Issues Statement

The strength of the Lincoln Club is embodied in our members’ commitment to acting on shared principles of limiting government and expanding economic and personal freedoms. Specifically, Club members believe the following issues are of the utmost importance in the coming election year:

NATIONAL

The Obama Administration is fundamentally redefining the relationship between the individual and the state to one of greater dependence at the expense of liberty. We stand firmly for policies such as these that maximize individual liberty at restrain government:

• Reducing the size and function of the federal government. Government functions best when it is closest to the people. Today’s bloated federal government exemplifies the exact opposite of that principle. The Administration’s blind pursuit of a socialized healthcare at any cost is the perfect example of government’s ever-expanding reach into our daily lives. Cutting the size and scope of a federal government that is increasingly intruding on individual liberty is the first step toward restoring the founding principles of our Constitution.
• Cutting government spending. Hand in hand with cutting the size of government is the need to slash government spending. Taxpayer bailouts, whether to failing auto companies or financial institutions, and so-called ‘stimulus’ bills simply push generations of taxpayers deeper into debt. Government cannot effectively prop up private industry prolong necessary market corrections. Policies to reduce current spending and restrain or cap future spending should be pursued.
• Cutting taxes. Double-digit unemployment will never be solved by more government spending. The only sure way to create jobs is to give job creators – businesses large and small – incentives to do just that. Cutting taxes, from capital gains, to payroll, and income taxes – would allow businesses to invest in capital, increase production, innovate, and expand.

CALIFORNIA

California is a fiscal mess. Overspending, high taxes, and a burdensome regulatory environment are driving job-creating businesses out. Restoring California starts with a focus on the following statewide issues:

• Stopping the special interests that control Sacramento. More than $1 billion was spent on state politics by 15 corporations and unions alone in a ten-year period, and nearly 40% of all bills introduced in the legislature are sponsored by special interest lobbyists. These bills are more than twice as likely to become law. Passing the Stop Special Interests Money Now initiative is the first step toward making politicians accountable to constituents and taxpayers, not special interests. It is simple, fair and balanced that addresses the whole problem of special interests by limiting both corporate and union political spending.
• Job creation. Every single candidate who is elected to office in Sacramento should be challenged to answer, “What are you going to do to support the private sector job market in this state. We cannot allow politicians to continue to enact policies that decimate the job market in California. More than 1.3 million people have left California for business-friendly states such as Texas, Nevada, and Arizona. We must support those who believe in government that allows businesses to create jobs by reducing tax and regulatory burdens. We believe California is intrinsically attractive if our regulatory and tax policies do not continue forcing businesses and individuals out of the state. We need candidates who are focused on creating jobs by incentivizing innovation and reducing existing barriers to opportunity, namely high taxes and complex regulations.

ORANGE COUNTY

• Pension reform. The County of Orange faces a $3 billion unfunded pension liability, thanks to overly generous pay and pension packages for public employees. The Club believes strongly that local governments must move toward structural reforms, such as requiring public employees to share equally in their retirement costs, increasing the retirement age, and eliminating pension-spiking and other forms of pension abuse.
• Electing fiscally responsible leadership in Irvine. The City of Irvine is Orange County’s jobs center and one of its largest cities with nearly 215,000 residents. For too long, the city council has been dominated by liberal Democrats who have misled taxpayers and mismanaged a still non-existent ‘Great Park,’ who have engaged in pay-to-play campaign tactics, and who have spent nearly all of the city’s reserves on wasteful programs.