Fox Business 2015 GOP primary debate: on Government Reform


Carly Fiorina: We've become a nation of rules, not a nation of laws

Big government has created a big business called politics. We need to do five things to really get this economy going again.
  1. We need to go to zero-based budgeting so we know where every dollar is being spent, we can challenge any dollar, cut any dollar, move any dollar.
  2. We need to actually reform the tax code. Go to a 3-page tax code. Yes, there are plans that would reform our tax code to 3 pages.
  3. In addition to rolling back what Pres. Obama has done, we need to do a top-to-bottom review of every single regulation on the books. That hasn't been done in 50 years.
  4. We need to pass the REINS Act so Congress is in charge of regulation, not nameless, faceless bureaucrats accountable to no one. We've become a nation of rules, not a nation of laws.
  5. And finally we actually, yes, have to hold government officials accountable for their performance. All this has to be done, and the citizens of this nation must help a President Fiorina get it done. We must take our government back.
Source: Fox Business/WSJ First Tier debate Nov 10, 2015

Carly Fiorina: Problem is government growing bigger, crushing growth

This government has been growing bigger and bigger, more corrupt, less effective, crushing the engine of economic growth for a very long time. This isn't about just replacing a Democrat with a Republican now. It's about actually challenging the status quo of big government.
Source: Fox Business/WSJ Second Tier debate Nov 10, 2015

Chris Christie: There's nothing for free; federal programs mean taxes

There's nothing for free. What they forgot to tell was that they're going to raise your tax rates to 70 or 80 percent in order to provide all that stuff. Do you want to give Washington more control over your life? Hillary Clinton has made it very clear she believes she can make decisions for you. The greatness of America is the American people. What we need to do is get the government out of the way and let the American people win once again.
Source: Fox Business/WSJ Second Tier debate Nov 10, 2015

Jeb Bush: A powerful D.C. hurts economic growth

I'm going to fight to make sure that we shift power away from Washington, simplify the tax code, to spur economic activity in this country. Of course it's the highest priority. If we don't do that, we're stuck with the "new normal" of 2 percent growth. Hillary Clinton says, basically, we just got to get used to it. Two percent growth means declining income for the middle class. It means more than 6 million people are stuck in poverty than the day that Barack Obama was inaugurated.
Source: Fox Business/WSJ Second Tier debate Nov 10, 2015

Mike Huckabee: State budget basics: educate, medicate, and incarcerate

Gov. Bobby JINDAL [to Huckabee]: There's only one of us that's actually cut government spending. We've cut our budget 26%.

HUCKABEE: I would say that a lot of us have cut things. And during the recession of 2001 to 2003, when 91% of our state budget was basically three things--educate, medicate and incarcerate--we ended up cutting 11% out of the state budget through that recession so we didn't have to go in and raise a bunch of taxes, and there were people who thought we should. So it's just not accurate to say that nobody else up here has ever cut. I believe every governor has probably had to make tough decisions.

JINDAL: Mike, I share many of your social views, but your record as Governor tells a different story. In your time as Governor, spending in Arkansas went up 65%, number of state workers went up 20%, the taxes for the average citizen went up 47%. That's not a record of cutting.

Source: 2015 Fox Business/WSJ Second Tier GOP debate Nov 10, 2015

Ted Cruz: Obama-era regulations hurt small business

Sabina Loving is an African-American single mom who started a tax preparation business in Chicago. Then the IRS promulgated new regulations targeting tax preparers. This statute and the IRS had exemptions for lawyers and big fancy accountants, but Sabina had to pay $1,000 an employee. It would have driven her out of business, and Ms. Loving sued the IRS. She took the Obama IRS to court, and she won, and they struck down the rule for picking the big guys over the little guys.
Source: Fox Business/WSJ Second Tier debate Nov 10, 2015

Ted Cruz: Eliminate IRS, HUD, and Departments of Commerce & Energy

We rolled out a spending plan: $500 billion in specific cuts--five major agencies that I would eliminate. The IRS, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and HUD--and then 25 specific programs.
Source: Fox Business/WSJ Second Tier debate Nov 10, 2015

  • The above quotations are from Fox Business/Wall Street Journal Two-Tier 2015 GOP primary debate
    First Tier: Top Eight by polls
    Second Tier: Four other Republicans
    .
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Government Reform.
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  • Click here for more quotes by Ben Carson on Government Reform.
  • Click here for more quotes by Donald Trump on Government Reform.
2016 Presidential contenders on Government Reform:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI)
Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018