Congressional candidate David Madeira visits Towanda

TOWANDA - David Madeira, a Republican who is running for Chris Carney's seat in Congress, said he would cut taxes, reduce federal spending, and keep U.S. forces in Iraq until it is a stable democracy, and he said Carney is not being honest with his constituents.

Madeira, who is a retired chiropractor and a former president of the Pennsylvania Chiropractic Association, made those statements in an interview on Wednesday with staff from The Daily Review.

"I don't think Chris Carney is being honest with the people of the 10th District," said Madeira, 42. "That's one of the main reasons whey I got in this race."

For example, while Carney says he is a blue-dog Democrat and a fiscal conservative, he voted for programs the federal government can't afford, such as the $787 billion economic stimulus bill, as well as for federal budgets with deficits each year he has been in office, Madeira said.

And then Carney voted against raising the ceiling on the national debt so that he could claim that he was against excessive borrowing, said Madeira, who lives in Dallas in Luzerne County.

Madeira will face two opponents, former U.S. attorney Thomas Marino and Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk, in the May Republican primary for the congressional seat.

Madeira said that to get the economy back on track, he would cut taxes on individuals and businesses, as well as cut capital gains taxes, taxes on investments, and the estate tax.

"All of those taxes that are spent by the taxpayer is money that they can't spend somewhere else," he said. "We need consumer spending" to boost the economy, he said.

In the past, "cutting taxes has worked every time to boost the economy," said Madeira, who currently works as a consultant to businesses.

On the issue of cutting taxes, Madeira also said: "I've never gotten a job from a poor man. People with capital create new jobs and new opportunities because they invest the capital they have. So when we tax capital, we tax the very thing we need more of to create more jobs."

Among the other measures that need to be taken to improve the economy are regulatory reform and the development of domestic energy supplies, he said.

Regulations, which can be a drag on the economy, should be reviewed within a few years of their enactment to see if they are accomplishing their goals and if they are cost-effective, he said.

For example the HIPAA law, which costs businesses billions of dollars a year to comply with, is not necessary, since litigation through the courts can already address privacy violations, he said.

And the country is spending hundreds of billions of dollars a year on foreign energy, which hurts the U.S. economy, he said. He said the United States needs to aggressively pursue all forms of domestic energy, including off-shore drilling for oil, which he said has a very good safety track record.

Madeira said he is pro-life and pro-gun. He said there should be no restrictions on the types of guns people can own.

"I don't think that the Second Amendment is a hunting law," he said. It was written so that people could bear arms to protect their freedoms, he said.

Asked whether the exemption for hydraulic fracturing should be removed from the Safe Drinking Water Act, Madeira replied that it is very important to protect the water supply of residents, but that environmental regulation of gas drilling is best done at the state level, and not the federal level. That's because the state is going to be more responsive in regulating local environmental problems, he said.

"I'm not afraid to use the bully pulpit," Madeira said, discussing why he should be the next congressman. "I'm not afraid to speak up. I think that's probably the most significant thing anyone can bring" to the job of congressman, he said.

He also said his background as a chiropractor is important because health care reform is such a big issue, and he said his background as a small businessman is important because the economy and creating jobs are now very important issues.

While the current Social Security system should be preserved for older Americans, younger Americans should be given the option of investing retirement money.

While allowing people to invest money they've put into the Social Security system has been criticized because of the volatility of the stock market, Madeira said the current system is not working because the current Social Security system does not have the money to meet its needs, he said.

Regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Madeira said: "If we broke it, we own it."

"We can't leave (Iraq) until it's a stable democracy," he said. "We have to win. It looks like we are. It looks like things are working out well there."

Regarding the war in Afghanistan, Madeira said: "We can't just leave. We have to find a way to create something there that is stable, that won't come back to get us later."

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or e-mail: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.

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