Libertarian Party VP nominee in 2008 and hopeful LP Presidential candidate for 2012, Wayne Allyn Root has put forth a way to ‘save Capitalism’ and ‘save America’ with his five point plan, according to his website blog. It must be said that he publicly speaks well, is personable, and wants America to return to its core Constitutional principles of leaner government. http://www.rootforamerica.com/blog/
Yet, there are elements of his talking points that just don’t ring true
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Step 1: Create a one-year national income tax vacation. My plan allows everyone in America who already pays taxes to keep 100 percent of their own income for one year. The cost of this income tax vacation is a measly $1.2 trillion.
Step 2: Eliminate capital gains taxes permanently.
Step 3 Create a small business payroll tax vacation for two years.
Employees and employers each pay half of payroll taxes. Under my plan, we would give the business owner a payroll tax vacation — by suspending the employer’s half of the payroll tax for two years.
Step 4 Turn immigration from a drain on the economy into an economic boom.
let’s offer instant residency and an easy, quick path to citizenship for skilled, educated, and financially secure immigrants, which will help trigger a turnaround to small business and the American economy.
Specifically any immigrant who invests $250,000 into either a home or a small business should be granted instant residency and a path to citizenship. This plan is simple: bring money, skills, and resources to start businesses and create jobs and you will be instantly welcomed into the land of opportunity. When ambitious, educated, skilled, middle class immigrants move to America they will buy millions of homes, thereby ending the housing and foreclosure crisis. They will buy or start new businesses, thereby creating millions of new jobs. They will pay into the payroll tax system, and they will put their money into U.S. banks, thereby ending the banking crisis.
Now I have to wonder why our present path to citizenship needs amended. I don’t think so. Either you are U.S. natural born or foreign born naturalized into the U.S. In a land where all men are created equal as endowed by the Creator, why should there be any 3rd path of citizenship invented for the privileged? “Instant residency” if you have the money to buy citizenship for $250,000.00. Step right up; U.S. citizenship for sale to the rich who have the bucks! If our founders wanted that attitude, they would have included it, and they would have resented any foreign born to reap the benefits of what was so badly fought for with the blood of patriots. It smacks of elitism, with all the trappings that come with European nobility and entitlements bought and sold and class warfare; all rejected by the collective 13 colonies that forged this nation.
Secondly, remember the words written on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty:
"Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me ,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Should these words be amended to:
“Give me your energetic, your rich, your privileged Crowns of Europe yearning to handsomely buy your citizenship, the new nobility of your teaming shore. Send these, the aristocrats with castles, on easy street to me, I lift my empty coffers beside the golden doubloon.”
Step 5 Legalize and tax sin to fund healthcare reform. The taxes that gamblers and other “sinners” pay in Nevada allow the rest of us to keep more of our own money and lead a better quality of life. Studies prove that the legalization of marijuana and online gambling would generate almost $300 billion in new tax revenues. Our government wastes billions enforcing ridiculous laws and bans on personal freedom. Taxes on gambling (and even legal prostitution) fund Nevada’s state government,
This simple, common sense 5-step plan could quickly turn around the U.S. economy and save capitalism. It’s time to restore the American Dream. God Bless America.
Hmm, “‘sinners’ pay in Nevada allow the rest of us to keep more of our own money and lead a better quality of life”. Note two things: one group pays for the government to run while the other gets a free ride sounds close to redistribution of benefits at the expense of a targeted segment of society, the gamblers. Does anyone believe our founders would ever conceive this?
Secondly, note the distinction between ‘sinners’ suffering their monetary losses so ‘the rest of us” can “lead a better quality of life.” Why should the self-victimization of ‘sinners’ elevate the free ride they provide the rest? Under other circumstances the rest of us would be called enablers, resting upon the addiction of others. At the very least, addicts need treatment; not left rotting under our dependency. This makes both the ‘sinner’ and ‘the rest of us’ equal co-enablers of addiction. Does anyone think our founders envisioned gambling and prostitution to sustain ourselves, and that this is what is needed to ‘save America’?
I’ve met and like Mr. Root, but his article puts America’s best days behind us by contriving a future dependency upon gambling and prostitutes to ‘save America’ and luring the foreign rich an ‘instant’ slam dunk citizenship for the price is right. America is not up for sale, and I hope you rethink your positions, Mr. Root. If you’re entertaining a serious run for President, this is not the avenue.
