Saving Freedom by Senator Jim DeMint

Saving Freedom, by Republican Senator Jim DeMint from South Carolina, is chock-full of arguments for conservatism, capitalism, and free markets. The book does a fine job of laying out a coherent conservative philosophy, much as Mark Levin’s Liberty & Tyranny did earlier this year. What separates Saving Freedom is its positive tone and its proposal for an affirmative agenda that, should Republicans pick it up and run with it, will give them an opportunity to clearly distinguish themselves from the Democrats’ agenda of big government, big spending and big taxes. Where Liberty & Tyranny was a fighting manifesto that clearly defined the sides in the battle for the future of our country, Senator DeMint has laid out a plan that could do for 2010 what Newt Gingrich did in 1994: provide a unified voice and message for Republicans that will allow them to turn sleepy, mid-term elections into a loud, powerful national campaign.

Senator DeMint lays out the following components:

Education Choice: The A-PLUS Education Act, which seeks to removes the strings attached to federal education grants to states and allow the states to decide for themselves how to spend their education dollars. The plan supports charter schools and vouchers, which would weaken the government monopoly of education, increase private sector involvement and allow the free market to influence the quality of education.

Tax Reform: Simplify the tax code to a two-level flat tax. All income under $50,000 would be taxed at 10%, and anything over that would be taxed at 25%. It would eliminate taxes on interest, capital gains, dividends and death taxes. Talk about a freaking economic stimulus? Here you go, folks. Also, the corporate income tax would be changed. The plan proposes that instead of taxing profits, businesses would pay a tax based on what they consume. According to this plan, “every business would have ample incentive to maximize profits and minimize expenses (which is the opposite of our current tax code).”

Individual Health Plans: Reform the health care system, yes. But make it more free, not less. Take control of health coverage decisions away from employers and let individuals make their own decisions. Offer portable plans that individuals can keep if they change jobs. Provide a tax exemption of $5000 per family so that they can evaluate and purchase their own insurance, regardless of whether they’re employed or not.

Medicaid Reform: In addition to the health plans above, states could supplement that amount for low-income people who currently are enrolled in Medicaid with the money the federal Medicaid money they already receive. It allows low-income people to still choose their health plan and make the health choices that are best for them, but still continue to mooch off of the rest of us as they always have. In other words, we’ll still have moochers, but at least they’re participating in the market, and not just acting as passive government slaves, as well.

Medicare Reform: Same as above, but seniors would receive $9500 to pay for their own private health care plan. This is the current average amount Medicare pays per recipient. Again, this expands freedom and allows the market to work on its own, rather than being micromanaged by “experts” and bureaucrats in D.C.

Social Security Reform: Allow people who are 55 and younger to contribute part of their current payroll taxes into a personal savings account. Right now, all of the money we pay gets spent directly by the federal government. There is no trust fund or “lockbox.” There are only IOUs. With this plan, we would each have our own money set aside in our own accounts for our future retirements.  The libs hate this kind of crap, for some reason.

These are some of the biggest issues facing our country over the next half a century, and this plan increases personal and economic freedom, it puts people in charge of their destinies as opposed to enslaving ourselves to the federal government, and they will free up money for entrepreneurship and investment to spur economic growth.

This is solid. This is, as the Senator calls it, a freedom plan. Conservatives should read this book, understand the arguments, understand the plan, and communicate why this is a better choice for the future of our country. We should rally around Senator DeMint and his plan, because it truly offers a real alternative to the extremist Democrats in 2010 and 2012.

Glenn Beck’s Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine

The latest media nugget from author, TV, radio and stage star Glenn Beck is easy to recommend, but with a caveat or two. First of all, if you listen to his radio program or watch his Fox News show, you’ve probably already got an idea of his shtick. He’s an extremely likeable, self-deprecating goofball who has no pretentions to ivory-tower intellectualism. Behind his overtly entertaining persona, however, is a guy who might be one of the biggest doom-and-gloomers when it comes to his vision of the short- and long-term futures of the country.

This book is apparently intended to claim for Beck the mantle of Thomas Paine for what he sees as a coming second American Revolution. It seems a little melodramatic, to me, but whatever. It’s a fine attention-grabber, sure to move units. But aside from that, it serves as a great high-level introduction to some of the biggest problems we face as a country right now: a skyrocketing budget deficit, unsustainable social programs, a power-hungry government, and a two-party system that, in Beck’s estimation, doesn’t offer Americans a choice.

Without wanting to sound like an apologist for the status quo, I think the two-party system is a perfectly workable institution that has served the country well, most of the time. My biggest beef with it is that I wish the two parties were the Republican and Libertarian parties, but I’ll leave that for another discussion. The problem we have today is that the Democrat party leadership is so far left, and the Republican party is divided over how to deal with it. If we had a Republican party that could settle on a strategy of fundamental defense of the Constitution and founding principles, we really would have a choice. And that isn’t a stretch to imagine if (and here I do come around to agree with Glenn again) we ignore the R’s and D’s next to the names of our representatives, and instead support people who represent our values instead of expecting parties to lead us.

The book is short. It’s only about a hundred pages of actual content, with another 50 pages or so dedicated to reprinting the original Common Sense by Thomas Paine. It’s an easy read, it’s a good introduction to Beck’s view of the world, and while not necessarily revolutionary in itself, it does contain one of the classic historical writings of the American Revolution. And it’s cheap! So it’s a good value if you have a wishy-washy friend or family member who might need a little push back into political wakefulness.