James Stivers

FOR IDAHO STATE SENATE DISTRICT 2

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Issues & Ideas

State Sovereignty & Freedom James Stivers believes in the rights and powers protected by the 9^th & 10^th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. They form an important part of the Bill of Rights and will be important in the future to protect the people of Idaho from the radical agenda of the federal government. “I support the recent resolution passed by the Idaho Republican Party to add a Sovereignty Clause to Idaho’s Constitution.” Economic Benefits: a State Bank An important part of sovereignty is the monetary authority. Currently, banks are allowed to multiply many times over the tax receipts deposited in their institutions. This special privilege is partly responsible for the “sucking sound” in our local economies, as regional banks send their assets to central banks that are playing the derivatives markets of the world. Expanding the role of Idaho’s Bond Bank authority into a full-fledged state bank would go a long way in adding additional assets to the state treasury and preserving our local economies. Another economic benefit of asserting state sovereignty would be to strengthen Idaho’s claim to public lands sequestered by the federal government for corporate interests. Restoring these lands to a sustainable use by local companies would be a boon to the Idaho economy and greatly reduce the tax burden. It would also reduce our dependence upon federal money. Social Benefits Asserting state sovereignty strengthens Idaho’s ability to reject federal rules that interfere with our right to firearms, our right to protect our property, and our right to personal liberties. It gives us the ability to reject the “one-size-fits-all” regulations of federal agencies and gives us more local control. Our local communities are the best defense against the menace of corporate power.

Labor & Taxes James Stivers believes the greatest detriments to a living wage are inflation and the income tax. Inflation is caused by the secret tax of the banking industry in which lenders use the multiplier effect to the benefit of their cronies. This secret tax takes the form of a decline in the value of the dollar and results in higher prices. Wages never keep up with this process because its very purpose is to extract wealth from the wage earner to support the privileged classes who curry the favor of lenders. A state bank would restore this privilege to the people in a public trust and would give us the opportunity to stabilize our state economy with deposits backed by the wealth of our public lands. The income tax is a tax on labor and is fundamentally immoral and counter-productive. Labor is a constitutional right and should not be taxed anymore than should free speech or religion. A tax on labor is counter-productive because it is a tax on the producers. We should tax consumption, instead, in the form of sales taxes and user fees. “I favor abolishing Idaho’s State Income Tax.” Labor James Stivers is a pro-labor Republican and recognizes the importance of unions. While not excusing abuses by labor bosses, collective bargaining is a right protected by the Constitution and should be honored by all freedom-loving Americans. Organized labor is a free market response to the stockholder’s corporation. If done in the right way, unions can be an effective alternative to big government in the workplace. Instead of socialized medicine, for example, unions should bargain with companies for better health-care coverage for their workers. “I favor locally-controlled unions where workers have a direct stake in the success of the company. They should not be required for small businesses but should be a part of the corporate charters issued for companies with large workforces.”

Education & Business James Stivers believes that the 21^st Century requires combining the roles of the high school with the community college and tech school. In an earlier age, the grammar school was sufficient to find employment that paid a living wage. . . then it was the high school diploma . . . and now, a college degree is still not enough in many cases. We need colleges which teach the trades and the skills necessary for a person to start his own business. Combining community colleges with a stream-lined high school curriculum would bring economic independence to every community large enough for a high school. These institutions should be fully funded so that our young people will not have to go into debt for their education. Occupational Licensing & Business Abolishing the state income tax would end the tax code and the micro-managing of Idaho’s economy through tax incentives. This practice inhibits free markets and is a drag on our economy. Likewise, mandatory licensing does not serve the public interest because it reduces competition, creates occupational cartels, and results in shortages of quality goods and services. The state legislature has passed numerous licensing laws in recent years: contractor licensing, midwife licensing, day-care licensing, and so on. These laws all have had a negative effect on these professions, putting people out of work, hurting Idaho’s economy by reducing innovation in state-regulated industries. “I believe that licensing is a municipal power that should be left to urban counties and cities. I favor state certification rather than licensing. At the state-level, licensing should be required for doing public works projects, but mandatory state licensing in the private sector interferes with the right to labor guaranteed by the Constitution.”