Joshua James (Tennessee congressional candidate)

Board of Education

Originally the Board of Education was suppose to be a melting pot for the districts to bounce ideas around to determine what strategies are and are not working. The Board of Education has since turned into an agency for dictating policy that prevents the true education of our youth. The Board of Education should be taken back to its roots if not removed from the federal governments grasp and returned to the individual states.

Originally, No Child Left Behind was a good idea as it offered great potential. However, throughout the years it has morphed into an endless routine of standardized testing. This forces our teachers to have little to or no choice but to teach to the test. The No Child Left Behind needs to be replaced with a system that encourages effort. A system that encourages earning rewards and increases more parental involvement.

Parents are the key to the education of our youth not the Board of Education.

Immigration

No amnesty. By definition, an illegal alien is someone that does not originally belong and does not have permission to remain. Therefore, they are breaking the law should be treated as trespassers on private property.

Deportation for criminal acts should be immediate and billed to the parent country. If these countries do not wish to have this added expense then they need to discover what is the reason their citizens are fleeing their borders. Any business caught employing an illegal alien(s) should be given no more than 2 chances.

1: A warning because their human resource department might have been inadequate.

2: Removal of their business license on the day of violation. Loose [sic] the ability to conduct business for a length of time that will discourage them from any repeat offenses and others from even attempting.

Streamline the Government

The government is so big now that even the President can not keep track on the status of his trademark legislation. Consolidation of agencies and departments have become a necessity. All the staff functions should be combined into a large pooling system. Put their file into a database showing all the agencies they qualify for and let the various departments fight for the best qualified.

Budget & Federal Spending

The federal government should operate similar to what we do here in the state of Tennessee. An amendment must be added to the Constitution requiring officials to balance the budget. By doing so this will force the government to reign in excessive spending and put forth a system of prioritization. Ensuring safety, security, while providing an extra system of checks and balances to prevent excessive spending, collecting, and wasting of taxpayers’ hard-earned money.

Taxes

The current tax system needs to be removed and replaced. Until we get to a consumption based tax code that will keep Uncle Sam out of our wallets we should look into alternatives to stair step our way to that goal.

A flat-rate system should be used with a cap of 10% for income and sales tax. If the government feels that the income is not enough money then the government is required to budget more effectively and find the source that is draining tax dollars. This method will eliminate all deductions forcing everyone to pay to share the burden.

Companies should be treated differently as well. Since a corporation is considered, in the eyes of the law, its own entity then put them in the same 10% cap. Sole proprietors should only be taxed once as either a business or individual, not both.

Jobs & the Economy

The creation of more jobs and to heal the economy is through the budget and taxes. Following my suggested tax and budget plan will get businesses to bring their money back to this country. This will increase their revenue through less taxes which will allow them to grow their company. A growing company equals more jobs. More jobs equals more revenue to the government through income and sales tax. Mix this with a strategic spending plan (aka budget) and our country might actually begin to live within its means.

Infrastructure

The current infrastructure is outdated and falling apart. From our bridges and dams to our airports and interstate system, it all needs extreme maintenance and upgrading. We need to project a level of planning that gives room for growth. Instead we are building schools for the number of students we currently have and act surprised when we out grow them as soon as they open. Instead of spending taxpayers' money on companies that are too big to fail, we should focus those efforts on the systems that we need and use daily. ^[6]