Rick Santorum, former Senator from Pennsylvania, has recently been doing well with conservatives from Iowa to New Hampshire to South Carolina and certainly helped himself out with a strong showing on last night's Republican debate. He's more conservative than Romney,....more disciplined than Newt,...... less bombastic than Rick Perry, and see's the world and the threat much more clearly than Jughead,...err,...Ron Paul. From
Rick Santorum's website, we can get a better idea on who Rick Santorum is and his direction for America:
Rick Santorum believes that to have a strong national economy, we must have strong families. America’s government must recognize this and help create a positive pro-family environment for our families, our communities and our businesses. Rick believes we are a land of opportunity where all Americans have the chance to rise on their own merits and hard work.
Sadly, President Obama believes just the opposite and using class warfare to divide America.
Rick Santorum is committed to celebrating the family by reviving our economy and creating jobs in America again with a smarter and simpler tax code. Santorum will roll back job-killing regulations, force the federal government to shrink and live within its means by passing a Balanced Budget Amendment and reinvigorate our domestic manufacturing and energy potential. His vision for America is to restore America's greatness through the promotion of faith, family and freedom.
MADE IN AMERICA: EMPOWERING AMERICAN FAMILIES, BUILDING ECONOMIC FREEDOM
1. Cut and simplify personal income taxes by cutting the number of tax rates to just two - 10% and 28% returning to the Reagan era pro-growth top tax rate
2. Simplify the tax code and reduce middle income taxes by eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
3. Simplify the tax code, encourage savings and investment and reduce taxes by eliminating the Death Tax
4. Lower the Capital Gains and Dividend tax rates to 12% to spur economic growth and investment
5. Reduce taxes for families by tripling the personal deduction for each child
6. Reduce and simplify taxes for families by eliminating marriage tax penalties throughout the federal tax code
7. Retain deductions for charitable giving, home mortgage interest, healthcare, retirement savings, and children
8. Eliminate the cap on deductions for losses incurred in the sale of a principle residence
9. Cut the corporate income tax rate in half to make our businesses competitive around the world, from 35% to 17.5%
10. Eliminate the corporate income tax for manufacturers – from 35% to 0% - which will spur middle income job creation in the United States and will create a job multiplier effect for workers
11. Spur innovation in America by increasing the Research & Development Tax Credit from 14% to 20% and make it permanent
12. Eliminate the tax on repatriated taxable corporate income – from 35% from 0% - when manufacturers invest in plant and equipment; and reduce the corporate tax rate from 35% to 5.25% on other repatriated income and allow for 100% expensing for new business equipment
13. Repeal and Replace ObamaCare with market based healthcare innovation and competition to improve America and America’s health and create jobs
14. Reduce Federal (non-defense discretionary spending) to 2008 levels through across the board spending cuts;
15. Eliminate all energy and most agriculture subsidies within four years letting the markets work, eliminate resources for job killing radical regulatory approaches at the EPA and refocus its mission on safe and clean water and air and commonsense conservation, eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood and support adoption, reduce funding for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for extreme positions undermining economic freedom, eliminate funding for implementation of ObamaCare, and eliminate funding for United Nations organizations that undermine America’s
interests
16. Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution capping government spending at 18% of GDP
17. Support Legislation to Reform the Congressional Budget Process and support legislation that requires Congress to pass constitutionally required spending bills or forfeit its members’ pay for the next fiscal year
18. Eliminate all other Obama era regulations with economic impact over $100 million
19. Negotiate 5 Free Trade Agreements and submit to Congress in first year of Presidency
20. Tap into America’s vast domestic energy resources to power our 21st century economy without picking winners and losers so all American families and businesses can have lower energy cost
21. Unleash innovation in telecommunications and Internet consumer options by getting government out of the way which will expand productivity and lower costs
22. Reform Social Security and Medicare for sustainable retirements
23. Block Grant Medicaid, Housing, Job Training, and other social services to the States
24. Freeze current non-defense related federal worker pay levels for a year and reduce federal workforce by at least 10% with no compensatory increase in the contract workforce.
25. Secure our border, streamline the legal immigration process to attract highly skilled talent and entrepreneurs from around the world and reform the agriculture worker program so it works for America’s farmers
26. Reclaim the role of parents as the decision makers in their children’s education and incentivize the states to promote parental choice and quality educational options because the family is the foundation of the economy
27. Promote tort reform and alternatives to litigation for federal policies and programs; and incentivize the states to expand these reforms across our economy
28. Approve the Keystone Pipeline and other job creating initiatives delayed and burdened excessively by government regulation
29. Overturn the National Labor Relations decision preventing Boeing from opening up its airplane factory in South Carolina and prevent other decisions like it
30. Phase out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s government backed role in mortgages and homeownership within five years
31. Audit the Federal Reserve and return it to it’s original purpose – a single charter to only manage inflation
32. Strengthen our national security and national defense so that we are not dependent upon our foes or competitors for critical manufacturing, technology, energy and other security needs
