Montana 2006 3-way Senate Debate: on Budget & Economy

Conrad Burns: Grow economy & control spending to reduce deficit

JONES: That’s easy for me. Eliminate unconstitutional departments and agencies.

BURNS: There’s only one way to control the deficit--grow the economy and control spending. We have brought down spending on the discretionary spending - the part we have some control over. The non-discretionary part is troubling. We’re continuing with the tax cuts which have energized the economy--that’s the way you take care of the deficit. We didn’t ask for 9/11, or Katrina, or the war on terror. We always grew through it. You grow the economy and control spending and that’s the way you take care of the deficit.

TESTER: When it comes to funding for Montana, we took the third biggest cut in FY05, in that discretionary funding. Out of 13 subcommittee chairs, Sen. Burns is ranked 10th in getting dollars to this state for critical projects. It’s time that we spend the money wiser, that we prioritize better, and start looking out for middle class folks.

Jon Tester: Montana suffered from Burns’ cuts in discretionary funding

JONES: That’s easy for me. Eliminate unconstitutional departments and agencies.

BURNS: There’s only one way to control the deficit--grow the economy and control spending. We have brought down spending on the discretionary spending - the part we have some control over. The non-discretionary part is troubling. We’re continuing with the tax cuts which have energized the economy--that’s the way you take care of the deficit. We didn’t ask for 9/11, or Katrina, or the war on terror. We always grew through it. You grow the economy and control spending and that’s the way you take care of the deficit.

TESTER: When it comes to funding for Montana, we took the third biggest cut in FY05, in that discretionary funding. Out of 13 subcommittee chairs, Sen. Burns is ranked 10th in getting dollars to this state for critical projects. It’s time that we spend the money wiser, that we prioritize better, and start looking out for middle class folks.

Stan Jones: Eliminate numerous unconstitutional federal departments

JONES: That’s easy for me. Eliminate the unconstitutional department of education. Eliminate the unconstitutional department of energy. Eliminate Housing and Urban Development, and Health & Welfare, and all the unconstitutional agencies and programs in the federal government. Then eliminate the ability for the federal government to pass laws that bribe state governments to pass things that the federal government cannot pass constitutionally. That makes the state government grow. I don’t understand how people can take an oath of office knowing that they are outside the law of the constitution. They are outlaws!

BURNS: There’s only one way to control the deficit--grow the economy and control spending.

TESTER: It’s time that we spend the money wiser, that we prioritize better, and start looking out for middle class folks. But that’s not the people who have control--the cronies on K-Street that buy votes have more control than the folks that elect us.