Voters want Issues Discussed at Tonight’s Debate

Policy differences, not personal attacks should take center stage

CSE has attended over 150 presidential campaign events in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina. Our staff and activists have directly asked the candidates over 200 questions. We know voters are passionate about the issues and have appreciated the willingness of candidates to answer specific questions. In recent days, however, the media has attempted to divert attention away from issues and onto negative tactics employed by campaigns and outside groups. CSE urges the candidates to keep talking to real voters about real issues.

CSE has pushed four issues at every candidate event.

Ending lawsuit abuse

Keeping the Internet free from taxation and burdensome regulations

Scrapping the Code and reducing taxes

School choice

We urge the candidates and the debate moderator Larry King to stick to these issues. Here are some suggested questions Larry King should ask at tonight’s forum.

“Governor Bush, you have talked about how the tax code is unfair. It is 44,000 pages long and very complicated. In President Clinton’s budget, he has proposed a 9% increase in the IRS budget to hire 633 new auditors. These auditors will not be used to help taxpayers; they will be used to beef up enforcement. Do you support this type of IRS harassment and what would you do as President to make the code less complicated?”

“Senator McCain, last week Governor Bush introduced a comprehensive plan to end lawsuit abuse. Do you support these proposals and when will you release a comprehensive lawsuit abuse plan of your own?”

“Governor Bush,John McCain has pledged to permanently ban Internet taxation and to repeal the federal excise tax on telephone services. What is your position? Would you support a 10 year extension of the moratorium on Internet taxation?”

“Senator McCain, you have spoken today about the need to break the iron triangle of legislation, lobbyists and money. You have said we can’t give back the government to the people until we break this iron triangle. One of the most powerful of these interests is the teachers union, and as you know the bitterly oppose giving parents the option of where to send their children to school. But your campaign finance proposal leaves the unions alone. Why? And how can you break the teachers’ unions’ iron triangle over school choice if you can’t do it with other special interests.”

Citizens for a Sound Economy’s mission is to identify, educate, motivate and mobilize Americans who care about free market solutions to public policy problems. We know that government goes to those who are passionate and who channel those passions into the political process.