Mike Huckabee

Michael Huckabee was born on August 24, 1955, in Hope, Arkansas. He was the first male member of his family to earn a high school diploma, and enrolled at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where he majored in religion and minored in speech. He won a special election for lieutenant governor in 1993, then became governor when Jim Guy Tucker was convicted in events relating to Whitewater. Huckabee was elected to full terms in 1998 and 2002. He ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2008 but lost to John McCain. In 2015, Huckabee announced that he will run for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. [1]

Tax Reform

Huckabee's Tax Reform (section page)

FairTax System

Proposed a FairTax system (MHWTR)

• abolish IRS and tax code
• eliminate all income tax, including payroll, Medicare, Social Security, and investment income taxes
• establish national sales tax
• “senior bonus payment” instead of Social Security
• bonus payments to poor individuals
• claim: the FairTax system will ensure that everyone including criminals will be required to pay the tax, since it is a sales tax instead of income tax, reinvest $22 trillion parked offshore back to the United States, grow economy by 6% each year, create millions of manufacturing jobs

FairTax is better than punishing productivity

"If we got rid of all the taxes on our work, got rid of the taxes on our savings, investments, capital gains, and inheritance, and made a zero tax, we'd pay at the point of consumption. Why should we punish people for their productivity? The FairTax doesn't punish people for doing well and building the economy. Give a person his whole paycheck because every American would no longer have a payroll tax taken out." (RD3)

FairTax gets rid of IRS and sifts power back to the states

"Q: Will you abolish or cut the size of the EPA, the IRS, the Department of Education?

HUCKABEE: There are a lot of things happening at the federal level that are absolutely beyond the jurisdiction of the Constitution. This is power that should be shifted back to the states, whether it's the EPA or the Department of Education. We can get rid of the Internal Revenue Service if we would pass the FairTax, and move power back where the founders believed it should have been all along."(RD1)

FairTax broadens tax base to include non-wage-earners

"Q: You say that changing entitlements would be breaking a promise to the American people, and you say that you can keep those programs, save Social Security, save Medicare, without major reforms through a FairTax, which is a broad tax on consumption. How that would work?

HUCKABEE: One of the reasons that Social Security is in so much trouble is that the only funding stream comes from people who get a wage. The people who get wages is declining dramatically. Most of the income in this country is made by people at the top who get dividends and capital gains. The FairTax transforms the process by which we fund Social Security and Medicare because the money paid in consumption is paid by everybody, including illegals, prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers, all the people that are freeloading off the system now. That's why it ought to be a transformed system." (RD1)

Jobs and Business Policy

Huckabee's Jobs and Business Policy (section page)

Corporations

Stop punishing manufacturing; stop punishing work[2]

"We'd get rid of taxes on people's work, so, we wouldn't punish people for working anymore. We've lost five million manufacturing jobs since 2000. The jobs are in Mexico, they're in China, they're in Indonesia. Bring the jobs back. And with the FairTax, you do that, because you don't tax capital and labor. And here's the best part. We don't reduce the IRS, we get rid of the IRS." (RD4)

Wall Street executives should have gone to jail in 2008

"Q: You have railed against income inequality. You've said that some Wall Street executives should have gone to jail over the roles that they played during the financial crisis. Are there specific steps you would require from corporate America to try and reduce the income inequality.

HUCKABEE: Look, corporations ought to exercise some responsibility. When CEO income has risen 90% above the average worker, when the bottom 90% of this country's economy has had stagnant wages for the past 40 years, somebody is taking it in the teeth. And it's not the folks on Wall Street. I'm not anti-Wall Street, but I don't believe the government ought to wear a team jersey, pick winners and losers. The government ought to wear a striped shirt and just make sure the game is played fairly."(RD3)

Fight the Wall-Street-to-Washington axis of power

"Q: Decade after decade, there are promises from Republicans to shrink government. But it gets bigger, even under Republican politicians. So is the government simply too big to shrink?

HUCKABEE: It's not too big to shrink. But the problem is we have a Wall Street-to-Washington axis of power that has controlled the political climate. The donor class feeds the political class who does the dance that the donor class wants. And the result is federal government keeps getting bigger. Every person on this stage who has been a governor will tell that you the biggest fight they had was not the other party. Wasn't even the legislature. It was the federal government, who continually put mandates on the states that we had to suck up and pay for. There are a lot of things happening at the federal level that are absolutely beyond the jurisdiction of the Constitution. This is power that should be shifted back to the states, whether it's the EPA or the Department of Education."(RD1)

Jobs

Wages for bottom 90% of the economy stagnant for 40 years[3]

"The Fed is in trouble because they haven't addressed the number one issue that's hurting Americans and that's that wages for the bottom 90 percent of the economy have been stagnant for 40 years. In the 25 years after World War II, wages grew by 85 percent. People were moving up. That's not happening any more, and in large measure, the Fed has manipulated the dollar so it doesn't have a standard. Tie the dollar to something fixed and if it's not going to be gold, make it the commodity basket."(RD4)

Education

"When it comes to education, the Obama Administration is lost at sea. We must shift power back to state and local governments. In my ten years as governor, I fought for parents, students and local control.

• Washington bureaucrats and big-government central planners are out-of-control.
• Education is a family function — not a federal function.
• Education decisions are best made by the most local government — Moms and Dads.
• I believe we must demand results, accountability and success for every child in every classroom. I oppose watering down our education standards or automatically promoting every student.
• I also oppose Common Core and believe we should abolish the federal department of education. We must kill Common Core and restore common sense.

The rising cost of college also threatens middle class families, students and the American dream. For too many, college is where students discover mountains of debt — but not a lifelong career. We must tackle the establishment and reform our colleges and universities so they make sense for the jobs of tomorrow."[4]

Environmental

Huckabee's Environmental (section page)

Energy

"We should explore and exploit all forms of domestically produced energy — oil, gas, wind, solar, bio-fuels, hydro-electric, nuclear, coal — anything and everything."(MHWE)

• push for energy independence
• support Keystone Pipeline

Spending and Debt

Reject the failed Obama-Clinton policies that punish working families and encourage government dependency.

Secure the border & end illegal immigration.

Repeal & replace ObamaCare.[5]

Gun Control

Defend the 2nd Amendment

Oppose new gun control laws

Protect the rights of gun owners from Big Government

Oppose new gun restrictions, registrations, regulations & mandates[6]

National Security

Rebuild America’s military superiority. The best way to avoid conflict is to build a lethal fighting force so strong and powerful that no one would dare mess with us.

Restore our role as leader of the Free World. Our enemies no longer fear us and our allies no longer trust or respect us.

Reject Obama’s crisis-management approach to the world. We need a President who will accept responsibility and lead.

As President, I will lead with moral clarity in a dangerous world. Moral clarity is the foundation to our economic and military strength.[7]

Health Care

Huckabee's Health Policy (section page)

"We need to remember that there is no controversy about the things that are driving medical costs. The next president ought to declare a war on cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's, because those are the four things that are causing the greatest cost. I remember the polio vaccine. We saved billions of dollars since that time, because we haven't had to treat for polio. Why doesn't this country focus on cures rather than treatment? We change the economy and the country." (RD2)

"ObamaCare is a $2.2 trillion disaster that dumps millions of people into a broken, expensive system and does nothing to fix the basic problems everyday Americans face. We must tackle out-of-control costs.ObamaCare raided $700 billion from Medicare. This is not reform — it’s theft. We must reject government dependency. We need solutions and choices — not government mandates and new taxes. We must address pre-existing conditions with common sense. As a governor, I know these issues first hand. Our system of “sick care” is upside down. Doctors, hospitals and drug companies get paid for treating people who are sick — not keeping people healthy or preventing illnesses. So many Americans cannot afford to get sick, while others take advantage of a system that isn’t fair. ObamaCare simply doubles down on this backwards, broken, flawed and failing system. We need honesty, leadership and real reform. As President, I will repeal ObamaCare and fight for real health care reform." (MHWH)

Border Security

"America has an immigration crisis on its hands, and it’s time for the federal government to do its job. Without a secure border, nothing matters.We have drug cartels running reckless on our southern border, and the Washington establishment wants to reward illegal immigrants with amnesty and citizenship.

As President, I will:

1) Reject President Obama's unconstitutional executive orders.

2) Oppose amnesty.

3) Secure the border now.

If you reward people who play outside the rules and punish people who live within the rules, pretty soon nobody is going to play by the rules. We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws." [8]

Veterans

"My first act as President will be to end the national disgrace of failing to properly care for veterans who sacrificed so greatly for our country. America’s soldiers deserve first-class treatment and top-quality care — anything less is unfair, unacceptable, and simply un-American. As President, I will:

1) Fix the VA and give our heroes greater choices. We must hold VA hospital officials and government bureaucrats accountable.

2) Solve the disability claims crisis and inexcusable wait times.

3) Empower our veterans with permanent careers, purpose, and a growing economy — not temporary programs or government gimmicks.

4) Fight for mental health awareness, treatment, and suicide prevention.

Priorities matter — our nation must make sure the first fruits of our treasury go to those serving in uniform." [9]

Agriculture

"As president, I will fight for America’s future and America’s farmers. I will:

1) Reject Obama’s radical, EPA mandates that strangle farmers with bureaucracy and Washington nonsense.

2)Fight for free and fair trade. Americans can compete with anyone in the world, but agriculture trade is often unfair and not free.

3)Support American corn producers and the renewable fuel standard. Washington shouldn’t pick favorites or change the rules in the middle of the game.

4)Abolish the Death Tax and protect family farms.

I governed a rural state for ten years and 25% of our economy was agriculture. I was also born and raised in rural America. As President, I will never forget my roots or my small town values."[10]

Family Values

"I will never apologize for my faith, my convictions or my values. Period.

Life begins at conception. This isn’t just a Biblical view — it’s affirmed by modern science and every unique human DNA schedule, which is present at conception.

As Governor, I promoted and signed a fetal protection act. I imposed a ban on partial birth abortion, established waiting periods, created parental notification requirements, and passed a bill so mothers who brought a newborn to a hospital or fire station would not be prosecuted for child abandonment.

I may stand alone, but I am absolutely faithful to the issue of marriage. Not because it’s politically expedient, but because it’s the Biblical position, the historical position and the right position. We must defend, protect and preserve traditional marriage." [11]

Israel

"In a world of uncertainty, evil, and moral insanity, Israel is a shining light of moral clarity. The enemies of Israel are the enemies of America. Sadly, this Administration spends more time berating Israel for building houses in the lands given to Abraham than telling the Iranians to stop building bombs pointed at us. As President, I will:

• Stand with the Jewish people in our shared fight against Radical Islam.
• Support a unified Jerusalem.
• Confront and stop Iran—this Administration’s willingness to trust Iran and undermine Israel is unprecedented and wrong.
• Support Israel in the fight for peace, religious freedom, and human rights."[12]

Sources Key

(MHWTR) = [13]