From: goldm@sage4a.its.rpi.edu (Mitchell E. Gold)
Subject: Re: Perot running mate...
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 20:04:11 GMT

In article <1992Apr3.220755.16328@Cadence.COM> phz@cadence.com (Pete Zakel) writes:
   (NOTE: I would vote for Marrou -- but I think his proposal to completely
   eliminate income taxes is both wrong-headed and potentially disastrous.  We
   have to eliminate the deficit BEFORE we can reduce taxes -- and we may have
   to RAISE taxes in the short term to eliminate the deficit.)

   -Pete Zakel    (phz@cadence.com or ..!uunet!cadence!phz)
--
I don't think it would be quite as radical as that. It would be disastrous
to do that, and it's obvious. The following is from the Libertarian Party
Program, adopted by the Libertarian National Committee on 28 August 1991.

----- begin excerpt
                     FEDERAL SPENDING MUST BE CUT

     Federal spending and  federal taxation are  connected.   We  must
reduce spending to reduce taxes.

     Unfortunately, the United  States  government  has  expanded  its
operations and spending  far beyond the  original constitutional plan.
No matter what the subject, there is some group which wants government
to regulate or  subsidize it, and  there are always those  in Congress
eager to take  over more power  and control.  But it  is impossible to
get something for  nothing.  The government  produces no goods, so  it
can hand out  favors to some  people only by taking  the earnings  and
property of others first.

     In  recent  years  the  government  has  attempted  to  hide  its
expensive meddling by  forcing private organizations and businesses to
adopt certain expensive  programs, rather  than  have  the  government
implement them directly.   These programs are  no less costly nor less
intrusive than if they were adopted directly by the government.

     Libertarians join with  the vast majority of Americans in calling
for a  smaller,  less  expensive,  less  meddlesome  government.   The
following are some  first steps in  the process  of  bringing  federal
government spending under control:

1.  Place the  federal budget under  a "cap" at current  levels.   Any
increase in spending on any project must be accompanied by an equal or
greater reduction in other spending.

2.  Phase out spending on aid to foreign governments and international
organizations such as  the World Bank  and the International  Monetary
Fund.

3.  Phase out  federal subsidies to all businesses such as the tobacco
industry,    the    maritime    industry,    agriculture,    or    the
military-industrial complex.

4.  End federal  subsidy programs  to  state  and  local  governments.
These programs merely  take taxes out  of the community and  then send
the  money  back,   minus  the  amounts  consumed  by  the  government
bureaucrats who administer them.

5.   End  all  federally  mandated  programs  forced  on  individuals,
organizations, and businesses.
----- end of excerpt
--
 Mitchell Gold    |\  Can't you feel them circling, honey? Can't you feel 'em
 sundance@rpi.edu | \  schooling around? You've got fins to the left, fins to
------------------+--`  the right, and you're the only bait in town.
                  |            RPI anthem -- Fins, Jimmy Buffett
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