Choose a president based on logic, facts

It’s human nature to make choices by asking “What’s in it for me?” I would guess that at least 30 percent of voters are single-issue voters based on whether a candidate supports a person’s pet issue such as government entitlements, abortion, gay marriage, unions, immigration, etc.

Choosing a president is not like choosing a spouse. Our choice should not be based on who gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling, or “spark.” Choosing a president should not be a popularity contest based on which candidate you’d prefer to have a beer or coffee with. Many people get mesmerized by a gifted orator, rather than analyzing the substance of the speech.

Voting should be a logical, business decision, based on facts and what is best for the country.
I’m in my 70s and worked in accounting most of my adult life, so to me, the $16 trillion debt and out of control spending are an abomination. I see our country on the verge of a fiscal cliff, not far behind Greece and Spain.

To pay down the national debt, I would suggest to reduce spending that we freeze mandated increases in benefits, make budget cuts, enable private enterprise to create jobs, close tax loopholes, raise taxes on the wealthiest taxpayers and reverse the mandate on Obamacare.

I would support a fiscally responsible national health care program if it was, at least partially, financed by a national sales tax, so that every recipient would pay something toward their own health care benefits. National health care should not be yet another tax saddled onto the income tax.

But then, I’ve always believed that income tax was unconstitutional and immoral. The government should not punish productivity, particularly by taxing people’s labor. A better choice would be to tax spending.

Income tax is not equitable for many reasons. Congress voted in loopholes for wealthy taxpayers and their preferred industries. Our income tax system is based on taxpayers being honest about reporting one’s total income, which I think is rare, especially self-employment income.

And probably the most important inequity is the huge underground/shadow economy (which includes illegal activity) that pays no taxes, which I figure at about 40 percent of the total economy. But even organized crime, drug dealers, prostitutes and tax exempt entities do spend money, so a national sales tax would make them pay their fair share of taxes, just like us honest citizens. But it can’t be done abruptly.

It should start out with 1 percent or less to begin with, offset by a 1 percent reduction in income tax, to avoid double taxation. One percent would not be a burden to even the poorest.

The most important election issues for me are financial responsibility and the national deficit; and that our elected officials abide by the Constitution that they took an oath to uphold. I prefer a smaller and less intrusive government at the federal level balanced by more power at the state and local government level.

I also believe that individuals should take more personal responsibility, rather than being supported and thus enslaved by the government.

Alice Swanson
Yuma