21st Century Contract with America

NEWT.ORG ^ | November 27, 2006 | Speaker Newt Gingrich

[2ndDivisionVet]

We are committed to a safe, healthy, prosperous, and free America. We believe our children and grandchildren deserve the opportunities our parents and grandparents gave us.

In a rapidly changing world with new threats and new competitors, we must implement policies that will ensure America’s leadership, safety, and prosperity. And we must reinvigorate the core values that have made an exceptional civilization.

We do not believe the traditional instruments of government will reform themselves fast enough and thoroughly enough for the twenty-first century.

The entrenched lobbyists and entrenched bureaucracies will do all they can to minimize the changes no matter how vital those changes are to America’s future. Self interest will dominate national interest if the normal political system operates with business as usual. The pressure of daily events will keep both the news media and most politicians focused on the immediate and the trivial rather than the long-term and the profoundly important.

Only a grassroots citizens’ movement can insist on the level of change that is needed for our children and grandchildren to have a successful future.

Such a citizens’ movement would have to be focused on goals rather than on interest groups. The goals define the America we want our children and grandchildren to have.

To achieve this future we will:

I.

Defend America and our allies from those who would destroy us. To achieve security, we will develop the intelligence, diplomatic, information, defense, and homeland security systems and resources for success.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Take a look and see what you think...worked last time...

[TommyDale]

I didn't see any mention of stopping illegal immigrants.

[hubbubhubbub]

STFU Newt. You had your chance and you blew it. You don't walk your talk. We found that out.

[hubbubhubbub]

"what you think...worked last time"

Yea, he fooled us once. LOL

[KarlInOhio]

V. 2. A dramatically simplified tax code that favors savings, entrepreneurship, investment, and constant modernization of equipment and technology.

How about a dramatically simplified tax code that doesn't implement any social engineering or incentives? Just collect the taxes for necessary and Constitutional government programs without trying to push the taxpayer into one action or another.

[edcoil]

ouch

That due to him leaving at Speaker?

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Writing this all out is one thing... getting it done with RINOs in the mix is another.

[goldstategop]

How about ELIMINATING the income tax? There's a radical idea worth pursuing.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[Prokopton]

"Yea, he fooled us once. LOL"

You were "fooled" by the Contract with America?

[jwparkerjr]

I'm interested in the response you get to your question. I was a very close follower of Newt and his career and I'll be darned if I can remember him doing anything that would call the kind of responses I see here to any mention of his name or his ideas. Maybe my memory is failing me, but it seems to me he fell prey to one of the most vicious Leftie/MSM negative campaigns the country had ever seen to that point. Everything he did and said was spun at its worst. I hear the same vilification in the tone of many around here to comment about him that I hear in the tone of most conservatives when they mention Bill Clinton.

I like Newt, and I especially like his ideas. If he failed anywhere it was in underestimating the vile obstructionist tactics our enemies would use to discredit him. Little things really stick in my craw, like the time he was forced to leave Air Force one by the back door. It was the first time EVER a sitting member of Congress was had not gotten off the plane with the President. He cited the experience as an example of how far the Right had gone in their disdain for the other side and the next thing you know the press was calling him a cry-baby.

There is nothing that would do my heart more good than to see Newt come roaring back and shove the Right's holier-than-thou attitude down its throat!

Go Newt!

[RobFromGa]

How about ELIMINATING the income tax? There's a radical idea worth pursuing.

Actually that is quite a dumb idea. How about privatizing SS, reforming Medicare, and getting rid of earmarks/pork spending? That's the real fiscal timebomb.

[ReagansRaiders]

Four words. Steve Forbes Flat Tax.

[Mr. K]

I agree with you 100%

Newt WON the Congress for us last time and if the Republicrats had not given in to the Demicans every time he might have gotten more done.

Go NEWT!

[goldstategop]

We disagee. My view is unless the revenue spigot is turned off, forget about addressing entitlement. It really does begin and end with income withholding the feds have utilized to extract wealth from the American people's paychecks to make them dependent upon one or another government program.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[Prokopton]

"There is nothing that would do my heart more good than to see Newt come roaring back and shove the Right's holier-than-thou attitude down its throat!"

You don't think Newt is "right"? I think most of his views are pretty conservative.

[RobFromGa]

My view is unless the revenue spigot is turned off, forget about addressing entitlement.

No one has considered for even one second "turning off the revenue spigot" with the elimination of the income tax.

I would agree that eliminating withholding would make most people much more aware of how much tax they pay. As a business owner, I am painfully aware of the burden.

It is starting to appear that we are only going to address the entitlement problems when they reach the crisis stage, and at that point it will be intergenerational war through the ballot box.

[Cobra64]

Newt WON the Congress for us last time...

It's too bad so many FReepers either forgot that or didn't know it.

[cinives]

He should know better with #7. Can't ever happen - the incentives of government employees just will not permit it. It should instead be reduce the size and scope of government back to the 18th century.

[kenavi]

This is a bold, clear, and UPBEAT program. First let's unite around the message, then decide on the best messenger and executor.

[ClaireSolt]

Every penny of entitlement spending is spent qalmost immediately. some focus on how they can ear it; others just whine.