RESTORING TRUST

America faces not only an economic deficit, but also a trust deficit – trust in our institutions of power, from Washington to Wall Street. The American people have lost trust in the failed leadership of the president and Congress; in our tax code, riddled with special interest carve-outs; in our wars, wondering why we are nation-building abroad instead of at home; and in Wall Street and their regulators, whose failings led to a taxpayer bailout that defies the core principles of our capitalist economy.

Above all, people no longer trust that their government is working for them. They see the revolving door between Capitol Hill and K Street, the influence-peddling, the backroom deals, and the crony capitalism. Restoring the people’s trust will take consistent, conservative leadership and bold solutions equal to the historic challenges we face. As president, Jon Huntsman will:

1. Reform our 17,000 page tax code. He will eliminate every last loophole, subsidy and carve-out. He will use that revenue to lower rates across the board, for individuals and businesses. Governor Huntsman will create a tax code that is flatter and simpler; one that opens up economic opportunities for all our citizens, makes us more competitive, and ends corporate welfare and crony capitalism, once and for all. Read More
    
2. Address our mounting debt by cutting spending in every corner of government, leaving no sacred cow untouched. Governor Huntsman will reform entitlement programs – based on the Ryan Plan – while holding true to our nation’s commitments to those in or near retirement. Read More
    
3. Ensure that no financial entity is too-big-to-fail. Governor Huntsman will do this by breaking up the big banks on Wall Street, so that never again – never again – are taxpayers held hostage by a Sophie’s Choice: massive bailouts, or economic calamity. Read More
    
4. Adopt a comprehensive energy strategy that frees us from foreign oil, that eliminates all energy subsidies, and that levels the playing field for competing fuels and technologies. Read More
    
5. Streamline regulations in order to create a free, fair and competitive marketplace. All too often our regulatory framework becomes another tool for special interests seeking to use the state to protect privileges and insulate themselves from competition. Read More
    
6. Bring our troops home from Afghanistan, while leaving behind an appropriately-sized counterterrorist presence. And Governor Huntsman will set our military strategy and budgets based on long-term threats and vulnerabilities, not on spending patterns developed decades ago and reinforced today by armies of lobbyists. Read More
    
7. Finally, in order to ensure that government responds to all its citizens with the same level of urgency and fairness, and to lessen the influence of special interests, Governor Huntsman will send to Congress a "Citizen Legislature Act," which includes term limits for Congress and lobbying restrictions. Read More