The National Review is the Conservative Magazine of record.
by Dick Armey
Armey's axiom is that in Washington you are either a pleasant surprise or a bitter disappointment. I think honest observers have to admit that Republican control of the federal government has been a pretty pleasant surprise so far.
While partisanship certainly persists, the president has changed the tone in Washington -- he's raised it. Refreshingly mature and modest, he keeps his campaign promises -- and his appointments. He reaches out to his opponents yet remains faithful to his principles. And most important, his agenda is popular because it is sound.
"...his agenda is popular because it is sound."
Recall how different things were in this town just eight years ago, when the other party controlled both branches. It's astonishing now to look back on those times, those days of huge deficits and even larger tax hikes, of raids on Social Security and pork-laden "stimulus" packages, of left-wing executive orders and secret health-care task forces, of G.I.s carrying hors d'oeuvres trays and haircuts by "Christophe."
Happily, if, in our first 75 days in power, we've been less sensational than they were, we've also been more productive. Since mid-February the House has:
Passed the fifth balanced budget in a row, a fiscally responsible plan that meets our nation's priorities, continues to pay down debt, imposes greater spending discipline, and returns a portion of the tax surplus to the people who earned it.
Voted to lock away every penny of the Social Security and Medicare surpluses.
Approved a landmark bankruptcy reform.
Sent the previous Administration's misguided, job-killing ergonomics rules back to the drawing board.
And best of all, passed the main components of the Bush tax-relief plan.
We've now voted to cut income-tax rates across-the-board, reduce the unfair marriage penalty, double the child credit, and repeal the immoral death tax. Each of these tax-fairness measures has been tailored to fit within our overall budget and the president's $1.6 trillion package. All but one has attracted a significant number of Democrats. All have a good chance to become law. "We've now voted to cut income-tax rates across-the-board, reduce the unfair marriage penalty, double the child credit, and repeal the immoral death tax."
I always take the other party seriously, because they are serious people, but I confess I've had to strain a bit lately not to chuckle at all the excuses their leaders have been giving for opposing tax relief: What's your rush? People don't want it. It's too much. It's too risky. We can't afford it. We don't have a budget yet. We can only support "targeted" tax cuts. Okay, we can support across-the-board cuts, but only in the 15-percent bracket. We'd rather cut payroll taxes instead, for a year or two. The estate tax doesn't need to be repealed, nobody pays it. Hey, you're eliminating the estate tax way too slowly. Stop all this economic-stimulus talk, you're hurting the economy! This economy needs stimulating -- let's give everybody a $300 rebate.
One of our colleagues has waggishly called this last argument "rebate and switch." A one-time rebate is certainly worth considering as a way of returning this year's surplus, but only so long as it's linked to across-the-board tax cuts. We have to bear in mind that the their real goal in proposing this idea is to kill across-the-board tax cuts. The minute we pass a rebate by itself, they're likely to drop their support for any other kind of tax relief.
We need permanent tax relief, not just a one-time rebate, because it is permanency that is essential to spurring growth. Incidentally, Americans side with us on this question of "reductions in long-term overall tax rates" versus "immediate rebates" by 70 percent to 21 percent, according to a new Fox poll. They're with us by more than three-to-one.
In May, we'll keep moving forward on the important work of the American people. Among other things, we'll:
Finalize our budget plan, laying out our priorities for the coming fiscal year.
Pass the president's $1.6 trillion tax-relief plan and use expedited Senate procedures to put it on his desk by as early as Memorial Day.
Take up an additional pro-growth tax relief bill.
Act on President Bush's education-reform plan, with its focus on flexibility, accountability, and choice.
Strengthen neighborhood crime-fighting through our Local Law Enforcement Block Grants program, one of the lesser-known accomplishments of the Contract with America.
Take up the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.
Keep working to improve retirement security for our seniors, especially looking for ways to help with the high cost of prescription drugs.
Focus on increasing domestic energy supplies, rather than on trying to take away people's SUVs as the Democrats propose.
Renew our eContract with High-Tech America to keep the digital economy growing strong.
As you can see, we've accomplished a lot in 75 days, but we have a lot more to do. In May we'll be giving our Hollywood liberal friends even more reasons to yearn for The Way We Were
