March 5, 2015

A Letter to America

Fellow Citizens of the United States

When did you last believe the country was on the right track? It has probably been a while. Politicians are not being straight with us. Each party offers painless solutions which protect special interests and reward millionaire lobbyists. As we get ready to choose our next president, let’s begin a serious discussion about how best to proceed as a nation. Americans deserve constructive solutions to the challenges facing our country.

TAXES: What if we undertake bold tax reform and free the vast majority of Americans from the burden of filing a tax return with the IRS? Wouldn’t that be better than the mess we have now and also grow our economy?

BANKS: What if Wall Street and the big banks follow the law and play by the same rules as everybody else? Wouldn’t that restore our sense of fair play?

NATIONAL SERVICE: What if we collectively share in the sacrifices required to guarantee our freedoms? Wouldn’t that strengthen our communities and our belief in each other?

SPENDING: What if we make real, balanced reforms to our entitlement programs? Wouldn’t that assure their continued viability and provide a better future for our youth?

IMMIGRATION: What if we rewrite our immigration laws to control our borders and reinforce the American tradition of assimilation? Wouldn’t that save us from following Europe into incoherence, chaos and grave division over how best to confront radical Islam?

THE PRESIDENCY: What if our president serves only a single term? Wouldn’t that keep re-election politics out of Oval Office decision-making?

None of this will be easy, but Americans will do their part if the president levels with the people. My name is Mark Everson and I am running for President of the United States. Under President Reagan I oversaw operations at the INS. I served as IRS Commissioner under President George W. Bush — it ran better then. While I have extensive experience in government, most of my career has been in the private sector. Not just in the US, but also in Africa, Asia and Europe. I have run a factory and worked in agriculture. I know what it takes to create jobs and compete in today’s global economy.

I have made mistakes, but at sixty I am wiser and humbler than I once was. Still, I owe no one. I am unafraid to take on the special interests which enrich themselves at your expense. I am a conservative and understand the limits of the powers of the presidency. I will execute the laws as written, not as I might wish them to be. My track record is just that. I will devote my full energies to the country and our national interests. I will serve but one term.

I love America and will do my best for her and for you. I respectfully ask for your support. These issues won’t wait for a time the politicians find convenient.

Regards,

Mark W. Everson

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Mark on Taxes
History teaches that tax reform is only possible when the president takes the lead. Fixing our broken tax code will be a cornerstone of the Everson presidency. I will work closely with Finance Committee Chairman Orin Hatch, Ways & Means Chairman Paul Ryan, and members of Congress from both parties to make tax reform a reality. Who is better equipped to do that than a businessman who has worked in both operating and financial positions in the United States and abroad, and spent four years at the top of the messy tax system that Congress created?

The tax code should promote growth and help Americans provide for their future. Of particular importance is the need to encourage innovation, manufacturing and agriculture, and to help small and mid-sized businesses thrive and create employment opportunities. It is time to be bold. I favor the Competitive Tax Plan authored by Columbia professor Michael Graetz. Adopting the plan will put in place a destination-based VAT that will apply to goods and services. The plan will remove 150 million Americans from the income tax rolls, freeing them from the hassle of filing an income tax return and dealing with the IRS. To retain adequate progressivity in our tax system, income taxes will remain in place for the highest earners, but at lower rates. Providing payroll tax credits to low-and moderate- earners will prevent them from realizing tax increases. The Competitive Tax Plan would also expand refundable child credits. Under the plan, corporate rates will drop, allowing American businesses to prosper in the global economy. I would adjust the Graetz plan to retain and expand the existing research and development tax credit to ensure America maintains its leadership position in innovation. We should also provide meaningful incentives for energy reduction.

One of the worst features of the current system is on-again, off-again tax legislation. We need stability in the tax code so that business owners can make rational investment and hiring decisions knowing the rules of the road. Tax provisions should have a minimum duration of ten years to reduce uncertainty and align with budget scoring rules. Last year’s tax extenders exercise was a disgrace, with provisions enacted into law just before Christmas only to expire two weeks later at the end of December.


Mark on Banks
I have devoted a substantial portion of my career to industry and know from hard experience that jobs are created (or lost) by private enterprise, not government. Despite our stumbles, America is still the envy of the world. American prosperity derives from our entrepreneurial culture and respect for the rule of law. Championing private enterprise as the engine of growth does not relieve Republicans of the obligation to regulate in a balanced, sensible manner.

Recent years have seen a dangerous drift, with some of our largest financial institutions engaged in illegal activities on a repeated basis. In my book, banks don’t merit a “get out of jail free card” because they are “too big to fail.” The Wall Street mega banks have privileged positions and enjoy competitive advantages over other, smaller firms. It just makes sense that if a bank is too big to be managed properly and follow the law, we should break it up.

Moreover, there appears to be little accountability in the executive suite. Too often the banks run the light, pay the ticket, and speed on. Then in some instances boards of directors even give the CEO a salary increase. Billions of dollars in fines are absorbed by average Americans, who see diminished returns in their retirement plans. There is no need for lots of new laws or regulations. In fact, we should take a good, hard look to see which burdensome and unnecessary laws and regulations can be pruned or taken off the books entirely. Nevertheless, the laws we do have should be respected by businesses and enforced by the government. I will direct the Department of Justice to bring criminal charges against companies and executives when laws are broken. In addition, Congress should draw a line in the sand. When a company pays a fine over a certain amount (say, $500 million, but the number could be lower or higher), any compensation to the CEO in excess of $1 million should be taxed at a rate of 95%. Let’s bring this sorry chapter to a close.

Mark on National Security & National Service
The world is a dangerous place; the president must govern, understanding that harsh reality. The hopes of the Nobel committee in awarding our president the peace prize have not been realized. Democracy is receding across the globe and International crises have increased in number and danger over the past six years. Our armed services are at present second to none, but the cornerstone upon which our freedom rests is cracking. We need to adequately fund our armed forces and in particular rebuild our Navy, so critical to our commercial and security interests overseas. America must honor its alliances and confront evil when necessary. We need a robust and coherent foreign policy, but one which is measured and deploys our military only as a last resort. Our security policies must give greater priority to addressing the mounting damage to American business interests arising from cyber-attacks and theft of trade secrets.

Wherever I have worked, I have respected the chain of command and sought the counsel of those on the ground, but always made my own decisions within the limits of my authority. I will do the same as president, relying on muscular diplomatic and security policy as well as a streamlined, intelligence apparatus to provide thorough, independent analysis of policy options. Above all, I will respect the constitutional role of Congress in matters of war and peace. Finally, I will not be fully transparent with our adversaries. We and our allies will be more secure if adversaries respect us. Respect is not earned by informing the world of what we will not do. I will only draw lines when I mean to act if they are crossed. I will not limit our military options having identified a serious threat to our security. The crises in the Middle East, Russia and the western Pacific have not passed; they loom ever larger.

Over much of the last century Americans understood the burden of military service because family members or people we knew from school or in our communities fought in the two world wars, in Korea or in Vietnam. But we have lost our deep-rooted commitment to shared sacrifice. The creation of the All-Volunteer Force has increased the effectiveness and efficiency of our military, but at too high a price. The devastating downstream costs of multiple deployments are staggering and will be borne by families and communities across America for decades to come. There is a dangerous and growing chasm between the elites and everyday Americans who do the fighting or care for those who have when they return home. We need to establish a program of national service and bring back the draft. We are all in this together, a nation of free and responsible men and women. In his first inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln warned that the passions of looming conflict “must not break our bonds of affection.” For America to remain great, we cannot allow these bonds, and the obligations which they imply, to fray through our continuing drift towards indifference to each other. Everyone will benefit if there is a stronger link between the rich and mainstream Americans. Lifelong ties will form and wiser decisions will be taken by all parties. Future leaders will think more soberly about national security if they have direct experience with it. The program should allow draftees who are conscientious objectors to discharge their obligation through service in a hospital, national park or some other appropriate manner.

Mark on Spending
As a nation we are spending more than we earn. Our deficits have come down to under 3% of GDP. That is good news. However, spending will increase significantly in the out years and drive up our debt as the baby boomers age and draw on a larger share of government resources. The problem is compounded by a serious deterioration in labor force participation for working age men who should be generating employment tax and general fund revenues. It is also important to remember that interest rates are at historic lows. Should they suddenly rise our day of reckoning will arrive. We need genuine entitlement reform. Rather than increasing the progressivity of the income tax we should means test benefits programs like social security, phasing in changes over a period of years and making no benefit reductions for those already drawing funds or close to retirement. If we do not act, growth in entitlement spending will choke off any ability to fund other needs. Future generations of Americans will pay a steep price if we keep our heads buried in the sand.

Republicans have moved to use dynamic scoring—that is, how household and businesses react to policy changes– in the consideration of significant tax legislation. I support this position but believe that major tax changes should be revenue neutral before consideration of any dynamic effects. That will require cuts to entitlement programs in order to prevent federal debt as a percentage of GDP from growing beyond its already unhealthy levels. Rather than offsetting any dynamic revenue benefits from tax reform with new tax reductions, the additional monies should be plowed into national defense.

Mark on Immigration
I oppose the president’s order unilaterally deferring enforcement action and granting work authorization to millions of undocumented immigrants, but that does not change the fact that we urgently need comprehensive immigration reform. We must alter our legal immigration system by providing more opportunities for those who can make an immediate contribution to the U.S. economy. This will come at the expense of traditional programs allowing immigration of extended family members, but makes sense given our human capital needs in the highly competitive global economy. As many have argued, we need to secure the borders and strengthen enforcement in the interior. We should get on with the E-Verify system so that jobs go only to those legally authorized to work.

I support an amnesty (to call it anything else is disingenuous) and path to citizenship. Of course there should be proper standards screening out criminals and others not meeting strict criteria, but a broad amnesty would allow the full integration into our society of millions of residents who already lead active, useful lives. We need to do everything we can to foster participation in the American way of life and not create conditions which encourage isolation and a spirit of disengagement or hostility. Let’s renew and strengthen our tradition of assimilation lest we follow Europe into incoherence, chaos and grave division over how best to contain the dangers of radical Islamist ideology. With stronger, balanced enforcement future illegal immigration will decline. This should address the fears that an amnesty will generate further violations of our sovereignty

Mark on the Presidency
Always consequential, the president’s powers are nevertheless limited under our constitution. The president directs the operation of the federal government and has augmented responsibilities in the national security arena, but it falls to Congress to rewrite our laws or make major changes to settled policy. When overseeing our nation’s tax and immigration systems– two of the most important and sensitive parts of the federal government—I executed the law as written, not as I might have wished it to be. I will follow the same conservative, constitutional approach as president.

I will serve only one four-year term in office and seek a constitutional amendment to limit future presidents to a single five- or six- year mandate. By the third year of an administration, appointees up and down the line are increasingly focused on the approaching election. The country deserves a leader whose decision-making is based solely on the national interest and in no way compromised by considerations tied to reelection politics.