With news that the first lady Michelle Obama would make her first Fox News Channel appearance on this show, some were critical of her being on Fox News, and some were upset with me for hosting her. How very sad.
I have disagreements with the president on a number of policies, but I don't have a desire to see his plans and policies fail. My goal is to see them change.
When the administration proposes something that I agree with, I need to say so; and if it's a policy that needs to be revised, then I should be specific as to how, not merely dismiss it because it was presented by someone across the political aisle. Political aisles are fine; political islands are not.
Let me give you an example. I don't think we will solve the economic crisis of our nation by spending more government funds or borrowing into our grandchildren's paychecks. We need more than a mere tweaking of our current tax system. We need a dramatic overhaul that eliminates the penalties on productivity. Instead of changing the IRS code, we should eliminate it and the IRS. Why punish work, investment, entrepreneurial risk and savings; the very things that really do stimulate the economy?
Both Republican and Democratic governments have tinkered with the tax code, but it only gets larger, more complicated, and more costly to comply with. In fact, American businesses spend between $250 and $500 billion a year just to comply with tax laws, creating nothing but government paperwork for accountants and lawyers. The tax should be on our consumption of resources, not our creation of resources.
A tax levied at the retail level on what we buy is fair, flat, finite, and family friendly. Those in the underground economy — prostitutes, drug dealers, and gamblers will pay taxes like everyone else. And when we stop penalizing profits, the $14 trillion of U.S. capital that is currently legally parked in offshore accounts comes home along with trillions in foreign investment.
No government spending stimulus program would ever be as effective or as immediate as giving every American of every income level an incentive to work, earn, save, and invest. We would pay the tax when we spent the money, not when we earned it. We would eliminate taxes on income, payroll, capital gains, inheritance, and dividends.
No tax forms to fill out. April 15 would be just another beautiful spring day, and we would eliminate the games Congress plays with the tax code, creating winners and losers in the economy by making tax laws helpful to some and hurtful to others. It's called the Fair Tax, and while I didn't think it up, I sure plan to talk it up.
That's my view, I welcome yours. E-mail your comments to: huckmail@foxnews.com
Go to mikehuckabee.com and click on to Fox News feedback — let me know your thoughts about this week's show. You can also find all the information for my 'A Simple Christmas' book tour at mikehuckabee.com.
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