Telegram: When is the minority party going to be able to see the Economic Stimulus Package plan?
When the majority decides to give it to us. The majority decides when the minority finds out about it. I would hope that they would give us at least 24 hours to look over $700 billion worth of spending but you never know. I think (President-elect Barack) Obama has a good conscience of spending. He’s clearly reached out to us … we are excited about him reaching out. And he’s said to us that he wants to participate and he’s put it on his Web site what his ideas are. So he’s doing his best to be fair with us. The problem is whether the House leadership is going to be effective.
Telegram: How do you feel about the new administration? How well do you think the GOP will work with Obama?
I think that we will be a loyal opposition. And we will support those things that we think make good sense. For instance, I think he is going to get full support from every Republican on these tax cuts he is proposing.
Of course, we are the party that believes that less taxes makes for a better economy, and they (Democrats) have a track record of more taxes. As we look down the road to the end of 2010 we need to be thinking about the already-in-place tax cuts. If they let those all come back, then we’re right back in the dark because we have taxes that are going to be bringing down our economy. But we’re not there yet - so I trust the future president is going to do this to completion and we are going to have some things to be very supportive about.
Telegram: Is there any immediate action you would like to see the new administration take?
I think economists across the board acknowledge that when you’re moving towards a deep recession raising taxes is the worst possible thing that you can do. I think that the president-elect, Obama, has also seen that and made the determination that this package is going to have tax cuts in it.
But the real issue is that the American taxpayers should be able to have some comfort that there is permanence in the tax cuts he gives.
And there is still much conversation in Congress about reinstating the Bush tax cuts. So, insecurity leads to part of the distrust of the economy that is in the minds of the people that are in the economy - they get frightened. So, some permanence in the tax policy and continuing to have low taxes will help us get out of this recession. We’ve had other things that we have to do, but I think the American people would like some permanence in their tax policy.
Telegram: What are some of the concerns that the people within your district have voiced and how do you plan on responding to those concerns?
I think the economy overwhelms everything else. The issue of illegal immigration is still a very important topic to the people in my district. I think there is a sane, humane way of doing the immigration issue, but will still require people to be responsible for breaking the laws of the United States. So, that’s all to be discussed in the future, but it is important to people back home. Right now, the economy is the 800-pound gorilla in the room.
Telegram: Since Fort Hood is within your area is there anything coming out of the military community?
We had proposals coming from Barney Frank, D-Mass., and a few others that pointed out a solution to getting the money to do this spending - they want to cut the military. Of course, I am vehemently opposed as is, I assume, 90 percent of the people that live in and work around Fort Hood.
We really don’t think that now, when our soldiers are in harm’s way, is the time to be cutting resoursesto our military by $500 billion by one proposal, another was $250 billion. All that’s talk right now; let’s hope it’s just rhetoric.
Right now we’ve got to support our military and give the things that are needed to refurbish our Army, which has had a lot of wear and tear on fighting the war on terror. Because we send our soldiers in harm’s way - if that’s required of them - then they are given what is the absolute best that we can provide. Those are going to be issues that are going to be ongoing. I’m hopeful there is enough common sense on the majority side that they’re not going to go there and that they’re going be supportive of the military. Many of them have in the past, and I hope they don’t change that policy.
Telegram: What do you think about the military’s presence in the Middle East?
Well, the situation between Israel and Palestine is always critical. What do I think about our accomplishments in Iraq and Afghanistan? First off, I think that we have just made major turns in Iraq. My last visit was August a year ago, and I have been over there four times. The contrast is just unbelievable, how much more quality of life the Iraqi people now have. It’s just phenomenal what this cooperation that (Gen. David) Petraeus came up with - the Americans, the sheiks and others over there - has made a difference in the lives of Iraqis. They’re honestly trying to make democracy work, and that’s a huge thing for the world, not just the United States.
I think our soldiers will ultimately be recorded by history as pulling off one of the greatest accomplishments of military insurgence. We still have issues in Afghanistan and I think we have the command force that knows the issues. I have great faith in the command structure of our military and the advice they will give to Congress.
Telegram: On your Web site you stated that “The rising cost of health care has caused millions of Americans to choose between basic needs and insurance.” How do you plan on keeping citizens in your district from having to make that choice?
We have always been for coming up with a plan to offer health care for all Americans. It will be a plan that is based upon competition and free enterprise. It will not be a plan where the government creates a health care; we will be opposed to that. Americans really don’t know how unhappy they will be until they put in a national health care system. Because it’s not going to be about quality of health care. That’s just one of a multitude of things. I believe my district is opposed to universal health care and governmental health care. I think we do want to come up with a common sense solution that offers health care to every American.
I think Medicare is going to fall through - that’s just an actuary reality. There’s no politics in there. Anybody can sit down with a pencil and piece of paper and an actuarial table and come up with the same things the experts come up with. You can’t run a program where more people are taking out of the program than are putting into it and not eventually go broke.
So we’ve got to address that as we address health care, as to how to revamp and make it where it actually is going to work. Right now, like Social Security, people who are working are paying for the people who are retired and less people are paying in than taking out because our baby boomers continue to live long and healthy lives - into their 90s - which I am in favor of. The cost is going to go up in astronomical proportions. People are going to have to start making life-threatening decisions, from a governmental standpoint, about human beings’ health and whether or not they get access to help because of the economic situation. That’s not where we want to be - we can do better.
Telegram: What other plans do you have for this new year?
From a personal standpoint, I have an issue with the fact that, through a series of events, which have been bad, the ethics of the United States Congress has become an issue where the American people think we’re all crooks. If you have an approval rate of 8 percent, that means that your family doesn’t even like you. It should be open and obvious that fairness is abounding in Congress. I spent 20 years trying to give a fair and impartial trial to people in Williamson County, and I think that justice demands swiftness. I’m going to be talking about a lot of ethical issues in the next two years.
I favor an open, transparent government. It’s my prayer that it’s not just rhetoric, it’s reality. There shouldn’t be special privileges because you’re in the government.
