Ohio's 14th Congressional District Debate:
What do you get when you put a Democrat, a Republican and a Libertarian all in one room? You get an interesting and sometimes comical debate.
Republican Steven LaTourette, running for his 8th term in Ohio's 14th Congressional District, faces two opponents: Libertarian David Macko and Democrat William O'Neill. The three took part in a debate Thursday at the City Club of Cleveland.
Macko, a retired adjuster at a local bank, formerly served in the Army. He says he favors eliminating all taxes, federal laws and regulations on energy. "I want to improve the quality of education in this country. The first step is to abolish the Department of Education. I want to abolish the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration and phase out Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid," he told a crowd of a couple hundred people.
William O'Neill, who lost his wife 13 years ago in a car crash, raised their 4 children by himself. The Democratic contender elicited some laughs when he told the crowd he has what it takes in the warm and fuzzy department of Congress: "I know how to make four school lunches with 5 minutes to spare. I know how to buy a prom dress off the sale rack and I can make a $100 car look like a boy's dream come true."
After each candidate spoke, some people in the audience were allowed to ask questions. One man asked of LaTourette, "I wonder how comfortable you are running as a liberal Republican with the top of your ticket, McCain and Palin, and do you support them? And the same question would be for the other two candidates as well."
LaTourette responded: "And your question for the other two is that you want to know if they're liberal Republicans too and be comfortable with that?" The crowd laughed. Then he continued, saying "Is that what your question is?" The man who asked the question began arguing with LaTourette, getting into a heated debate between the two. Finally LaTourette said to him, "Well I think you need to sit down and ask the question. I'm gonna tell you something," to which the man responded, "I"m gonna tell YOU something." LaTourette: "I'm gonna tell you something! That's way out of bounds!"
LaTourette continued, saying, "I don't run as a liberal Republican. It may come as a surprise to you. There are no liberal Republicans. I run as a moderate Republican." In response to the man's question, he then said he will vote for McCain and Palin. The other two candidates said they'd vote for the presidential candidates of their respective parties.
When Macko continued talking about what he'd cut from government, like abolishing the Department of Transportation and getting rid of all gun laws, LaTourette countered by saying, "Dave, I was just counting things up and I gotta tell you with all the stuff you're closing there's gonna be a lot of space for rent in Washington, D.C." To which the crowd laughed and applauded.
Thanks to Bob Sandrick and the editors of the Solon Sun for their honest, thorough report on my candidacy! It shows that there are some honest media, at least on the local level.
Solon Sun October 30, AD 2008 Page A3
14th District Resident Comments On Macko's Observations That 9/11 Was An
Inside Job.
Solon Sun November 20, AD 2008 Page A7
90.3 WCPN ideastream®: 14th District Hopefuls Square Off At City Club
Candidates in the race for the 14th District Congressional seat squared off yesterday afternoon. ideastream®'s Rick Jackson reports.
One of the most diverse districts in the state, the14th reaches into seven counties in the northeast corner of Ohio, and includes urban and suburban areas, and rural farmlands.
Representative Steven LaTourette is seeking an eighth term in congress. He said he is extremely proud of his record, including his role in leading Cleveland’s fight to save the federal Defense Accounting agency, and securing federal dollars for his home district.
STEVEN LATOURETTE: “I have literally brought home hundreds of millions of dollars to do things like a railroad bridge in Macedonia, water lines in Stow, an industrial park in Kinsman, when the floods destroyed condominiums in Painesville, made sure that millions of FEMA dollars came back to make those condominium owners whole.”
LaTourette and his two challengers - Democrat Bill O’Neill, a former district judge, and Libertarian David Macko - debated topics ranging from universal health care, to immigration, to creating a ferry to Canada.
One of the sharpest challenges to the INCUMBENT came from an audience member, who asked why LaTourette had voted against the recent bank bail-out bill.
He responded that it was simply a bad bill.
LATOURETTE: “It was $700 billion of taxpayers money that could have been infused with private capital so it didn’t cost the taxpayer. Because it was not a well thought out plan, because they did not adopt my amendment you have the opportunity to create winners and losers, like PNC over National City Bank and others. And that’s going to continue.”
Bill O’Neill was critical of laTourette’s decision.
JUDGE WILLIAM O’NEILL: “We would have owned a portion of National City if the bailout bill had been properly guided by a member of Congress who had the ability to stand up and protect our 2,000 jobs.”
While Libertarian David Macko felt all of congress had been deceived by the administration when it came to what it will cost America to fix banking.
DAVID MACKO: “This $850 billion figure comes from the same liars that told you the Iraq war would be $50 billion. Bernanke and Paulsen should be tried for treason”
All three men had supporters in the audience, but polls indicate LaTourette will likely have a comfortable victory.
TUMBLEWEED - David Macko for Congress:
Just an FYI for those who may not know. We have a Libertarian candidate on the ballot in CD-14. DAVID MACKO FOR CONGRESS. David did rather well in the City Club debate on Thursday. So well in fact that you can not find a replay of it anywhere. Another way that the mainstream media manages to keep the good candidates under wraps so we the people don't get to make an educated decision.
David Macko is pro constitution and against big government. If this is your view as well, you owe it to yourself to visit his campaign site to view his platform and consider a vote for David Macko on Tuesday.
Go to www.mackoforcongress.com
Good day'
(Left).....(Somewhere in the middle).....(Right)
Tumbleweed.....................OUT!
Here is Macko's response to the National Retiree Legislative Network.
See Macko's "Political Courage Test" at Project Vote Smart.
Macko receives "A" rating from Gun Owner's of America.
Macko scores well on Ron Paul-O-Meter!
Also see Macko's response to the Plain Dealer's candidate survey:
1 Should there be a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq and if so, what should it be?
David Macko: All troops should be withdrawn from Iraq, Afghanistan and the rest of the world starting 1-4-09 as quickly and as safely as the military commanders can do so. 218 members of the House of Representatives, which initiates all spending measures, could do so alone simply by refusing to finance any money for the troops except to bring them home safely now. To prevent World War III, we must also repudiate HCR 362 which would impose sanctions against Iran, an act of war. We should get out of NATO and stop our neocon misrulers from trying to provoke another Cold War or worse. We should also get the United States out of the United Nations and the United Nations out of the United States and all other entangling alliances. We need to stop all foreign aid. It is unconstitutional, it often causes both sides of conflicts to hate us and we are broke. We need to stop meddling in the affairs of other nations and stop other nations from interfering with our affairs and national sovereignty.
Bill O'Neill: As a Vietnam veteran and the father of an Iraqi warrior, I know that the men and women serving our country have already accomplished what we sent them to accomplish.
Now they are policing a civil war they did not start and cannot stop. The idea that this policy could continue indefinitely is not just unrealistic, it’s dangerous. Neither our budget nor our military can sustain the costs of this war. We have $10 billion every month that should be spent here at home, improving our security, investing in new jobs and giving every American access to affordable health care. The continued strain on our military has compromised our homeland security and the readiness of our National Guard. And, worst, it’s come at the cost of too many American lives.
While the specifics of a timetable need to be worked out by the leaders on the ground, we need a plan that gets serious with Iraqi leaders and sets into motion a responsible withdrawal as soon as possible.
2. Would you consider raising the retirement age, or the cap on income level for payroll taxes, as part of a package to address Social Security’s anticipated financial problems?
David Macko: No and no. The passage of Ron Paul's Liberty Amendment will require the fed gov to sell all nonconstitutionally held land and businesses and repeal the personal income, gift and death taxes after three years. The money earned from these sales should be used to cover commitments to those persons on Social Security. Then the system should be phased out without harming those who have become impoverished in their old age since Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. Young people should not be required to participate. The passage of Ron Paul's bill to abolish the Federal Reserve System, together with repeal of legal tender laws and taxes on transactions in gold, silver and other precious metals will provide monetary stability so that Americans will know that the value of money which they save for their old age will remain sufficient to support them in retirement, not a system in which the dollar has lost over 95% of its value since the Federal Reserve System was imposed on our ancestors in 1913.
Bill O'Neill: We won't be able to get serious about keeping Social Security sustainable until we get serious about our budget. The reckless spending of this administration - on the Iraq war, on tax cuts for the wealthy and tax breaks for the Big Oil companies - has dug our nation into a deep hole of debt that our leaders in Washington expect our children and grandchildren to pay. That is unacceptable.
After reining in spending, both parties must come together to address our projected Social Security shortfalls, and nothing should be off the table. I will strongly fight efforts, however, to subject Social Security to the ups and downs of the market. I shudder to think where we'd be if the 2005 Republican proposal to privatize Social Security had gone through.
- 3. Should Congress improve access to health care and, if so, how?
David Macko: Yes. Start by abolishing the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, Medicare, Medicaid and all other federal programs which have caused health care costs to increase much more quickly than the general Federal Reserve caused inflation rate, especially since the 1960s. All federal drug laws, beginning with the Harrison Act of 1914, should be repealed since they are unconstitutional and counterproductive. Everyone who is in a federal prison solely for violating these laws should be released immediately. Over half of health care is now financed by government. This means we are over 50% socialist. Socialism never works. If the American people are foolish enough to let the government impose the fully socialist single payer plan on them, we'll be controlled by the fed gov from morning until night in everything we drink, eat and do just as when we were children but with none of the love our parents showed us. Government control of health means slavery.
Bill O'Neill: As a pediatric nurse, this issue is personal for me. I see first-hand the triumphs and failings of our health care system. I believe that access to affordable health care is a fundamental right, and I believe that ensuring everyone has that access to care is an economic necessity.
Our system today – in which millions of Americans go without health insurance, and so many more are forced to worry about paying for theirs – is unacceptable. In this country, no one should ever have to choose between a visit to the doctor and paying the rent or feeding their family.
I think it's time for comprehensive reform of the way we pay for health care in America. I like the Medicare model, which reduces costs while preserving individual choice of providers. In the end, a health-care-for-all system won’t just save taxpayer dollars and working people’s jobs in the long run – it’ll save lives today.
- 4. Do you support drilling in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, or in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as part of a solution to the nation’s energy problems?
David Macko: Yes, yes and yes. All federal laws, regulations, executive orders, court rulings and other hindrances, especially including all taxes on the discovery, development, production and transmission of energy, whether oil, coal or nuclear or the nonproductive wind and solar power, should be repealed. If you want more of something, don't tax it. All subsidies should also be repealed since they are unconstitutional and government hardly ever makes economic decisions which are superior to those of the free market. Gasoline taxes should be repealed until the gasoline price falls under $2/gallon. This is not a large amount but it should be done to show sympathy for the American people. Congress should invite Lindsey Williams, the chaplain of the Alaska pipeline and author of The Energy Non-Crisis, to testify before Congress about the 200 year supply of oil on Gull Island. Chaplain Williams witnessed that discovery.See his speech at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3340274697167011147
Bill O'Neill: Let's get real. If we're going to truly solve this energy crisis, we're going to need to do some more drilling. But no amount of drilling at home or abroad is going to put an end to the crisis. I support an approach that combines common-sense short-term efforts to relieve the pain we're feeling at the pumps today with long-term solutions that will help us break our dependence on oil once and for all.
Most of all, this is going to take leadership from Congress. We should stand up to Big Oil and say, "You don't need any more tax breaks." Those tax breaks should be going to companies investing in renewable energy sources that could help revive our manufacturing base in Northeast Ohio, creating thousands of jobs that can never be outsourced.
And we need to invest in the expansion of mass transportation and commuter rail, which will not just create jobs but also give commuters options so they don't have to leave half their paycheck at the gas station.
Steve LaTourette (incumbent): Candidate has not responded.
Steve LaTourette (incumbent): Candidate has not responded.
Steve LaTourette (incumbent): Candidate has not responded.
Steve LaTourette (incumbent): Candidate has not responded.
David Macko: All troops should be withdrawn from Iraq, Afghanistan and the rest of the world starting 1-4-09 as quickly and as safely as the military commanders can do so. 218 members of the House of Representatives, which initiates all spending measures, could do so alone simply by refusing to finance any money for the troops except to bring them home safely now. To prevent World War III, we must also repudiate HCR 362 which would impose sanctions against Iran, an act of war. We should get out of NATO and stop our neocon misrulers from trying to provoke another Cold War or worse. We should also get the United States out of the United Nations and the United Nations out of the United States and all other entangling alliances. We need to stop all foreign aid. It is unconstitutional, it often causes both sides of conflicts to hate us and we are broke. We need to stop meddling in the affairs of other nations and stop other nations from interfering with our affairs and national sovereignty.
David Macko: No and no. The passage of Ron Paul's Liberty Amendment will require the fed gov to sell all nonconstitutionally held land and businesses and repeal the personal income, gift and death taxes after three years. The money earned from these sales should be used to cover commitments to those persons on Social Security. Then the system should be phased out without harming those who have become impoverished in their old age since Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. Young people should not be required to participate. The passage of Ron Paul's bill to abolish the Federal Reserve System, together with repeal of legal tender laws and taxes on transactions in gold, silver and other precious metals will provide monetary stability so that Americans will know that the value of money which they save for their old age will remain sufficient to support them in retirement, not a system in which the dollar has lost over 95% of its value since the Federal Reserve System was imposed on our ancestors in 1913.
David Macko: Yes. Start by abolishing the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, Medicare, Medicaid and all other federal programs which have caused health care costs to increase much more quickly than the general Federal Reserve caused inflation rate, especially since the 1960s. All federal drug laws, beginning with the Harrison Act of 1914, should be repealed since they are unconstitutional and counterproductive. Everyone who is in a federal prison solely for violating these laws should be released immediately. Over half of health care is now financed by government. This means we are over 50% socialist. Socialism never works. If the American people are foolish enough to let the government impose the fully socialist single payer plan on them, we'll be controlled by the fed gov from morning until night in everything we drink, eat and do just as when we were children but with none of the love our parents showed us. Government control of health means slavery.
David Macko: Yes, yes and yes. All federal laws, regulations, executive orders, court rulings and other hindrances, especially including all taxes on the discovery, development, production and transmission of energy, whether oil, coal or nuclear or the nonproductive wind and solar power, should be repealed. If you want more of something, don't tax it. All subsidies should also be repealed since they are unconstitutional and government hardly ever makes economic decisions which are superior to those of the free market. Gasoline taxes should be repealed until the gasoline price falls under $2/gallon. This is not a large amount but it should be done to show sympathy for the American people. Congress should invite Lindsey Williams, the chaplain of the Alaska pipeline and author of The Energy Non-Crisis, to testify before Congress about the 200 year supply of oil on Gull Island. Chaplain Williams witnessed that discovery.See his speech at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3340274697167011147