Giuliani at Heritage: Go on offense
May 8, 2007| By Nathaniel Ward
The American government must go “on the offense” on both economic and national security policy, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told Heritage Foundation members yesterday.
Drawing on his experience reforming the nation’s largest city, the mayor told the President’s Club meeting that ensuring economic growth and securing this nation against attack should be government’s highest priority.
To allow what he called “economic security,” he proposed that conservatives go on the offense with a series of sound policy proposals:
- Rein in government spending and trim the size of the government workforce. Specifically, he called for across-the-board cuts in government funding—except in defense and national security. “The United States government right now needs an across-the-board spending decrease,” he said.
- Make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent. Critics of the tax cuts, he argued, “do not recognize the realities of supply-side economics,” adding that their expiration in a few years “would be a catastrophe for economic growth.”
- Completely repeal the death tax, which is set to come back into full force in 2011. He said the current arrangement is “a tax incentive to die in 2010.”
- Explore ways to make further reductions in the tax rate.
- Tackle the problem of runaway entitlement spending. He wondered why politicians are so reluctant to question why this spending is considered “non-discretionary.”
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani addresses Heritage members at the spring President’s Club meeting Monday.
Such an economic program would be a step in the right direction on economic policy, allowing for expanded economic growth and prosperity. As the mayor put it, “growth is about putting more money in the private sector, not in the hands of government.”
America must also go on offense on national security to ensure America is protected, Mayor Giuliani continued. He outlined several ways this should be done:
- Win the war in Iraq instead of retreating from the battlefield. “We should not leave Iraq until it is an ally in the ongoing war against terrorism.”
- Grant law enforcement the tools they need to discover and disrupt terrorist plots. These tools, he said, include the USA PATRIOT Act, surveillance capability and interrogation rules.
- Expand the military by ten combat brigades and revisit the resources provided all branches to be sure they are adequately funded. He noted that military funding today is low by historical standards.
- Train American soldiers for the missions they will undertake in the war on terror and call on other government agencies to help. For example, he pointed out that many in the military are today involved in rebuilding Iraq.
“The lesson of September 11 is we should never go on defense again,” he said. “You do not wave the flag of defeat, you do not retreat.”
In his wide-ranging speech that included praise for Heritage’s work, the mayor touched on other policy areas as well. He called for consumer-driven health care reforms, school vouchers and tort reform. In addition, he opened his speech by congratulating Nicolas Sarkozy on his victory in France’s presidential elections Sunday.
The Heritage Foundation regularly sponsors lectures by prominent individuals to further discussion of conservative ideas and policy proposals. Invitations to speak do not imply that Heritage endorses these individuals.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
