A More Efficient Government: 

Creating a more efficient and accountable government:

1. Downsize. We will reduce the number of agencies, their programs, and their staff. In a sense, we'll be making the government "leaner." 
2. Streamline. We will streamline our government, thus simplifying the process. One of the first things we'll do perform a complete audit, from top to bottom, of the entire government. We'll see what's working and what's not. We'll then improve on what's working and get rid of what's not.
3. Restructure. We will reform the existing agencies so that they will work better. This includes consolidating agencies who share the same goal, or that have similar job descriptions.

I don't believe that most Americans want a smaller government, just as I don't believe that they necessarily want a larger government. What I do believe is that they want a better government.

Tax and Budgetary Issues:  

Spending reform

1. Reduce spending. The first thing I will do is mandate that my cabinet implement measures to streamline their departments and increase efficiency, with a goal of saving $50 billion annually. Following that, I will initiate a spending freeze and go through the entire budget. Underachieving programs will be eliminated and the remaining programs will be improved.
2. Constitutional line-item veto. I am open to the idea of a line item veto that is deemed constitutional. There would be restrictions on what sort of spending can qualify, in addition to also having some sort of an override mechanism.
3. Spending efficiency and accountability. In order to help prevent taxpayer dollars from being wasted, we will competitively bid for every dollar spent by the government.

Tax reform

1. Tax changes. In addition to closing loopholes that allow people to avoid paying taxes, we will work to reform our tax code so that it promotes economic growth, generates sufficient revenues needed to balance our budget, and makes the federal tax code more efficient. We will introduce a value added tax of 5 percent, while slashing both income and corporate taxes to no more than 25 percent each. We will also eliminate as many loopholes, deductions, and credits as possible.

This is one of the most important, if not the most important, issues to me. I will balance the budget. 

Strengthening America’s Economy

Expand trade:

1. Fair trade. A lot of wealth can be created with fair trade. With this said, we have to do it right. We will immediately review existing trade agreements and enact smart and fair agreements.

Fiscal responsibility: 

1. Balance the budget: Once we break the back of the Great Recession and the economy is on a sound footing, we will turn our focus on balancing the budget and dedicate, each and every year, 50% of the eventual budget surplus to lowering our national debt. Large budget deficits are not healthy for economies to flourish.

Increase productivity:

1. Health care reform. Health care costs are putting an unsustainable big burden on our citizens and on businesses. To counter this, we will factor in methods of decreasing costs, while also providing every American access to healthcare and making American businesses more competitive

2. Foster American innovation: This is key to economic growth. We will expand and make permanent the R&D tax credit.
3. Invest in American human capital: In order to compete tomorrow, we have to become properly educated today. We will improve our schools, promote early childhood education, attract and retain quality teachers, and help students deal with the riding costs of education.

Aid to state governments:

1. Important relief. This includes a temporary increase in the Medicaid matching rate to ease the costs of healthcare coverage; help to local school districts; and broader fiscal relief to states. This will prevent tax increases and cuts in key programs, which would exacerbate the Great Recession.

Foster American job creation:

1. Invest in our infrastructure. We will invest $100 billion over 10 years in our nation's infrastructure, such as high-speed transit, increasing broadband across America, repairing our water systems, revamping our energy grid, rebuilding our roads, bridges, and airports, etc. Not only will this create jobs, but it will also begin to solve the problem of our crumbling infrastructure. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, our infrastructure needs an investment of $1.6 trillion.

2. Foster sufficient businesses growth: We will implement a 1-year payroll tax holiday, reduce marginal income tax rates, and for all businesses that provide healthcare to their employees, we will give them with a 50% tax credit for all health care-related costs. 
3. Foster growth within the energy sector: We will invest $200 billion over 10 years in renewable energy, which will be in the form of tax incentives, cash prizes, grants, and government contracts. This will cover renewable energy such as wind, solar, nuclear, biomass, geothermal, clean-coal, etc
4. Level the playing field for American business. We will eliminate corporate welfare, offshore tax shelters, tax breaks for businesses that move overseas, and capital gains taxes for one year on startup small businesses.

Extend our automatic stabilizers:

1. Food stamps. We will temporarily expand this program.

2. Unemployment insurance. We will temporarily extend money for those that have fallen victim to the recession, as well as temporarily increasing the payments.

We will strengthen our economy and create prosperity across all income levels, not just for the select few.

Logical Solutions to High Gas Prices

Solutions for both the present and in the future:

1. Short-term: We will close the "Enron Loophole" and encourage state governments to adopt telecommuting and 4 day work weeks for their state employees. According to Michael Greenberger, the former director of Trading & Markets for the Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC), we could see an overnight drop in oil prices of 25-50% if we close the "Enron Loophole." 
2. Long-term: We will invest significant resources into cleaner sources of energy, achieve greater efficiency of both our vehicles and buildings, increase domestic oil production and expand our refining capacity, and attempt to bring value back to our dollar.

These solutions will give some much needed relief to Americans from the high gas prices, in both the short-term and long-term.   

Energy Independence and Global Warming: 

Guidelines: 

1. Goals. We will set achievable goals, such as national renewable and automobile standards, but give the market sufficient freedom in how we achieve them. A two mile per gallon increase in the average gas mileage of our nation's automobiles would reduce oil demand by more than all the oil that could be pumped out of Alaska (10 billion barrels). 
2. Carbon capture and sequestration. This is what makes it possible for carbon emitting sources to capture their carbon and store it, instead of releasing it into the atmosphere and exacerbating the problem of global warming. Depending on the source, carbon emissions can be lowered by as much as 90% using this method.
4. Implement a cap-and-trade system. This system was first put to work in 1990 to combat Sulfur Dioxide, a primary cause of acid rain, through the Clean Air Act. Unlike other methods of mandatory reduction, these systems include less government and draw on the power of the marketplace to reduce emissions in a cost-effective and flexible manner. Not only will this help solve the problem of global warming, but it will also encourage economic growth by opening a wide array of additional markets. 
 
Invest $200 billion over 10 years in clean sources of energy:

1. Apollo-scale investment. We will invest a significant amount of resources to transform America into a renewable energy country. These resources will be in the form of tax incentives, cash prizes, government contracts, and grants, and will include sources of energy such as wins, solar, nuclear, biomass, geothermal, and clean-coal. 
2. Create incentives for consumers. In addition to the money that will be saved from becoming more energy efficient, we will put in place a number of incentives to help with the transition and to encourage consumers to live more efficiently. If we provide the incentive, Americans will accept the challenge.

Increase domestic production:

1. Oil. Instead of receiving our oil from foreign countries, with some of which hostile towards our country, we should be getting it here.

2. Coal. This is one source of energy that our country has an abundant supply of.

3. Natural gas. 

 
Encourage some action on the state level:

1. Smart growth development. This is where local and state governments play a big role. Communities that are more livable with less driving would help solve the problem of congestion in America, as well as help make us energy independent. I’m open to the idea of block-grants to encourage this transition.

How we're going to pay for all of this:

1. End big oil subsidies. Not only will it be a significant step towards lowering the cost of government, but it will also return over $44 billion in revenue.
2. Cap-and-trade system. According to the CBO, this would create at least 50 billion worth of revenue, with a ceiling of as much as $300 billion. 
3. Domestic drilling royalties. In return for lifting the ban on additional domestic drilling, I will require that the federal government receive 60% of the royalties, with the states receiving the other 40%.

We must be relentless in our pursuit to become energy independent. I will make America energy independent. 

Border Security and Illegal Immigration:

Border security:

1. Modern-era technology. This includes radar, ground based sensors, unmanned aerial drones, and electronic surveillance.
2. End the practice known as "catch and release." Currently, our local law enforcement isn’t allowed to detain caught illegal immigrants. Instead, they have to wait for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to arrive that are allowed to detain them. If an ICE officer isn't available to pick up the illegal immigrant, then our local law enforcement are forced to release them. This is commonly known as "catch and release."
3. Rapidly expand the number of border patrol agents. Because of the fact that our Border Patrol is currently understaffed, there are some parts of our borders where there are miles and miles for one Border Patrol officer, working part time. We will triple the number of border patrol agents.
4. Keep the National Guard on the Southern border and bring it to the Northern border. They won't be there indefinitely; just until the additional border patrol agents are hired and working.

Immigration reform: 

1. Certain deportations. Illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds will be deported, including those that are in jail or prison for crimes that are less serious in nature.
2. Improve legal immigration. Because people of all walks of life want to experience the American dream, and they should be allowed to take part in it. So we will streamline the application process and increase the amount of legal immigration. But with citizenship comes learning our language.
3. Implement tough employer sanctions. These employer sanctions will be modeled after the ones that are law here in Arizona, which happen to be the toughest employer sanctions in the country. In short, it mandates that businesses run new hires through a free online federal database that checks immigration status. If a business gets caught with any illegal workers on the first offense, their license is suspended for ten days. On the second offense, their license will be suspended for thirty days. On the third offense, their license will be permanently revoked. Workers who cannot show proof of their citizenship should be forced to resign, and those who apply will be denied. The end result of this will be a large segment of the illegal immigrant population going home or attempting to enter through the legal route.

Immediately release Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean:

1. Release them from prison. The fact that our government took the side of a numerously apprehended, drug smuggling illegal immigrant over two well respected Border Patrol agents, with one of them being a veteran, is absolutely preposterous. I would immediately release them from prison.

I will do what no other President has: secure the Northern and Southern borders, and fix the problem of illegal immigration.     

Health Care.

Last year, we spent $2.2 trillion on health care (16% of our GDP), a third of which went to administrative costs, which was more than any other country in the world (The closest country spent 11% of their GDP on healthcare). To make things worse, we're not leading the world in health statistic anymore. As our former Comptroller General, David Walker, has said, "We have the largest uninsured population of any major industrialized nation. We have above average infant mortality, below average life expectancy, and much higher than average medical error rates for an industrialized nation."  

With this said, I believe that we need to focus on three aspects when reforming our health care system. One, we absolutely need to reduce costs. They're unsustainable for individuals and families, small and large businesses, and state and federal governments. Two, we need to empower the American consumer and ensure that they continue to have a sufficient amount of choice when making decisions involving their health care. And three, we need to ensure that every American has access to quality, low cost health care. It's morally wrong that 50 million of our fellow Americans lack health coverage, and the amount that die every year because of it.

Focus heavily on decreasing costs:

1. Lowering costs. We will factor in administrative simplification, computerized physician order entry, an automated patient safety/error reporting system, reduction in inappropriate clinical practice variation, controls of provider payments and premiums to reach target goals in expenditure growth, increase access to preventive care, negotiate for lower drug prices, and reduce medical malpractice lawsuits. We will also change the way the system is run, by focusing on better health, instead of more and more care.

Insure every American has health care:
 
1. Government program. We will merge SCHIP, Medicare, and Medicaid into one government program. This will be put in place as an additional choice for Americans, as well as a method of fostering a sufficient amount of competition with private health care companies.

2. American citizens only. My plan will be available to American citizens only. If illegal residents want to take part in my health care plan, they are going to have to come out of the shadows and become citizens.

3. Elimination of annual caps. No longer will insurance companies implement annual caps on coverage.
4. End insurance company discrimination. No longer will pre-existing conditions affect whether or not someone receives health care, nor will an insurance company be able to drop you once you get sick.

Tax incentives to encourage private insurance:

1. Tax credit for businesses. I will offer a 25 percent tax credit of all health care-related expenses for businesses that cover their employees with healthcare. The point isn't to cover the entire cost of health coverage, but instead to encourage private insurance and make our businesses more competitive through lower costs.
2. Tax credit for individuals. I will offer a tax credit for Americans who choose to buy private insurance, ranging from $1,000-$2,000, depending on income levels. Like the tax credit for American businesses, the point isn't to cover the entire cost of health coverage, but instead to encourage private insurance and lower costs.

How we are going to pay for this:

1. Decrease costs. While working with industry leaders from across the spectrum, we will implement numerous methods of decreasing health care costs in America.  
2. Additional revenue. Some of the money from our tax reform, including eliminating unnecessary tax credits, deductions, and loopholes, will be dedicated to health care reform.

3. Reallocate health care dollars. This money can be reallocated to help pay for the reform. Some reports include estimates of waste in our health care system of as much as $750 billion each year. Much of that could be handled better, while providing a better return for the money spent.
4. Merge Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP. We have up to 595 billion dollars to work with here. Merging all of them will not only make the process more efficient, but it will also save money.

I don't believe the problem stands with a lack of money for health care; what we need is more health care for our money; and I will achieve this with my plan.

Our Military and Veterans: 

Necessary changes

1. Tax cut. I will implement a 5% permanent tax cut for all of our nation's veterans, in addition to not levying income taxes on active duty members of our military. 
2. VA reform. I believe there are a number of problems with the current VA that need changing. One example is the window where veterans can seek help. It's currently set at two years; I would eradicate the window entirely. Two years is a relatively short span of time, if you consider the fact that many returning veterans aren't aware of any problems they may have.
3. Full VA funding. I will make sure the VA receives full funding, each and every year.
4. Support the new G.I. Bill. We support the Post 9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008. Not only is this a proper investment, but it's also the right thing to do. The WWII GI Bill has been called, by many people, the greatest single investment our country has ever made in its citizenry. Estimates show that every $1 invested in veterans' education will return $7 to our economy. 

Modernize our military:

1. Implement the necessary changes. We will get rid of the outdated and incorporate the new. Not only is this necessary to meet the threats of the 21st Century, but it's also going to save us money. This includes increasing the size of our military, revamping the existing equipment, refocusing the Pentagon from Cold War era weapons to threats of the 21st Century, and so on. Everything I am proposing for our military and veterans could be fully paid for if these actions are taken.

Strengthen our country's commitment to the Geneva Convention:

1. Continuing America's tradition. This protects the lives and well being of our troops overseas. I know a number of people in the military, and I certainly do not want their lives subjected to various actions that violate the Geneva Convention, nor do I want our government subjecting anyone to actions that violate it.

How we're going to pay for this: 
 
1. Pentagon budget. I would completely go through the Pentagon budget, and make it as efficient as possible. Like many other areas of our government, this area is incredibly inefficient. This would free up plenty of money.
2. Modernize our military. Get rid of the outdated and incorporate the new. Not only is this necessary to meet the threats of the 21st Century, but it's also going to save us money. Potential savings: 57 billion (Richardson campaign).

3. Modernize defense contracting. We need to make sure that we’re not recklessly spending money on things that don’t make us safer and that even the Pentagon believes we don’t need.

I will do all I can to help our nation's military men and woman, past, present, and future.

Education:

Funding:

1. Encourage change. Historically, education has been an issue dealt with my states, and in some cases, localities. We will encourage states to implement the changes put forward below with competitive grants and other financial incentives. At a time when states are dealing with severe budget constraints, this will be more successful in changing our education system than any mandates.

Accountability:

1. Push students to excel. If we want to keep up with the world, I believe students should be pushed to expanded educational heights.  
2. Increase the dropout age. Currently, it's set at 16. Once someone reaches that age, they're able to dropout of school. I prefer that it is raised to 18. 

Improve America's school system:

1. Creating better schools. I encourage states to set standards for their schools, including the use of auditing their schools to improve efficiency and allow for better investing within the schools.
2. Invest in pre- K education. Providing funds for pre-K is proven to provide significant benefits. Getting a good start is absolutely paramount to our success. A study by the Early Intervention Research Institute at Utah State University concluded that New Mexico can expect a $5 return on every $1 invested in quality pre-K programs. We need to continue to provide resources to our schools so that we can educate the people that will compete tomorrow.
3. Invest in K-12 education. Stopping investing after pre-k won’t make our educational system any better. We should continue providing funds to states so that we will lay the groundwork for the best educated people in the world.
4. Attracting high-quality teachers. In order to do this, we need to pay them a respectable amount through performance pay, improve their working conditions, and a reduction in class sizes. I will also encourage an increase in teacher access to high quality professional development. Research has shown that this can improve their ability to teach beyond what they were capable of prior to targeted trainings.
5. Provide the incentive for states to implement pilot programs. States that decide to take it upon themselves to implement parts listed within this plan for education will be rewarded with block-grants. They will have the freedom of implementation within a rather broad framework, and can pick and choose which proposals best fit their individual states.

Help students deal with the rising cost of tuition:

1. Tax relief. Tuition has increased over 70% just in the last four years, coupled with the cost of books steadily increased, as well. I will combine the Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credits into one, equaling $8,000 per year, and make it available to any potential student that helps out their country through community service.

America can't afford to let up on this issue, if we want to continue to have the best and the brightest population. I will not let us fall behind.  

The War in Iraq:

According to our own Generals, we cannot win in Iraq with just a military solution, and that a political solution is needed. Our military can take care of any threat in Iraq, no doubt about it. Where the problem lies is getting a political settlement adopted with the three sects in Iraq: Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. There have been tensions with these groups for centuries. While I believe we never should have went into Iraq, I think that leaving without a plan is just as bad as entering without a plan. 

Change in funding:

1. Use of Iraq funds. It is absolutely ridiculous that we are spending 12 billion a month in Iraq, thus increasing our deficit more and more, when they're budget is in a huge surplus. It is time that they begin to fund their own conflict.

Immediately begin a withdrawal of our troops, implement strong and relentless diplomacy: 

1. Set a goal. Rather than having a set deadline, we will have a goal of being out by 2010. This will show the Iraqis that we aren't going to be there forever and will provide us with significant leverage that will be needed when we begin our massive diplomatic push. Despite the drawdown of our forces, I will continue to conduct military operations to provide security, and root out any remaining enemy forces.

2. Diplomacy. We need to implement tough and determined diplomacy, both in terms of within Iraq and outside of Iraq. Neighboring countries, too, have a stake in this; an unstable Iraq is not in their interests. The last thing all parties involved want is the region erupting into complete chaos.  

My plan will achieve success. 

The War in Afghanistan:

Like the vast, vast majority of Americans, I was angered by the events on 9/11/01. Unlike the war in Iraq, I have been an ardent supporter of the war in Afghanistan from the very beginning, and will continue to be an unwavering supporter. In my eyes, this conflict is justified, because we were deliberately, and in a premeditated fashion, attacked by a group of terrorists who's headquarters was in Afghanistan. 

Diplomatically engage our allies:

1. Solidify alliances. If we're going to achieve victory, we will need to continue our campaign with strong alliances. It is of great importance that we don’t wage this war in a unilateral manner.
2. Increase troop numbers. We will increase the number of troops in country by roughly 30,000. This will provide for a more secure situation on the ground, while the reconstruction is underway.
3. Mandatory strategy for success. While it will not be our goal to have a long-term occupation in Afghanistan, it's important that we adopt a strategy for success, if they want to be a functioning Democracy, including a number of clear and achievable goals.

4. Renewed focus on infrastructure and security forces. Putting more Afghanis to work securing and rebuilding their country decreases the time in which America will have to be on their soil. In the process, we need to change the overall vision of these goals, through a longer timeframe of dedication to projects and security forces, more attention given to those working on the local level, and more accountability and transparency with additional funds.

Social Security and Retirement:

People that have paid into it deserve to get that money back, as they were promised. When Bush took office, social security was solvent until 2055. 

Increase revenues: 

1. Grow the economy. We will promote pro-growth policies to spur as much economic growth as possible. This is important to the solvency of Social Security.
2. Return to fiscal responsibility. By doing this, we will balance the budget, and dedicate 25% of the eventual surplus to Social Security.
3. Eliminate the social security tax cap. As of right now, the cap is set at $102,000. This makes it a very regressive tax. Any income exceeding that number is tax free. We will eliminate this cap.

Reform social security.

1. No free lunch. Those who have never paid into the system will not be able to receive any social security benefits.
2. Put the social security surplus in a "lock box."  This will prevent politicians from raiding it, and creating IOUs. That isn't their money to spend; it's our money. To use an example, add up the figures for the last three years, including the total social security receipts and expenditures. If politicians didn't raid the surplus, it would consist of 876.7 billion dollars. Again, that's just in three years.

Encourage people to explore other avenues of retirement:

1. Automatic enrollment. Personally, I don't believe that social security should be used as a sole source of income, and it should instead be used more as a safety net. Providing automatic enrollment in private accounts at places of employment, with the option to immediately opt-out, will drastically increase the number of people that have such accounts. 
2. Income tax deduction for private account saving. We will offer a deduction for those that earn less than $150,000 a year, worth 10% of the total savings in a single private account, up to a maximum of $500.

As President, I will keep social security solvent, in addition to encouraging Americans to invest their money elsewhere. 

The Second Amendment:

I strongly believe in gun rights. Short of a complete totalitarian government, no amount of gun control in the world will get rid of guns and end crime. Whether we like it or not, the criminals are always going to have a way to get weapons. If we were to take the guns out of the hands of those who are law abiding, while keeping them in the hands of those who break the law, makes absolutely no sense to me.

Fight efforts to increase gun control, focus on prevention: 

1. Prevention. The key is to focus on prevention. We need to prevent those who shouldn't have guns from getting them. This includes those with mental illnesses, criminal backgrounds, etc.
2. No new laws. I don't believe that we need more gun laws, and instead need to enforce the ones that are currently on the books.

3. Gun control and the veto. I will veto any attempts at pushing additional gun control onto the American people.  

I'm from the West, where we value gun-related issues. I will strive to be the candidate of gun owners. 

Choice.

Personally, I am pro-responsible choice, and believe that the government doesn't have a right dictating what a couple does, or what decisions they make.

Reduce the number of abortions:

1. Abstinence education. While I don't believe this is the "silver bullet" answer to preventing accidental pregnancies as some suggest, I believe it needs to be part of the solution. 
2. Encourage adoptions. We will encourage individuals and couples to head in the direction of adoption, instead of abortion. 
3. Increase access to preventive measures. There are a wide variety of methods in existence that prevent pregnancies, and I believe they should be more readily available.

Increasing parental responsibility, while providing the necessary knowledge of the realities of sexual activities:

1. Voluntary sex-ed in school. I believe we need to teach kids the realities of sexual activities, and how it's more of a serious matter than many think.   
2. Encourage a more frequent and in-depth discourse at home. In my eyes, it's about time that parents start doing their job, which involves something called, "parenting." One way or another, kids need to know the realities of certain activities. For those that object to sex-ed in school, this might be a more suitable way of getting the job done.  

Overall, I believe abortions should be safe, legal, and rare, but that we absolutely must do all we can to decrease the amount of abortions performed.  

Gay Marriage. 

I believe that we should protect the civil rights of the gay men and woman of our society, because they are Americans, as well. I don't see why such rights shouldn't be given to them, when they are given to everyone else. As stated in our Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

With this taken into account, I believe that establishing full civil unions certainly are a good start, with an eventual goal of taking marriage away from the government, and giving it to the churches where it belongs.

Capital Punishment. 

I am pro-death penalty, and believe that is should be applied to the most heinous crimes.     Although, when we convict someone and sentence them to death, we need to be absolutely sure that they are, in fact, guilty. While it hasn't happened on a frequent basis, we have put innocent people to death in the past. We need to avoid that at all costs.