Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy yesterday published what he calls “Ten Truths” that will underpin his 2024 campaign.
1. God is real.
2. There are two genders.
3. Human flourishing requires fossil fuels.
4. Reverse racism is racism.
5. An open border is no border.
6. Parents determine the education of their children.
7. The nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to mankind.
8. Capitalism lifts people up from poverty.
9. There are three branches of the U.S. government, not four.
10. The U.S. Constitution is the strongest guarantor of freedoms in history.
While there’s nothing I particularly disagree with on that list (other than the first which is both too vague to be meaningful, and highly inappropriate to include in a political campaign as it suggests fantasies of a theocracy) the list isn’t very inspiring. I can’t see any campaign slogans or protest march chants coming from any of these items. Think back to some of the best slogans from political history: “”Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”” “54°40′ or Fight!” “We want eight, and we won’t wait!”
Contrast those with: “Parents determine the education of their children.” That doesn’t even rhyme.
Regardless, all this got me wondering what my own “Ten Truths” might be, that I’d bring to a presidential campaign. I won’t try to make them rhyme, or even list them in any particular order. But if Vivek can have his, here are mine. And by the way if these were enacted, pretty much every serious problem in America would be solved.
MY TEN TRUTHS.
- CLIMATE CHANGE. The theory of catastrophic, anthropogenic global warming is the greatest hoax in human history. All government policies that are based on this theory should be immediately abandoned.
- THE FED. The Federal Reserve System is the second greatest hoax in human history. It should be abolished.
- PRICE CONTROLS. Price controls always produce shortages and all (long term) shortages are caused by price controls. Government should be banned from ever enacting them. Ever. Especially during times of upheaval, natural disasters, etc., where price controls kill people. This ban to include both price and wage controls of all kinds.
- GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED RACISM. Reverse racism (AKA “Affirmative Action”) is racism and is not only evil, it violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution. It should be banned everywhere.
- PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS. Public employee unions should be made illegal, as they are a defacto corrupt and criminal enterprise. (FDR agreed with this, btw.)
- EDUCATION. Other than providing vouchers that can be used for any type of education (without restriction) not one penny of taxpayer money should go into education.
- LIMITS ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SPENDING. A constitutional amendment should be enacted that would limit the federal government from ever spending more than ten percent of last year’s GDP—regardless of whether it generated that money from taxes, borrowing, or inflation of its currency. Any exception to this limit (such as for a national emergency) could only be achieved by 75% approval in each house of Congress, and would only apply for one year.
- INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS. The government should strengthen laws that would prohibit toxic pollution of our air, land, and water. Laws should be structured to favor the emissions of carbon dioxide into the air, as CO2 is currently at historically low (arguably dangerously-low) levels.
- ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. Anyone in our country illegally should be expelled—although it should be done humanely and compassionately and perhaps with subsidies to ensure those goals are met. Attempts to enter the country illegally should be criminalized. The language of the 14th amendment shall be clarified to not grant automatic US citizenship to those born in the US, of parents not already citizens of the US.
- HEALTH CARE REFORM. Repeal ACA, eliminate the corporate deduction for health insurance benefits, allow citizens to deduct health insurance and health care costs from their taxable revenue directly, eliminate all price controls with respect to health care, require all providers of health care to prominently display their prices for all services, overhaul licensing requirements for health care providers so as to remove all unreasonable barriers to entry, arrange for government to provide a basic, minimum level of care for everyone.
- EXPAND THIS LIST. Pass laws as needed to allow me to include more than ten items on this list.
- PANHANDLING/VAGRANCY. Change laws as needed to make panhandling within 100 yards of roadways illegal, and camping/loitering on public property illegal except where explicitly authorized by applicable laws (such as in national forests).
- GENDER DYSPHORIA. Change laws as needed to classify gender dysphoria as a mental illness, ensure medical care is provided as needed for treating this illness, ban all forms of genital mutilation and other so-called “gender-affirming care” with respect to this illness, ban all laws that allow someone suffering from this illness to force others to participate in their mental confusion (e.g. no guys on girls sports teams, or in girls’ locker rooms; no pronouns mandates; etc.)
- GUN SEMANTICS. Pass a constitutional amendment making it illegal for anyone to refer to a semi-automatic weapon as an “assault weapon,” (which it isn’t) and include stiff jail sentences for any violation of this law. (I really like this one!)
- ROGUE PROSECUTORS. Pass laws as needed to eliminate “prosecutor nullification” of duly passed laws, such that prosecutors are not allowed to simply declare what laws they will and will not enforce; and provide for automatic removal from office for any prosecutors who systematically fail to enforce laws.
- OVERSEAS WARS. Adjust laws as necessary to require any deployment of US troops in an overseas military conflict to be authorized by a formal Declaration of War by Congress within no less than sixty days of any troops being so engaged.
- RESCUE SOCIETY FROM DEPRAVITY. Change the constitution as needed to prohibit all forms of rap music, and nose rings.
Jacques Voorhees 