Truth, justice and the GOP way

Like a fiery molten wall of lava flowing from a Hawaiian volcano, the Grand Old Party of Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan swept the fruited plain clean of Democrats from Staten Island to Arizona, from Florida to Alaska.

A Congress controlled by Republicans is now the order of the day.

In the process, the Republican Party and South Carolinians elected the first ever black U.S. senator in the South. In Utah, the GOP elected the first ever black Republican woman, Mia Love, to the House of Representatives. The GOP and Iowans are sending the first-ever elected woman (and female combat veteran) from that state. Her title has been lieutenant colonel, Iowa Army National Guard; it is now to be U.S. Senator.

{mosads}Democratic Sen. Kay Hagen of North Carolina fell, single-issue Democratic Sen. Mark Udall (“Senator Uterus”) fell, Virginia-mansion living Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu is spared for a few weeks, but will fall also. Democratic senatorial candidate Michelle Nunn of Georgia fell.

Alaska Sen. Begich (D), who won six years ago only because of a phony criminal prosecution of a popular senator by criminal U.S. attorneys, may be defeated by Marine Reservist Lt. Colonel Dan Sullivan when all the votes are counted.

In Kansas, a Democrat disguised as an independent conspired with the Democratic Party to blindside relatively weak Republican incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts. The Democrat nominee abandoned his nomination, leaving a phony independent on the ballot to square off against Roberts. It didn’t work. Roberts and his campaign came to life and he made up a double-digit polled potential loss into a victory in Kansas, which hasn’t voted for a Democrat for senator since 1932. Semper fi, Brother Roberts!

Republican union slayer, Wisconsin’s Gov. Scott Walker, did it again, beating the unions at their own game. He has won three gubernatorial elections in four years. He rockets into the 2016 presidential campaign for anyone handicapping the 2016 primary.

As the ballots were counted, Republicans swept enough Senate seats to take control of the Senate, along with continued control of the House, albeit with a few more votes — at least 52 Republican Senators and 247 Republican House members, the highest number since 1947.

So, now what?

Republicans must govern now with legislation that President Obama must either veto or sign into law. Republican governance can set up a favorable presidential 2016 election.

These four areas are ripe for Republican governance:

• Job creation
• Budgets
• Immigration
• Taxes

On job creation, companies with overseas profits should be able to bring those funds home tax free for every new job created with those funds; make international profit repatriation easy and profitable for companies and new jobs will result.

On budgets, the suggestion is an inflation-only increase over 2013-2014 spending. Then less spending for 2016, say 2 percent across the board on all federal spending, less the inflation-based increases for military and critical civilian payrolls. After that, periodic inflation-matching raises for critical employees and military only for at least five years.

Restricting pay increases for employees and military whose pay is not, say, 90 percent of the national average plus covering inflation of government/military hardware is recommended to bring the lowest-paid military and civil service employees up in pay to reflect a decent livable pay for critical people needed to flesh out the military.

The Republican Congress can shrink appropriations for ObamaCare costs so the program does not take root until the new Congress revises the program with two keys: Allowing insurance companies to sell government-approved policies across state lines and providing government-issued vouchers based on income (as reported on income tax forms) to help low-income people not covered by Medicaid.

On immigration, the No. 1 problem is Hispanic people coming north for jobs for which many are hired. To solve this problem, passage is needed of a bill in both houses that will issue work permits — first to people working here already (without criminal records). Employers would apply for the permit. Another bill would focus enforcement by the present Border Patrol roster on borders with Mexico and Canada. Work permits will allow more agents to police the border.

As work is the primary reason for people coming here illegally, a viable work permit — like Mexico’s for Americans — will solve up to 90 percent of the problem, allowing 20,000 Border Patrol Agents to concentrate on criminals and other undesirables.

This program would include an E-Verify system implemented by bidding credit card companies or companies like Google and Amazon. Those brought here as minor children before a certian date would be issued a special green card.

On taxes, taxes that destroy jobs should be eliminated immediately: e.g., medical instrument taxes (an ObamaCare tax) and tanning salon taxes (also an ObamaCare tax). Social Security contributions by employers should be suspended for two years on every new job created and corporate taxes should be lowered so they aren’t the highest in the world.

A GOP Congress should trumpet the bills they pass that are for the general good and must be put on the president’s desk within 100 days of the new legislative regime. Then, let’s see if he will veto popular legislation passed mostly on a bipartisan basis, unlike his 2009 stimulus bill and ObamaCare, both passed only with Democratic votes.

If Republicans don’t grab the opportunity given them by 2014 voters and really produce stellar legislation, they deserve to lose in 2016.

On the other hand, if the Republican congress produces some tax reform, fixes Obama’s health insurance and immigration problems, stabilizes the budget and brings home foreign profits to create jobs, the gaggle of 2016 presidential Republican candidates can run on profound accomplishments while Hillary Clinton tries to persuade people that businesses don’t produce jobs.

Contreras formerly wrote for the New American News Service of The New York Times.