“An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy,” 17 U.S. 327 (1819) - Daniel Webster, McCulloch v. Maryland.
“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.” – Author Unknown (sometimes attributed to Alexander Tytler)
I believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of property. Since fundamentally rights derive from property, the pursuit of property is the American ideal of freedom. For once we have ownership of property we have the freedom to use that property as we see fit. In a republic the right and the property of the minority is protected. In recent years we have seen reckless spending and the wanton theft of our property by the government. This theft has taken various forms – higher taxes, higher fees, and decreased buying power of the dollar. The government has developed an insatiable need for funds due to poor economic policy, runaway spending, and the mismanagement of public institutions. I will hold the line or rollback taxes. I will seek to reduce spending by the government.