Economic Bill of Rights

Reagan’s Economic Bill of Rights is an interesting concept. Our Constitution and its amendments have guaranteed our freedoms in very specific ways. We choose our religion. We choose what we speak. In the same way,, we ought to be able to choose how our taxes are spent. That would be a true right to economic freedom.

This is my proposal: Congress shall retain the ability to legislate a budget and taxes. The President can have a line veto. And the taxpayer shall be given the right, say through a series of check boxes on his 1040 form, to say where his individual taxes will be spent: defense, health, welfare, MX, Star Wars, etc.

I don’t say don’t tax. I say, give the public the choice of where to spend it.

Congress would no longer be able to purchase votes through legislation, pork barrel and budget allocation. The executive won’t be able to veto popular issues for partisan political purposes. Politicans will have to really sell their proposals to the public and results will be shown in the totals accumulated every April 15. And best of all, the budget will always be balanced, because no more money can be spent than that which the public allocates.

C.L. RICHARDSON

Altadena