Looking for a woman for Indian Americans and Republicans to rally around?  Look at Nikki Haley in South Carolina!

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_governor_elections/south_carolina/election_2010_south_carolina_republican_primary_for_governor

I believe the Republican Party needs a face lift, and the addition of an intelligent woman (or women) would definitely be good for the party.  Let's face it, whether it is true or not and despite Sarah Palin, the perception of many Americans is that the Republican party is an old boys club.   There is an old saying, "Perception becomes Reality."

If the Republican party expects to have any chance of recapturing the majority at the federal level, and in the legislatures of many states, they need a dramatic make over.

On the issues, the Republicans have done a terrible job of framing the issues, or rather have done a horrible job of letting the democrats control the issues in such a way that Republicans look silly and on the wrong side of the issue.

For example, on health care reform, the democrats make it appear that Republicans are against health care.  That is ridiculous!  How can anyone be against health care?  We all know the system is broken, but the democrats have taken the advantage by being for "something"  and making it "appear" the mean spirited republicans are against fixing the system.

My background as a mental-health care professional is ideal for being able to shed light on why the democrats' plan is flawed.  The "populist" idea of ensuring adequate and affordable health care for everyone is great, but it doesn't work if it causes more financial stress on the system than it relieves.  Having a Grand Plan is no good if you don't have a way to pay for it.  The idea that ensuring health care for every single person may work on paper, but it is human nature to overuse abuse such a plan if the people using it do not have to pay for it.  Traditionally, it has always been the role of charitable agencies and religious organizations because they could only spend what people and corporations would contribute.  

When the federal government takes over the role as a charitable institution, it is a very dangerous proposition.  We only need to look at Social Security to see how the government can mis- manage a plan that looked good on paper when the idea was introduced.  For every dollar spent on health care, there needs to be a specific dollar cut from the existing budget, not a conceptual savings from less spending if there is no health care reform.

My background gives me an ability to go toe to toe with any democrat on this issue and debate the finer points.

There is a Congressman in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Tim Murphy, who is a psychologist, and a former State Senator and Representative.  He does a wonderful job serving his constituents and that have confidence that his background as a psychologist enables him to navigate the treacherous political waters of Harrisburg and Washington to become a very respected member of the Republican Party who contributes much to both the party while serving the needs of all of his constituents, whether they voted for him or not.

The Republican party is in desperate need of leaders that can articulate the issues so the democrats are exposed.  In addition to the health care issue, the hottest issues for American voters are Jobs and taxes.  

Although it may raise the ire of some rich republicans, I could point out how regressive our income tax system really is.  While the graduated income tax brackets appear to be socially progressive by taxing the "so-called" rich at a greater rate than the poor, in actuality, the system taxes the harder working and more successful.  Our current system taxes income NOT wealth.  Therefore, the democrats' plan to raise tax rates on the higher income earners will only serve as a disincentive to those individuals who want to achieve the American Dream.  

 

As a professional that has worked in the health care industry on various fronts, I can address the impact that higher marginal tax rates would have on the people who contribute the most to the economy.  If you decreased the chances that a person could win a lottery, would you expect to sell more or less tickets?   If you raise marginal tax rates, would you expect productivity to increase or decrease?  Any economist knows that GDP is an important measure of a country's economic health.  An increase in GDP is necessary if a country expects to survive.

The psychological impact of higher marginal tax rates would be devastating to the economy.  

On jobs and the psychological impact of unemployment has on an individual is also unique.  Economists are just starting to understand just how big the impact high unemployment has on the economy.  Although the obvious impact is that people without a job have less money to spend, the bigger impact is on the employed who become fearful of losing their job.  It is this phenomenon that devastates an economy because it exacerbates the problem. In essence, we are dealing with individuals that are operating high on anxiety and are feeling less confident.

Dr. Shivani Nath
RIC-NJ
Vice-President Legislative Affairs

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.