Issue Position: Debt, Spending & Balanced Budgets

Issue Position

The national debt is over $17 trillion. That's more than $55,000 per American citizen, higher even than the median salary.

Both Republicans and Democrats--including both of my opponents--share responsibility for this staggering burden imposed on future taxpayers.

My Republican opponent Ed Gillespie is fond of noting that incumbent Democrat Mark Warner voted for $7 trillion in new debt, and that Mark Warner has voted with Barack Obama 97 percent of time.

Both are true, and the debt has exploded under Obama. But the debt also exploded under the George W. Bush administration that Ed Gillespie was a part of. And as Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Gillespie proudly bragged that the GOP no longer stood for limited government, but instead increasing the size of government at "a slower rate of growth" than Democrats would. The facts certainly prove Ed right that he and his party don't really care about limited government and spending restraint.

Let's face it: Neither Republicans nor Democrats, neither Ed Gillespie nor Mark Warner, has any credibility when it comes to protecting taxpayers' money and shepherding scarce resources. Both parties have enacted new, expensive entitlements. Both parties have increased discretionary spending. Both parties have supported wars of choice.

I pledge to make debt-reduction and balanced budgets a priority. I support simplifying the tax code, reforming entitlements, and cutting bloated budgets--including military spending. And I support a balanced budget amendment and protections against accounting gimmicks.

I'm also the only candidate who supports expanding and protecting both economic and personal freedom--and I understand how they are linked. For instance, our failed War on Drugs contributes to the United States having the highest incarceration rate in the world. That's not only unjust, it's expensive and perpetuates poverty. By unleashing freedom, we will expand economic growth and opportunity, and in turn, reduce the burden on the safety net.

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