The Election Between Sestak and Tommey is About Our Nation's Future

The election for the United States Senate in Pennsylvania is a great election with national implications for the future of our country. The Democrat, Joe Sestak, is a classical liberal, while the Republican, Pat Toomey is a classical conservative. The two candidates are prominent Pennsylvanians from the Philadelphia area, true gentlemen, and real leaders who actually like each other. Both candidates believe strongly in their platforms and want to improve the situation in the state and in the country. The candidates view the issues along liberal and conservative lines. If you are a liberal and you like the direction the country is taking, Joe Sestak is your candidate. If you are a conservative and you want to change course, Pat Toomey is your candidate. Let us take a look at their views of the issues.

Taxes

Toomey supports a flat tax to simplify the complicated tax codes and make income tax fair. Sestak is against the flat tax as he believes it would raise taxes on lower and middle income people and reduce taxes on rich people.

Toomey believes tax cuts stimulate the economy and develop jobs for people. As a former Congressman Toomey supported President Bush's tax cuts. Toomey believes these tax cuts produced powerful economic growth that reduced the national unemployment rate to 4 percent and increased federal revenues at the same time.

Sestak is against President Bush's tax cuts. He believes they contributed to the nation's huge deficits as the Republicans never matched the tax cuts with spending cuts. Sestak contends that over the next ten years, fifty percent of our national debt is simply the interest we are paying on the debt.

Government Regulations

Toomey wants limited regulation and a positive business climate. The less the government intervenes, the healthier the economy will be. Toomey believes Wall Street was right when their executives argued that Wall Street should not have any regulations at all. As a Congressman, Toomey voted to repeal a law that would have kept commercial and investment banks separated. Toomey believes that allowing the banks to merge did not contribute to the collapse of the banking industry and the Great Recession. The banking industry collapsed when banks and other institutions lent money to people who could not pay it back. Additionally, Congress passed laws to encourage home ownership by people who were not ready to own homes.

Sestak believes that Wall Street must be regulated and allowing commercial and industrial banks to merge was a tragic mistake. The merger promoted risky investments and the collapse of the banking industry and the national economy. Sestak says that Toomey and the Republicans set the house on fire, then walked away and the Democrats had to take drastic measures to fix the economy.

The Size of Government

Toomey wants small and limited government. He is against the bailout for Wall Street and the automobile industry, the cap and trade legislation, health care reform legislation, and the economic stimulus program.

Toomey says that Sestak supports all the legislation and budgets that have developed the largest deficit in history. Sestak supports this massive increase in the size and scope of government.

As a liberal, Sestak is willing to use the government to solve social and economic problems. As a Congressman, he usually votes with the Obama Administration and Speaker Pelosi. He supports health care reform and cap and trade legislation.

Sestak argues that he had to support the bailouts and the economic stimulus program. The Republicans left the economy in such rough shape that the Democrats had no choice.

Social Security

Toomey wants to give young people the option of investing part of their Social Security payroll tax in private accounts. Sestak is against it, as he believes this would threaten the entire system.

Social Issues

Tommey takes a conservative stance, while Sestak has a liberal philosophy. On abortion, Toomey is pro-life and Sestak is pro-choice.

Tommey is against gun control and Sestak is for it. Toomey gets an A from the National Rifle Association and Sestak gets an F.

Source:
1. Borys Krawczeniuk, Contrasting views at center of Senate race, The Citizens' Voice, June 7, 2010.
2. www.ToomeyForSenate.com
3. http://sestak.house.gov/
4. http://joesestak.com