(Originally Published in DailyKos
Dave Brat is not an ordinary politician. He does not compromise. He does not make deals. He is a true believer. He is not likely to ever change his positions. If he’s reelected, this is how he will vote.
Climate Change and the Environment.
Dave believes that the Federal Government should not get involved in these issues. He opposes and will try to block the EPA from issuing regulations that interfere with businesses’ right to operate as they see fit. He thinks that the free market will solve both climate change and other environmental problems.
Social Security and Medicare
Dave Brat has said that we cannot afford to continue Social Security and Medicare as they are currently structured. (He has also stated that Social Security recipients are receiving an unfairly large amount of benefits under the system.) Brat has not expressly stated how he will fix things but I assume his solution will involve a higher retirement age and reduced benefits.
Gun Safety Legislation.
Brat opposes any government gun laws because he believes that gun ownership is a God-given right. As to laws to try to keep guns away from suspected terrorists, he has said that we must wait until they actually commit a crime before we can violate their absolute right to acquire firearms.
Immigration Reform.
Dave Brat opposes any attempt at comprehensive immigration reform, because he fears that such legislation might allow undocumented aliens to stay in the country. Dave, like his presidential choice Donald Trump, truly believes that entering our country in violation of 8 USC 1325(a) (which itself sets a maximum penalty of a fine and 6 months imprisonment for violation) is so serious a crime that we must never allow anyone to avoid its consequences.
What are Brat’s solutions to our immigration problem? 1- To complete construction of a security fence along our southern border at the taxpayer’s expense, and 2- to arrest and deport every alien we find who entered the country without complying with section 1325(a).
Health Care.
Dave Brat believes that health care is a private, rather than a government, matter. He will continue to vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He wants to replace it with more extensive health savings accounts. Health savings accounts allow taxpayers to set aside a portion of their earnings into these tax-exempt accounts to use to pay for their own health care. It’s a great idea for the small part of the population that can afford it.
Education.
Dave Brat believes that parents, rather than governments, should be responsible for the education of their children. He opposes any involvement of the Federal Government in the education of our children other than issuing block grants to the states. The block grants would be sums of money that the states could use as they see fit to improve public education. Brat has said that if this approach does not work, he favors the issuance of school vouchers to parents so they can choose how their children are to be educated. (On other occasions he has said he favors going straight to school vouchers without the intermediate step of block grants).
National Debt. Perhaps I should have put this first because Dave Brat considers the national debt to be the most significant problem facing the country. He rarely appears on a right-wing interview program without pointing out our existing $19 trillion debt, and he constantly criticizes other Republicans for not cutting appropriations enough. Dave Brat’s solution to the debt problem was to introduce a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Like other proposed balanced budget amendments, Dave’s has never gotten out of committee. Unlike other balanced budget amendments, Brat’s version gives the Congress very little guidance on how to reach a balanced budget; it merely directs the Congress to have a balanced budget within ten years. Even if Brat’s amendment became part of the Constitution, it would not deal with our huge debt. If it worked it would only reduce our annual deficit to zero. Despite his “the end is near” preaching, Dave Brat is unwilling to take the one step necessary to actually reduce our debt—raise revenues. Think of it in terms of personal finance. If you had credit card debt of thousands of dollars, you could not eliminate it by merely cutting up your credit cards; you would have to pay down the balance.
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We can’t afford two more years of Dave Brat.
Vote for Eileen Bedell in the Virginia 7th District.
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