Washington politics has become too big a part of our lives. And they are crushing national unity and our great American spirit.

Supporting candidates who promote freedom, lower taxes and sensible regulations will give Americans more income, time and a better path to pursue happiness.

The average wage in the United States is $21.57 an hour. This wage has been stagnant for almost a decade despite the cost of living going up. Federal income tax withholds over $103 a week from this pay check.

Hillary Clinton wants the average tax of $103 a week to increase. Donald Trump, meanwhile, proposes to eliminate this and all withholding tax for anyone making less than $50,000 a year.

The difference in the take-home paycheck under Trump is an extra $450 a month (or a 15 percent pay increase).

Pay increases for workers will continue to go up if we choose national leaders who create a better business environment.

REGULATIONS HOLD BACK GROWTH

Currently, thousands of new federal regulations raise compliance costs and penalize all paychecks. The unreasonable and in many cases unnecessary laws are responsible for the dismally low U.S. growth rate of 1.2 percent.

The National Association of Manufacturers' recent report says that "the average U.S. company pays $9,900 per employee per year to comply with federal regulations. This figure nearly doubles to $19,500 for the average manufacturer."

Businesses become less competitive, which leads to American jobs being shipped overseas.

President Barack Obama has more than doubled America's national debt while also raising taxes and increasing regulations. Obama's approach has suppressed wages and suffocated any real recovery.

Clinton promises more of the same.

If she performs like Obama and doubles the national debt, it would put us at $40 trillion in the hole and kill the nation we know.

If our country is going to prosper, we need stronger economic growth and more entrepreneurship. And we need to give American companies a fighting chance to compete at home.

Healthy American economies average 4 percent growth rates, which would add an extra $600 billion to the current economy and billions more in tax revenue.

Better economic management and growth will secure these benefits for the long term.

Trump's pro-growth policies give the country a much better chance to create wealth and prosperity.

When people are making more money and thinking less about politics, they are happier - and that is good for the morale and spirit of a nation.

Bill Spinner, Jacksonville