Soaring innovation and technological advances of the past century have been vital to helping us obtain the American dream. Yet, in the most technologically advanced society inEarth’s history, homeownership, affordable healthcare, consumer debt and education costs are disproportionately high or even at record-setting highs per today’s median income when compared to previous generations.
This is largely because our federal government is encouraging debt and discouraging accountability, by its example, and by laws and policies of the past century. Excessive debt and living beyond our means weaken faith and contribute heavily to divorce and broken families (and to a broken Senate). And when families (and Congress) are broken, the impact on the next generation is catastrophic.
Our federal government has tried to use the Federal Reserve to restore faith and positive sentiment, but stimulus legislation and quantitative easing are counterfeit security. Realistically, these efforts hide excessive government spending by taxing Americans through increased inflation, perpetuating a destructive debt culture. This pervasive culture has contributed to 500,000 bankruptcies per year, including thousands of corporate bankruptcies. Government is perhaps the worst offender, having already essentially defaulted on its creditors, by making loan repayments using dollars with weakened purchasing power.
The Senate and House must work together to audit, decentralize,or repeal failed mandates of the Federal Reserve. If you’re watching the news to hear the latest Federal Reserve announcements to see if you can put faith in our capital markets, I submit that this is evidence of excessive centralized authority exerted by a small group of unelected officials, resulting in major interference to our free-market economy. On a related note, if you’re a senator making stock purchases or sales because of insider knowledge you acquired during Senate or Senate banking committee meetings, you should be removed from office.
The Federal Reserve cannot continue bailing out businesses deemed “too big to fail,” while robbing small businesses, well managed banks or investment firms, and credit unions of the opportunity to gain market share when their “big” competitors are bailed out by taxpayers. As a senator, I will champion legislation to require more executive accountability for our publicly traded companies and the federal reserve. Cronyism between big business and our government must stop, even (and especially) if these businesses are major donors to the campaigns of our elected senators and congressmen.
These missteps are destroying faith in capitalism. Our government was never intended to choose which businesses should succeed and which should fail. We have departed a bitfrom the time that our founding fathers put their faith in a “Divine Providence,” in each other, and in the law of the harvest.
The Senate must help restore that faith, as well as faith in our Constitution and free-market system that has been integral to creating the most innovative nation in the history of mankind.
Our Constitution enumerates specific federal expenditures for defense, courts, post offices, postal roads, and interstate commerce. To balance our budget, I will advocate eliminating, privatizing, or sending everything else back to the states. The great majority of our people would have been far more secure in their retirement had their FICA taxes been invested in an S&P 500 based mutual fund over the past 40 years instead of our social “security” and Medicare system. Food stamps and Medicaid could work far more effectively if closer to the people, administered by state and local governments.
I am running for U.S. Senate because I am confident that I can help infuse faith, family values and fiscal discipline into our federal government. I am a CPA, audit manager, husband, and father of 6 young kids.
Increased faith, strong families and a fiscally sound federal government are desires of both Democrats and Republicans. Movements and ideologies that would persuade us to shelve our faith, disregard our families, and to discard our efforts to develop and maintain self-reliance are the greatest challenges facing us as Americans.
I can help guide conversation on the Senate floor to make major changes. I will work tirelessly to help unify with the 99 to do what’s best for our country. And if you don’t agree with me, reach out to me and I will do everything I can to make sure your voice is heard. Nobody is a nobody. It would be an honor to serve you, my fellow Utahns, in the Senate.
Josh Randall