top of page

WALTER HAYES'
PLATFORM

Below is a personal platform that I started building some 13 or so years ago. Here I outline my beliefs and approach to a number of issues at the State and Federal level.
PLATFORM ISSUES AND WALTER'S POSITION

State Goverment

Initiative Petition


The initiative petition is a horrible idea and has no place as part of a republican form of government. It is a form of pure democracy that the founding fathers knew was a bad idea. My personal preference would be to replace it with a Convention of Counties. This would retain the voice of the people and allow the people to go around the General Assembly when needed, but it would keep the ability to make sure that proposed amendments to the Missouri Constitution are properly vetted. The Constitution of our State or our Country should be hard to change.

Short of replacing the current method, we should, at a minimum, adopt the Concurrent Majority approach where a change to our state constitution requires the 50% + one popular voice along with a majority in at least 5 of the 8 congressional districts in Missouri for adoption. This would ensure broad support across the state for a change to the Missouri Constitution.

Budget

We need to wean ourselves, as much as is possible, from Federal dollars as a source of income. Currently some 50% of the Missouri annual budget is paid for by Federal dollars. We can't tell the US Government no, and at the same time receive half of our annual income from them.

School Choice


Money should be attached to the child, and they go where the parents feel is the best educational opportunity, whether that be public or private, and the State government should have no part in the oversight of that money. Local control should be paramount, with the State there to assist rather than to dictate. We should also be removing the handcuffs placed on public education placed on them by state agencies. This would allow them to concentrate on educating our children and preparing them for adult life rather than spending so much of their time teaching them to a standardized test.

Taxes
​
  1. Income Taxes - Any tax that penalizes the creation of wealth should be abolished. Any kind of income tax penalizes the creation of wealth and is therefore counterproductive. The consumption tax is the only fair way to tax other than user fees for some services.
  2. Corporate Income Tax. Corporations don’t pay income taxes. Just like every other tax they pay, that tax is paid for by the consumer in the price of the goods they buy.
  3. Property Taxes – Personal and Real Estate Property Taxes are hardships and effectively mean that no one ever owns the property they bought. These taxes should be eliminated and replaced with the Fair tax. However, it’s important to consider that these specific taxes fund our municipalities and schools so eliminating these must be done in a manner that considers this issue and ensures that funding to the municipalities and schools isn’t lost.
Currency

The US Constitution allows the use of Gold and Silver as currency and allows for the management of that by the States. Considering the devaluation of the US Dollar we should take advantage of this and pass sufficient legislation to codify this in the State of Missouri.
Economy

The most powerful economy in world has been and is the free enterprise system. This system should be free of regulation as much as is possible. Only where men insist that they be regulated by their greed should government interfere.

Federal Government

Foreign Aid

​

The United States is one of the most giving nations on earth, both from the government and the public at large, however, we should stop using tax dollars to try to win the favor of other countries. We should immediately withdraw giving to all foreign nations and use that money to bring down the huge deficit with which we are faced. The US government has no business spending tax dollars on foreign aid. I’m all for cooperating and buying things from foreign nations but we cannot continue to give money we borrow to other countries.

Nuclear Proliferation

​

We cannot as a country afford to let rogue nations, like Iran, have access to nuclear weapons.

Israel

​

We should formally declare our unwavering support for the State of Israel and their right to the land that has been theirs for millennia. Israel is not occupying land that is not theirs. It is the opposite. Support for Israel should be unconditional. We should also support the fact that they have a right to defend themselves just as we do.

Military Personnel

​

The way we have treated the military of this country is subpar. If we vote to go to war there should be only one objective, to win as quickly as possible. I would also ensure that our military has the absolute best equipment and supplies available on the face of the earth to do the task that we have asked them to do.

Foreign Military Bases 

​

  • I would immediately close all the military bases anywhere in the world where our presence is unwanted.

  • Foreign military bases should be funded by the country in which they are located. At this point in history, with technology such as it is, we are based in other countries more for that country’s benefit than our own.

Military Retirement and Health Care

​

Our Military men and women are often not treated like the heroes that they are.

  • A military retiree that has given his/her 20 years minimum in the defense of his country should have a minimum of One Million dollars in retirement proceeds from which to retire in a manner more suitable for those that have given their utmost for their country.

  • I would ensure that any active-duty military killed in the line of duty has a minimum of a 2-million-dollar death benefit to their estate, for the care of the loved ones they leave behind. It is the least we can do as a country.

  • Any active duty or veteran should also have access to the best medical care available in the United States at the hospital of their choosing. If anyone in this country deserves free health care, it’s our military men and women.

Death Penalty

​

The death penalty is a deterrent to violent crimes. However, we should adopt the biblical principal that says that the only way the death penalty can be used is if there are at least 2 eyewitnesses to the crime. This might be people, or it might be incontrovertible DNA evidence, but any less requires a maximum of life in prison. The death penalty is both a deterrent, and a valid and long accepted means of dealing with someone that commits murder. However, it should never be used unless there is irrefutable proof that the defendant committed the crime.

Taxes

​

The IRS and any tax that penalizes the creation of wealth should be abolished. It is the exact opposite of what we should be doing in a free enterprise, capitalistic society. It should be replaced with the Fair tax. Those that are poor would not pay more tax than they do today.  Any kind of income tax penalizes the creation of wealth and is therefore counterproductive. The consumption tax is the only fair way to tax other than user fees for some services. Likewise, I would scrap the Corporate Income Tax. Corporations don’t pay income taxes. Just like every other tax they pay, that tax is paid for by the consumer in the price of the goods they buy.

Welfare

​

This is needed for the temporary restoration of those who are less fortunate. While this is not a proper use of government funds it has become a need because private and religious organizations aren't getting the job done. Anyone on welfare should either be working on jobs supplied by the government until they can find something better or be sent to school at the expense of the government to learn a trade that will keep them off Welfare in the future. We should not be enslaving people to the system, making it impossible to escape welfare as we do today.

Justice System

​

Our justice system is broken. The idea of innocent until proven guilty is a myth today. People are sometimes put away with no direct evidence of a crime. This must change. The idea of “circumstantial evidence” should be stricken from the lexicon of the American legal system. One should never be allowed to be put in prison without direct evidence tying that person to the alleged crime.

Economy

​

  • The economy should be left to the market. It doesn’t need the government meddling in it. I would look at going back on the Gold Standard. Our money needs to be backed by more than the good faith of the Federal Government. The Media and political parties of all forms have used self-fulfilling prophecies far too often to dupe the people into following their will. The pilgrims proved that Socialism didn’t work 400 years ago. It’s time to let the economy do what it does best under a capitalistic framework.

  • We should pass a balanced budget amendment. In 2012 our debt was about $12 trillion dollars. In 2025 we’re going into debt at the rate of approximately $1 trillion dollars every 100 days. This is not sustainable. The Federal Government is not the answer to every question. Borrowing money that cannot be paid back in less than 20 years is theft. The founding fathers said this and it’s still true today.

  • Transactional Gold – The States have within their constitutional rights the ability to use Gold and Silver as tender in payment of debts. There is a move to create state depositories where an individual can deposit gold and silver, then use a debit card to transact business. This is something we should absolutely do, as it’s a hedge against inflation, and it’s backed by something of value rather than the promise of a government that prints paper at will.

Separation of Church and State

​

What exists in the Constitution is the exact opposite of what liberals have preached and pushed on Americans. The only separation of State is that the State is not allowed to create a religion and force the citizens of this country to adhere to that religion. One of the first acts of Congress was to pray and dedicate this Country to God. Our own Congress has printed Bibles for our schools. The words “Separation of Church and State” do not exist in our founding documents.

Congressional Service

 

Anyone that is to serve in Congress should have to be subject to the following rules:

  • Random Drug Testing – This is prevalent in many industries and Congress members should be examples rather than exceptions.

  • Subject to the same rules as the President in terms of finances. Congressional members should have to put their financial investments into a trust and have no day to day to management of investments. There should be no ability for members of Congress to benefit ahead of citizens on decisions they’re making in Congress that impact stock prices in which they may be investing.

  • Should have to obey the laws that they create. Any exemptions written into a law for members of Congress must be eliminated.

Repeal the 16th and the 17th Amendments.

 

  • 16th Amendment - a tax on income is nothing more than a penalty on the creation of wealth. We should abolish the income tax and replace it with the Fair tax. This can be done without impacting the poor but is the only way to ensure that those with more pay more. Right now, the real burden of the tax code falls on the middle class.

  • We used to have a system where the people had a voice through the House of Representatives and the States had a voice through the Senate. The States, in large part due to their own laziness, abdicated their responsibility as good citizens, (yes, the State as an entity is a citizen of the USA), and shifted their responsibility to the people which has allowed the Federal Government to unconstitutionally expand their powers more easily. The States need to take back that check and balance.

Health Care

​

Socialized health care only guarantees that you don’t get good health care. The easiest way to significantly reduce costs is simple.

  • Allow groups to cross state lines. The larger the insurance group, the lower and more stable the insurance cost.

  • Put caps on lawsuits against doctors. We cannot afford to run good doctors out of business because of frivolous lawsuits. If a crime isn’t committed, judgements should be capped.

  • Outlaw all attempts to get between a person’s doctor and their health care.Incentivize in some form or fashion the coverage of preventive care rather than just treatment.

  • Put doctors and patients back in charge of healthcare rather than the Federal Government. There’s no constitutional right for the Federal Government to meddle in healthcare. This should also include insurance companies telling doctors how to treat patients.

The Environment

​

  • The EPA should be curtailed or eliminated. Protecting the environment is important, but the EPA as it now exists, has gone far past its legal authority.

  • Climate Change (Man Made Global warming) as it's normally referred to, is a myth. Climate change is a natural part of the cycle of life. Evolution and Global Warming are religions to some, but to most are a way to make money, and there is no reason to wreck our economy over it.

Energy Independence

 

Getting a handle on energy independence isn’t difficult if politicians would just get out of the way.

 

  • Repeal any laws that prohibit refiners from seeking the best price when buying oil to process.

  • Create a distribution network for alternative fuels such as Ethanol, H2, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG).

  • Drill, drill, drill –we should be drilling for oil in our country wherever it is available. We are not going to free ourselves from petroleum any time soon. You can’t get through the next 5 minutes without touching something or using something where petroleum was required to produce it. It’s insane to insist on importing oil from elsewhere.

  • Build more refinery capacity – We haven’t built a new refinery in decades in the US. Most people only think we import oil. The fact is we import a lot of the gas and diesel that we use in this country and there’s absolutely no reason for it.

  • Use wind and solar as alternatives. It’s there for the using so let’s use it to the greatest extent possible, as the market dictates. Solar needs to be affordable enough that it becomes common place to equip new residential housing with it from the outset. However, this should be market driven. When the market makes it efficient and affordable people will buy it.

  • There is no reason to not take advantage of nuclear power. Europe has used it very effectively for years and our Navy has been powered by nuclear power for over 60 years.

Federal and State Departments

 

All departments at the State or Federal level not created constitutionally by their respective legislatures should be immediately abolished.

Executive orders

 

Executive orders at the State or Federal levels are meant to be used as a tool to enforce laws passed by the Legislative Branch. They are not for creating law. That is inherently unconstitutional and should be stopped.

​The Constitution should be the foundation of anything we do, whether at the State or Federal level. And the Constitution should always be interpreted based on the meaning of the day as explained by the Founders themselves in the Federalist papers.

bottom of page