Contract With America

Right POV

Contract With America - Updated

In my never ending desire to bring the GOP back into the power they once had, I find myself harping on the 1994 election and the last time a fiscal conservative agenda was presented by our House of Representatives.

In 1992 I witnessed a major defection of Republican voters running to Perot’s fiscal conservative ideas. I read somewhere that 2,000,000 Republicans crossed over to “United We Stand” and lost the election for Bush’s second term.

This put Clinton in the White House and woke the congress up out of a sound sleep! With Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House, a miracle occurred and the Contract with America was written, presented to the public, and the GOP was back in business.

I am always bringing up this successful contract when I make my plea for a united GOP. Ha! Ha! You, see we can do it!

On Capitol Hill Blue, a conservative news site with an outstanding discussion forum, someone asked about where the contract sits today. Bingo! Great idea, let’s bring it up to date. I emailed Newt Gingrich and in less than 24 hours I received much of the information I wanted. Thank you Newt!

A complete copy of the contract as it was presented in 1994 is available on the House website. It’s only two pages in length and just like our Constitution, it’s short, precise and to the point. These two pages brought a much disarranged Republican Party into a united power that hadn’t been possible for 40 years.

Let’s take a look at what it accomplished:

Newt Gingrich with his Contract brought about the first GOP majority in 40 years. All ten items in the Contract were brought to a vote in the U.S. House in the first 100 days! Nine of the 10 items passed the house. The sole exception was term limits which received the plurality but required two-thirds majority as a Constitutional Amendment.

Downsizing and Changes:

Committee Chairmen were term-limited as was the Speaker's position. Unnecessary perks like the house barbershop, shoeshine, and ice service were all eliminated. The Congress was forced to live under the same laws rest of the citizens – OSHA, disabilities, workplace laws, members, staff etc. An accounting firm audited the U.S. House’s finances.

The Budget was balanced for the first in a generation. Time magazine named Newt Gingrich their Man of the Year in 1995; they said that “because of Newt, a balanced budget was no long a question of if, but when.”

Taxes were cut for the first time in 17 years. A cut in capital gains, $500 per child tax credit and new tax credits for tuition to college and voc-tech schools. Military spending increased and funding for a national missile defense system was included.

In 1996, President Clinton pointed to 13 separate reforms that were contained in the Contract. Medicare was strengthened and preserved. The telecommunications industry regulation was overhauled. More women were appointed to leadership positions than anytime in history. Agriculture industry laws were overhauled. The Paperwork Reduction Act was enacted to help small businesses. Adoption laws were changed. Foreign trade was opened up for American businesses. Funding for the Violence against Women act was increased by 700%. Megan’s law was passed. New stalking laws were passed. Mandatory minimum sentencing laws were enacted. The 61-year old entitlement for welfare was ended, restoring the worth ethic and putting people to work across the country.

Results:

Since 1994, the stock market has quadrupled and we are arguing over budget surpluses instead of deficits.

Changes in the U.S. House of Representatives:

13 Victories! The Contract helped to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives. The Contract offered a detailed agenda for national renewal, a written commitment with no fine print!

Now we have what was presented and passed in 1994, where do we go from there? Much of the contract was debated and passed. What is left for us to do?

I’m going back to the Capitol Hill Blue discussion forum for this section. The good posters there have come up with some additional ideas for an improved and more efficient government.

Our budgets could still be in better shape and many of our programs could be cut back and duplication of services eliminated. Street crime is down and teenage pregnancies are on the decline. We need more tax incentives for adoption to be increased and my dream of tax deductions for school tuitions would be a good fix for reducing the class size in our public schools.
A gradual privatization of Social Security would guarantee that our seniors would continue to receive their payments but would give our younger workers a chance at setting up their own retirement plans.
Re-think our membership in the United Nations and any possible involvement in any global government.
Debate seriously the Income Tax laws. Find a more equitable system until a more limited government can be developed. Repeal the 16th Amendment when possible.
Repeal all gun control legislation.

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