CD 17 Candidates Hit Earmark Budgeting In Debate

Lower taxes, reduce spending, restore confidence

To control spending for the sake of the survival of the
American economy, stop Congressional budgetary earmarks,
said both candidates in a run-off debate last night in Waco.

Houston oil man Bill Flores called attention to the Rep.
John Murtha Airport in Pennsylvania.

"You have an $80 million airport that serves 20 passengers a
day."

Why? The Congressman needed an airport that would get
him directly to D.C. from his mountainous Pennsylvania
district.

It's part of "a series of 13,000 bribes that we use to get
Congressmen and Congressladies to get along with each
other," said Mr. Flores.

Candidate Rob Curnock, a video tape business operator who
was at one time a sports anchor at the local CBS outlet
KWTX, said earmarks are "bank robbery," something that
Congressional practitioners point to as if they should be
commended for only taking a thousand dollars when they could
have had $100,000.

He called local Veterans Administration efforts to
rehabilitate returning warriors "vaccination programs for
wounded soldiers." He ridiculed a federal government that
will "do two mailings to let you know there will be a
census, then sends you a follow up mailing to let you know
the census was here."

The two will face one another in an April 13 election to
settle which will have the opportunity to face incumbent
Congressman Chet Edwards in the November 2 contest.

Health care?

Mr. Curnock criticized the Congressman for saying on Monday
he would vote against the Obama care reform measure, then
turned around later in the week and voted for the resolution
that would suspend the rules to allow the law to be "deemed
accepted" if all the amendments added by Senators passed
House scrutiny.

He called that move on Mr. Edwards' part "disingenuous."

The health care program is not only a bid for government
control of a critical industry, said Mr. Curnock, it is
potentially a bid to control people's lives, their diets,
their exercise programs, their personal habits.

They both agreed that the system is sick. Very sick.

To accompanying laughter, Mr. Flores asked the audience of
about 100 people in the Palladium on Austin Avenue if they
are better off than they were before the "ROPE Gang" (Reid,
Obama, Pelosi, Edwards) took control. He pointed out that
the administrative cost of running Congress has risen from
a budget of $2.8 billion to something in the neighborhood
of $4.7 billion.

"Do you think that Congress is that much more efficient,
that much more responsive, or capable?"

His mantra for economic recovery is to reduce taxes, reduce
deficit spending and restore the business sector's
confidence to the point where companies have the idea it's
safe to add jobs and put people back to work.

Asked privately about the impact of a lowered oil depletion
tax allowance, he said he has the sense that it was
diminished in the economic stimulus package sought by the
Obama Administration early in 2009.

Would a re-establishment of the depletion tax allowance help
independent oil operators see their way to uncapping wells
and beginning to produce more domestic oil? It's a matter
critical to domestic petroleum producers, who were at one
time allowed a much larger break on taxes if they do not
import or refine petroleum, but only produce it and ship
crude from the well head.

"I don't know enough about it," he said, in passing.

When quizzed about the importance of the Hispanic vote in
Texas, Mr. Curnock said, "I think we need to get away from
this political correct garbage that every group has to have
a hyphen behind their name." We're all Americans, he said.
"We share the same values."

To emphasize ethnicity is something the Democratic Party
does constantly.

Mr. Flores, on the other hand, agreed with the thrust of the
question, saying he attaches great significance to the
notion that Hispanic values of family, neighborhood, hard
work and education are the core issues of Republican
doctrine.

What about amnesty for Hispanic illegal aliens?

Neither candidate favors the concept. Mr. Flores likes the
notion of control through strict visa requirements.

Mr. Curnock said, "If you do not have borders, you do not
have a nation." Democrats, he said, want to stand at the
border and hand out voter registration cards. Republicans,
on the other hand, "are afraid they will insult Hispanics
and they won't vote Repubican." He calls for an adherence
to the rule of law.

About a supposed erosion of moral values, Mr. Curnock said,
"Hollywood sets moral values?...Let's go back to the time
when 'Leave It To Beaver' was a good program."

He said he disagrees with President Obama's estimation that
America is no longer a solely Christian nation. The founders
of the nation were solidly Christian, he recalled.

Mr. Flores said, "Our first problem began when we took God
out of our lives." The fact that prayer is not allowed in
schools is a glaring indicator.

"We've got to do more to protect the foundation of our
families."

He decried his perception that America has turned into "a
nanny state" such as the ones found in Europe.

Mr. Curnock agreed there is a decline in the moral malaise.
"It starts when you put man in charge." He espouses a value
system that depends upon guidance from God.

His plan for recovery. Get business people in charge in the
federal government. The business of America is business.
"If they ran a business, they would be bankrupt in one day."

Mr. Flores' plan, to restore business confidence by lowering
spending, cutting taxes and reducing government regulation
is based on the bottom economic line. "Socialism is great
until you run out of somebody else's money." He demands an
end to funding such programs as the "pornographic" National
Endowment For the Arts, an agency that often sponsors
controversial graphic displays that deal with homosexuality
and sado-masochism.

The score: Too close to call. The only substantial
difference is in style and delivery, experience and
approach.

In his closing statement, Mr. Flores said that if not
thwarted by conservative Congressional forces, "The ROPE
Gang is going to slam the door on the future of our
children and grandchilren."

He pointed to Mr. Edwards' support of a 44 percent
increase in government spending.

Mr. Curnock said, "You as Republicans are going to have to
make a decision. Who do you think can beat Chet Edwards in
November?" He pointed out the fact that he battled Mr.
Edwards to within 4.5 points of victory in 2008, leading the
way to an involvement by the Republican National
Congressional Committee. "I fought when no one else was
willing to fight. We got no help from the Republican
Party."

Hispanic Republican Club of McLennan County and GOP Is For
Me.com sponsored and produced the debate.