on the other hand....
enough of THESE people!!
Posted on 03/23/2015 11:24:57 AM PDT by Citizen Zed
Ted Cruz is senator, firebrand, former prosecutor, the son of a preacher-man (who was also a Cuban emigre), a Tea Party favorite and now presidential candidate. To begin the season of decision, here is a look at where the first official Republican contender stands on ten key issues.
The Budget and debt: Mandate a balanced budget.
Cruz supports a Constitutional amendment mandating that Congress pass a balanced budget. He argues that this is the best way to cut down deficits and the debt.
Corporations: Slash corporate tax rates to 15 percent. End some programs like the Export-Import bank and federal subsidies for renewable fuels.
Cruz is a proponent of a simpler tax code (with no IRS, see below). As part of that, he would end some current tax breaks and lower tax rates. In the case of corporations, he would lower their current maximum rate of 35 percent (with deductions) to 15 percent (with fewer or no deductions).
In his speeches and writings, Cruz rails against what he calls “corporate welfare” from the government. As a specific example, he frequently points to the Export-Import bank. The bank is a federal program which helps foreign entities buy U.S. goods by insuring the purchase. Cruz sees it as a boon to large corporations which he believes do not need federal assistance. In addition, Cruz told voters in Iowa recently that he opposes subsidies for renewable fuels, including ethanol, because he believes the industry can compete without the federal funds.
Common Core: End it.
In stump speeches, Cruz stresses that he wants to repeal or roll back the Common Core education standards placed on states from the federal government. He is a co-sponsor of Local Control of Education Act, which allows states to opt out without affecting their ability to receive federal grant money.
Immigration: Block any current effort that lets undocumented immigrants legally remain in the U.S.
Cruz has particularly stressed his opposition to President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. The Texas senator filed a bill blocking the president’s actions, which allow more undocumented residents to gain legal status, including the administration’s waivers for young people brought to the U.S. as children. Cruz argues that those actions encouraged increased illegal immigration. In addition, Cruz opposed the 2013 comprehensive immigration bill which passed the U.S. Senate. He denounced the bill as offering “amnesty.” One of his amendments would have tripled the number of border patrol agents and quadrupled their equipment. It did not pass.
The Internet: Do not tax access to the Internet and block “net neutrality.”
Cruz vigorously opposes any federal, state or local taxes for accessing the Internet, even though ending such taxes would cost his home state $358 million a year, according to the National Journal. The Texas senator strongly opposes “net neutrality,” which would block Internet providers from charging different rates or having different policies for different pieces of Internet content. As he implied in a Facebook post, Cruz believes that policy would tie the hands of service providers and blocking innovation.
Obamacare: Repeal it.
As he displayed in his 2013 23-hour speech on the Senate floor, Cruz is adamantly opposed to the new health care law and wants it repealed in entirety.
Social Issues: States should be allowed to define “marriage” and set strict abortion limits.
Cruz has said that he personal believes marriage is between a man and a woman and that states should define the term “marriage” for themselves. As co-sponsor of the State Marriage Defense Act, Cruz would allow states that oppose gay marriage to not recognize gay couples who were married in other states.
On abortion, the Republican lawmaker has called the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing the procedure a “dark anniversary”, but has not said whether he would specifically work to overturn it. Cruz has staunchly supported bans on any taxpayer funding of abortion and bans of so-called partial birth abortion. He has fervently supported a Texas law that would require doctors at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, a requirement that could limit staffing at abortion facilities. That Texas law was ruled unconstitutional by a lower court and is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Taxes and the IRS: Move toward a flat tax and abolish the IRS.
Cruz supports moving toward a flat tax, which would set a single rate for all Americans regardless of income. With a simpler tax code, the senator argues the IRS would be unnecessary and would like to abolish it as a spokeswoman explained to the Dallas Morning News.
Iran: Increase and toughen sanctions. End current nuclear talks until Congress approves the outlines of a deal.
His approach is summed up in a bill the Texas Senator unveiled last week. You can read Cruz’ “Sanction Iran, Safeguard America Act” here.
Islamic State: Don’t send U.S. ground troops, yet.
Cruz told ABC’s “This Week” in February that he does not think the U.S. should send ground forces to fight I.S. now. But he added that if Kurdish Peshmerga fighters on the ground are unable to combat I.S., then the U.S. “should” send troops. He also stated that he thinks the U.S. should send arms to Peshmerga forces.
Cruz also supports DOMA.
Abolishing the IRS. Count me in. I like Walker better but I will vote for ONE ISSUE! Abolishing the IRS is a time that has come. They have shown they are political and that should be their downfall. Plus I just got my tax bill. I am firing my accountants.
Cruz believes in America. Obama believes in Islam.
Obviously they find his positions so extreme that merely listing them will destroy him. What sort of evil menace opposes massive tax breaks that politically-connected corporations paid good bribes for, or a 10 million page tax code no one can understand, or political misuse of the IRS and education departments, or laws created by executive and judicial fiat instead of legislation, or an Affordable Health Care Act that increases costs, or spending ourselves into bankruptcy, or carving up viable fetuses just before birth? Is this Cruz guy sane or something?
The fifth-column leftist PublicBS propagandists use "firebrand."
You are muddled in your “requirements” for Cruz, or for a conservative candidate for President in general. On the one hand, you think that pushing the decision on “gay marriage” to the states is “cop-out” and you want the feds to mandate a behavior across the board. On the other hand, you don’t think Cruz’s wish to let states decide on common core opt-out is enough, and you want the feds totally out of education.
Do you not see the inconsistency?
And I cannot even tell what you meant by “I also do not think Cruz goes far enough on the subject of taxes.” What do you want, no taxes? Lower percentage? What? Just carping without saying why you disagree is meaningless...
I don’t think I am being inconsistent. The U.S. Constitution was created by men who had a Biblical worldview. That worldview is the foundation upon which our Christian republic was built. It is the prime reason why God had blessed this country so much. Allowing “gay marriage” anywhere in this country is an affront to everything the USA stands for. So just letting the states decide is not good enough. “Gay marriage” is an existential threat to our society and has to be stamped out. If don’t do it, we can expect great judgement from The Almighty.
I also think it’s not enough to say “oh, let the states opt out of Common Core.” The whole philosophy behind Common Core is corrupt and it is an abomination that the federal government has ANY role in funding schools. It leads to the very kind of financial blackmail that leads to mandates like Common Core.
As far as taxes go: I think any good conservative should (at the very least) express a fondness for eliminating the federal income tax altogether. Even if it’s unrealistic, that should be the stated goal.
But even given all of that, I never said I was unwilling to vote for Cruz - only that he is not a perfect conservative.
The U.S. Constitution was created by men who had a Biblical worldview. That worldview is the foundation upon which our Christian republic was built. It is the prime reason why God had blessed this country so much.
Allowing “gay marriage” anywhere in this country is an affront to everything the USA stands for. It stands in contrast with the very ideals embedded in the Constitution.
So just letting the states decide is not good enough. “Gay marriage” is an existential threat to our society and has to be stamped out. If don’t do it, we can expect great judgement from The Almighty.
We need a constitutional amendment.
I would add a lot more to the Ted Cruz wish list, but much of what needs to be done is constitutionally essential, but not what could be called crowd pleasers, that is, most people would have no idea what it meant.
Remember that by all accounts, Cruz is a master of constitutional law and theory. Not a fraud like Obama, Cruz is the real deal.
And if he can win the primary, it will be the year of the Tea Party.
I am too...I’m voting for him.
Exactly,...it’s time to stand up like a man, and vote for Cruz....no bullshit this time.
When I voted for Cruz over Dewhurst I almost broke the “enter” button on the computer ballot. It was my most proud vote since Reagan in 1980. Can wait to vote for him as POTUS next year.
“I also do not think Cruz goes far enough on the subject of taxes.”
Abolishing the IRS is pretty far, in my book. IN!
Yep....my first vote ever was for Reagan, and I’ve never felt as good about voting as i did then in 1980. I’m looking to get that same feeling again...this time by voting for Cruz!
AMEN brotha!
I intend to vote for him with similar enthusiasm!
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