A Fair Deal for All Americans

Five Principles of a Mike Huckabee Stimulus Package: Family, Fed, Fight, Fuel,
Fair.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- I know that the
American people are hurting. Traveling this country, I hear their stories; I
know that Main Street, as well as Wall Street, is threatened by a weakening
economy. But we are all in this together.
We are coming off the weakest holiday shopping season in five years, with
consumer spending slowing, housing starts fell in December to their lowest
annualized rate since 1993, and foreclosures on subprime mortgages might reach
two million by the end of next year. Washington needs to do more to help
American families as they struggle to stay in their homes and put food on the
table.
Two factors affect Americans' spending. First, they have to have money in
their pockets to spend. Consumer spending is expected to grow only 1.6% this
quarter, compared to 2.6% in the last quarter of 2007. Second, they have to
have the confidence to spend it. When people feel good about their prospects,
our economy expands; when people feel anxious, our economy contracts.
Washington needs to immediately address both concerns. That's why I am
putting forward a long-term plan, as well as a short-term plan, so that we can
boost confidence RIGHT NOW, while adding to our national strength for the 21st
century. Americans want to work, and they want to work hard. They want to
compete, and to compete hard. They want to win.
Now is the time to unleash the economic power of the United States of
America. We need a new generation of leadership to take us forward into the
21st century.
There are many ideas under discussion in Washington right now, and I hope
that our incumbent officials will take responsible action. But as I travel
through the Heartland, I just have one urgent message to Washington: Hurry Up!
Here are the five principles that would guide my economic policymaking on
behalf of all Americans.
#1 Family: Focus on Middle Class Families: More Income, Better Jobs, More
Secure Homeownership. -- Our economy is weakening and families are
hurting; Jobs are being
lost, many to offshore companies.
-- In Arkansas, I cut taxes on working families; I eliminated the
marriage penalty, and cut taxes on savings.
-- Too many American families face the real prospect of losing their
homes as a result of the ongoing subprime mortgage situation. The
federal government needs to immediately begin a second round of
negotiations with subprime lenders with an eye toward expansion of the
"Hope Now" program. We should strive to find ways to preserve
American home ownership.
-- I will cut burdensome red tape that drives up the cost of products and
keeps employers from hiring more workers or raising wages. We want
bosses signing pay checks, not filling out government forms.
-- In Arkansas, I signed a bill that would reduce frivolous lawsuits
which drive up costs of products and medical care. We need more
doctors not fewer; we need more new products, not fewer.
-- I believe in free trade, but I also believe in fair trade. We will
expect our trading partners to live up to their obligations-everyone
must play by fair rules. If you want access to the world's largest
economy, don't send us your lead toys or your poisoned pet food. We
will not outsource our safety.
-- We will also open new markets for American products.
-- And there is more: I will preserve and expand President Bush's tax
cuts, which are set to expire in 2010; I will ensure higher-education
becomes attainable for more American families by making all tuition
deductible.

#2 Fed: Work with the Federal Reserve for a Pro-Growth, Low Inflation
Economy -- The greatest source of short-term stimulus is the Federal
Reserve. I
believe that it's time for the Federal Reserve to adopt a pro-growth,
low-inflation policy.
-- But at the same time, we must always be fiscally prudent. I will make
sure that unnecessary spending is under control in Washington.
Republicans have lost their reputation for fiscal discipline. As
Governor, I had to balance the budget by law every year. I will have
my veto pen out in Washington.
-- Monetary policy must be aggressive enough to stave off recession, but
always mindful of inflation and its tax on our economy.

#3 Fight: Create Jobs as We Build Up Our Defenses and Build Up Our
Infrastructure -- I have pledged to increase defense spending to six
percent of GDP as
President. That's roughly a $200 billion increase. That's a lot of
money, but we need it because the security threats to America today
are enormous. We need this increase so that we can be safe and secure.
However, this spending will also create jobs for vital strategic
industries and, in addition, provide spinoffs to the civilian sector.
-- America must always be the Arsenal of Democracy. We will build new
planes, new armed vehicles, new robotic land and air vehicles, and new
ships all RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA.
-- After years of war, our heroic warriors are strained to the limit and
our equipment is worn out by repeated deployments. I will recruit and
train thousands of new troops and bring our National Guard and
Reserves back home. We must quickly expand our Army and Marine Corps
to help continue our fight against the agents of terror.
-- Much of our country's roads, bridges, water systems, sewer systems
were built generations ago. Our country is now over 300 million people
strong and still growing.
-- We need a national mission to return our critical infrastructure to
readiness for the 21st century. We don't need earmarks and bridges to
nowhere when we have critical needs.
-- We can't have our interstate highway bridges falling down, our levees
breaking, or our water systems collapsing under our streets.
-- As Arkansas Governor, I took our state highways from the worst to the
most improved in five years. As your president, I will work with the
Congress and we will rebuild our great nation.
-- We will build a homeland security fence along the US-Mexico border,
and we will build it with American Labor and American Materials.

#4 Fuel: Invest in Energy Independence -- A Great Nation Must Be Able to
Fuel Itself, and Defend Itself -- Every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Coast
Guardsman and Marine will earn a
Veteran's Bill of Rights. They, along with their families, have
sacrificed so much in defense of our Nation. We will not turn our
backs on them or their families. One way we can support our
servicemen and women in their overseas missions is with implementation
of a sound energy policy back here at home.
-- With oil prices touching near $100 a barrel and prices at the pump
pushing past $3.00 per gallon across the nation, we must remember that
these rapidly rising fuel prices put a great strain on the budgets of
American families.
-- Every time we fill our cars up, we fill up the pockets of Middle
Eastern countries. That is going to end. We will have national
energy security policy and we will end our dependence on Middle
Eastern oil within ten years of my inauguration.
-- We are going to unleash the American ingenuity and we are going to
conserve, explore and invent our way to independence in energy. Right
in Little Rock, Arkansas is the North American headquarters for the
largest manufacturer of windmill blades in the world. We will do that
all over America and right here in Michigan.

#5 FAIR: Move Toward FAIR TAXation
-- My short-term economic policies will move us toward our long-term
economic goal: Simply put, America's federal tax system is broken.
What we have now is a system that is failing American families and
businesses. Our tax system burdens low and middle-income families,
robbing them of the chance for upward mobility.
-- Our tax system encourages outsourcing of American production overseas
and the dismantling of our industrial base. It wastes hundreds of
billions in useless tax preparation, paperwork and confrontation. It
pits industry against industry, class against class.
-- My FairTax proposal allows American workers to keep their entire
paycheck, allows American businesses to compete on a level-playing
field with their foreign competitors, and brings jobs and investment
that are currently parked off-shore back to the United States.
-- However, I recognize that passage of the FairTax will not happen
overnight. In the meantime, I will eliminate the Death Tax, and seek
to reduce counterproductively high personal and corporate marginal tax
rates.

Paid for by Huckabee for President, Inc.
www.mikehuckabee.com

SOURCE Huckabee for President, Inc.

Alice Stewart, Huckabee for President, Inc., +1-501-324-2008