Fairmont Sentinel Endorses Brian Davis

For Congress: Davis understands issues better



Gary Andersen, Lee Smith, Christine Rupp

POSTED: October 24, 2008

The key to solving problems is being able to understand them clearly.

The biggest issue facing the United States in recent months has been the financial meltdown on Wall Street, prompted by the troubles in the U.S. housing market.

The biggest issues facing the United States in the decades to come are the federal government's unfunded liabilities - Medicare and Social Security - and its addiction to spending.

In these cases, our congressman, Tim Walz falls short, especially in comparison to his opponent, Brian Davis.

Walz, a Democrat from Mankato, is convinced that the overwhelming trouble in the housing debacle was an unscrupulous market. He ignores the federal government's responsibility in the form of cheap interest rates; mortgage-interest tax deductibility; the federal backing of and concentration of power in mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and the pressure Congress applied to lenders to get home loans to low-income communities.

On federal entitlements, Walz remains stubbornly committed to the status quo, which means insolvency or higher taxes. He uses the ridiculous term "gambling" to describe investing, a practice that would give young people far better returns - and therefore better retirements - than Social Security.

Walz does approve of "investing" when it comes to government projects and programs. Apparently, as long as Congress is in charge of your money, it's OK.

Davis, a Republican from Rochester, makes clear that Congress is addicted to spending, and has been for a long time. He notes that while the Bush tax cuts boosted economic growth and brought in more revenue to the federal treasury, spending has far outpaced it. Davis favors making those tax cuts permanent while cutting spending.

Davis, a doctor, knows health care reform is fundamentally tied to issues such as Medicare insolvency. We can only hope that more physicians like him find their ways into Congress. Having dealt with Medicare's red tape and reimbursements, those in the health care industry understand its shortcomings.

In the end, we believe Davis has a better grasp of the key issues and offers a better fit for constituents in Minnesota's First District. It is for these reasons that we give him our endorsement in this race.