Taxing and Spending

One glance at the image above and you can see: spending is out of control. Multi-Trillion dollar deficits, bailouts and stimulus packages are placing an unsustainable burden on our economy and on our children and grandchildren. This is unconscionable, and I will take a hard line on spending. Overspending by the government has been a problem for close to a decade. We've seen bridges to nowhere, and even here in Western Pennsylvania we've seen a tunnel to nowhere. Unfortunately, when the Democrats took over Congress in 2006 and Obama took the White House in 2008, they did not listen to the people's concerns about spending and did far more damage than the Republicans ever did. I will fight to stop this intergenerational theft.

I will fight to permanently end the practice of hidden earmarks. If a member of Congress believes a project should be built using Federal funds in his or her district, then he or she should submit a stand-alone bill for that project and let other Members of Congress have a direct up or down vote on it. That way, Members will be able to evaluate the constitutionality of the expenditure, whether it is a good idea, and whether our children and grandchildren will be having to pay for it in thirty years.

I will fight any attempts to increase taxes, and I will fight to keep in place the tax rates that were put into effect in 2001 and 2003, which are set to expire at the end of 2012. Because I believe we need to balance the budget without placing an unreasonable burden on the taxpayer, I have signed Americans for Tax Reform's pledge not to raise taxes. And I will fight for tax reform that results in a more efficient tax system and one that is the most competitive in the world for our businesses.