McCain-Palin Statement on Economic Stimulus

Today, Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin issued the following statement concerning proposals for a new economic stimulus:

"We are deeply concerned about our nation's economic outlook and will support measures that improve the outlook for American families. This economic crisis has its roots in the housing market and the most effective stimulus will be to reverse the cycle of foreclosure, neighborhood blight, and falling housing values. The American Homeownership Resurgence Plan is the best kind of stimulus.

"The Democrat-controlled Congress will likely propose additional measures. We do not believe that a national crisis should be taken as a license for wasteful spending or earmarked projects. Each new proposal must pass on the grounds that it is timely, effective in supporting business sales and job creation, and consistent with long-term fiscal discipline.

"In the past, raising taxes and cutting off international trade have only served to make hard economic times worse. We oppose harmful attempts to just 'spread the wealth.' Our job-creating economic plan is the best path for the economy and includes the types of policies that the Congress should consider."

Mike Huckabee: South Carolina Needs Aggressive Broad Based Economic Renewal

Former AR Governor Has Five-Point Plan to Stimulate Economy for Working Families

Greenville, SC – The latest unemployment news from South Carolina shows how important “aggressive action is to a broad-based economic renewal,” Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee said today.

“President Bush’s plan will help, and it’s an important step. But South Carolina and the rest of the nation need some bigger changes if we are to reverse the trends of the last few years,” Governor Huckabee said today while campaigning through South Carolina in advance of tomorrow’s Republican presidential primary.

Last Monday, Governor Huckabee released his own five-point "Fair Deal" stimulus package aimed at creating jobs: 1) More income, better jobs, more secure home ownership for middle-class families, 2) work with the Federal Reserve for a pro-growth, low-inflation economy, 3) increase defense spending to 6 percent of Gross Domestic Product in response to real threats to America’s security, 4) invest in energy independence and 5) move toward a Fair Tax that eliminates the current distorted tax code.

The South Carolina unemployment rate jumped to 6.6 percent in December, up from 5.9 percent the previous month, according to the state Employment Security Commission. It was the largest one-month increase since at least 1990, state officials said.

One major problem, Huckabee said, is the current unfair tax code. “If we replace the IRS with the Fair Tax, we lift the burden off of the small- and medium-sized businesses who create most of the jobs. Then the only people who we then have to feel sorry for are the legions of Washington lobbyists who manipulate the current complicated code for somebody else,” Huckabee said.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY TALKS ABOUT THE ECONOMY ON "FOX NEWS SUNDAY"

Governor Mitt RomneyFox News' "Fox News Sunday"January 20, 2008

Governor Romney On The Need To Change Washington To Strengthen The Economy:

Governor Romney: "We're going to have to cut back in Washington. I know how to do that and get Washington back on track. This is fundamentally, I believe, an election about changing Washington, about doing to Washington what has to be done to get America back on track so that we can re-grow our economy. I'll tell you one thing, Chris, the only way you're going to have somebody who understands how to rebuild an economy is to have somebody who's been in the economy, who knows what it's like to see jobs come and go, who's fought to try and build businesses and build jobs. We're competing around the world now with China and India, tougher competition than we've ever faced before. It's going to be helpful to have a President who when we're looking at agreements that work out with other countries on trade that knows what impact those agreements will have on American jobs. Who knows, for instance, when there are tax incentives put in place how it's going to change jobs in this country. I am intimately familiar with how our economy works. I'm working very hard to make sure that the workers of this country have a brighter future, and I will never accept the idea that jobs are gone in America. I'm going to fight to bring back jobs and to grow this country."

To watch Governor Romney, please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz4TKwXtNkk
Governor Romney On His Economic Stimulus Package:

Fox News' Chris Wallace: "As you talked about, the economy is now job one, issue one for voters. Politicians are scrambling right now to announce, each of them, their own economic stimulus package to avoid a recession. You announced yours yesterday. A number of tax cuts for individuals and businesses and the price tag for your plan would be $233 billion, which is much bigger than the plan that President Bush announced on Friday. Are you saying that his is too small to do the job?"

Governor Romney: "Well, I like mine better. I'll tell you that and there are two reasons. One is mine has a very large dose of long-term growth incentives. It's not just designed to be a short-term stimulus, but rather a long-term growth boost and that's not only by allowing capital expenditures to be expensed over these next two years, but also lowering the corporate tax rates so that we can get more businesses to stay here and grow here. And then something I'm particularly fond of, it says for anybody in the workforce 65 and older, neither the company nor the individual is going to have to pay Social Security payroll taxes, FICA if you will. And by virtue of that elimination, you're going to have more people stay in the workforce. That's going to help grow our economy. I'm proud to have a number of pro-growth features that will build our economy long-term. You really have to divide my incentive plan between those things that are long-term in nature and those things that are short-term and stimulative. I think it probably divides about fifty-fifty."

To watch Governor Romney, please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64RtRDvoFwo