The second part of Santorum's plan is to change the tax code. He
wants to spend more by tripling the child deduction. He would then eliminate
most other deductions and change the tax rates to 10 percent and 28 percent. He
would then cut corporate taxes in half--17.5 percent for all but manufacturing
businesses. Manufacturers would pay zero taxes.
At a quick glance, this may sound good. However, a value-added tax
could all but eliminate the income tax all together. It would also tax foreign
imports as they enter the country, providing billions in revenue that could
then be used to stimulate growth for American companies.
The third and fourth items on his list would be to remove social
safety nets from the federal level to the local levels. Rather than all states
drawing from a larger pool, it will be every state for itself in a race to the
bottom.
While Santorum speaks highly of education, his website is vague on
solutions and he has come out in favor of replacing public schools with home
schooling for the poor and private schooling for the rich. It appears he wants
to cut funding for public schools in favor of private education, and it is
clear that he wants to again push the burdens onto local governments and leave
the federal government out of the process as much as possible.
While it is true that education begins in the home, public schools
are essential for preparing youth for the jobs of tomorrow. Public schools
should be improved, not eliminated. Lower standers of education will only
further damage the nation's economic future.
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