Author: Warren Redlich

Mike Trout is running for Congress. The 21st district includes West Boca. Here is his answer to the spending question:
I’m sorry I missed the original posting regarding the Spending Question. I’ll agree with Cesar that taking away corporate entitlements, that in the face of unprecedented profits, are not needed.
There are already eligibility tests for social programs, however, and in fact we know that these programs are, if anything — underutilized. When I say underutilized, I don’t mean to suggest that we don’t spend a significant sum on safety net programs that supplement the nutritional and health needs of children, seniors, the disabled, and unemployed — but the fact is that many more people ‘qualify’ for these programs than actually participate. What that says to me is that in this country, on this day, there are those among us who are going to bed hungry, and going without basic medical care and medicine. This, even as the corporations sit on cash reserves of historic and unprecedented proportions. We don’t have ‘money’ problems. We have a problem of committing resources where they are needed. There is a problem of greed and corruption. It’s not surprising. History is merely repeating itself. Are we listening?
Mike Trout, Vote4Trout
http://Vote4Trout.com

We received a response to the spending question from Cesar Henao, who is running for Congress in the 21st congressional district. Here is his response:
I support a balanced budget, and trimming federal spending so that budget surpluses can begin to pay off the national debt.
The simple answer I could give you would be to cut program ABC and D however our financial dilemma is much more complicated than that. What we need is a leader with a conviction to address across-the-board cuts that will lessen the impact of our senior citizens on fixed income, and the poor.
The challenge, however, is that you have two parties trying to protect their special interests and at the same time telling the American people It’s in their best interests. Taking away corporate and social entitlements to entities that do not deserve or need them, should be our Number one fiscal priority.
Budgeting for a government is far much more complex and different than budgeting for an organization or an individual family household. I would want to look at a line item by line item budget and give the president the ability to do line item vetoes. This helps to assure the president assumes much more responsibility for fiscal responsibility than the office has been given in the past.