Survey of 2014 Senate campaign websites: on Corporations


Emily Sanchez: The Occupy Movement woke me up and gave me hope

I remember a time when I wanted nothing to do with politics and then the Occupy Movement was born. I can not deny that it woke me up and gave me hope. Here there were so many individuals with shared beliefs trying to make a dent in the system. It was the beginning and now I'm occupying the ballot. Be the change.

Three years ago a rebellion began in NYC--it spread across the country and was in 1400 cities in America. We occupied public parks and places to make a bold political statement-- that the country had been hijacked by special interests, lobbyists, and corporate welfare/windfall profits which fueled dark money and bought off elections. The economy never recovered (meaning average people lost big while big corporations did very well).

A new world is waiting for us but first we need to recognize it and then make it happen! May all the corruption, deaths, foul play, and downright dirty deeds fade away and may all good people unite for a better tomorrow!!

Source: 2014 Texas Senate campaign website on Facebook.com Sep 18, 2014

Thomas Ravenel: Crony capitalism is not true free market capitalism

Crony capitalism--our current system in which special interests line the campaign coffers of politicians such as Lindsey Graham in an effort to cut off competition from upstarts through government subsidies and increased regulation--is not true free market capitalism. A perfect example of such cronyism is the Export-Import bank, which serves as a slush fund, doling out taxpayer-guaranteed loans to a select few foreign corporations that then purchase goods from a select few American corporations. The benefits of these subsidies go overwhelmingly to the shareholders of those few companies and their top executives, not to the American people. This is not true capitalism, in which no such specialized subsidies exist. Cronyism is a command economic boondoggle benefiting a select few while leading to reduced competition and higher prices for the rest of us. Such government-funded schemes undermine the invisible hand of the free market and must end.
Source: 2014 S.C. Senate campaign website, RavenelForSenate.com Sep 1, 2014

Sam Rankin: End tax subsidies; & tax corporations in foreign countries

Source: 2014 Montana Senate campaign website, SamRankin.com Jul 27, 2014

Cory Booker: Lower corporate tax rate & close loopholes

Our corporate tax code offers a veritable menu of misplaced incentives and a high tax rate. But there is an alternative. Together, we can create a simple, dependable tax code that levels the playing field, creates jobs, and positions American businesses to lead the world. Any eventual solution should include the following:
Source: 2014 New Jersey Senate campaign website CoryBooker.com Jul 1, 2014

Terry Adams: Fair tax system without loopholes for corporations & wealthy

If you have been feeling like the game is rigged, like you can't get ahead no matter how hard you work, like the deck is stacked against you, you are right. When all the wealth goes to the top 10%, and increasingly the top 1%, the middle-class does not have money to buy things, demand for goods and services goes down, tax revenues go down, meaning investments in education go down, and so on into an economic death spiral.

What should we do? Well, we don't need some kind of Robin Hood economic policy, we just need a fair economic policy that works for everyone. We need a fair tax system without loopholes for corporations and the wealthy. We need Wall Street reform. We need to make intelligent investments in public education, the great equalizer in our country. We need to raise the minimum wage. And we need to get the billionaires, corporations, and special interests money out of politics.

Source: 2014 TN Senate campaign website, AdamsForTN.com Jun 25, 2014

Dave Domina: Huge corporations are not citizens

We cannot treat huge corporations as our legal equals . You and I are human beings. This is the first condition of citizenship. We have the right to vote. We have the right to due process. And we create corporations. They are not citizens.

Taking back our right to govern ourselves requires compromise, common ground, workable but less than perfect solutions, fixing and improving as we go onward. In a democracy we get some, not all, of what we each want.

Source: 2014 Neb. Senate campaign website, DaveDomina.com May 15, 2014

David Alameel: Big corporations & executives should pay fair share in taxes

Source: 2014 Texas Senate campaign website May 15, 2014

Brian Herr: 29 years in the commercial construction business

With 29 years in the commercial construction business, Brian Herr has seen small businesses struggle to address the challenges of today's changing economy. Now Brian is running for the United States Senate because he believes that the key to putting America back on track is to elect leaders that approach problem solving with an open mind and a strong background in the private sector. Brian believes the dysfunction in Washington must come to an end and Massachusetts can lead the way once again!
Source: 2014 Massachusetts Senate campaign website, BrianHerr.com Feb 6, 2014

Terri Lynn Land: Government compliance is too large burden on small business

As a wife, mother and a partner of a family business, I understand firsthand how hard it can be to juggle a busy schedule. I also understand the struggles that small business owners face when dealing with the government.

Talk to any business owner and he or she will tell you that dealing with the government, including trying to fill out stacks of government paperwork, is far too time-consuming--and in business, time is money. The reality is that government is too large, too intrusive & too demanding. Government compliance is placing a larger and larger burden on Michigan's families and small businesses.

When I served as Michigan's Secretary of State, my staff and I focused on customer service. We worked really hard to develop and implement common sense government reforms. We also found ways to work together with business, so that they could also provide better customer services to their customers because of improved interactions with the Secretary of State.

Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, www.TerriLynnLand.com Jan 20, 2014

Rob Maness: End anti-small business politics and crony capitalism

Create a vibrant private sector by implementing reforms that will incentivize hard-working American small business owners and entrepreneurs to create jobs. We need policies that encourage free market growth to escape the Obama/Landrieu economic malaise created by anti-small business politics and crony capitalism. The government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers. It's time to implement common sense policies that create middle-class jobs and encourage corporations not only to stay in the United States, but to likewise welcome others to do business here as well.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, RobManess.com, "Principles" Nov 30, 2013

Lee Bright: Lower corporate tax rate: pro-free enterprise reforms

For many small businesses, just completing and filing a return is a serious drain on their resources, while many big businesses have used their lobbyists to cozy up to Congress and pay no taxes at all.

Lee will push for pro-free enterprise reforms to the tax structure. Lee will start by pushing to rollback income tax rates overall after the disastrous capitulation to the Obama administration over the Bush-era tax cuts. This should be followed by lowering the corporate income tax rate.

The US has the highest corporate income tax rate in the industrialized world, especially if you include the taxes levied by many state governments. This high tax burden reduces competitiveness and hurts businesses that should be creating innovative products and technologies. More importantly, by hurting employers we are keeping unemployment high.

He opposes special carve-outs that bail out some businesses at the expense of others.

Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, BrightForSenate.com, "Issues" Nov 22, 2013

Michelle Nunn: Lower our corporate tax rate; simplify tax code

To spur job creation, we need to have a tax code that is simple, fair and fuels economic growth. We need to lower our corporate tax rate, permanently extend the research and development tax credit and assess other provisions to ensure our tax policies promote innovation and growth.

I believe Georgia families are paying too much in taxes. Our tax code is too complicated and there are too many loopholes carved out for special interests that allow those who can afford high-priced accountants to get away without paying their fair share.

I applaud efforts to enact revenue-neutral tax reform, especially the idea of taking a "blank slate" approach to revising the tax code whereby we look long and hard at every tax expenditure and invite input from all Americans to build a code that is simple, fair and spurs economic growth.

Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, michellenunn.com, "Ideas" Nov 15, 2013

Matt Silverstein: Cut corporate taxes and corporate loopholes

Matt will support a tax system that makes sense for businesses and individuals alike. Our corporate taxes are among the highest in the world and that makes our businesses less competitive around the world. However, corporate tax loopholes reduce taxes for the biggest corporations while the entrepreneurs and small businesses that are creating new jobs are saddled with paying close to the full rate. Matt is determined to work towards a tax system that works for small businesses not Wall Street. Matt supports eliminating all special interest corporate tax loopholes and reducing the overall rate to 20 percent or less.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattForOklahoma.com, "Issues" Nov 11, 2013

Sam Clovis: End corporate welfare subsidies & crony capitalism grants

Congress needs to have the discipline to examine and then eliminate at least 50% of the grants and subsidies that comprise unnecessary and damaging market interference. There are over 2000 subsidies and 1000 grant programs that cost American taxpayers some $1.5 Trillion a year. Imagine the effects of allowing markets to work as they should. This corporate welfare, crony capitalism and unjust redistribution of tax dollars should be halted and is the primary responsibility of the Congress. As a senator, I will wage a tireless battle against these programs that reward special interests and punish the American people.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Iowans4SamClovis.com, "Issues" Nov 11, 2013

Cory Booker: Government procurement should promote women-owned business

I will make sure that the government contract procurement process promotes women-owned businesses and female entrepreneurs, as well as fair pay.

I will follow the lead of the many courageous women who have helped achieve the progress we have made, and will do all I can to support their efforts to build a country in which gender does not impact how much you bring home in your paycheck, to what extent you control decisions about your health, or how far you're likely to go in your career.

Source: 2013-2014 New Jersey Senate campaign web CoryBooker.com Nov 3, 2013

Joe Carr: Lower the corporate tax & make Bush tax cuts permanent

The top ten percent of earners pay seventy percent of federal income taxes. Under any definition, that's unfair. For starters, we should lower the corporate tax and make Bush-era tax reform permanent. I believe in the flat tax and a tax environment that encourages and rewards initiative, investment, hard work and success.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, www.carrfortn.com, "Issues" Nov 1, 2013

Jason Conger: Lower the barriers to business and job creation

Since Nov. 2007, Oregon has lost nearly 120,000 private sector jobs. Unfortunately, there is more bad news. The recent tax increases are projected to put up to another 70,000 of us out of work.

But that is not the end of the story. We can make Oregon stronger! We can create jobs and opportunity by encouraging home grown business in Oregon. Our true strength comes from Oregon's skilled workforce and bright, talented and creative entrepreneurs who can help grow our economy and put people back to work.

We need to embrace Oregon's potential and lower the barriers to business and job creation. It is imperative that we invest in the future by promoting the development of new ventures and new technologies that will create new jobs and new tax revenue. The legislature has fallen down on the job and it is sending the wrong message to local small businesses.

We need to re-brand our state, from "Oregon--fourth highest unemployment in the nation" to "Oregon--open for business."

Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, RepJasonConger.com, "Issues" Oct 18, 2013

Rick Weiland: Stop sweetheart deals & government bailouts of big business

Big corporations have embedded themselves into our government, wasting our tax dollars with bloated contracts.

I'm running so that we can give a fair shake and an even playing field to every small business.

I'm running so that we can stop the waste in government, so that we can stop the sweetheart deals and the government bailouts of businesses that are 'too big to fail'. It's time for the everyday citizens to take back our country, and that is what my campaign will be about.

Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, rickweiland.com, "Priorities" Oct 9, 2013

Shane Osborn: Small businesses are the job creators that fuel our economy

Shane knows it's the private sector that creates jobs; not the federal government. Small businesses are the job creators that fuel our economy. Shane wants to see jobs created in innovative industries.

To get the national economy back on track, the federal government needs to cut spending and foster job creation. Instead of incenting small businesses to succeed, the President is curbing business innovation and expansion with new taxes, unsustainable federal spending, and new regulations.

Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, www.shaneosborn.com Oct 9, 2013

David Perdue: We are on the verge of revitalizing American manufacturing

I believe that we are on the verge of revitalizing American manufacturing. The private sector is primed to create quality jobs by manufacturing innovative products that require a skilled workforce and high-tech facilities. These products are needed for domestic consumption and more importantly for exports to foreign markets. But the manufacturing industry's renewal can be stunted if we don't correct bad energy policies, a lack of infrastructure, and failures in education.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, perduesenate.com, "Issues" Jul 25, 2013

Murray Sabrin: Manufacturing hubs are crony capitalism

Below are some of the major excerpts of President Obama's State of the Union address. After each section, I will clarify what the President means and how his proposals contradict his own rhetoric, namely, that the government should encourage free enterprise.

Obama: "So tonight, I'm announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of 15 of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is made right here in America. We can get that done."

Ay yes, crony capitalism. Obama believes entrepreneurs left alone cannot create wealth and jobs and therefore enlightened government officials have the insight and knowledge to micromanage the economy. One of the enduring myths of leftists and economists like Paul Krugman.

Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, www.MurraySabrin.com Feb 15, 2013

Natalie Tennant: Help business filings via efficiency and cutting red tape

BUSINESS GROWTH: Since her election as West Virginia Secretary of State, Tennant has made business a top priority, taking great strides to increase efficiency and cut red tape. Her efforts have led to a near doubling of online filings, making it easier to start and grow a business in West Virginia.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, NatalieTennant.com, "About" Nov 1, 2012

  • The above quotations are from Survey of 2014 Senate campaign websites.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Corporations.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Karen Handel on Corporations.
  • Click here for more quotes by Mead Treadwell on Corporations.
Candidates and political leaders on Corporations:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R)
Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)
Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018