Fort Morgan Times - Congressional Candidates Focus on Economy

News Article

by Dan Barker

Economic concerns are at the top of the list for all of the candidates running for Colorado's 4th Congressional District seat.
America needs politicians of every kind to stop the polarization that leads to people screaming at each other over which president caused the economic climate the nation is living in today, said incumbent U.S. Congresswoman Betsy Markey, D-Colorado.
"We have to stop blaming each other for our problems," said Markey, 54.
The U.S. economy is just starting to come out of the recession, and leaders of every party need to begin to work together to actually deal with the situation, she said. It is only fair to taxpayers for their representatives to do what they can as partners.
That is why all of her legislative bills are submitted with the bipartisan support of a Republican, including one meant to help small business, Markey said.
Components of that bill were later included in the Small Business Jobs Act that passed last week, she said.
This act expands loans offered through the Small Business Administration, allowing banks to make loans to small businesses with the help of a $30 billion fund which backs those loans.
Markey said she has continued to hear how tight credit is for small businesses, which make up the great majority of commerce in the U.S.
Some Morgan County business owners have complained they have a hard time getting short-term operating loans to help cover payroll while they wait for cash flow.
As she knows from her own experience as a business owner, Markey said, credit is essential and a line of credit critical for small businesses.
There have been times when she and her husband could not take any salary in order to pay their employees at Sysco Print Email Font Resize
Election 2010
Congressional candidates focus on economy
By DAN BARKER, Times Staff Writer
Posted: 09/27/2010 11:24:29 AM MDT

State Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, is challenging for the state's 4th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Economic concerns are at the top of the list for all of the candidates running for Colorado's 4th Congressional District seat.
America needs politicians of every kind to stop the polarization that leads to people screaming at each other over which president caused the economic climate the nation is living in today, said incumbent U.S. Congresswoman Betsy Markey, D-Colorado.
"We have to stop blaming each other for our problems," said Markey, 54.
The U.S. economy is just starting to come out of the recession, and leaders of every party need to begin to work together to actually deal with the situation, she said. It is only fair to taxpayers
Congresswoman Betsy Markey, left, sat down to talk with The Times about issues over the weekend, and the other candidates talked earlier in the week.
for their representatives to do what they can as partners.
That is why all of her legislative bills are submitted with the bipartisan support of a Republican, including one meant to help small business, Markey said.
Components of that bill were later included in the Small Business Jobs Act that passed last week, she said.
This act expands loans offered through the Small Business Administration, allowing banks to make loans to small businesses with the help of a $30 billion fund which backs those loans.
Markey said she has continued to hear how tight credit is for small businesses, which make up the great majority of commerce in the U.S.
Some Morgan County business owners have complained they have a hard time getting short-term operating loans to help cover payroll while they wait for cash flow.
As she knows from her own experience as a business owner, Markey said, credit is essential and a line of credit critical for small businesses.
There have been times when she and her husband could not take any salary in order to pay their employees at Sysco Services, she said.
Markey also said the U.S. needs to renew its manufacturing base, giving industries incentives to keep jobs in America, instead of hiring workers in plants overseas.
Representatives have to be focused on the economy and jobs, said Colorado House of Repre-sentatives member Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, who is challenging Markey for the 4th District seat in Congress.
Government must stop wasteful spending in order to get the country back on track, he said.
"Government does not create jobs," said Gardner, 36.
What is needed is for government to get out of the way so the private sector can start to create jobs, he said.
In his 2010 Plan: Real Solutions for America, Gardner talks about how government can help by addressing regulatory and tax uncertainty, which tend to stifle commerce, he said.
If the government streamlined regulations and permits for developing energy projects, for in-stance, projects could bloom across the nation, Gardner said.
Whether from the Environmental Protection Agency or other agencies, regulations often get in the way at various levels, he said.
Projects can require permits at the federal, state and local levels, and studies can last 10 years before industry can begin a nuclear or coal-fired electrical power plant, Gardner said.
If a community wants a project, it should be able to pre-approve it unless there is something radically wrong with it, Gardner said.
While the free market does need a referee in terms of regulations, it should not be overbur-dened, he said.
Gardner would like to see a balanced budget amendment and to start paying down the national deficit, he said.
He would also like to see a freeze on government spending and even see spending shrink back to earlier levels, Gardner said.
There is a lot of room for federal budget cuts, with billions of dollars of vacant federal build-ings and duplicate programs, he said.
Stimulus spending approved by Congress undid some of President Bill Clinton's welfare re-forms to the tune of up to $30 billion, which could be cut, Gardner said.
If Internal Revenue Service agents who would have to enforce the Affordable Health Care for America Act were never hired, it would save $15 billion, he said.
As a member of a family that owns a farm equipment dealership in Yuma, Gardner understands what it takes to make ends meet and the values of the rural eastern plains, he said.
Independent candidate Ken Waszkiewicz, 38, says the economy could be jump-started by an energy revolution.
Colorado already leads the way with its private sector investments in renewable energy and laws which encourage that investment, he said.
The U.S. should go all out to invest in every kind of energy source, whether wind and solar or traditional oil and nuclear sources, Waszkiewicz said.
If the U.S. takes the lead in energy, it could sustain the power needs of not only America but the whole world, he said.
Waszkiewicz envisions a grand project similar to President John F. Kennedy's goal to reach the moon in 10 years, which would reinvigorate the entire country.
"We need to get back to being proud Americans," Waszkiewicz said.
This would boost the economy and create needed jobs, he said.
Waszkiewicz would like to see a flat tax system in which everyone pays an 18 percent federal income tax with 82 percent left to the individual or corporation, although it would be suggested that people invest 30 percent of their income in some way, he said.
One of the problems with the current tax system is that it is too complex and some people are able to tweak their taxes to avoid paying, while others are not, Waszkiewicz said.
Waszkiewicz would also make eliminating the debt a priority, so that the U.S. would not be be-holden to any other countries, he said.
The federal government needs to stop wasteful spending which both Republicans and Demo-crats have supported, Waszkiewicz said.
(Editor's note -- Watch upcoming editions of The Times for the second part of this story, which covers the next farm bill, cap and trade and other issues.)

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