posted 2/18/10
 

Duffy: Stimulus Anniversary Brings

Record Debt, High Unemployment

Obeystimulus.com reaches goal, DA proves he will have the resources to win

[Ashland, WI] Ashland County District Attorney and candidate for Congress Sean Duffy today said the anniversary of the so-called stimulus bill is a hard reminder for families out of work but deeper in debt thanks to the $787 billion spending spree of Dave Obey.

Duffy said the solution to reinvigorating our economy lies with the creativity and hard work of the American people and main street businesses - not the government. Duffy pointed to a number of true 'stimulus' measures that will create incentives to hire more workers and turn the economy around:

• Creating a tax code that is simpler, fairer and flatter.
• Using unspent stimulus and TARP funds for debt reduction. Massive government borrowing means less credit available for the private sector to create jobs.
• Making the 2001 tax relief permanent, creating certainty in the market and making more money available for savings, investment, and job creation.
• Scrap proposals such as cap and trade and the national health care takeover, and instead focus on health care reforms that increase access and portability, and decrease costs, such as buying across state lines, tort reform, price transparency, greater flexibility to businesses that provide coverage, and waste and fraud reduction.

Duffy pointed to the success of his fundraising efforts on the anniversary of the $787 billion stimulus bill as testament to voters' frustrations with massive government spending with no accountability and few jobs. The drive exceeded the campaign's ambitious goal of raising $25,000. Donations came from over 440 individuals and the average contribution was less than $60. Contributions continue to come in, and as of 9:30am CST over $27,000 had been raised.

Duffy said he was humbled by the outpouring of support at www.obeystimulus.com.

"More than 400 people from all walks of life banded together to send a message that record debt and deficit spending is not the answer to creating sustainable job growth," District Attorney Duffy said. "They know full well that jobs cannot be created unless employers know the true cost of hiring. With expensive new taxes on employers proposed to fund the national takeover of health care, and a massive new energy tax, businesses are not spending capital that could be used for new hires."

The Duffy for Congress campaign also welcomed an endorsement from Governor Sarah Palin yesterday. The Ashland County District Attorney is the first challenger House candidate in the country to receive her backing. In a message on her Facebook page, Palin said, "On this first anniversary of the stimulus, let's send a message to the big-spenders in Washington by helping Sean Duffy unseat the author of the stimulus."

Sean Duffy was first elected as Ashland County District Attorney in 2002 and has served in that role for seven years. As District Attorney, Duffy has aggressively compiled a 90 percent conviction rate. He is a father of five, three-time World Champion Lumberjack athlete, ESPN Outdoor Games analyst and former MTV Real World cast member.