Fmr. Rep. Steve Hunter on "facist" gov't regulation: "Get the hell out and let them run their businesses and let them be profitable." #MO78:38 PM Apr 16thvia txt
Darrell Moore just came out against the #FairTax at federal level until spending is controled & economy rebounds. Scott Eckersley agrees.8:23 PM Apr 16thvia mobile web
Sen. Gary Nodler: "When you drive from here to Springfield or Branson, remember, you're riding on an earmark folks." #MO77:43 PM Apr 16thvia txt
Greene County Prosecutor Darrell Moore says he supports Wisc. Rep. Paul Ryan's plans for cutting the federal budget & reforming entitlements7:37 PM Apr 16thvia
Gary Nodler (@Nodler2010) says Social Security & Medicare have both been "operated as Ponzi schemes" that make Bernie Madoff look good. #MO77:32 PM Apr 16thvia mobile web
Sen. Jack Goodman touted his effort to get the infamous 2007 "village law" repealed: "I think it shows that my convictions do not yield."7:13 PM Apr 16thvia mobile web
@auctnr1 Billy Long's trotting out his campaign one-liners about career politicians being addicted to "O.P.M. -- other people's money." #MO77:10 PM Apr 16thvia mobile web
Fmr. state Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, on the American economy: "We live in a facist nation ... and it's radically advancing." #MO77:03 PM Apr 16thvia mobile web
I just counted 76 people here at the #MO7 candidates forum in Ozark. That's less than 8 potential voters for each candidate.6:54 PM Apr 16thvia mobile web
Scott Eckersley, the ex-attorney to fmr. Gov. @MattBlunt, is in attendance. Says he's still "exploring" a bid for Congress. #MO76:45 PM Apr 16thvia mobile web
At the Ozark Community Center, a #MO7 candidates forum is underway -- with 8 Republicans & 2 Democrats.6:39 PM Apr 16thvia mobile web
OZARK — Eight Republicans and two Democrats running for Congress in Missouri's 7th District met Friday night for a sparsely-attended candidates forum at the Ozark Community Center.
Former state Rep. Steve Hunter, a newcomer to the Republican primary field, was the only candidate to detail a specific economic policy proposal.
Hunter, of Joplin, proposed Congress impose a two-year moratorium on collecting Social Security taxes from employers and employees as a way to jump start the economy.
But later in the forum, Hunter denounced Congress for "raiding" the Social Security trust fund "to buy votes."
The other Republican candidates include Jeff Wisdom, Gary Nodler, Bob Schanz, Mike Moon, Darrell Moore, Jack Goodman, Billy Long and Michael Wardell. Schanz did not attend the forum.
About 80 people attended the forum, which was sponsored by the Ozark Chamber of Commerce.
The forum also featured Democratic candidates Tim Davis of Branson and Scott Eckersley, a former attorney during Gov. Matt Blunt's administration who claims he was fired for raising concerns about e-mail deletion in the governor's office.
Davis is an attorney in Branson and the author of a macro economics book.
Eckersley, who now lives in Kimberling City, has not decided whether he will remain on the ballot for an August primary against Davis. So the focus of the forum was shifted to the Republican candidates battling for the GOP nomination.
On the issue of how to save Social Security and Medicare from insolvency, the candidates had differing views.
Moon, an Ash Grove farmer, said Social Security was never meant to be "a long-term stop-gap."
"I believe we need to end this at some point," said Moon, who works in the marketing department at St. John's hospital.
Noting there likely won't be enough workers to support the retiring Baby Boomer generation, Moon said since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision affirming a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy, "we've killed over 50 million taxpayers."
"We've got to stop that atrocity," said Moon, who was the only candidate to bring up the issue of abortion throughout the forum.
Wardell, a business owner from Nixa, said people should have the choice to invest their Social Security savings into the stock market.
Goodman, a state senator from Mount Vernon, also denounced raiding Social Security "to fund other things."
"It needs to be operated as a trust fund, so what goes in is made to grow," Goodman said.
Long, a Springfield auctioneer, said the nation must "honor our commitment to our seniors" and fund retirement payments that people have been paying into the system for decades.
Long also said he's willing to politically unpopular decisions about reforming Social Security.
"I'm not even concerned about going up there making the tough decisions for the right reasons, doing the right thing for you people in the Ozarks," Long said. "We're going to have to make some tough decisions."
Nodler, a state senator from Joplin, said Social Security and Medicare "have been operated as Ponzi schemes."
"The sad truth is Bernie Madoff's investment bank was more financially sound than any of these plans," Nodler said.
Nodler also said the government must keep its promises to seniors.
"In order to do that, the rest of the fiscal irresponsibility has to stop," Nodler said of the bloated federal budget. "We have to generate surpluses in other places in government to sustain this system."
Wisdom said he favors allowing younger workers to invest their Social Security payments into private investments. He also said Congress needs to cut "unconstitutional" programs to shore up the Social Security and Medicare funds. An Iraq war veteran, Wisdom teaches economics at Ozarks Technical Community College.
Moore, the Greene County prosecutor, said he favors a plan by Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan to allow workers under 55 to take one third of their Social Security contribution and put it into a private investment.
The nine Republicans are vying for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, who is running for the U.S. Senate this year. The 7th District in southwest Missouri is heavily Republican.
Throughout the two-hour question and answer session, Hunter repeatedly claimed Americans are living under "fascism."
"What type of government is it when you own your own business and the government sets rules and tells you how to run it? It's not communist, because the communists own it," Hunter said. "We live in a fascist nation … and it's radically advancing."
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