Florida Senate candidates talk federal spending
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/jun/17/florida-senate-candidates-talk-federal-spending/
The four major candidates for Senate found something easy to agree on Friday: the soaring federal debt is a huge problem. What we do about it is where their answers varied.
Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meeksupports a pay-as-you-go system and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as a way to bring spending down. Republican Marco Rubio said there have to be changes to entitlement programs even if people have to make sacrifices. Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running without party backing, said the United States should be run like Florida, which has a budget line-item veto and constitutionally requires a balanced budget. Democrat Jeff Green said the tax cuts under President George W. Bush should expire.
All spoke at a forum organized for the Florida Society of News Editors/Florida Press Association annual convention, where several questions were asked about federal spending.
"The war was a reason for chest beating in many cases and saying we need to continue to fight in Iraq, not looking at the price tag," Meek said. "When it comes down to the war, I think we have to have enough discipline to say when."
He also said he refused to support increasing the federal debt cap until lawmakers agreed to put a provision in the legislation that would force Congress to find a source of funding if they propose new spending.
Meek also said he supports tax cuts for smaller businesses, the need to find waste in government and warned about the dangers of countries like China buying America's debt.
"We're going to find ourselves in a very precarious situation, especially in the global market that we're in," he said.
Rubio, the former House speaker, has made federal spending the focus of his campaign, repeatedly saying the federal government shouldn't spend money it doesn't have.
"Washington, through both political parties frankly, have put our country on an unsustainable path," Rubio said in his opening remarks.
He wants a complete tax system overhaul, saying it's now cumbersome.
"The purpose of tax policy is to generate revenue for government, not to distribute income or to favor once class over another," Rubio said. "While it's important that everyone pay there fair share, it's also important taxation does not reach a level where it discourages people from investing in the American economy."
Rubio also supports changes to entitlement programs such as Social Security, where he wants to gradually raise the eligibility age for people who are now under 55. He said politicians are afraid to make drastic changes because they're more worried about getting re-elected.
"We have two massive entitlement programs in our country in Medicare and Social Security that are the path towards bankruptcy. First they will bankrupt themselves and then they'll bankrupt our country and they have to be reformed," he said. "Political figures, particular those that are motivated by the desire to perpetually win elections, are always going to be prone to adopting and telling people what they want to hear even though it's not what they need to hear."
Crist, who said unlike the other candidates at the forum that he is in the political middle rather than the far right or far left, touted the fact that he cut nearly $400 million from the budget that lawmakers sent him.
"I am a fiscal conservative. I vetoed a whole lot of stuff this year, like $371 million worth of pork, because I don't want to waste the people's money. They worked too hard for it," Crist said. "Especially in this economy, we have to be frugal."
He said the federal government should work like the Florida government and only spend the money it has. He also believes the president should have the same option he has to veto individual budget items.
"Why shouldn't the federal government — your government — live within its means like you and I have to do," Crist said. "We have to practice what we preach. Personally, I have no debt. None. I'm a cheap guy."
Greene, a billionaire who made millions of off telemarketing and real estate before hitting billionaire status by correctly predicting the housing market collapse and placing the right bets to profit off it, called for more spending to improve infrastructure and education.
He said a recent study showed that more than two dozen countries, including Poland and Latvia, had better educated students than American students.
"We are in an economic world war. We are fighting not just with India and China, we're fighting that war with Korea, we're fighting it with Israel, with Taiwan. Name the country that isn't fighting and trying to get our jobs. How are we going to compete when our kids are not the best educated?" Greene said.
Greene also criticized tax breaks for the wealthy under Bush, saying it made wealthy people wealthier and wasn't reinvested to create jobs.