Republicans have had free market based proposals regarding health care ever since Hillarycare burst on the scene. They were entirely shut out of the health care reform process because Rats had enough votes to cram what they wanted through without GOP help.
It would be very helpful to the 2014 election if Republicans developed three or four points (free market based) on how to improve health insurance and delivery and pound those points home in a nationally unified way. If they don't pound the points day in and day out, the DBM won't allow their message to get through.
“It would be very helpful to the 2014 election if Republicans developed three or four points (free market based) on how to improve health insurance and delivery and pound those points home in a nationally unified way. If they don’t pound the points day in and day out, the DBM won’t allow their message to get through.”
I suggest the Republicans need an updated “Contract for America” to run on. Have 8 to 10 very specific things they would promise to pass if elected. Give the American people something to vote “for” instead of just asking the American people to vote “against”.
On healthcare - Replace Obamacare with a true market based system with a government safety net for the poorest.
On trade - Withdraw from the trade agreements that have destroyed American manufacturing and the middle class. Raise tariffs and encourage investment in US manufacturing by eliminating taxes on profits realized by manufacturing in the US.
On education - Return education to the local level. End federal subsidies of the education industry, forcing it to become more efficient and responsive to market forces.
On race relations - Voice a commitment to “equality of opportunity” not government mandate special privileges.
On immigration - Enforce existing laws. Require illegals to register and get at the back of the line. Make all immigrants ineligible for government funded social services.
On defense - Return to the founding principles. Stay out of foreign “adventures”. Bring the troops home and maintain a strong defense of the homeland. Harden the grid and other infrastructure against EMP. Build an effective missile defense system. Respond in kind to cyberwarfare attacks.
On campaign finance - Reaffirm a commitment to freedom of speech. Allow unlimited campaign contributions by individuals or domestic entities (no foreign contributions allowed) but require immediate and full disclosure on a public website at the time the contribution is made whether the contribution is $1.00 or millions of dollars.
On government - Reaffirm the principle of limited government. Voice a commitment to eliminating bloat in the federal bureaucracy as well as abuses against citizens by agencies (EPA, NSA, IRS, FBI). Commit to eliminating politics from these agencies and restoring a professional federal workforce committed to serving citizens, not political agendas. Eliminate duplicate and obsolete programs and agencies. Identify examples of significant waste and pledge to eliminate them (i.e. subsidies to Solyndra, foreign aid, grants to study aborigines, construction of useless buildings and bridges).
On jobs — Convert Americorps from a politicized make work program to a real work program for the poor similar to the CCC. Put the unemployed to work building roads, buildings, parks, etc.
Propose specific Constitutional Amendments to restrict federal judges from willy nilly rewriting the Constitution, tighten the definition of the equal protection and commerce clauses, and protect property.
Promote real financial and budgetary reform. Take control of the Federal Reserve from Wall Street. Return control of the currency to Congress and reestablish a sound currency backed by gold and other precious metals. Eliminate the principle of “too big to fail”. Establish a very specific plan and timetable to eliminate deficit spending and pay down the national debt.
On energy - reign in the EPA allowing more domestic petroleum production and the construction of refineries. Loosen the restrictions on use of coal.