|
 |
Posted on 07/05/2012 9:08:46 AM PDT by SoConPubbie
Presidential candidate Virgil Goode, speaking in Martinsville on Tuesday, cited the need for significant, across-the-board cuts in federal spending to balance the budget; congressional term limits; repeal of Obama health care reform; tougher immigration policies; and reigning in federal secondary education regulations.
Goode, the Constitution Party’s candidate for president, addressed the Martinsville Rotary Club at its dinner meeting at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. About 20 people attended.
Goode, 65, of Rocky Mount, was in Virginia’s Senate from 1973 to 1996. He then served six terms in Congress before he lost his seat to Democrat Tom Perriello in 2008. Perriello was defeated by current 5th District U.S. Rep. Robert Hurt, R-Chatham, two years later. A Democrat when he was first elected to Congress, Goode later became an independent and then a Republican.
Goode said the federal government needs “a balanced budget soon, not in five to 10 years.”
He said President Obama’s proposed budget, with a $1.3 trillion deficit, and the House Republicans’ budget plan by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, with a deficit of more than $600 billion, both fall short of what this country needs.
“We’ve got to make hard choices. It’s difficult to do it,” Goode said of the need to cut spending and balance the budget.
“To get a balanced budget, you have to cut discretionary spending,” he said.
He noted the House GOP budget increases defense spending. But he said spending shouldn’t be increased in one area when the budget needs balancing; spending needs to be cut across the board. He noted he has been a supporter of defense spending in the past.
He added, though, he would not want to cut direct benefits to veterans or military pay.
Goode said the federal government should withdraw from “its over-reaching regulation of local school systems.” He added those regulations are tremendously expensive to local school systems and the state. He noted that he voted against No Child Left Behind legislation. His campaign website says he is opposed to national testing of public school students, he supports ending the federal Department of Education, and that local education decisions should be left the states and localities.
Among the other examples he listed where he thinks federal spending cuts are needed are foreign aid, agriculture, commerce and energy. “The list goes on and on,” Goode said.
He said term limits are needed in the U.S. House and Senate for a number of reasons. A major reason, he said, is that he thinks federal legislators are more interested in raising money to get re-elected and avoiding controversy so as to not make people or groups mad than they are about doing what’s right.
On immigration, he expressed opposition to what’s known as “anchor babies,” in which illegal immigrants come into this country, have a baby and the baby automatically becomes a U.S. citizen and is entitled to many benefits.
He also said it has been estimated that more than 64,000 illegal immigrants graduate from U.S. high schools every year. Using a conservative estimate of $10,000 a year to educate a student, that’s $640 million, according to figures Goode provided.
He said tougher immigration policies are needed.
His campaign website says he supports reducing legal immigration and stopping illegal immigration.
On a number of other issues, he said:
• He would give “zero” foreign aid to Pakistan.
• If Social Security benefits were extended to same-sex couples, the financial impact would be enormous.
“You’re talking billions,” he said.
Goode is opposed to gay marriages/civil unions and supports the federal Marriage Protection Amendment, according to his website.
• He said he thinks “it’s very unlikely” Obama health care reform will be repealed, even if presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney wins the election and Republicans have a majority in both houses of Congress — because of the vote margin required for repeal.
However, Goode said he favors repeal of “Obamacare.” He said he thinks such a repeal would benefit small businesses.
He said “we all want affordable health care,” but with the large federal deficit and federal debt, the country can’t afford Obama health care reform.
In an interview, he said “we’ve got a little over 4,000” of the signatures required to get on the Virginia ballot and are working to collect more. More than 10,000 signatures of registered voters — at least 400 from each congressional district — are required.
Enough signatures have been collected for Goode to be on the ballot in 17 states, he said.
|
|
Virgil Goode Ping!
I much prefer Virgil Goode rather than Romney or Obama. However, I will probably check the box for Tom Hoefling, whose emphases I prefer over those of Virgil Goode.
IBTSF
(In before the Stepford FReepers)
Just write yourself in, it will be more useful. Or just go ahead and vote for Urkel which is the same as voting for Mr. Goode.
Goode Grief, Charlie Brown!
He can’t win his seat in congress.
He draws 20 people to his big rally.
And some people are counting on him?????????????
Unless we vote against the Democrat nominee, we may end up with a social liberal. Oh, wait....
Seriously, the Republican Party has drifted so far left that it has left the social conservatives behind. Let those who disdain us go ahead with their fearmongering. We’ve already lost all of the political battles. We have nothing left to fear.
Will Obama legalize abortion? Already done by a Supreme Court that contained 7 of 9 justices nominated by Republican Presidents.
Will Obama legalize homosexuality? Already done by a Supreme Court that contained 5 of 9 justices nominated by Republican Presidents.
Will be fined, fired, kept from graduating from college, or jailed for simply stating that we believe that homosexuality is wrong? That is already being done to hundreds across our country.
The fearmongers have been so successful that we now have a choice between Romney and Obama. We really have nothing left to fear. Flame away. I don’t have a dog in this Presidential hunt.
I like that.
He can’t win his seat in congress.
He draws 20 people to his big rally.
And some people are counting on him?????????????
I'm scared mommy, hold me!
FIFY
IATPMOTB
(In after the Pat Myself on the Backers)
You are correct. If this guy cannot even win his small congressional district, how can he win the presidency? People told us not to support Rick Santorum because he lost his Pennsylvania Senate seat.... “Santorum can’t even win his own state!” Goode has never even won a state wide election.
And Goode was a Democrat in the 90s. Remember when people told us that we could not support Rick Perry because he was a democrat in the 80s?
These people are no better than leftists, because they will not allow you to have an opinion that is independent of their own. If you refuse to vote for Mitt Romney, you are the enemy, and from that point on their only mission is to mock you, shout you down and do everything in their power to keep your ideas from being heard.
Very sad, really. They claim to call themselves conservatives.
Even a nominee with a zero name recognition four months prior to the general election will get some votes. But is that the hill you want to die on?
I will not vote for a spoiler.
Oh great, just what we need. Yet another conservative third party to help split the vote up.
Dear United States of America,
Protest votes worked for us.
Signed
Weimar Germany
Sounds Goode to me. I’ll have to contact the campaign to see if they’re working to get on the ballot in NJ.
You should be scared if you’re counting on Goode to save you from Obama.
To quote from The Fly, “Be afraid, be very afraid.”
Which Conservative are you voting for? Right now the liberal vote is split between mitt and obie, so tell me which Conservative you think we should rally behind? I will gladly pull the lever for the best Conservative.
Picking which pretend candidate to “vote” for: all the stupidity of arguing angels on the head of a pin, but now with dangerous consequences. How quaint.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.