Economy
Our government should live by the rule that most American households live by - if it's worth doing then it's worth paying for. With a generation of baby boomers getting ready to retire, we should be tightening our belts instead of spending more than we take in.
While our nation's economy has picked up steam recently, our long-term fiscal health has deteriorated dramatically over the past few years. In 2000, we had a budgetary surplus of $236 billion. This surplus has been squandered and was replaced with the largest deficits in our nation's history. We need to stop the flow of red ink and start living within our means.
Job Creation and Preservation — Besides keeping our fiscal house in order, the major role of government is to promote a nurturing environment for job creation and preservation. This means ensuring that Americans of all ages receive the education and training necessary to enable them and the U.S. to compete in the global economy. This also means expanding access to capital, opening new markets for U.S. products, enacting civil litigation reform, addressing the need for stable energy costs, ensuring predictability with respect to taxes and regulation, investing in technology and our infrastructure, and slowing the growth of health care costs.
We must keep pace with technological developments that will allow us to fully realize the benefits of a competitive global marketplace. The infrastructure of today's economy is no longer made of concrete or steel and we must remain at the forefront of technological innovation if America is to remain competitive in the world.
Finally, we must also remember what the economy is all about - people pursuing their dreams and supporting their families. A growing economy means little if it does not result in the creation of high-paying jobs for our workers.