Former Candidate Steve Forbes Endorses Rick Perry's Candidacy and Flat Tax Plan

On Sunday, a man whom I greatly admire, Steve Forbes, endorsed Governor Rick Perry's candidacy for the presidency and "Flat Tax" plan which will be released on Tuesday. This endorsement speaks loudly to me. I know Steve Forbes. He is a man of great integrity.  I had the privilege of working with him during the 2000 Presidential race.When asked about Perry's plan, Steve called it a "win-win all around" and was quite enthusiastic about what he saw as its "radical simplicity."

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - First, the standard disclaimer and clarification. I write as a private citizen. I am not using my clerical title in the author line. Like all Americans, I have the right to speak and write concerning the race for the candidate who will challenge President Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential election in the United States of America. Anyone who reads my commentary knows I am convinced this is one of the most important political elections in American history. Those who read my commentaries also know of my friendship with - and admiration for - former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. I have not formally endorsed any candidate for the Republican nomination. However, I have made it clear that on what matters most, I admire Rick Santorum. I am inspired by his crystal clarity on the Right to Life, his unwavering commitment to the truth about marriage and the family and society founded upon it - the witness of his family life, his depth of knowledge on almost every area of public policy and his courage to lead. However, I have also written about the other contenders for the Republican nomination and will continue to do so. That is what I am doing in this article. On Sunday, a man whom I greatly admire, Steve Forbes, endorsed Governor Rick Perry's candidacy for the presidency. He also endorsed Perry's "Flat Tax" plan which will be released on Tuesday. This endorsement speaks loudly to me. I know Steve Forbes. He is a man of great integrity.  I had the privilege of working with him during the 2000 Presidential race. I first met Steve Forbes in the late nineties. At the time I lived in Northern Virginia and was engaged in Pro-Life and Pro-Family lobbying, policy and legal work. I also pursued my first graduate theology degree at the John Paul II Institute. It was through my Pro-Life work on Capitol Hill that I met Steve. His embrace of the truth about the dignity of every human life and his support of the Right to Life were being called into question by the pundit class inside the beltway. The political cynics back then said they doubted Steve's Pro-Life sincerity. They tried to harm his growing support within the Pro-Life community. I knew better. I had the privilege of helping Steve as he grew to comprehend the full truth about the person hood of the child in the womb. Steve, like so many others who sincerely embrace the undeniable truth of the Right to Life position, was changed to the core. I watched with great appreciation as he boldly stood for the Right to Life. I told the questioning Washington Press that his convictions were the Real Deal - and they were. I grew in my relationship with Steve Forbes in the early stages of his Presidential run for the 2000 Republican nomination. He is one the most humble, self effacing, warm and interesting men I have ever met. He is a true family man, a wonderful husband and father, a successful entrepreneur and a truly great American original. I look back on those days when I came to call Steve Forbes a friend with great fondness. I was honored and surprised when he asked me to help him as he pursued his candidacy.  I said yes and became an advisor to "Forbes 2000" on Pro-Life and other social issues. During that time I also  helped in the formulation of his "New Birth of Freedom" campaign of ideas, which utilized the language of Lincoln. It was an honor to be acknowledged when his book called "A New Birth of Freedom" was published. Although everyone who personally talked with Steve during that campaign was moved by his sincerity, he simply did not have the "charisma" with the crowd which was so important back then. He did surprise the pundits when he came in second in Iowa. However, he soon withdrew from the contest. In retrospect, I still believe Steve Forbes would have made a great President of the United States. As a Catholic citizen I always seek to inform my political participation by the principles found within the Social teaching of my Church. However, in the area of economic theory and practice, there is plenty of room for prudential judgment. I am a proponent of small government and the principle of subsidiarity. Steve believed that the best way to help people to flourish economically was by expanding the circle of participation. He was also dedicated to removing the onerous burden of a tax system run amuck. Steve's signature position in his economic platform was his "Flat Tax". The Forbes flat tax plan eliminated complicated deductions and tax shelters. It created a simple, honest tax system that gave a personal exemption of $13,000 for each adult and $5,000 for each child. It eliminated the anti-family "marriage penalty." The average family of four would not pay federal taxes on the first $36,000 of their income. It would have saved them, on average, $1,600 annually. Steve's plan ensured that senior citizens would not be taxed on Social Security income, pension funds or personal savings. It eliminated the death tax. I supported the plan then and still think it would be a massive improvement over the current tax system in the United States. So, when I read that Steve Forbes has endorsed Governor Rick Perry's candidacy for the Republican nomination in 2012, I was not surprised. I knew that the Governor was set to unveil his own "Flat Tax" plan Tuesday in South Carolina. When asked about Perry's plan, Steve told a reporter from Fox news, "It's going to be very exciting, a very low rate, generous exemptions for adults and for children, make it worthwhile to invest in America again, drastically simplying the tax code, lowering the corporate tax rate." He called it a "win-win all around" and was quite enthusiastic about what he saw as its "radical simplicity." Indications are that the Perry Flat Tax plan will be very similar to the Forbes 2000 plan. I wish Steve Forbes had given my friend Rick Santorum more consideration before making his endorsement. For many other important reasons, I am not as excited as Steve appears to be about the Perry candidacy. I look forward to studying the Perry Flat Tax proposal when it is released.Clearly the Governor of Texas has received an extraordinary endorsement from a man of great integrity as he continues his Presidential campaign.  Having Steve Forbes as an advisor is a huge asset to a campaign which seemed to have lost its momentum.

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