Policy reforms we can (almost)all agree on

[Hohn]

1) End welfare for the affluent. No one with assets or income over a million dollars should receive any federal entitlements of any kind. Why should the working stiff paying FICA be subsidizing drug benefits for Ted Turner?

2) Replace all welfare programs with a generous earned income credit that ties public assistance directly to work.

3) Require independent audits of all federal agencies. If an agency cannot pass a basic audit (like all businesses must), then it is ineligible for ANY increase in funding until it can.

4) Eliminate defense pork. The nonpartisan General Accounting Office has identified more than $5 billion in “nondefense” pork spending in the Pentagon budget. The list of high-priority “national defense” programs stuffed inside the defense budget includes $3 million for urban youth programs, $9 million for the World Cup soccer tournament, $57 million for AIDS research, $100 million for breast cancer research, and $10 million for U.S.-Japan management training.

5)Target programs that primarily benefit affluent groups who could pay for these programs themselves. Many federal domestic programs primarily benefit Americans with above average incomes. Much of the money spent on the National Endowment for the Arts finances operas and art exhibits in affluent areas and serving a wealthy clientele. The beneficiaries can afford to pay for these programs themselves, if they have value.

6)Devolve federal education, transportation and health and welfare programs to the states. This will setup a "laboratory of ideas" where states can compete with one another, and learn from each other what does and does NOT work.

Any more to add?

Justin