The LOUDelf speaks!

All elves have manifestos, just like all heroes have theme-songs.  Since this LOUDelf is quite vocal, you should probably understand some of what makes him tick.  Currently there are 13 key points political and personal he wants people to strive for:

~ LOUDelf Manifesto ~

Personal:

1. Sacrifice to get ahead.  No one else is going to do it for you, and I think deep down, we all want to get ahead of the other elves… or people.
2. Save, save, save.  If you’re not saving, you are living beyond your means.  Tighten the belt, and build a nest-egg so when something bad happens, you can take the hit, or when some great opportunity comes along, you don’t have to pass it up.
3. Go out and help at least one day per year in your community.  Whether this is tutoring, staffing a water point on a walk, picking up trash, or the like, your time is worth its weight in gold, and this will yield small, or sometimes large dividends for your community and the elves within it.
4. Educate yourself!  This could be by taking college courses, adult education, free seminars, and so on.  By learning more, you can do more, and be more self-sufficient… even if it is in gardening or some type of “non-important” area.
5. Pay it forward.  If you make an effort to go out of your way to perform a nice deed just once a day, some of the recipients may just do the same for someone else.  It’s catchy!  This can be waiting an extra 10 seconds and holding the door for someone, letting a car out in traffic when you don’t have to, picking up something someone else has dropped, or insert your own heroic deed here.
6. Stop allowing hypocrisy.  Many people say one thing, but when push comes to shove, do another.  Try to live by standards.  Once you do this, you can hold the other elves to this. Furthermore, make sure you catch others (especially those you elect), and help them correct this.
7. Don’t talk about it… DO IT!  Talk is cheap, and far less valuable than action in most cases, yet often wastes as much energy.  Focus on what is important, whether it is politics, work, or something else, and achieve clear goals.
8. Do more.  Think you’ve done enough?  Probably not.  Do it a little better, more focused, and longer.

Politcal:

1. Reduce the foreign aid we give to other countries.  There are plenty of elves here that could use those funds.  We have crumbling roads, bridges, and other infrastructure right here in the good old USA.
2. All elves should be taxed the same flat rate.  This means that every elf can work for the same dollar as the next one, and there is no penalty for working harder.  As a side-effect, this will greatly simplify the tax code.
3. Laws should only be enacted to protect safety or property. All other reasons become difficult and costly to enforce, as well as may infringe on rights or sensibilities.
4. Do not allow voting results until the last voting booth has closed, and ALL ballots are counted.  This may seem small, but allowing people, especially those on the west coast and pacific, to see election results may change their decision whether to still vote.  Every legitimate vote is critical.
   
5. Reduce government spending. The government is not a vehicle for wealth re-distribution, or a social equalizer.  It is a regulatory and enforcement vehicle that protects life, property, and the safety of others.  Beyond this, it has to act where people and industry cannot — infrastructure, military, etc.  If we reduce the federal spending, we will more easily balance budgets and have less guise to tax the people.
   

~ End Manifesto ~