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Checklist for
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The Founders of our nation put strict boundaries on our government's powers after winning their independence. They believed the proper role of government was essentially defensive: protect the individual's life, liberty and property. The following questions are offered to help in evaluating proposed legislation in light of the Founders' philosophy. If you can answer "yes" to the questions below, it probably is conservative.
| Does this legislation... | |||
| Limited Government (L) | Free Enterprise (F) | ||
| 1. | Protect the individual's life or health from harm by others? | 1. | Avoid giving special privilege to some through monopoly or coercion? |
| 2. | Protect the liberty of the law abiding citizen in his peaceful private pursuits? | 2. | Encourage employees and employers to decide between themselves equitable wages and working environment? |
| 3. | Protect citizens' property from theft, loss, or confiscation? | 3. | Allow the employer to design, produce and price his goods or services and provide employment? |
| 4. | Avoid legalized coercion to protect the other fellow from his own ignorance? | 4. | Protect businesses from serving, without fee, as government bookkeepers or file clerks? |
| 5. | Avoid increasing the size of government or adding an additional program? | 5. | Encourage private businesses to take over areas that government has previously dominated? |
| 6. | Maintain the division of power between state and local government, and the separate branches of government? | 6. | Keep government from competing with private businesses? |
| 7. | Encourage representative government based on laws versus pure democracy based on polls? | 7. | Protect a citizen's ability to make a living? |
| 8. | Encourage the individual to be self-responsible? | ||
| 9. | Make government more efficient? | ||
| Taxes (T) | Traditional Values (V) | ||
| 1. | Reduce the overall tax burden? | 1. | Protect citizens from subsidizing government expenditures that violate their moral or religious beliefs? |
| 2. | Refrain from using taxes for social control or reform? | 2. | Strengthen the family's importance as the foundation of the nation? |
| 3. | Spend property taxes raised locally at the local level? | 3. | Reinforce parental rights over and responsibility for their children? |
| 4. | Provide visible taxation, not hidden or pyramided in the price of products or services? | 4. | Support traditional Judeo/Christian moral values? |
| 5. | Avoid extravagance by not meeting or offering a federal or state grant? | 5. | Avoid giving special rights to an individual or group? |
| 6. | Avoid offering benefits to a special interest group in anticipation of political reward? | 6. | Provide equal protection of the law to all American citizens. |
| 7. | Protect future generations from being encumbered by debt? | 7. | Protect the free exercise of religion. |
When in doubt: Since most legislation takes money or rights away from someone consider: |
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