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1996 Reform Party
(656 words, 4 pages)

Principles of Reform

These are the Principles of Reform that the Reform Party and all of its candidates pledge to follow. Party platforms will adhere to these principles. These are designed to focus attention on the governmental and economic reforms that this Party and the majority of Americans want accomplished.

-- High Ethical Standards for the White House and Congress

-- Balance the Budget

-- Campaign Reform

-- Term Limits

-- Create a New Tax System

-- Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security

-- Lobbying Restrictions

-- Foreign Lobbying

-- Domestic Lobbying

Reform Party - Ethical Standards

-- High Ethical Standards for the White House and Congress

-- Set the highest ethical standards for the White House and Congress

-- No more gifts

-- No more trips or junkets paid for by special interests

-- No more free meals

-- Pass laws with significant penalties - Not rules

-- Give Congress and the White House the same retirement and health care plans as the average citizen

Balance the Budget
-- Develop a detailed blueprint to balance the budget

-- Eliminate the practice of keeping some programs off-budget

-- Pass the Balanced Budget Amendment

-- Create an annual financial report in plain language so the American people will know

-- whether or not we are following the plan to balance the budget

Campaign Reform

-- Reduce the cost of campaigns by shortening the election cycle to no more than four months

-- Hold elections on Saturdays and Sundays - Not Tuesdays - So working people can get to the polls

-- Replace the Electoral College process for electing the President with a direct vote from the citizens - so that every vote counts

-- Prohibit announcements of exit polls until all voting has been completed in Hawaii

-- Require Members of Congress to raise all campaign funds from the voters in their district

-- Require members of the Senate to raise all campaign funds from the voters in their state

Term Limits

-- Limit Members of Congress to three terms in the House of Representatives

-- Limit Senators to two terms in the Senate

Create a New Tax System

-- The new tax system must be fair

-- The new tax system must be paperless

-- The new tax system must raise the money required to pay the bills

-- Require that any future tax increases under the new system be approved by the people in the next federal election, in order to impose discipline on spending

Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security

-- Carefully put together plans to deal with Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security

-- Explain these plans in detail to the American people

-- Get a consensus

-- Pilot test each of these programs before implementing them nationwide to make sure they produce the anticipated results at the anticipated cost

-- Keep these programs dynamic, so they can be changed based on experience - Don't freeze them with restrictive legislation

Lobbying Restrictions

-- Elected officials, appointees and all employees of the Legislative and Executive Branches come to serve - Not 'Cash in'

-- Prohibit former elected and appointed officials from ever taking money from foreign governments or foreign interests. The current practice sends a terrible signal to current and future officeholders. It causes them to build relationships with foreign interests and foreign governments at the expenses of the U.S. taxpayer

Foreign Lobbying

-- Prohibit any former federal employees - including elected officials - from ever working as a foreign lobbyist

-- Foreign countries can provide information to our government through the State and Commerce Department and the Executive Branch, but cannot give contributions or gifts of any kind

-- Foreign representatives can visit with Members of Congress, but under no circumstances can they give them anything now or later

Domestic Lobbying

-- Prohibit any former federal employees - including elected officials - from working as a domestic lobbyist for five years after leaving government service

-- Limit domestic lobbying to presenting client's ideas to the Legislative and Executive Branches

-- Prohibit domestic lobbyists from giving money, trips or other incentives to current or former members of the Legislative and Executive Branches