WINFIELD - Immigration reform, the nation's debt and the future of Social Security were among the topics of discussion at a forum for candidates running for the 8th Congressional District Thursday at Winfield Fire Hall.
Dave Wallace, Gus Alzona and Ken Timmerman participated in the forum. The three candidates are campaigning in the district currently represented by Democrat Chris Van Hollen. The district includes southern and western portions of Carroll and stretches to the Washington, D.C., suburbs. Primary election day is April 3.
Candidates on immigration and the Patriot Act:
Alzona:
"If elected, my priorities would to be to defend the Constitution, protect religious freedom, protect individual privacy, keep cyberspace free, open and accessible and all and seek a repeal of the unconstitutional aspects of the Patriot Act."
Timmerman:
"We have to enforce immigration laws. The Patriot Act has been much maligned by people who have not read it or who have not understood how it works who do not understand what it actually means and why it was necessary in 2001."
Wallace:
"We secure the border once and for all. If you don't do that, it's not going to work. Second of all, we cannot have this country provide entitlements to illegal aliens no matter what."
Candidates on what they would cut from the federal budget:
Alzona:
"I really think we need to be looking at more sound monetary policy and basically economic policies which hopefully will not lead us to what we've basically just experienced."
Timmerman:
"I actually like the idea of zero sum budgeting. You start out with a blank piece of paper and say, 'what do we really need in government? What is government's constitutional role?'"
Wallace:
"We have subsidies across the board. We have to get rid of those subsidies, so we can put the free market in charge and not have government tell us where we should be buying products based on those subsidies and based on those tax credits."
Candidates on Social Security being an entitlement program:
Alzona:
"We're going to increase the retirement age over time protecting plan beneficiaries and with that, progressively slows the growth of benefits for high income and increases the benefits for low income individuals. In this case, this reform will provide seniors with better health care at a lower cost."
Timmerman:
"[Republicans] will not end Social Security. That's just not true. It's not going to happen. We will make sure everyone who is older than 55, if they want to, stays in the current system. You paid into it. It's yours. You ought to own it."
Wallace:
"It is not an entitlement. It's something you've placed your hard-earned money into, and it's something that should be and must be provided. Period."
