Lee Unveils Agenda for Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability In Congress
26th Congressional District candidate Chris Lee outlined his plan for fiscal responsibility and accountability in Congress. Lee’s plan calls for lower taxes, simplifying the tax code, less regulation on small businesses and ensuring members of Congress are working toward these ends, not their own pet projects.
“One of the most important things we can do to restore the American people’s
trust in Congress is prove that we can be effective stewards of their
hard-earned money,” said Lee. “Western New Yorkers, and all Americans,
deserve a government that can better live within its means.”
Lee outlined four key steps toward fiscal responsibility in Washington in order to grow the economy:
Promote transparency and accountability which will discourage wasteful projects.
Lee believes Lawmakers should not use taxpayer money to have projects named after themselves. Lawmakers should not circumvent the process by ‘airdropping’ earmarks into bills at
the last minute. Finally, lawmakers who request earmarks should have to justify how the money will be spent and why this is a good use of taxpayer money.
Reduce regulations on small businesses.
Small businesses employ more than half of the American workforce but endure an annual regulatory burden of well over one trillion dollars. Lee believes we need to eliminate excessive regulations on small businesses that tie the hands of innovators and entrepreneurs.
Cut taxes
Tax cuts must be tied to cutting wasteful spending so that even larger deficits are not created. “Tax cuts that increase incentives to produce and that eliminate distortions in the price system … give a double whammy. They restrain government spending and increase future income and current wealth.” (Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize-winning economist. *Wall Street Journal*, 01/19/03)
Simplify the tax code
A complex U.S. tax code is itself an enormous cost to taxpayers. According to the Tax Foundation in 2008 American taxpayers will pay an estimated $310 billion simply to have their taxes assessed and administered. “Fiscal responsibility might be a forgotten precept in Congress, but it will be a cause I champion on behalf of Western New Yorkers,” concluded Lee. “We need to reform the way Congress does business.”
8 Responses to “Lee Unveils Agenda for Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability In Congress”
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I appreciate him finally brining something to the table -
how does he plan to change how washington does business?
does he plan to re-write the tax codes? how will this effect our national budget and IRS?
Thats a pretty meaningless comment JS. You can say that about any candidate including your hero Jon Powers.
You probably don’t understand how the process works. You go there with an agenda. Then you advocate for that by submitting bills,participating in debates and working with like minded people to further the cause.
Its a lot easier to do that for someone Like Chris Lee because he hasn’t collected a ton of money by people who live outside the district with different agendas. Like some people we know.
JacksonSmiles
Vic is right. A single politician doesn’t change things by himself. They go to Washington with a philosophy and beliefs. Then they work on it with people who think the same way you do.
In Jon Powers case he will work with Nancy Pelosi, Charlie Rangle and Louise Slaughter and will work on raising your taxes and punishing oil companies for providing a product we need so much.
So are you saying Chris Lee can’t do anything? Or will be working only for McCain if McCain wins?
50% of Lee’s donations have come from out of state… will he be working for all those people in Florida that give him money?
Jackson,
I would hope that Jon’s expansive experience in teaching Social Studies would have answered your questions on how to change Washington. Oh, wait! Jon probably didn’t cover that in the 12 days he substituted. Probably a few games of hangman or stitching backpacks was the extent of learning in those classes.
I suggest you stop commenting on the blogs until you have a firmer grasp on the position you are advocating Jon for.
Jackson
I am not trying to say anything, I wrote what is the way things work. Congress is a representative democracy. We send people to Washington who believe what we do. Once they get there they work with the other representatives and do what is called deliberating. that means they come to a consensus agreement. The more people you get like Chris Lee who have the beliefs he does the better off our country is (at least from my opinion). The more people you have regulating, taxing and wasting the worse our country is. If you want that vote for Jon Jon and he will work with San Fran Nan to get those things.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy
Lee will be another rubber stamper for McCain if McCain wins - so you can vote for a rubber stamper i guess
JS
And Jon Jon will be an indpendent voice if he and obama win? I rather doubt it. Hard as it may be for you to understand, thats what party and ideology are all about. Your party wins and like minded people win they tend to agree on things.