From the Walsh campaign -
Thursday, Rep. Joe Walsh and Tammy Duckworth sat down with The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board to discuss the big issues in this election.
When pressed repeatedly by The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on the looming financial crisis facing entitlements, including Medicare, Ms. Duckworth shockingly responded, "I’m not ready to look at that now."
“The facts are simple; in the next few years this county will face a major catastrophe when Medicare goes bankrupt, which is why I was so disappointed that my opponent wasn’t ready to discuss the issue of entitlement reform. Voters deserve leaders in Washington who won’t duck out on these tough issues.
"If Tammy is not ready to discuss the most pressing issue in this country, she is clearly not ready to be a Member of Congress,” concluded Walsh.
Rick Pearson: More substantially both candidates were asked about the issue of entitlement reform, things like Medicare, the healthcare plan for the elderly, and social security, which experts have said can’t really be sustained at the financial level they’re facing with the baby boomer generation. Here’s what both candidates had to say.
Tammy Duckworth: “I’m not ready to look at that now, I understand that is something that to maybe discuss later. I don’t think we look at that now. I think we cut a trillion dollars in tax credits for people making more than a million dollars first. If you can’t afford your prescription medicine, you shouldn’t still be going to the movies. The solution is not to cut prescription medication
Board: You want a trillion dollars in tax credits for people making more than a million dollars?
Tammy Duckworth: We’re saying letting the Bush tax credits expire, the Bush tax cuts for those making more than a million dollars, we should allow those to expire, that’s already cost us
a trillion dollars over the lifetime of the tax credits
Board: But your answer is you’re not willing to go to dramatic points yet on the entitlements
Tammy Duckworth: “I’m not going to balance the budget on the back of our most vulnerable, when we’re continuing to give tax cuts to the wealthiest.”
Joe Walsh: “We have to reform entitlements, period. It’s the biggest and the fastest piece of the federal budget and it makes everything else minuscule in comparison.”
Rick Pearson: “As you can see, Walsh did not shy away from the Tea Party’s agenda of less government and less spending, while Duckworth, not really wanting to discuss the issue of entitlement reform, said she would not be a rubber stamp for President Obama.”
