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“Fired up!
Ready to go!”
For some
Americans, those
five words, a
familiar refrain
at Barack Obama
rallies, have
become
synonymous with
change this
election season.
Other Americans
want more meat
on their
rhetorical
bone. They’re
looking for
people who are
not just talking
about change.
They want people
who are actually
working to get
it done.
The Ripon Forum
spotlights two
individuals who
are doing just
that. One is
the Governor
from South
Carolina; the
other the
Congressman from
Wisconsin’s 1st
District. What
Mark Sanford and
Paul Ryan have
in common is a
belief that the
tax system is
broken, and that
the tax laws as
written are
weighing down
families and
businesses
struggling to
stay afloat.
Both are pushing
plans that would
dramatically
change the
status quo. We
focus on their
plans in this
edition. We
also look at the
broader issue of
tax reform with
some of the best
known
authorities on
the subject.
Scott Hodge
offers advice on
how to avoid
some of the
landmines that
stand in the way
of reforming the
tax code, while
Ernie Christian
and Gary Robbins
discuss why the
goal of any
reform effort
should be to
minimize the
impact of
government
itself. And
Bill Beach
provides us with
a reminder as to
why keeping
taxes low still
matters.
We kick things
off, though,
with an
individual who
perhaps did more
to change the
tax debate in
the United
States than
anyone else.
More than 25
years ago, Jack
Kemp convinced
Ronald Reagan to
make tax cuts
the centerpiece
of his economic
platform for
President. In
the process, he
also convinced a
generation of
Americans that
reducing taxes
was good policy
and good
politics. We
talk to
Secretary Kemp
about the
revolution he
helped create
and how its
impact is still
being felt
today.
This edition of
the
Forum
also features
articles on
health care and
the budget, and
a splendid essay
on one of the
statesmen of our
Nation and the
Republican Party
– Theodore
Roosevelt.
We hope you
enjoy this
edition and
encourage you to
write us at
editor@riponsociety.org
with any
comments or
questions you
may have.
Bill
Frenzel
Chairman
Emeritus
Ripon Society
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