Holtz Visits Warsaw, Makes Final Push For Congress
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Dan Holtz is running hard - getting his message out in trying to unseat popular incumbent Congressman Tim Roemer (D-Dist. 3).
Despite the long odds against him, Holtz is keeping his head held high and trying to return respect to what has come to be seen by many as a less-than-honorable pursuit, he said Monday.
"I'm doing this because I think this is an honorable pursuit," he said. "Working in the legislature, I found that, by and large, the people serving as elected representatives of the people are caring and honest and are just trying to do a good job for their constituents."
Too often, Holtz said, incumbents like Roemer fail to return home to their districts to keep in touch with the voters, preferring to remain in Washington and relying on political action committee money to fund their campaign ads.
"The system we have now is filled with too much special interest money. It's too easy to wash the money," he said. "We need to make sure that at least half the money raised for campaigns comes from the people who can vote for you."
It is that disconnection from their home districts that causes most members of Congress to vote for higher taxes and higher government spending, Holtz said.
"I think the founders called it the House of Representatives because that's what they wanted - people coming from local communities to represent our interests," he said. "Until we get back to that, we're always going to have higher taxes, and the politicians are always going to have cover, unless we can get spending under control."
As an example of Congressional spending gone out of control, Holtz pointed to the recent passage of funding for 100,000 new teachers in America's public schools - funding that will be insufficient to meeting the stated goal of the Clinton administration.
"The 100,000 teachers is a shell game. With salary and benefits averaging in the neighborhood of $30,000 per year, there is no way that 100,000 teachers can be added without placing an additional burden on taxpayers at the local level," he said. "I think school funding should be controlled by local parents and local school boards - the people who have the responsibility for education.
"I will support block grants directly back to the local school districts, but I think it would be better not to take the tax dollars out of the community and send them to Washington in the first place," Holtz said.
On the current scandal revolving around President Clinton, Holtz said, if elected and faced with an impeachment question of the president, from the evidence he's seen he would support such an action.
"Our justice system requires that we all tell the truth under oath. Clinton's own Justice Department has prosecuted people for committing the same crime he is accused of," he said, "To not impeach him would send the wrong message to the kids of America - that you can violate the law with impunity if you are the one charged with enforcing those laws.
"Richard Nixon taught us all a lesson - he was more harmful to his party and to our country by violating the law," he said. "The same lesson applies to the president today."
Holtz said he also supports outgoing Sen. Dan Coats' efforts to make pornography on the Internet less accessible to children.
"The Internet was spawned by our tax dollars and I think we should be able to have more control over what is on the Internet because of that," he said. "I'm troubled by reports that say 40 percent of what goes onto the Internet is pornography.
"Parents aren't perfect, and having to have both parents work to make ends meet these days - they can't control what their kids are going to do on the computer," Holtz said. "That being the case, I think Sen. Coats' efforts are a very good idea."
With election day quickly approaching, Holtz concluded with a pledge to continue his push to meet with as many district voters as possible between now and Nov. 3.
"I was in all five counties of the district last weekend, and I'll be in all five next weekend," he said. "I think that we have a good chance at surprising some people." [[In-content Ad]]
Dan Holtz is running hard - getting his message out in trying to unseat popular incumbent Congressman Tim Roemer (D-Dist. 3).
Despite the long odds against him, Holtz is keeping his head held high and trying to return respect to what has come to be seen by many as a less-than-honorable pursuit, he said Monday.
"I'm doing this because I think this is an honorable pursuit," he said. "Working in the legislature, I found that, by and large, the people serving as elected representatives of the people are caring and honest and are just trying to do a good job for their constituents."
Too often, Holtz said, incumbents like Roemer fail to return home to their districts to keep in touch with the voters, preferring to remain in Washington and relying on political action committee money to fund their campaign ads.
"The system we have now is filled with too much special interest money. It's too easy to wash the money," he said. "We need to make sure that at least half the money raised for campaigns comes from the people who can vote for you."
It is that disconnection from their home districts that causes most members of Congress to vote for higher taxes and higher government spending, Holtz said.
"I think the founders called it the House of Representatives because that's what they wanted - people coming from local communities to represent our interests," he said. "Until we get back to that, we're always going to have higher taxes, and the politicians are always going to have cover, unless we can get spending under control."
As an example of Congressional spending gone out of control, Holtz pointed to the recent passage of funding for 100,000 new teachers in America's public schools - funding that will be insufficient to meeting the stated goal of the Clinton administration.
"The 100,000 teachers is a shell game. With salary and benefits averaging in the neighborhood of $30,000 per year, there is no way that 100,000 teachers can be added without placing an additional burden on taxpayers at the local level," he said. "I think school funding should be controlled by local parents and local school boards - the people who have the responsibility for education.
"I will support block grants directly back to the local school districts, but I think it would be better not to take the tax dollars out of the community and send them to Washington in the first place," Holtz said.
On the current scandal revolving around President Clinton, Holtz said, if elected and faced with an impeachment question of the president, from the evidence he's seen he would support such an action.
"Our justice system requires that we all tell the truth under oath. Clinton's own Justice Department has prosecuted people for committing the same crime he is accused of," he said, "To not impeach him would send the wrong message to the kids of America - that you can violate the law with impunity if you are the one charged with enforcing those laws.
"Richard Nixon taught us all a lesson - he was more harmful to his party and to our country by violating the law," he said. "The same lesson applies to the president today."
Holtz said he also supports outgoing Sen. Dan Coats' efforts to make pornography on the Internet less accessible to children.
"The Internet was spawned by our tax dollars and I think we should be able to have more control over what is on the Internet because of that," he said. "I'm troubled by reports that say 40 percent of what goes onto the Internet is pornography.
"Parents aren't perfect, and having to have both parents work to make ends meet these days - they can't control what their kids are going to do on the computer," Holtz said. "That being the case, I think Sen. Coats' efforts are a very good idea."
With election day quickly approaching, Holtz concluded with a pledge to continue his push to meet with as many district voters as possible between now and Nov. 3.
"I was in all five counties of the district last weekend, and I'll be in all five next weekend," he said. "I think that we have a good chance at surprising some people." [[In-content Ad]]