CORTLAND J. MEADER

5^th District, North Carolina

In a Nutshell:

• Create more jobs and new business through my healthcare plan
• Bring in new business and new industries to create new jobs
• More funding for our community colleges
• Include all counties in any plans for the 5^th district concerning growth and job creation.

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There are some specific issues concerning the North Carolina 5^th District that I wish to concentrate on as a congressman. The first subject is directly affected by the healthcare plan I have written a Bill for. Because Healthcare is a huge industry for the 5^th District my plan will directly build upon that and create more jobs and investment in the healthcare sector of our district. In Winston-Salem there has long been the dream of the research park encompassing the South end of the city. That dream has languished over time because of the recession, because of the lack of investment income, and because research dollars have diminished over time. My healthcare plan will infuse the industry with much needed revenue and increase gross profits, so that companies can start building and investing in this incredible research park. It was always such a great idea that simply never had enough momentum, but if I go to Washington and get this bill passed, then it will languish no more.

The next issue is my desire to increase funding to our community colleges and increase the availability of this source of high quality, but low-cost education. Our community colleges have now become high caliber learning institutions that train people for entry into very professional positions. The graduates are well educated and trained in their fields of choice and I would like to see these institutions grow and expand. These colleges create the necessary workforce to fill many professional and technical positions that may be too costly to achieve at the typical 4 year institutions, or may not even be offered at a four-year school.

Job creation is the next issue to address in our district. Through my healthcare plan I am certain we can add jobs in our area, but I would also like to see jobs become available from overall growth in the area and new industries. Promotion of new industries is the best way to create new jobs in our area. Many of the old jobs are gone for good and will never come back. Any politician who tells you otherwise is just pulling on your heartstrings and basically lying if they really think we can get old industry jobs back. The world has changed, we need to go forward and not dwell on the past has beens. We are in a perfect position to move forward with new technology businesses that can create these new jobs and create new markets. In today’s age that means technology, software, nanotechnology, genetics, medicine, energy, and a myriad of other new technologies coming to the fore.

For the 5^th district I would also like to promote the idea that we need to include the entire district in moving forward and bringing in new business. Several counties are more rural and many times seem left out, but they also have much to offer and should not be neglected from future interests.

Economic Policy

TAXES:

In a Nutshell:

• Tax retail and wholesale purchases and services only
• Tax corporate income
• Do not tax individual income
• This methodology brings in more revenue than income tax and will spur the economy.

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Taxes have become the handmaiden for our socialist oriented government. The methodology by which we collect taxes and the punitive nature in which we relegate taxation is not only archaic and counterproductive, but also fails to ensure that we have an appropriate amount of income to cover our governmental expenses. That, and spending that is out of control and unchecked.

The idea that we should tax income in a country that contains approx. 325 million people, plus a rotating pool of visitors from foreign countries actually diminishes our tax base by relying mostly on income. Income is a mere fraction of gross sales of goods and services. It makes much more sense to tax retail sales, wholesale goods and corporations as a taxable entity, and NOT individuals. The mindset of individual income taxation has become more or less a punitive measure for those who work hard for their money and those whose success is greater. But that is NOT what taxation should be for. Taxation is solely to exact revenue to pay for the expenditures of our government.  It should not exist so that some can punish others they don’t like.

Removing income tax and switching to a GNP tax will actually bring in more taxes, make the taxation of Americans fair, as those that spend more are taxed more and those that spend less are taxed less inherently and by default, and because citizens will have their entire paycheck to spend at will, the economy will grow and further increase the taxable base of goods and services. That, along with corporate taxation will more than raise enough taxes to keep a balanced budget and cover our expenditures. GNP Taxation also exacts Federal taxes from foreign travelers and part time residents that previously went uncollected because we cannot tax their income. But we can tax their purchases.

 

CORPORATIONS:

In a Nutshell:

• Should have income taxed
• Should be required to have fair pay scaling
• Should have required performance milestones for upper management bonuses and salaries
• Should no longer be subsidized by our government with corporate welfare programs.

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The corporation in America is not a right for Americans, but rather a privilege granted to us by fiat of the Federal Government. We are no more entitled to our corporate entities, than welfare recipients are entitled to their social programs. Given that reason, it is not wrong that we can believe that corporations have become far too skewed on one side of the corporate process – which is to make money only for upper management and ultimately the stockholders.

No one should begrudge the high salaries of upper management, as that is the nature of the beast in a capitalistic society, but since corporations are actually holistic, and not just singular in scope, the pay structure should be relative to itself, and make upper management accountable. That’s good for the stockholders as well. Why should the CEO get a huge bonus if the company lost money, and yet the other employees get none? After all, the CEO is just an employee as well. That type of undue compensation steals from the stockholders and the lower level employees. Does this mean I endorse unions? No, not in most cases. Unions usually harm companies more often than not. We don’t need unions if we build into the corporate structure appropriate measures to take care of all employees, not just upper management.
Many times, when we hear minimum wage, the conservative argument is that we do not need it, as the markets will equalize pay through competition. If that is the case then why should the government be subsidizing any corporate entity for any reason? If the markets take care of themselves why is receiving income from the government OK, while minimum pay is not? Because pay is an expense, and subsidies, advertising dollars, tax incentives, etc. are free money. No one is going to turn down free welfare money, not even the entity of the corporation. So, there is a huge hypocrisy glaring at us in the form of corporate entitlements.

What does this all mean? Corporations should be accountable to everyone involved including the workers. There should be oversight when it comes to expenditures so money is not wasted, and there should be accountability from executives to justify their high pay. Case in point; a large regional company in our area recently spent 53 million dollars on an unnecessary and ridiculous logo change. The logo is terrible, the money spent was a waste for something any 8-year-old could have devised on free shareware at a home PC, the company will never recoup that expense through any increased revenue as some result of this logo change, and no one likes it. That money could have been spent on the morale and well-being of the company employees through bonuses or increased wages, yet it was wasted instead on the ego of the CEO, who still received a 2-million-dollar bonus all the same. He cost his company 53 million dollars in wasted money, yet he still walked away with a bonus. The employees got nothing. He should have been accountable. Had he spent that money on nothing it would have shown itself as profit at the very least. So, he also lost his shareholders money. More strict oversight and regulation within the corporation would be good for everyone. Accountability would also be good for everyone. Greed has long usurped accountability.

 

Immigration

In a Nutshell

• Allow and require entrenched illegal immigrants to achieve citizenship as any other immigrant would
• Allowing a payment voucher that can be repaid later and/or over time
• Send violent or felonious immigrants back to their own countries with no recourse for citizenship.

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We have two problems in America that go hand in hand, but it is more complex a situation than can easily be rectified, so we need to find the best solution for the problems – not just react illogically or in a manner that would yield no results. The two problems are one, illegal immigration, and two, occupation. We are occupied. There are an estimated 11 million +/- illegal aliens in this nation at present. That is more than ten times the number of persons in our entire military. This is not something easily dealt with, nor easily managed. These people are already tied to this nation economically in numerous ways, and we absolutely do not have the capacity or manpower to round them up and send them back to their homes of origin. Building a wall across Texas is an asinine idea that will not work, will cost far too much money in both its construction, its upkeep and in its oversight. People will get in nonetheless and it will not keep those individuals out that truly wish to harm this nation. It sounds good to talk about it, and tugs on the heartstrings of people that are worried about all the illegal immigration, but it just will not work. It also does not address the millions of people that are already here.

History has shown and proven to us that when two nations share borders there is always an influx into the one that is more prosperous or has a more desirable lifestyle. Eventually the mix of peoples defines the nation even further. It really cannot be overcome in the long run, and so it must be dealt with in a problem-solving manner that should involve responsible participation from both sides of the fence. In this case that would be the illegal immigrants and this Nation which houses them. Unless I’m wrong and there really is some other prejudice or reason not being spoken of, then the only reason to be against the illegal immigrant is that he/she has come here outside the lawful way of entering our nation. For whatever reason that may be, it happens, it occurs, it is pervasive and has grown into the problem of occupation, not immigration. How do we diffuse this? How do we solve the problem?

Not by granting total amnesty without any participation or requirement of the illegals themselves. They still broke our laws to get here, and they should not be rewarded so directly for doing so. A compromise must be reached and it must be required that all illegal immigrants participate. To make right the manner in which they entered our nation, for their sake and for ours.
My proposal is to allow them to stay but require them to go through the entire process as any other immigrant would have to. Let them do this without having to pay fees up front, but instead float them a voucher that will have to be repaid later, much like low cost college loans behave. That way they must fill out the appropriate paperwork, get their green card, learn the required information about the USA, and then take the required tests. If they will not participate then that should be one delineator that should require them to be re-patriated with their own country. Violent criminals should be sent back anyway. With no upfront monetary costs to themselves, not a single illegal should have any argument against making himself a rightful citizen legally. If not, what that person is saying is that he has a right to immediately break the laws of the new nation he has chosen to sneak into. Any new immigrant that wishes to show respect and care for his new nationality should not be against such a generous proposal. This process basically grants them immunity from prosecution and/or extradition if they are willing to participate. This is fair, this is just and this is good.