[Southsider2k12]

A big thank you also to Mr. Puckett for his quick and through answers!

What is your position on the Bush tax cuts? Would you vote to extend them?

I strongly support the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Unfortunately, the key components of these tax cuts are set to expire on January 1st of 2011. Congress is already spending money in expectation of future tax increases as a result of their failure to extend the tax cuts. If nothing is done to extend the tax cuts, by the year 2012 citizens of the 2nd District will be paying $1,618 per person in additional taxes. That is a tax increase that should not be allowed to happen and I will fight to make sure that my constituents don't have to send more of their hard earned money to Washington.

What do you believe the US should do in Iraq? Should we have a timetable, an immediate withdrawal, or fight until we win?

The United States should win in Iraq. We don't bring the troops home until after we have effectively crushed the terrorist organizations that have cropped up in the wake of the successful toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime. Since the surge, our troops have seen many battlefield success and even now Iraqi's are encouraged that their government is beginning to stand up and take a more active role in combating insurgent terrorists.

Congress should respect the separation of powers principle enumerated in the Constitution and should not set a deadline for withdrawing the troops from Iraq. Over the past few months an increasing number of positive developments have taken place and I am optimistic that, if given the full support of Congress and the American people, our brave men and women will triumph in the sands of Iraq.

John McCain has made earmark reform a part of his campaign, do you believe we should freeze earmarks totally?

I am the only candidate running for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District that has pledged to work for a two year suspension of the earmark process. The earmark process is completely out
of control and something needs to be done about it. When people see members of Congress appropriating $500,000 for a teapot museum they lose confidence in government and they become frustrated that they have no voice in Washington. I will be that voice that stands up for fiscal sanity.

With the problems in mortgage lending, what would you like to see Congress's involvement in moving forward be?

Multiple factors contributed to the current mortgage industry problem but one factor stands out to me. Over the years the government began to mandate that certain lenders make a specified amount of sub-prime loans. These less than optimum loans can be a fine thing when done in moderation. However, when lenders were required to make more of these loans than they otherwise would, when they were required to assume more risk of loss than they otherwise would, it created a very delicate financial situation that ultimately caved in in some respects. The lesson here is for Congress to look for ways to let lenders calculate their own investments and not force lenders and homeowners into a false sense of financial security.

With the rising cost of energy in the United States, is there a plan that you have for either reducing costs to consumers, or moving us away from fossil fuels?

My opponent, Joe Donnelly, does not support the idea of allowing environmentally aware drilling procedures to go forward in Alaska. I strongly support drilling for domestic oil and I believe that we need to remove unnecessary regulations and barriers that prevent our companies from accessing our oil. We shouldn't be buying oil from the likes of Hugo Chavez if we can drill for our own oil and not fund the operations of organizations and entities that hate our country.

For shorter term relief, we need to suspend the federal gas tax and stop delivering oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the summer. Suspending the federal gas tax will take 18.4 cents off the price of a gallon of gas and provide a measure of short term relief for the summer driving season.


Do you have any opinion on the incident involving Tony Zirkle appearing at the Socialist gathering?

Frankly, I'm disappointed that Tony Zirkle decided to grace a neo-Nazi party with his presence. The values of Nazism are not just contrary to Republican party principles but more importantly they are contrary to the American principles of individual freedom and responsibility. I can't believe that in 2008 anyone would think so backwards.

[loghouse republican]

Puckett is playing fast and loose with his math about the Bush tax cuts. He makes it sound like everyone will have to pay more, in the amount of $1618.00 each. The $1618 is an average, weighted heavily by the huge tax breaks given to the wealthy. The lower income families will see no tax increase when the cuts run out, and the middle class will also see at most a minor increase. It's the rich that will see an increase of hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars. Puckett wants the tax breaks for himself and rich friends and is trying to scare the average person with this rich republican scare tactic.

[RonPaul4Prez]

This is my analyzation of Mr. Puckett's Stance on the issues.

http://www.puckett08.com


If you look at his homepage you will see he has an ad that endorses the wiretapping operations of the Federal gov.

Now look at his issues page on point four of his national security plan.

"4 Eliminate government red tape and bureaucratic roadblocks that hamper our efforts to successfully wage the global war on terror."

To me this may seem like he could be a loose cannon and proclaim security over freedom. Point four may be a valid and worthy point however combined with the ad it raises questions.

His overall stance on the economy is good in the sense that he wants to reduce the size of some government and stop pork barrel spending, however he does not address the overall issue to a tee and talks more about government spending and taxes more than he does about the economy and our monetary system.


His plan for health care is great allowing for HSA's and free market plans across state lines.

Under national security he states:

I want our men and women in uniform to come home as soon as possible.

Then flip flops by saying:

That being said, it is imperative that we end the conflict in victory and not defeat. I support bringing the troops home the second our commanders on the ground look the Commander in Chief in the eye and say “The job is done.”

Under his immigration plan in point 4 he states:

Enforce penalties for businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens.

While many people may believe that this is a strong way to fight the illegal alien problem it is completely contrary to our stance of following the constitution.

To properly fix the problem we have we must stop giving unauthorized individuals socialized aid and eliminate birthright citizenship. Period!

For more information you can go here: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?p=1387746

Mr. Puckett states that he will:

I'll support a Federal Marriage Amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. I'll support the sanctity of all life, from its very earliest stages to its very latest stages.

It would seem to me that if the founders believed that it was up to the government to decide who may marry and who may not they would have stated so in the constitution. However government never has a say in how may marry unless you ask for their permission via a license.

For more info go to: http://www.originalintent.org/edu/marriage.php

Additionally, while the sanctity of life is a very important step in securing the right to life we must realize that the right to life was given by that persons creator and not the government. Therefore, the decision to have an abortion is between that person and their creator and maybe their doctor. However it should never be the rule of government to make such decisions. (By the way I am anti-abortion as a personal choice.)

He has a fantastic 2nd Amendment and Education policy.


I hope this analyzation will help you make your decision in this May 6th primary.

[Dave]

I think the word you wanted was "analysis" rather than "analyzation."

[RonPaul4Prez]

I think the word you wanted was "analysis" rather than "analyzation."

Probably however sleep is always required for proper brain functionality.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=40453.49

Puckett, Donnelly Will Vie For U.S. Rep Position

Jason Miller
The News-Dispatch

SOUTH BEND - In a race marred by Nazis and the national media attention they garnered, Goshen Republican Luke Puckett on Tuesday earned the right to face off against popular incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly in November's race for 2nd District U.S. Congress.

"You've heard me say it before, and I've meant it every time. As I've traveled the district and sat in coffee shops, in living rooms, at veterans hospitals, there is one common theme that always strikes me - the majority of Americans agree on the majority of issues," Puckett said in his victory speech Tuesday night.

"From gas prices to our economy and from national security to health care, the voters of District 2 agree on what needs to be accomplished to change Washington."

Puckett won the Republican primary Tuesday, garnering 47 percent of the vote in La Porte County. He beat unknown challenger Joseph Roush 47 percent to 35 percent.

With 96 percent of precincts reporting, he garnered 17,014 votes district-wide, according to the National Republican Congressional Committee. Roush finished with 12,782 votes district wide.

South Bend lawyer and "original intent" Republican Tony Zirkle - who lost his third consecutive primary attempt for Congress - finished third with 669 votes in La Porte County and 5,801 district wide.

Zirkle likely suffered public backlash from his highly publicized attendance last month at an event honoring Adolf Hitler's birthday. He spoke to a Nazi group in Chicago about the harm done to young white women by pornography and prostitution.

He said he was simply speaking to a group that invited him to speak.

Donnelly said Tuesday he was impressed with the high voter turnout.

"Overall, it looks like there was a record turnout in the 2nd District and Indiana. It is probably three times of the primary four years ago. I'm so proud of voters in the district and in Indiana," he said. "It looks like there will be 100,000 votes cast in the 2nd District alone.

"I think it made a difference to have the candidates coming here and earning our votes. It showed that Indiana mattered. It made a difference to have them in Indiana. The people of Indiana desperately want their vote to matter and want to be a part of something."

Coral Laun, La Porte County Republican Party chairwoman, said Tuesday she was pleased with Puckett's victory. She kicked off Puckett's campaign earlier this year when he visited La Porte.

"This was our desire," she said. "He received the endorsement of the Second District county chairs. We're very proud to have an excellent candidate."

Puckett will face off against Donnelly, who beat incumbent Republican Chris Chocola four years ago, in November.

"Mr. Donnelly, look out," Laun said.

Contact Jason Miller at jmiller@thenewsdispatch.com.