Wittman Talks Issues With York Conservatives

By Amber Lester Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Rep. Rob Wittman rallied York County conservatives to help America recognize what he called “simple truths” during a coffeehouse forum Tuesday night.

Wittman, running for re-election to represent Virginia’s 1st congressional district, appeared as guest speaker at a meeting of the Tuscany Forum group, so named because the members meet at Tuscany’s Coffeehouse on Route 17. The group gathers fiscal and social conservatives from across the spectrum, some Tea Party activists, to discuss government matters. More than 70 people turned out to hear the congressman’s speech.

Wittman framed his speech by saying most of the country’s current problems – the economy, the expansion of government oversight, decreased defense spending and immigration – could be solved if everyone recognized what he considers “simple truths.”

The first fix to the government would be keeping a careful eye on spending, he said, garnering big applause from the audience. The government can’t spend more money than it brings in, Wittman said, and he proposes Congress adopt a balanced budget amendment with a provision for an emergency fund.

The second simple truth was that bigger government isn’t better government, he said. Wittman said the government is now in the healthcare business, the car business and the financial sector business. The best thing is to “get the heck out of the way” and let businesses prosper, he said. He called for the reductions of the self-employment and payroll taxes, and said the U.S. needs to encourage more manufacturers to keep jobs here by lowering the corporate tax rate. He also proposed allowing struggling small businesses to carry losses over five years for tax purposes.

His third simple truth was that the nation is free because of its strong military and the U.S. should never apologize for being a super power, which received big claps from the audience. He condemned Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ plan to dismantle Joint Forces Command, which could put thousands of Hampton Roads residents, both in uniform and civilian, out of work.

“I’m all for efficiencies in the Department of Defense, but when we close commands without involving Congress, that’s absolutely wrong,” he said. “The secretary has stepped outside his role.”

Instead, he said he’d like to see the military look for a way to trim across the board, saying, “When I want to lose weight, I don’t cut off an arm. I try to lose weight from the entire body.”

He said his final “simple truth” was that the U.S. is a sovereign nation that needs to enforce its immigration laws, saying the U.S. is the only country that doesn’t vigorously defend its borders.

Afterward, Wittman answered audience questions for an hour, fielding queries about everything from how the Republican Party will establish its platform to why he won’t be attending a Tea Party conference. While he said he believes the Tea Party’s principles are “right on,” he said he respected the movement as a grassroots effort, and didn’t want to see it co-opted by Washington. “I think the Tea Party has its strength in grassroots effort,” he said. “Many of us like it as an experimental coming of ideas. I want to see the effort go on.”

As for the conference, he said he had a prior commitment. When pushed further by a Tea Party member, he said he didn’t want to abandon his previous commitment, but planned to meet with every Tea Party group in his district before the Nov. 2 election.

In response to several other question prompts, Wittman said he agrees with a plan to “repeal, replace, defund” the new federal healthcare legislation, suggested eight-year term limits for chairmanships on congressional committees and supports legislation that would require every bill to indicate how it is supported by the Constitution.

He finished his visit by suggesting the entire U.S. tax system be revamped, prompting applause and nods of approval from the audience. “We need to take the U.S. tax code and throw it in the trash can,” he said. “The U.S. tax code for income is antiquated and hard to understand. We need to replace it with a simple, thoughtful system based on a modern system of economics.”

On Sept. 16, the Tuscany Forum will host state Sen. Tommy Norment, R-James City, and state Del. Tom Gear, R-Hampton, to discuss court appointments in York-Poquoson Circuit Court, which has had a presiding judge vacancy since 2008.