I am not sure where to start venting my frustration with the current political situation.  Since the election, and even before when I had a sense of the outcome, it is clear, and has been validated by even the liberal media pundits.  The Republican party needs to “rebrand” itself.  It/we, need to define ourselves, rather than be branded by the Dems.  We need to focus on our primary concern.  To me, and perhaps to others, the number one issue is the deficit.

I should state first that I have most recently been influenced by the book The Debt Bomb by Tom Coburn, senator from Oklahoma.  http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/  He states everything more clearly than I ever could, with references, etc.  I wish he would run for president next time.  I will also say that I have been somewhat pleased with Boehner’s recent comments.  Sen. Coburn gives an outline for what he sees as the solution to the debt crisis--see website above and look for Back in Black.  Basically, we have 4 prongs to fix things:

1.  Entitlement reform.  Boehner has highlighted this.  1 in 18 Americans now receives Social Security disability.  It has become an industry for lawyers, moochers, and politicians.  We cannot afford it.  There are many other elements in this category--unemployment, VA benefits, among many others.  This could not be brought up in the election because anyone who mentions it would fear alienating many…

2.  Tax reform.  Simplify it.  Eliminate loopholes.  And, yes, revert to the more graduated plan that it used to be, with the super wealthy paying a little more.  Personally, I do think that capital gains and dividends should be taxed at a lower rate--they have already been taxed as income!  

3.  Earmark reform.  There is SO much waste in government because of politics.  You scratch my back for my constituents, and I’ll scratch yours.  Bridges to nowhere, etc.  All of this is covered well in Coburn’s book.

4.  Elimination of duplicative services.  Also well demonstrated in Coburn’s book.  Also shows where government has no business being.  Coburn says we could save about $3 trillion with this alone!

The GOP needs to get away from the moral issues (because the “moral majority” is no longer a majority and will NEVER win an election on those merits again).  While I believe in the right to bear arms and many other traditionally conservative values, we will never win an election focusing on those things.  And I think they will fall into place if the other things do.  We need to drop abortion, gay rights, and other things, in order to focus on the more imminent issues.  Those other things alienate many moderate independents and middle of the road Democrats.  The most important thing is the deficit.  If we do not get it under control, we will go the way of Greece, and nothing else will matter.  If we rebrand ourselves as Common Sense Republicans, we have a chance to show others that we are concerned about them (and I truly am) and we just want to save the U.S. from these misguided ideas that simply will not work.  If a family is going bankrupt, making $75,000 per year, but spending $150K per year, spending "only"$145K per year will not save them!  It will just kick the can down the road a short time.

Lastly, here is an email I recently received.  I don’t think we have the power to do it, but the ideas attributed to Warren Buffett do make sense.  Perhaps it would be a possible starting point to have a huge national push towards the Congressional Reform Act of 2013.  The email follows:

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling ...
"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that any time there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election."
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months and 8 days to be ratified! Why?  Simple! The people demanded it.
That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure. Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message.
This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2012 (2013 to be more realistic)
1. No Tenure/No Pension.  A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.  All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.  Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/1/12. (whenever)
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women.  Congress made all these contracts for themselves.  Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career.  The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

I hope someone else reads this.  Jim Z