Joe From Texas was interested to learn that the Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives recently came out with a set of pledges to Americans in preparation for the mid-term election. As far as Joe can recall, this is the first time they have come out with such a plan since 1994 when Republicans, led by Newt Gingrich, produced the Contract with America and subsequently won a majority in the House of Representatives for the first time in decades. Below is an overview of the major parts of the plan. Should you wish to review the full plan, it can be found at www.commitmenttoamerica.com.
The Commitment to America covers four major topics:
1. “An Economy That’s Strong”
2. “A Nation That’s Safe”
3. “A Future That’s Built on Freedom”
4. “A Government That’s Accountable”
Economy - The section on the economy begins by discussing the problem and impacts of inflation. It goes on to state that the result of this inflation is that Americans have effectively gotten a pay cut due to rising prices on everyday items they purchase. According to Republicans, government spending has risen by $9 trillion since Biden took office, and food prices have increased 13.5% year over year. They attribute inflation to out of control government spending. Although Joe From Texas has not run the numbers, it is obvious that House Republicans are correct that both spending and food prices, along with many other items, have gone through the roof since Biden has been in office. He also agrees that government spending has been a major factor in the inflation problems that we are currently suffering through.
If elected to the majority in congress, Republicans pledge to do the following on the economy:
➢ Curb government spending that they consider wasteful.
➢ Bring stability to the economy though pro-growth tax and deregulatory policies.
➢ Put forth policies to promote domestic energy production, including streamlining the permitting process, in an effort to lower the cost of gas and electricity.
➢ Move supply chains away from China, expand U.S. manufacturing, and enhance American economic competitiveness and cyber security.
National safety - In the section that deals with National safety, Republicans state that there have been over 3.5 million border crossings by people from over 160 countries, with 900,000 known getaways since Biden took office. They also say we have the highest murder rate, including the murder of law enforcement officers, in over 20 years and that the U.S. has approximately 300 deaths each week from fentanyl poisoning. Republicans pledge the following with regard to keeping the nation safe, should they gain the majority in congress:
➢ Fully fund effective border enforcement strategies, infrastructure, and advanced technology to prevent illegal crossings and trafficking by cartels.
➢ End catch-and-release loopholes, require legal status to get a job, and eliminate welfare incentives.
➢ Recruit 200,000 more police officers through recruiting bonuses and fight efforts to defund the police.
➢ Crack down on prosecutors and district attorneys who refuse to prosecute crimes, while permanently criminalizing all forms of illicit fentanyl.
➢ Support our troops, invest in an efficient and effective military, establish a Select Committee on China, and exercise peace through strength with our allies to counter global threats.
Freedom – Prior to announcing their promises with regard to freedom issues, Republicans state something that Joe From Texas has referenced in the past, that the parents of school children were threatened with being labeled domestic terrorists by the Biden Justice Department for showing up at school board meetings to share their frustrations on a variety of issues. Among the other issues that Republicans mention is that life expectancy has dropped for the last two years for the first time since 1943, while at the same time the cost of health insurance has increased 17%. They also claim that big tech companies censored election related content over 16 million times during the last federal election two years ago. House Republicans pledge the following with regard to freedom if they gain the majority:
➢ Advance a Parents’ Bill of Rights, work to implement policies to help recover lost learning opportunities from school closures (during COVID 19), and expand parental choice in education.
➢ Ensure that only women can compete in women’s sports.
➢ Advocate for personalized healthcare to provide affordable options and better quality.
➢ Lower prices through transparency, choice, and competition. Invest in lifesaving cures and improve access to telemedicine.
➢ Confront big tech and demand fairness. Provide greater privacy and data security, equip parents with more tools to keep their kids safe online, and stop companies (presumably big tech companies) from putting politics over people.
Government accountability – As part of their forward in this section, Republicans state that more than 14 whistleblowers have come forward to raise concerns about the politicization of the FBI. They also highlight the Democrat’s plan to hire 87,000 new IRS agents and point out that 0 hearings have been held under Democrat leadership to look into the origins of COVID or the failures of the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. They further state that 80% of Americans support a requirement to show ID when voting and that 90% of Democrats have received pay at some point while voting from home rather than showing up at the Capitol. In order to keep government accountable, Republicans pledge:
➢ To uphold free speech, protect the lives of unborn children and their mothers, guarantee religious freedom, and protect the second amendment.
➢ Conduct rigorous oversight to rein in government abuse of power and corruption, provide real transparency, and require the White House to answer for its incompetence at home and abroad.
➢ Save and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.
➢ End special treatment for Members of Congress by repealing proxy voting and increase accountability in the election process through voter ID, accurate voter rolls, and observer access.
A few thoughts on the plan from Joe From Texas
If you have read any thoughts from Joe From Texas on other topics, then you know that he believes we need to vote for change in the mid-term election this year. He believes the policies of the current administration and Democrats in congress are rapidly endangering both our standard of living and our very way of life. Since we have a two-party system, the only way to vote for change this year is to vote Republican. However, Joe From Texas has had many questions as to just what Republicans would do if they were to claim the majority in congress, so he was happy to learn that they developed a plan.
On balance, Joe From Texas believes they are on the right track with regard to many of the topics mentioned in the plan. He was happy to see that it touched on some of the things he has been talking about such as securing the border, fighting crime, energy independence, expanding the manufacturing base, reigning in government spending, and transparency in healthcare.
In short, as far as the topics covered, Joe From Texas agrees that most of these are areas of concern and he is glad to see that Republicans in the House recognize this. He is concerned about the lack of details in the plan though. For example, Republicans state that they will support effective border enforcement strategies, but they do not mention any of those strategies by name in the document nor do they put a timetable on how quickly they will attack this problem. Although Joe From Texas has high confidence that their strategies would be far superior to what we have gotten from the Democrats over the last two years, he would still like to see more details on this and other topics.
Although the decision to vote Republican in this election because of the need for change is clear to Joe From Texas, he believes that winning the election should only be a beginning. He would like for us all to have more information about their plans so we can hold their feet to the fire and demand performance should they gain the majority. If voters decide to give Republicans the opportunity to claim the majority, IT WILL NOT BE ENOUGH FOR THEM TO MERELY STAND FOR THE RIGHT POLICIES. THEY MUST FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT POLICIES EVERY DAY —AS IF OUR COUNTRY DEPENDS ON IT! As American citizens, we will need to be prepared to remind them that inaction, failure, and excuses will not be tolerated.
As referenced earlier, as best Joe From Texas can recall, the Contract With America in 1994 was the last time that Republicans came out with a plan similar to the one they have developed this year. After Republicans claimed the majority in the ’94 election, then President Bill Clinton decided to try to find areas where he could work with Republicans rather than always working against them. As a result of this bi-partisan cooperation, we ended up with a rare balanced budget and a booming economy. If the Republicans can claim the majority this year and President Biden chooses to take the same path that President Clinton took when facing a Republican majority, it would be a very positive development for our country and for each of us as citizens.