Robin Smith Comments on State of the Union Address

HIXSON, JAN 27 - Third District Congressional Candidate Robin Smith issued the following statement tonight in reaction to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address:

“Sadly, President Obama’s call for a restoration of the public trust and government credibility rings hollow.  The priorities identified in his presidential campaign and his first year, health care reform and his stimulus, have resulted in backroom deals and political payoffs for votes. The ‘stimulus package’passed in February should be applied to our debt, not used to pander to specialinterests.

My hope, as I stated in a public forum earlier today, was that President Obama would speak about serious health care reform that includes tort reform to get lawyers out of the exam rooms, competition across state lines for insurance companies and addressing pre-existing conditions.  Tonight there was no new discussion on free market solutions to reduce the cost of health care.

I had hoped that we’d hear President Obama propose to take half of the $512 billion of unspent ‘stimulus’ funding and use it for tax cuts and credits for small businesses to expand and hire new employees.  The remaining unspent billions should be applied to reduce our nearly $13 trillion national debt.  I had hoped to hear discussions of a Balanced Budget Amendment, but again, no real solutions. Instead and surprisingly, the President continues to press for an energy tax via Cap and Trade while business owners struggle to make ends meet now, without adding to their overhead.

Instead, I heard an out-of-touch politician who continues to answer every question with more government spending and a growing federal government. While the notion of ‘freezing spending’ is good in theory, when the bloated federal government has ballooned in spending during the last year, this is little more than political theater. The sole cure for our deficit is significant cuts in federal spending.  The American people want us to work to keep the Federal government within its bounds and within its budget.

I am pleased that the president heard enough of the message from the voters of Massachusetts and Americans who spoke up through the summer and fall of 2009 to take this a small step in his proposal to freeze spending.

But let us be clear, President Obama is proposing to close the barn door long after the horses are gone. Freezing any part of the budget at 2010 levels following the spending binge of his first year does little to address the concerns Tennesseans have that the federal government has become too large and too intrusive in their daily lives. I believe starting with a return to spending at 2008 levels will send a signal that Congress is not just talking about fiscal responsibility but they are willing to put the taxpayers’money where their mouth is.

Since my entry into the race for Congress, I have advocated what is needed; cuts in spending. Not pauses or freezes, but cuts that restrain the growth of government and put it back on the side of the people who will get our economy moving again. After a year of lip service to the jobs issue while distracted by his drive to take over our health care system, I hope the president is ready to work honestly with Republicans to create good paying permanent quality jobs for our people. We tried it his way with the stimulus and, 4 million lost jobs later, we can see it did not work. Once in Congress I will work to create an environment that turns our economy from the Obama/Pelosi reliance on government spending and puts it back in the hands of the people.”

Smith also reacted to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s assertion that defense spending be included in any spending freeze proposal. Earlier today, Pelosi made the suggestion by saying, “Everybody has to make a sacrifice.”