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Last updated on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
(BEDFORD) - Indiana’s 9th District Republican Congressman Todd Young says many Americans are unhappy and he shares their frustrations.
On Tuesday, he visited Tri-Star Engineering, IU Health Hospital Bedford and Hoosier Uplands.
Young is the only person seeking the Republican nomination, but Jonathan George and John W. Tilford have filed to seek the Democratic nomination.
He says politicians, at the highest level, have failed the American people. Young doesn't want to see the nation's debit passed on to future generations.
"The county needs a specific plan to grow the economy and pay the debit over time," he says.
Young, a member of the Budget Committee, passed a federal budget for fiscal year 2013.
"Congress has the important duty to lay out a clear set of priorities and solutions," he says. "This budget accomplishes that in a responsible and gradual manner. It is a specific plan to grow the economy and pay the debit over time."
The House budget cuts more than $5 trillion; reforms the U.S. tax code by lowering rates and closing loopholes; strengthens safety net programs like Medicare while empowering individuals to choose between traditional Medicare coverage and a market-based option; and prevents the $1.9 trillion tax increase in the President's Budget Request.
"The plain truth is that we spend far more than we take in, and now borrow more than 40 cents of every dollar spent," He says. "Hoosier families can't spend more than they earn without going bankrupt. The federal government should be no different. Of our more than $15 trillion in debt, nearly one quarter of it was added since 2008. In fact, our debt is now as large as our entire annual economy. No matter how you look at it, this is unsustainable."
Young says Hoosiers wanted a new, conservative approach to economic policies.
"We realize government should listen to small business owners and figure out how we can help them," Young says. "We don't need to saddle entrepreneurs with burdensome mandates and regulations that price them out of the market. We need to remove those obstacles that keep businesses from hiring. We need to make it easier for them to access the capital required to grow."
Young says Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are quickly becoming insolvent and heading for bankruptcy.
"If we don't act soon, the people who rely on them most - seniors and the poor - will not get the assistance they need," Young says. "These programs make up about 2/3 of our federal budget, if we don't do responsible reform, we will never balance our budget."
Young is also driven to help those who have served in the military, by introducing H.R. 4279, the Veterans Self Relief Act. The bill would allow recently discharged veterans who are unemployed to draw from their individual retirement accounts without penalty.
"They are finding it hard to adjust and to find jobs in this shaky economy, making it harder to make ends meet," he says. "These men and woman sacrificed for this country. This bill would recognize those sacrifices by allowing them to withdraw funds from their individual federal pension plans without penalty, until they find a job."
Young is against ObamaCare and hopes the Supreme Court finds the health care reform unconstitutional.
"But despite the ruling, congress must address this serious issue," Young says. "We need to put forward common sense solutions like addressing health care inflation and out of control jackpot lawsuits."
Young is looking to increase domestic oil and gas development, as part of a broader strategy to reduce oil imports and drop the price of gasoline.
"Before it cost a family of 4, $150 for gasoline, today its $350 a month," Young says. "There are ways to combat this problem and the American people want it. With safeguards in place, off-shore drilling can be done safely and responsibly."
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