2016 AL Senate race: on Budget & Economy

Richard Shelby: Opposes raising the debt limit; opposes $18T debt

Richard Shelby: I believe that our nation's debt crisis is one of the most important challenges facing our nation and must be addressed. When President Obama took office, our nation's debt was at a staggering $10.6 trillion. Our debt has now skyrocketed to over $18 trillion under this Administration's misguided policies. The cycle of debt accumulation is unsustainable and will only lead to placing more debt on the backs of future generations. That is why I strongly opposed raising the debt limit last October. I believe that we simply cannot continue to raise our debt ceiling with no reforms to curb the driver of our debt crisis: wasteful spending.

Ron Crumpton: 9-point plan for government economic investment

1. Invest in education: Repair/replace dilapidated buildings and provide teachers with the technology and supplies they need to teach our children
2. Raise the minimum wage: Reduce government dependence by insuring fair pay
3. Reschedule marijuana: Remove marijuana from schedule I and allow states to regulate
4. Equal Pay: Equal pay for everyone period
5. Invest in Infrastructure: Repair, replace and expand roads, bridges and airports
6. Break up the big banks: End too big to fail
7. End tax breaks to companies for sending jobs overseas and give them to companies that bring American jobs back home
8. Make college more affordable: Increase grant amounts and access to grants
9. Entitlement Reform: Rebuild America's social safety net

Marcus Bowman: Government should never be the driver of the economy

A: Oppose. We need new monetary policy in the United States that grows the economy with a return to true free markets and a strong, backed currency. Economic growth needs to reach more people. Stimulus did not prove to be successful and government should never be the driver of the economy.