"Pledge to America" Unveiled by Republicans (Full Text)

To all democrats that say Republicans offer no alternatives and only say "no", here is the response.

This will be very interesting to review and discuss.

source

House Republicans just released a draft of their legislative agenda for the next Congress, a 21-page "Pledge to America" that they will formally unveil Thursday morning at a Virginia hardware store.
"The need for urgent action to repair our economy and reclaim our government for the people cannot be overstated," the introduction says.

It continues: "With this document, we pledge to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconnecting our highest aspirations to the permanent truths of our founding by keeping faith with the values our nation was founded on, the principles we stand for, and the priorities of our people. This is our Pledge to America."

reply to post by centurion1211


I thought I'd post some of the highlights from the article that I particularly like. the full text is also available there.

Here are some highlights. The full document is below.

Jobs:
- Require congressional approval for any new federal regulation that would add to the deficit
- Repeal small business mandates in the new health care law.

Cutting Spending:
- Repeal and Replace health care
- Roll back non-discretionary spending to 2008 levels before TARP and stimulus (will save $100 billion in first year alone)
- Establish strict budget caps to limit federal spending going forward
- Cancel all future TARP payments and reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Reforming Congress:
- Will require that every bill have a citation of constitutional authority

Defense:
- Provide resources to troops
- Fund missile defense

I especially like the one about every bill having a citation of constitutional authority.

reply to post by centurion1211


I didn't read the whole text but of what I did read I can only hope they are true to their word, i'm not holding my breath though. At this point IMO either side of the aisle would be just about ready to promise us Americans anything to be able to have the heavy side of the table next session of Congress.
This is what they are best at, talk and promises and then more talk and promises. I've tried to have faith in these people and each time i've been disappointed, not with just the politicians but the stupid people who keep re-electing the same crooks and losers. The ones that are there and are actually trying to do good (rare I know) are beaten back and locked in the closet by the true majority which are the career politicians that are trying to keep their pockets lined.
Let them promise all they want but they should keep in mind that the people in this country are getting more and more fed up and if they promise these things and then go back on their word it could be a very bad day for Washington.

Just caught a snippet on it on the MSM.

The part they mentioned I liked the best, was that any legislation would be required to have the Constitutional power that allows the federal government to pass such a law.

I think a discussion awhile back a lot of members agreed to something like that.

IMO, I think this is one of the mistakes the founders made when writing the Constitution. They stated that any laws that are required to implement their powers or mandates, are allowed, but not a component stating where the new legislation derives it's powers.

To me, that one right there REALLY should be pushed. Maybe even push a Constitutional Amendment to require this of ANY legislation and past legislation.

How bout that for an idea?

Originally posted by saltheart foamfollower

To me, that one right there REALLY should be pushed. Maybe even push a Constitutional Amendment to require this of ANY legislation and past legislation.

How bout that for an idea?

I hear you. But why should we have to have a constitutional amendment to force people to obey the constitution?

That reminds me of the so-called equal rights amendment that failed in large part due to the fact that the constitution already grants everyone equal rights.

An arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites makes decision, issues mandates, and enacts laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many.

We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored - particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

From the source in the OP.

Very pretty words, but I have little faith in their ability to keep to this pledge. We can hope, but I won't be holding my breath over it. Especially not after all the promises congressmen have made over the years that they've turned around and broken once the elections are over.

Originally posted by Jenna

Very pretty words, but I have little faith in their ability to keep to this pledge. We can hope, but I won't be holding my breath over it. Especially not after all the promises congressmen have made over the years that they've turned around and broken once the elections are over.

Agreed. That's where the bi-partisan accountability demanded by the tea party comes in. If they turn around and do the same thing, then I too will give up.

It's a start.

The republican leadership is just as slimey as the democratic leadership.

They are weak minded; easily submit to temptation; blame anything and everything on anyone else (shirk responsibility); will admit to ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (which is the very first thing they learn in politics.)

Beware the new boss... Let's all keep the new feet to the fire ... ESPECIALLY the soon to elected republicans and Tea Partiers.

Funny Sidetrack: Mother In Law works the polls. A few days ago at our local Primary she said that someone came in and asked how they could vote for the 'Tea Party' party (can only vote all dem or rep in primary, no crossing lines)... xD

God Bless Us

reply to post by centurion1211


Agreed, I thought the same thing after I wrote my comment. If it isn't in the Constitution it is not lawful for them to pass it. It would be nice that the legislation would have the listed derived power component in it though.

reply to post by Jenna


Yeah, where are the signatures? A pledge to do something is nothing if you do not sign your name to it.
No contract or agreement could be held up if no one signed the damn thing.

For me, I will not and do not consent to unlawful color of law legislation. I have had it with the federal government.

Don't Tread On Me!

Here's my proposal and it is as simple as one paragraph.

Hand over all businesses not own by individuals over to the workers whom will then create a democratic workers council where they will make decisions with equal say and every worker will have access to the company’s profits determined through the work they contributed. All workers will receive 100% return on everything they contribute since there will be no more employers. Government will return to its constitutionally defined limits and the workers will own the means of production.


Once one of the two corrupted elitist parties offer up that 'pledge' and kick all of the oppressive class out of their party then we can talk. The Republicans and Democrats can offer up any solution they want but I don't see any of them offering us back our freedom, allow us to keep the fruits of our labor or a plan to remove an oppressive tyrannical bureaucracy and aristocratic dictatorship from oppressing the workers.

Originally posted by Misoir
Here's my proposal and it is as simple as one paragraph.

Hand over all businesses not own by individuals over to the workers whom will then create a democratic workers council where they will make decisions with equal say and every worker will have access to the company’s profits determined through the work they contributed. All workers will receive 100% return on everything they contribute since there will be no more employers. Government will return to its constitutionally defined limits and the workers will own the means of production.

The soviet union tried that tactic and it didn't work, in part because the government didn't have any constitutional limits. The soviet government was everything, and there was always some elite group that had it way better than everyone else.

Of all things I might be willing to try, marxist-leninist style communism would not be on the list.

reply to post by centurion1211


Soviet Union collapsed because it was a top-down bureaucratic tyrannical oppressive regime which tried to manage an entire economy from a single federal level. That form of economics NEVER works and the authoritarian nature of their regime was horrifying. True Socialists fought vehemently against Soviet Bolsheviks and their corruption. They replaced the Capitalist class with a State class where they stole peoples wealth, freedom and democracy and fed them lies.

There was no democratic workers council ever in the Soviet Union, they existed in 1960's Yugoslavia when the economy was pushing 6.1% growth per year, life expectancy reached 72 and the literacy rate reached 91% while unemployment nearly vanished. That was a true Socialist form of economy, not governance since they did not permit freedom, but that all changed in the 1970's when they tried a new form of Socialism which led to inflation and a massive national debt.

Please just read this: en.wikipedia.org...

And if you have the time read this too: en.wikipedia.org...


That should give you a better understanding of what I am talking about and how it is extremely different than any other so-called Socialist model.

Originally posted by Misoir
reply to post by centurion1211

 

Soviet Union collapsed because it was a top-down bureaucratic tyrannical oppressive regime which tried to manage an entire economy from a single federal level. That form of economics NEVER works and the authoritarian nature of their regime was horrifying. True Socialists fought vehemently against Soviet Bolsheviks and their corruption. They replaced the Capitalist class with a State class where they stole peoples wealth, freedom and democracy and fed them lies.

There was no democratic workers council ever in the Soviet Union, they existed in 1960's Yugoslavia when the economy was pushing 6.1% growth per year, life expectancy reached 72 and the literacy rate reached 91% while unemployment nearly vanished. That was a true Socialist form of economy, not governance since they did not permit freedom, but that all changed in the 1970's when they tried a new form of Socialism which led to inflation and a massive national debt.

Please just read this: en.wikipedia.org...

And if you have the time read this too: en.wikipedia.org...


That should give you a better understanding of what I am talking about and how it is extremely different than any other so-called Socialist model.

edit on 9/22/2010 by Misoir because: (no reason given)

You're talking about theory and I'm talking about what happens when that theory is put into practice. It will always fail because someone or some group will always have to be the leader(s). This will automatically give them more power than others and more power over others - which they will end up liking and wanting more of until it's "hello Lenin" all over again. Oh, and what happened to the Yugoslavian workers paradise after Tito died?

This is part where I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry...

- Give members at least 3 days to read bills before a vote

I recall Obama made a campaign promise to make sure bills were read before
they were voted on.

So that means that now leaders in both the Republican AND Democratic
party agree that bills should be read before they are voted on.

You can just hear the moans coming from the House and Senate floor,
like the ones you used to hear before summer break in high school.

"...Ohhh man...we got all this required reading to do now...THIS SUCKS!"

reply to post by centurion1211


im on board with pretty much everything..

two things i would have liked to seen in there

defense industry reformation

outsourcing of us military systems and subsystems is a huge problem in this country this country use to design build and create every single weapons system there has ever been.

american lives are being put the line with things built by the lowest bidder and crap absolute crap made in china or tawain and designed by the europeans.

i want the stupidty of starting a government contract to build a weapons system then only to cancel it a year later for example

i want all us defense us made and us designed and us funded national defense or the globalization of it is a clear and present danger to its own citizens.

consumer protection agency to i want this atroicty to be killed for the simple fact the very essence of it will end up being interest free loans on everything you can imagine.

banks and finance exist to make money and they are not making money they can not lend money and with the rampant defualt of homes and loans and credit cards this will bankrupt them.


i want the numerous, numeous government agencies and non government agencies to be killed off as soon as possible they are anserable to noone those "czars" we have heard sos much about.

reply to post by neo96


Excellent points.

I'd be contacting your Republican congressman with those.

reply to post by centurion1211


If you read my first link it was put to use, it was tried and it succeeded. But then in the 1970's they tried a different which led to inflation and massive debt and their collapse. When this system was actually used it worked amazingly well. Yugoslavia could have been the world’s greatest country only if they allowed more than one party, created a constitution that limits government and pushed the government out of the role of controlling economy in any way.

I'm sorry for wasting space on your thread I'm just trying to say that Soviet Socialism was not actually Socialism and the Socialism currently practiced in every country such as Sweden or Greece is State Socialism, and when you involve the state with such extensive controls then you are just establishing another hierarchy.

That is why with a Constitution like ours and an economic model of Workers Councils the form of Bottom-Up Socialism would work best in America.

Eugene V. Debs was America's most prominent Socialist and was imprisoned by Wilson for telling people to dodge the draft and opposed the US in WW1. This is what he told his followers:

"I am not a Labor Leader; I do not want you to follow me or anyone else; if you are looking for a Moses to lead you out of this capitalist wilderness, you will stay right where you are. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I led you in, some one else would lead you out. You must use your heads as well as your hands, and get yourself out of your present condition." ~ Eugene V. Debs

reply to post by centurion1211


i am extremely hawkish on defense man simple fact technology outpaces greater than that of what the everyday person knows.

while the american arsenal may be thought of best in class of the entire world the majority all its its systems are seriously outdated.

those cruise missles planes and bombers and tanks are decades old and we have nothing nothing comparable to what is currently available out in the rest of the world.


yeah im going to talk to my congressman lol.

44 days till election, can you say politically scared. My favorite quote from the piece of drivel is

"It's time to do away with the old politics: that much is clear. It's not enough, however, to swap out one set of leaders for another." IT'S A GREAT START THOUGH, BOOT THEM ALL TO THE CURB, BAN FEDERAL PENSIONS FOR THE SLIME AND GIVE ALL THE ONES LEFT PAY CUTS.

DO YOUR PART VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT!

Sounds like this, all the rage in its day, bunch of cow flap.

Contract with America

The Contract with America was introduced six weeks before the 1994 Congressional election, the first mid-term election of President Bill Clinton's Administration, and was signed by all but two of the Republican members of the House and all of the Party's non-incumbent Republican Congressional candidates.

Government and Operational Reforms
On the first day of their majority in the House, the Republicans promised to pass eight major reforms:

require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply to Congress;
select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
limit the terms of all committee chairs;
ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
require committee meetings to be open to the public;
require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
guarantee an honest accounting of the Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.