Candidates talk about conservative values

Published 11:04 am Friday, April 30, 2010

The six candidates for the District 9 congressional race who spoke in Dalton Thursday night generally agree on the heavy issues facing the country.

They all push heavy conservative values, want to repeal the controversial health care legislation, close the borders to halt illegal immigration, create more private sector jobs and reign in federal spending by decreasing the size of government. Some of the candidates just have different means of accomplishing those goals.

Chris Cates, Tom Graves, Bert Loftman, Eugene Moon, Bill Stephens and Steve Tarvin spoke at the League of Women Voters of the Dalton Area candidate forum at Dalton State College in front of about 60 attendees. Five of the candidates are Republicans while Moon is an independent.

They gave opening statements, answered several general questions, responded to one question tailored to each candidate and wrapped up the evening with closing statements.

Graves said if elected one of his first priorities would be repealing the health care bill and advocates a free market system that allows residents to buy health insurance in other states.

“We need to empower the states to come up with solutions that are necessary for health care because, quite frankly, it’s not a federal issue,” said Graves, of Ranger. “The federal government’s role so far has to been to complicate the health care issue as opposed to provide solutions.”

Cates, a Blairsville cardiologist, said he has read the 2,000-page health care bill and has lobbied against it. He wants to make health insurance portable — able to be carried from job to job.

“We need to align incentives in health care so that the doctors and hospitals talk about ways to optimize care and reduce costs and we need to empower the consumer with health care costs and let them in the game and that will bend the choice curve and make insurance affordable to every American,” Cates said.

This month, the Arizona legislature passed one of the nation’s toughest illegal immigration laws, which also ignited controversy across the country. Two counties in the 9th district — Hall and Whitfield — have experienced a population boom over the last 15 years due to illegal immigration.

Stephens, a former state senator from Cumming, doesn’t support amnesty, advocates shoring up the border with Mexico and called on the states and federal government to enforce current legislation.

“I was the co-author of the Georgia anti-immigration law and I can tell you is almost as tough as Arizona’s legislation but it is not being enforced,” Stephens said.

Tarvin, of Chickamauga businessman, has a simple solution to stop the problem: “If you don’t pay them, they will go home.”

“No amnesty, an illegal immigrant is no different than somebody who robbed a corner grocery store, we need to send them back,” Tarvin said.

Candidates were also asked about their strategy to deal with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Loftman served in Vietnam for one year as a medic and believes the U.S. should have less of a presence in other countries.

“I don’t think the United States should be the policeman of the world,” said Loftman, who lives in Pickens County. “I don’t think it’s worthwhile sending our troops over there to get maimed by these countries that don’t appreciate it. I don’t think we should build nations. I think we should lead by example.”

With unemployment in some North Georgia counties above 10 percent, job creation is another hot topic. Moon, of Gainesville, wants fair trade policies and tariffs reformed. He used the company he works for as an example, saying the business had to build a plant in Poland because of excessive tariffs.

“We need to export more out of this country than we import,” Moon said. “But we don’t import and our exports have stopped. You know why? I can tell you why. Because the fair trade policies in this country are off kilter.”

One of the candidates did not attend: Republican Lee Hawkins who was at a fundraiser.

The winner of the May 11 special election will replace Nathan Deal, who resigned last month to focus on his campaign for governor.

The forum will be aired on WDNN Sunday at 2 p.m. and Monday at 8 p.m.