Government Spending

Congress is out of control, and is recklessly heaping enormous debt on our children and grandchildren. Democrats and moderate Republicans continue to spend billions of dollars we simply do not have all in the name of economic recovery. In reality, these stimulus, spending and bailout bills are often liberal spending wishlists and pork laden spending sprees to cater to special interests groups.

Despite using the language of fiscal conservatism while criticizing Democrats, Republicans continue to receive 40 percent of pork barrel “earmarks” in spending bills. Although pork barrel spending is a small fraction of the overall federal budget, members of Congress use the appropriations process to steer money to lobbyists for ridiculous projects like the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska, the Woodstock Museum in New York and other frivolous projects in order to receive cash for reelection campaigns. Earmarks are often placed into spending bills in the dead of night with no public accountability.

Democrats claim to have ended the “culture of corruption” but the Washington favor factory is worse than ever. As a member of Congress, Kevin will call for abolition of the earmark process. As of January 2010, KEvin is the only candidate for the 5th Congressional District to take a pledge not to request any earmarks, the same pledge taken by U.S. Senator Tom Coburn. The fiscally conservative Club for Growth, the same organization which has endorsed Oklahoma U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, is also backing Kevin.

 

Kevin will never vote for a Congressional pay raise.  Kevin will donate any pay raises which do pass to non-profit groups that support our troops, such as the Blue Star Mothers, USO, The Hugs Project, Red Cross, DAV, VFW, etc.  And Kevin supports the "Congressional Reform Act," which includes: Term Limits; No Tenure / No Pension; Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security; Congressmen can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans; Congressmen will no longer vote themselves a pay raise; Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%; Congressmen lose their current health care system and participate in the same health care system as the American people; Congress must equally abide in all laws it imposes on the American people; and all contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.
While in the state legislature, Kevin constantly fought against wasteful government spending, even when it was not popular to do so.

Kevin has a proven record of standing strong against special interests. In 1999, Kevin brought a constitutional challenge to the Legislature’s raid on the Waste Tire Recycling Indemnity Fund to fund pork barrel projects. While the challenge was not successful in court, it made the public aware of financial misdealings in the then-Democrat-controlled Legislature.

In 2002, Kevin led the fight against additional tax credits for Great Plains Airlines. The airline had received previous state tax credits, in a bill sponsored by then-state Senator Brad Henry, with unanimous support from both parties, under the promise to provide non-stop airline flights from Oklahoma to New York, Washington, and Los Angeles. When Great Plains did not keep its promise, Kevin led the charge against any further tax credits for the airline. Unfortunately, a bipartisan majority defeated Kevin’s efforts, but his stand for the taxpayers serves as an example of principled leadership.

In the budget shortfall year of 2003, Kevin was chosen to be the budget negotiator for his fellow state House Republicans. Kevin held firm against Democrat-proposed tax increases to make up the budget shortfall, and instead insisted on spending discipline, thereby saving the taxpayers millions of dollars.

In 2004, Kevin spoke out against proposed taxpayer subsidies for a low income housing project near Tinker Air Force Base. The rich out-of-state developer sued Kevin to try to get him to back down, but Kevin persisted, and won the lawsuit. In 2006, the Oklahoma Tax Commission made Kevin and other legislators aware that a venture capital tax credit program was being abused. According to the Oklahoma Tax Commission, the program, enacted long before Kevin was elected to the Legislature, could be saved from abuse by passage of Senate Bill 1577.

Despite lobbying efforts by some users of the tax credits, including some who had given Kevin and other legislators campaign contributions, Kevin insisted on enacting the reform prescribed by the Tax Commission, and supported Senate Bill 1577. As was the case throughout his career, Kevin stood up for the people, not the special interests.