Congressman Buchanan warns against rising debt

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, began a Town Hall meeting Saturday with a warning about rising U.S. debt. He began the meeting by unveiling two posters. One, titled “Tidal Wave of Debt” projected that if current policy continues, debt could skyrocket to nearly 800% of the total U.S. economy by 2081. The second poster depicted the $3.5 trillion 2010 federal budget in a pie chart — and showed that only $666 billion of that pie consisted of discretionary non-defense spending.

“The reality is, if this country doesn’t deal with debt and the deficit, this country is going to end up like Greece,” Buchanan said.

Approximately 20 people attended Saturday’s meeting at Longboat Key Town Hall to discuss current issues with Buchanan, who was elected to Congress in 2006.

One audience member expressed concerns about health-care reform.

“You haven’t put out a real program to take care of the health-care problem in our country,” he said. “If we’re going to compete in a fair economy, we’ve got to have a fit population.”

Buchanan said that recent proposed legislation hasn’t addressed the issue of making health care affordable for small businesses.

Key resident Dr. James Whitman suggested that Buchanan propose legislation to make Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes deductible from income tax.

Buchanan said that Congress needs to look at all aspects of the tax code, which he said hadn’t been substantially modified since 1986.

Another attendee asked Buchanan about illegal immigration, which Buchanan described as a priority with which he said the current administration hasn’t dealt.

“We need to clearly secure the border,” he said. “I’m against amnesty, and I’m for making English the official language.”

Buchanan distributed copies of his 10-point jobs plan, which includes reform of taxes and regulations, elimination of legislation that requires all businesses to buy health insurance for workers and a balanced-budget amendment.

Buchanan will face re-election in November against challenger Keith Fitzgerald, a New College professor and former Democratic state representative.