Pork, Bacon, and Fiscal Conservatism
How GOP Can Win in 2008 - Steve Beren Interview

Last fall, Rico Halo of ThatPoliticalBlog.com interviewed Steve Beren on fiscal conservatism, limited government, the war against Islamic terrorism, stopping illegal immigration, moral values, global warming, and the 2008 elections. Steve Beren is seeking the 2008 Republican nomination to run for Congress against Jim McDermott. Below are some excerpts from the interview. For online access to the entire interview go to http://tinyurl.com/yvjqco

Question from ThatPoliticalBlog.com: Traditionally being a successful Congressman means "bringing home the bacon" in federally funded projects for your district. In this era of a ballooning deficit and a Republican administration that has seemingly abandoned fiscal responsibility, how would you balance controlling the deficit with bringing money home to your district if you are elected?

Steve Beren: I don't agree with the concept of "bringing home the bacon." The American people are overtaxed - our bacon is taken away through excessive and wasteful spending. Then, when Congress gives some of our own money back to us, they act like they're doing us a favor. But they're simply returning some of our own hard-earned money. I don't consider that traditional type of congressman as being successful or deserving of credit. We need congressmen who will cut taxes and keep them low, and who will cut wasteful spending through a system of careful audits and across-the-board spending cuts.

In general, I favor economic policies that create jobs, encourage small businesses, reduce taxes, protect property rights, and strengthen families. We need to maintain the Bush tax cuts and continue growing the economy. In all spheres of government bureaucracy, we must recognize that there is much wasteful spending on programs that are ineffective, obsolete, or no longer serve the purpose for which they were initially intended. Thus, program-by-program auditing and accountability is necessary, and often greater results can be accomplished with program reform and less actual spending.

I favor the promotion of government reform, lower taxes, limited government, and curtailing out-of-control spending. Cutting the deficit and reducing the role of lobbyists is a priority for our nation. There should be across-the-board spending cuts in almost every program, with rare exceptions such as defense, homeland security, and emergency preparedness. No program should ever be increased without a dollar-for-dollar decrease elsewhere in the budget....

When I refer to fiscal conservatism, I mean not only supporting tax cuts and keeping taxes low, but putting forward an overall program of broad tax reform, limited government, and vastly decreased spending. Republicans and conservatives should never waver in support of the free market system as the best way to achieve broad prosperity, innovation, and progress. This is a debate we can win.

For online access to the entire interview go to http://tinyurl.com/yvjqco

Steve Beren for Congress
1916 Pike Place, #12667
Seattle WA 98101

* Support Our Troops - Victory in the War Against Terrorism
* Protect Our Borders - End Illegal Immigration
* Lower Taxes - Reduced Spending - Limited Government
* Protect Life and Liberty - A Positive Vision for America's Future
* This is the Year to Vote Republican!