Sarah Palin presents policy prescription to STFDA in Phoenix

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In her keynote address to the Specialty Tool and Fasteners Distributors Association in Phoenix, AZ, Monday, Sarah Palin offered suggestions for getting the U.S. economy out of the recession:

Repeal "Obamacare": While no one understands everything in the bill yet, it's becoming clear that small businesses will bear the brunt of the legislation, Palin says. "We need real, patient-centered, free market reform," instead of "unfunded mandates" such as the national health care reform, she says.

Stop unnecessary spending to cut the deficit: "We have a spending problem," Palin asserts, referencing the current $1.3 trillion federal budget deficit. Palin suggests cutting non-essential spending and reforming entitlement programs such as Social Security. But, she cautions, "We have to reform them in a responsible compassionate way."

Taxes aren't the answer, she says. "Corporate America doesn't pay taxes; we the consumers do," she says. "We have to remind the government of that."

Instead, Palin suggests freezing discretionary spending at 2008 levels and moving forward with a zero-base budget.

Cancel federal programs and cut earmarks: "When I was the governor, I reduced earmarks by 85 percent," Palin says. "And we did just fine."

Canceling the remaining TARP and ARRA funds and putting that money towards the deficit would help move the country in the right direction, she says.

Make smart policy; stop bad policy: The "endless stream" of new legislation is only succeeding in the federal government "micro-managing the economy," Palin warns.

[More]

Gov. Palin said that bad policies aren't coming only from Congress and the President, but also from the Federal Reserve Bank, which wants to pump money into the economy by buying treasury bonds.

More on her speech from a blogger who was there.

- JP