1. The best way to help the poor is through policies that foster economic growth. The reason there are far fewer poor in the United States than in third world countries is because of much more rapid long-term economic growth in the United States.
2. Prevent the crowding out of traditional government services by government redistribution programs. Nearly two-thirds of our taxpayer dollars are given away as free money (or free goods or services) to other Americans through various government programs. This leaves less money left over for services such as education, law enforcement, transportation infrastructure, defense, space exploration, national parks, and environmental protection.
3. Reform government spending programs directed toward the middle class and the rich, so that the money comes from the recipients’ own (mandatory) savings rather than from other taxpayers.
4. Prevent small groups benefiting at the expense of the broad society. Our system of government is highly responsive to vocal groups that lobby for subsidies, government programs, tariffs, and other special favors. Since the costs are spread out among all citizens while the benefits are concentrated among smaller segments of the population, the broad citizenry has much less of an incentive to lobby against the measure while the beneficiaries have a huge incentive to lobby for it. It is therefore necessary to lobby against the lobbyists on behalf of the general citizenry.
5. Halt the vicious circle of enacting government spending programs in an attempt to mitigate economic hardship, which result in slower economic growth and thus even more economic hardship.
6. Accommodate America’s and the world’s ever-growing population by increasing the carrying capacity of the Earth. This requires extracting, modifying and distributing the Earth’s resources on a mass scale. The most effective method to achieve this is through production units known as businesses, amid a system known as capitalism. Gumming up capitalism with too many taxes, regulations, and trade barriers impedes the production and circulation of the goods and services that sustain our lives, with the consequence of lower standards of living and greater poverty.
7. Eliminate man-made restrictions on the movement of good and services, i.e. promote free trade. Artificially impeding the distribution of goods and services results in a lower standard of living and greater poverty both in the U.S. and abroad.
8. Reduce poverty in poorer countries by encouraging the establishment of more businesses (domestic and foreign) in those countries. As workers gain on-the-job training in those businesses, unskilled labor becomes more scarce and therefore more expensive. Businesses are forced to raise wages in order to attract workers. Poverty is thus reduced.
9. Incentivize education providers to improve their product through competition, merit pay, school vouchers, school choice, standardized testing, and the ability to dismiss bad teachers.
10. Foster environmental protection through measures that mitigate pollution, resource depletion, and encroachment on natural habitat. But be careful not to go overboard on such measures, as this could lead to disincentives to produce more goods and services. The most capitalistic societies tend to have the cleanest environments. The key is to find the right balance between environmental regulations and pro-business policies.
11. Maintain global peace and prevent large-scale wars by halting the spread of weapons of mass destruction to non-democratic countries and to terrorists, using force to do so where necessary. America and the world are facing the truly frightening prospect of future cold wars, as hostile regimes around the world come closer to developing or acquiring their own nuclear weapons. If this is left unchecked, sometime and somewhere a cold war will get hot. And – no exaggeration – civilization as we know it could end.
12. Cultivate political and economic freedom of other nations through a strong U.S. military and/or economic presence throughout the world. Were it not for the United States, many areas would have been invaded by and ruled by dictatorships. Prevent “entitlement overstretch” at home, which weakens the U.S.’s military and economic influence abroad.
13. Foster world peace through free trade and the spread of capitalism. The more business ties a country has with another country, the greater its vested interest in peaceful relations with that country.