Senator Allan Clayton wrote:Senators of the Mountain States of America,
Our proud republic faces tough times. For many families, it is difficult to put food on the table. For many businesses, red tape and bureaucratic obstructions make them at pains to turn a profit. The previous administration - for all the faults many identify - was however at least prompt in responding to economic matters.
We are climbing on six months now without a budget or legislative agenda before either this Senate or the House of Representatives. We have not an inkling of what the administration intends, unless by guessing from media reports. Most worryingly, the President has shown an immediate intent to bypass Congress and sign Executive Orders - without their even being given the virtue of a debate or subsequent sign-off.
Thus those of us in the Republican Party are reluctantly forced to act. The Secretary of the Treasury is right to say that stimulus in view of a future surplus is required. Yet fiscal responsibility is necessary - a sixty-credit deficit is unsustainable, even in an economic crisis. We respect the Secretary's hopes to stimulate the economy, even if we may disagree on the detail.
But we can no longer stand idly by while this nation's finances run out of control. The budget must be balanced. To avoid tax rises that will hurt our economy and citizens' pockets, we must cut spending that is long in need of reform. Otherwise, our fiscal outlook and market confidence will deteroriate still further.
Thus I propose this budget:
Expenditure: -315 credits
Defense: -20 credits
—Army: -10
—Navy & Marines: -5
—Air Force: -5
Social Protection: -45 credits
—Pensions: -11
—Income Support: -12
—Housing Subsidies: -4
—Family Allowances: -7
—Food Stamps: -5
—Orphans: -3
—Disability: -3
Health: -47 credits
—Health Insurance: -34
—Hospitals: -9
—Wages: -4
Education: -40 credits
—Public Schools: -23
—Private Subsidies: -6
—Colleges & Universities: -5
—Wages: -6
Public Order: -17 credits
—Police: -4
—Police Wages: -2
—Courts: -3
—Court Wages: -1
—Prisons: -4
—Prison Wages: -1
Infrastructure: -44 credits
—Road Maintenance: -9
—Railroad Subsidies: -10
—Airport Subsidies: -5
—Water Costs: -10
—Water Imports: -10
Industry: -8 credits
—Subsidies: -3
—Loans: -4
—Regulation: -1
Agriculture: -13 credits
—Subsidies: -7
—Loans: -5
—Education: -1
Energy: -50 credits
—Subsidies: -10
—PSA Imports: -17
—USA Imports: -14
—Canada Imports: -9
Government: -14 credits
—State: -5
—Local: -4
—Administrative: -2
—Wages: -2
—Intelligence: -1
Veterans: -9 credits
—Pensions: -4
—Education: -2
—Rehabilitation: -2
—Loans: -1
Science & Technology: -13 credits
—Defense: -5
—Health: -3
—General Science: -2
—Agriculture: -2
—Energy: -1
Culture: -5 credits
—Art: -1
—Music: -1
—Humanities: -1
—Literature: -1
—Other: -1
I am happy to go over the numbers by specific requests; but here follows a preparatory series of draft bills that would accompany such a budget, and which shall explain our reasoning.
Health
- Opticians to no longer be free at point of use for all
- Remain free for children and pensioners, but adults would pay (-3 on costs)
Agriculture
- Subsidies cut from 15 to 7, and rebalanced to encourage sustainable production
- Research spending on agriculture increased from 1 to 2
- Reforms to the loan system to help smaller farmers
Benefits
- Major reform of Housing Benefit, which at present benefits only landlords.
- Addition of a cap, and conditional of having family there.
Industry
- Decrease in over-regulation of manufacturing industry, cutting regulation from -2 to -1.
Many of these are very controversial; I am sure we can debate them properly. Our health system was not designed to be supported by our present tax brackets and for a rapidly ageing population. Our agricultural system was never designed to keep prices artificially high, making it difficult for families to feed themselves; the loan system was never designed to help the big farmer push out the small. And our agricultural R&D sector is in dire need of increased spending. We would double that research funding.
The social welfare system is another cornerstone of our republic and a key achievement - along with healthcare - of the post-war system. But it too is in need of reform. There are no easy answers here, no easy ways out; but we propose cutting Housing Benefit so that it is capped, and supports families, not landlords who skyrocket their prices to take advantage of a capless system.
Finally, our manufacturing base is underachieving compared to our neighbours. Partly this is due to the economic climate; partly due to the geopolitical; and partly to the federal structure of taxes and regulations. We would cut unnecessary red tape from manufacturing, making it easier for start-ups and entrepreneurs to create the jobs and get America working again.
Lest it be thought that the Republican Party has forgotten that stimulus is also needed, we propose to boost both our trade balance, our businessmn and women's productivity and the number of jobs available through cutting export tarrifs for between six and twelve months.
Temporary Low Export Tarrif
- For 6-12 months, MSA-based companies will be able to take advantage of a lower export tarrif when selling abroad.
- Slightly scaled; smaller companies, farmers and start-ups get a slightly better deal than big corporations, but all get a decreased tarrif - lowered by 50%
- Encourages investment to speed up and will allow farmers adapting to subsidy reform, and manufacturers seeking to take advantage of less red tape.
- All in all, a boost to the economy with a long-term boost to revenue.
It is an old cliché to say that this bill seeks to join hands across the aisle; but in truth, it does just that. We do not expect the Progressive-Socialist Coalition to support all of this. But we expect them to finally deal with the matters the Mountain American people elected them to deal with, and to see the common sense solutions that this budget proposes.
I present these proposals to the Senate and the free people of the Mountain States of America.