Published On: Fri, Oct 29th, 2010

West calls for tax cuts, small business incentives in bid for Congress

By Dale M. King

BOCA RATON – As he did in 2008, retired Lt. Col. Allen West is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Ron Klein for the congressional seat in District 22.

The electoral dynamic has changed in two years, with a lingering economic downturn, staggering unemployment, and a president whose performance many question.

Among those who question Barack Obama’s record is West. He said he’s particularly upset at what he calls “Obama’s apology tour” which he said shames “the men and women who go and fight in foreign lands.”

West, a Republican, said he wants to assure “fiscal and physical security” in Washington, D.C.  “We have to set conditions for prosperity with long-term, sustainable growth.”

Under the Congressional Democrats’ watch, he said, “Florida’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed to a staggering 12 percent, our foreclosure rate is the third highest in the country, and the national debt has grown to unprecedented levels.”  If elected, he said he will “curb out-of-control government spending and work toward across the board tax cuts, I will fight tirelessly to bring jobs back to South Florida. We must realize that American exceptionalism depends on a strong and robust economy, which means that the fight begins here at home.”

Among methods of promoting jobs, he said, are redefining the tax code, adopting a flat tax system and offering small businesses tax cuts and incentives.

West said he wants to put money back into citizens’ pockets.  “In January 2011, America will witness the largest tax increase we have ever seen.  For production class Americans, taxes will be raised on married couples, the child tax credit will be cut 50 percent, dividends and capital gains taxes will increase, the death tax returns, the number of families paying the alternative minimum tax will increase, and there will be an increase on all wage earner tax brackets, not just the upper 35 percent bracket.”

“It is a proven fact,” he emphasized, “that where taxation is lightest and spending is reduced, revenues increase. The 2010 mid-term elections come down to two diametrically opposing philosophies: public sector raising taxes, printing and borrowing more money or private sector investment, ingenuity, and innovation.”

Looking at the elder sector of the population, West said he wants to recreate an independent trust fund account” for Social Security. “Once the politicians moved it to the general operating account they used it for their pork barrel spending spree. The fact that we are creating a jobless morass in America means there are fewer workers paying into the system. This is another reason why we need private sector growth, which in turn creates jobs, which will replenish the Social Security fund.”

A 22-year Army veteran who served in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, and as a civilian advisor to the Afghan Army in Operation Enduring Freedom, West said the US “is at war against a totalitarian theocratic political ideology that glorifies death rather than celebrating life.”

While concentrating on the Middle East, West warned that America “must not forget other looming threats,” among them, China, North Korea and Iran.  “Like President Reagan, I believe that peace is best kept through a strong national defense.”

Regarding relations with Israel, West said that “since 2009, the Obama Administration has shown an unprecedented disregard for the sovereignty of the state of Israel – America’s strongest ally. President Obama has clearly demonstrated he is no friend of the Jewish State.”

“The Jewish State needs stronger representation in Congress,” said West, “and a solid voice that will not be afraid to stand up to the Obama Administration’s appeasement of Islamic terrorism. As a combat veteran who has faced our common enemy, my commitment to Israel will rise above mere statements of support.”

About the Author

Discover more from The Boca Raton Tribune

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading