NOTICE: Due to a long-standing commitment, Jim Purcell is unable to attend the Kane County Republican Party's 14th Congressional District Candidates Forum on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 in Geneva. However, the Kane County GOP submitted questions ahead of time to all candidates. Below are the candidate questions followed by Purcell's responses. The responses can also be found at www.purcellforcongress.com.
Q. Government spending has reached into the billions of dollars in so-called stimulus, and government bailout, yet unemployment in some Kane County communities is over 12%. Small businesses are having trouble succeeding and homes are still being foreclosed. What do you feel really needs to be done to grow the economy and put America back to work?
PURCELL: Economic growth and government growth are mutually exclusive. The first step in stopping our economic decline is to stop the bleeding. Our economic hemorrhage is in large measure due to reckless government spending. Every dollar spent by Washington is one dollar taken out of our economy that cannot create real prosperity and real jobs.
Republicans must stand against every attempt by President Obama and Nancy Pelosi to use our economic crisis to turn America into a full-blown socialist state. In less than a year, President Obama and the Democrats have effectively taken over our Banking Industry, the Automotive Industry, the Insurance Industry, and now they?re trying to take over the Health Care Industry.
$ Trillions are spent every year running a colossal bureaucracy of alphabet soup agencies, most of which 90 percent of Americans have never heard. The only way to pull the brakes on this runaway train in Washington is to cut off the funds. We don't just need a balanced budget, we need a smaller budget. Cutting taxes is a great idea which I support, but it must be accompanied by heavy cuts in spending. This position is considered political heresy today, but at one time most Republicans were not ashamed to promote it. If we really and truly believe in a Free Market, then we must make it Free again. That necessitates a smaller government?and smaller government means smaller federal budgets.
This is the only way we can return to sustained economic growth instead of the constant boom/bust cycles we have endured since the Great Depression.
Q. Currently we are at war on many fronts. Global terrorism and the threat of our enemies are a harsh reality. What is the proper course America should take on Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea and what specific steps should be taken to ensure that our armed forces have the resources necessary to ensure our national security?
PURCELL: As listed in the United States Constitution, National Defense is the government's primary obligation and responsibility. Our economic crisis demands that our Federal Government prioritize its spending. I will do whatever it takes to make sure our Armed Forces have everything they need to defeat our enemies and defend our borders.
Liberals in Washington seem to be preoccupied with turning our military into a grand experiment in social engineering. Political correctness has no place in our military and if we don't stop it, we'll continue to witness Fort Hood-style tragedies.
Regarding the current state of affairs in Afghanistan; we need to rely on the wisdom and experience of our Generals on the ground. They know what they need to win and we need to provide them with what they need so they can get the job done and bring our troops home.
Regarding Iran's nuclear capability, if -- and only if -- Iran is truly a threat to our country, I would favor strategic missile attacks on nuclear facilities. Regarding North Korea; same policy as Iran.
We have the world's most powerful and best trained military. The primary job of our military is not to spread democracy or distribute foreign aid. There are thousands of non-profit organizations in our country that do a marvelous job spreading our values to the rest of the world. The job of our military is to protect our citizens and whip the tar out of our enemies. I believe we can accomplish this without being a world bully. As Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick".
Q. The world-wide economic crisis appears to be exacerbated by problems with the international Banking system and tensions between the industrialized countries and the aspirations of less developed nations. Various proposals have been advanced to address these issues, ranging from the Law of the Sea Treaty recently approved by the U.S. Senate, the Kyoto Treaty and the forthcoming Copenhagen Conference on greenhouse gases and global warming, to the controversial "Cap and Trade" legislation. What are your ideas on how to deal with these concerns?
PURCELL: According to our Constitution, foreign treaties which are signed by our President and ratified by the U.S. Senate are treated as the "Supreme Law of the Land;" that is, if such treaties do not violate the Constitution itself. This part is conveniently forgotten by the environmental lobby; and many activist judges.
The first line of defense against treaties like the "Law of the Sea," which essentially subordinates U.S. interests and law to the United Nations, is our Supreme Court. However, if the Supreme Court refuses to rule such treaties unconstitutional, it is up to Congress to contest it by using its "powers of the purse." The United Nations would be nothing without the funding which comes from the American Taxpayer. American taxpayers should not fund the destruction of their own rights and interests. Congress should de-fund the United Nations and leave the organization all together, if our rights and interests continue to be compromised.
Global warming and climate change is the new religion of the radical Left. The whole issue is not about protecting the environment. It's about control, and protecting the environment is just the pretty wrapping. Republicans in Congress must oppose this radical agenda which sees human beings as a plague on the earth; not as responsible stewards.
Q. The House has just passed the comprehensive health care legislation, including a government option, the senate has yet to act. What are your views on the disadvantages and benefits, if any, of the legislation and is there anything in the current proposals that you could support?
PURCELL: Health insurance is not a right; it's insurance. I support only the kind of health care reform that keeps the tentacles of government meddling as far away as possible. Funny how liberals don't want the government to come "between a woman and her doctor" when it comes to aborting a child (except to pay for the abortion). But when it comes to the government coming between a woman (or man) and their doctor on everything else, liberals like Nancy Pelosi and Bill Foster are all for it.
Federal regulations which limit consumer options on choosing health insurance companies must be repealed. I also support tort reform measures to eliminate "jackpot justice" lawsuits which have driven up health care costs. Doctors need to get back to providing the art and science of quality care. Defensive medicine adds layers of costs and limits access.
No American should be forced to purchase health insurance; especially government provided health insurance. With the proper reforms, health insurance premiums will plummet providing access to those that want coverage.
The very idea of pushing a $1 TRILLION plan on the American people while we're experiencing the worst economic recession since the Great Depression; and record debt and budget deficits is not only irresponsible, it's crazy!
Q. Studies show that Ill. Sends more tax dollars to Washington than it gets back in federal assistance and programs. How important is it for our congressman to fight to get our fair share of those dollars for the 14th District?
PURCELL: The best thing a Republican Congressman can do for his/her constituents to ensure our "fair share" of tax dollars return to Illinois is to fight to keep as much of our money from going to Washington in the first place. As the old saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Congressmen are expected to look at the federal budget as a big apple pie which they have to fight with 434 other eaters for the bigger piece.
It's time to think outside this box. Why should we deal with the middle-man in Washington? If we need to pave a highway, why send $ millions to Washington and then fight to get some of it back? If we want to pave a road, let's pave it. Why send our money to the Federal Department of Transportation? Of course, the hard part is getting from where we are today to where we need to be. But we certainly won't go anywhere if we don?t start addressing these fundamental questions.
Closing Statements: Please tell us why you are the best candidate to beat Congressman Foster.
PURCELL: I believe I am the best candidate to beat Bill Foster because I believe I am the only one willing and ready for the bloody battle that is sure to come following the primary. The Democrats are not going to give this seat up easy. $ Millions will be spent on Chicago television trying to destroy the Republican nominee for this seat.
I believe I am ready to take the punches; but more importantly, I'm ready to give them.
For years, I've helped business owners and operators use their resources more efficiently. In some cases, this involved struggling and failing companies, like our Government. One thing I have learned is that if you're not moving forward, you're automatically falling backwards. Conservatives cannot be content with just "holding our ground." We have to go on the offensive. We cannot simply be content to stop the Democrats. We need to go after the Democrats. We need to put forward our own plans and our own vision for America. And we need to back it up with the courage to see it through.
Republicans lost our majority in Congress because we became part of the problem in Washington. The American people reminded us in 2006 who we are suppose to be working for. I don't believe Democrats won because voters moved Left. I think Democrats won because Republicans lost the confidence of the people who elected them. Republicans in Washington went Left, and they lost. We must get Right again, and we'll win again. I believe I am the only candidate running who understands this and has what it takes to restore the confidence of the Republican voters in the 14th District.
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