Democrat Candidate for 3rd District Speaks in Warsaw
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jordan Fouts-
And that's unlikely to happen under the current congress, he said.
Boyd, a democrat, is seeking the 3rd District House seat currently held by Marlin Stutzman. Boyd spoke at the St. Regis Club as one of a dozen public forums he has planned in recent weeks.
A Fort Wayne resident and Presbyterian minister for 30 years, Boyd answered questions on jobs, the economy, Social Security, and what he sees as the needs in his district.
On the question of creating jobs, Boyd pointed to infrastructure investment, such as upgrading Gulf Coast ports that ship out products from Indiana farms; and on climate change, he advocated for nuclear, wind and solar power.
Wind and solar power require new battery technology, he noted, which needs to be produced in factories. “There’s no reason we can’t do that here. It could be a growing future in the third district.”
He also addressed the medical device tax in the Affordable Care Act, a 2.3 percent excise tax on certain devices which he sees as necessary if unpopular in his district.
People enjoy coverage of pre-existing conditions and other provisions in the ACA, he said, but “the problem is, you can’t be fiscally responsible by keeping things you like and not pay for them. I’m not willing to say we should just remove the tax without something to replace it... I think right now it’s the best we can do.”
He noted as well that with expanded coverage comes more demand for medical devices, which means more profits for medical device companies.
Boyd called for a values-driven approach to budgeting, which factors in care for the poor and elderly.
“Social Security is the most effective anti-poverty program in the United States,” something seniors have come to rely on to keep them out of poverty, Boyd said. “We shouldn't go back and put our elderly in poverty again.”
He also advocated for what he called a commonsense approach to the budget, such as lifting the cap on the Social Security payroll tax while lowering the percent a few tenths of a point, and spending defense dollars more intelligently.
And while he spoke of the need to raise revenue, he said he doesn't consider it necessary to raise top tax rates to the 90 percent seen under presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy – a 35 percent rate for the top bracket would be reasonable, he said, with brackets just below that “so everybody can give something, be a participant.”
The country has a solid financial foundation, Boyd said, “but the number one thing holding the economy back is lack of confidence that congress is doing its job. And you change that through elections.”
He characterized the current congress as dysfunctional, citing its failure to pass the farm bill before it expired Monday.
He singled out Stutzman, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, who has objected to the amount of money devoted to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Agriculture Committee’s version of the farm bill would cut SNAP funding by $16 billion.
“Our congressman said we didn't go far enough. I think we've gone too far,” Boyd said.
In response to a question on the Paul Ryan budget and Stutzman’s contribution to it, he addressed how the budget would affect the 3rd District.
As a member of the House Budget Committee, Stutzman helped write two of 10 bills introduced by the committee late last year. According to a statement from Stutzman’s office, the freshman Republican helped draft a proposal for a biennial budgeting cycle and a bill that would cap spending at 20 percent of the gross domestic product.
The Ryan budget would be “devastating to the district,” Boyd said, cutting Pell grants and Medicaid and shifting the burdon onto already stressed state budgets.
Boyd expressed doubt that churches and food banks would be able to cover the gap, since they would be affected by budget cuts too.
And asked by a member of the small audience how he would deal with a dysfunctional congress if elected, Boyd pointed to his experience with marriage counseling. The important thing is to be civil, he said, while keeping in mind what’s best for everyone.
“You have to be willing to argue for and advocate for your point intelligently and forcefully, and also ask what’s best for the American people,” he said. “America has had strong leaders throughout its history, but what’s broken down is that people ask what’s best for their party or for special interests. They’re followers instead of leaders, and we need to send leaders again.”[[In-content Ad]]
And that's unlikely to happen under the current congress, he said.
Boyd, a democrat, is seeking the 3rd District House seat currently held by Marlin Stutzman. Boyd spoke at the St. Regis Club as one of a dozen public forums he has planned in recent weeks.
A Fort Wayne resident and Presbyterian minister for 30 years, Boyd answered questions on jobs, the economy, Social Security, and what he sees as the needs in his district.
On the question of creating jobs, Boyd pointed to infrastructure investment, such as upgrading Gulf Coast ports that ship out products from Indiana farms; and on climate change, he advocated for nuclear, wind and solar power.
Wind and solar power require new battery technology, he noted, which needs to be produced in factories. “There’s no reason we can’t do that here. It could be a growing future in the third district.”
He also addressed the medical device tax in the Affordable Care Act, a 2.3 percent excise tax on certain devices which he sees as necessary if unpopular in his district.
People enjoy coverage of pre-existing conditions and other provisions in the ACA, he said, but “the problem is, you can’t be fiscally responsible by keeping things you like and not pay for them. I’m not willing to say we should just remove the tax without something to replace it... I think right now it’s the best we can do.”
He noted as well that with expanded coverage comes more demand for medical devices, which means more profits for medical device companies.
Boyd called for a values-driven approach to budgeting, which factors in care for the poor and elderly.
“Social Security is the most effective anti-poverty program in the United States,” something seniors have come to rely on to keep them out of poverty, Boyd said. “We shouldn't go back and put our elderly in poverty again.”
He also advocated for what he called a commonsense approach to the budget, such as lifting the cap on the Social Security payroll tax while lowering the percent a few tenths of a point, and spending defense dollars more intelligently.
And while he spoke of the need to raise revenue, he said he doesn't consider it necessary to raise top tax rates to the 90 percent seen under presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy – a 35 percent rate for the top bracket would be reasonable, he said, with brackets just below that “so everybody can give something, be a participant.”
The country has a solid financial foundation, Boyd said, “but the number one thing holding the economy back is lack of confidence that congress is doing its job. And you change that through elections.”
He characterized the current congress as dysfunctional, citing its failure to pass the farm bill before it expired Monday.
He singled out Stutzman, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, who has objected to the amount of money devoted to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Agriculture Committee’s version of the farm bill would cut SNAP funding by $16 billion.
“Our congressman said we didn't go far enough. I think we've gone too far,” Boyd said.
In response to a question on the Paul Ryan budget and Stutzman’s contribution to it, he addressed how the budget would affect the 3rd District.
As a member of the House Budget Committee, Stutzman helped write two of 10 bills introduced by the committee late last year. According to a statement from Stutzman’s office, the freshman Republican helped draft a proposal for a biennial budgeting cycle and a bill that would cap spending at 20 percent of the gross domestic product.
The Ryan budget would be “devastating to the district,” Boyd said, cutting Pell grants and Medicaid and shifting the burdon onto already stressed state budgets.
Boyd expressed doubt that churches and food banks would be able to cover the gap, since they would be affected by budget cuts too.
And asked by a member of the small audience how he would deal with a dysfunctional congress if elected, Boyd pointed to his experience with marriage counseling. The important thing is to be civil, he said, while keeping in mind what’s best for everyone.
“You have to be willing to argue for and advocate for your point intelligently and forcefully, and also ask what’s best for the American people,” he said. “America has had strong leaders throughout its history, but what’s broken down is that people ask what’s best for their party or for special interests. They’re followers instead of leaders, and we need to send leaders again.”[[In-content Ad]]
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