Iowa 2nd District GOP hopefuls call for cutting spending, privatizing services

TIFFIN - Cut, cap, balance, defund and privatize are among the solutions the Republican candidates for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District seat offered last night for bringing federal spending under control and growing the economy.

Dan Dolan and John Archer, who are seeking the GOP nomination, also called for lowering taxes to increase federal government revenue, halting new regulations and a top to bottom review of federal bureaucracies to eliminate waste, fraud and duplication.

The winner of the June 5 primary will face the winner of the Democratic primary between Rep. Dave Loebsack, who moved from Mount Vernon to Iowa City to become a resident of the redrawn district, and State Sen. Joe Seng of Davenport.

Dolan, 52, of Muscatine, and the owner of Dan Dolan Homes, said he would use his experience as a small business owner to create jobs and “preserve opportunity for the next generation.”

Archer, 40, of Bettendorf, is a senior counsel at Deere & Co., where, among other things, he negotiates international contracts, and a part owner of Schebeler Co. He's been a member of the Pleasant Valley Community School Board of Education since 2009 and said he could use his “public and private sector experience to find solutions to what ails our country.”

Dolan proposed a “just say no” approach to federal spending.

“We have to say ‘stop,'” he said during a debate at Clear Creek Amana High School in Tiffin. About 100 people attended the event, sponsored by the Johnson County Republican Party

Capping spending and passing a balanced budget amendment could result in the economy growing as much as 6 percent, similar to the growth after the recession in 1981, Dolan said.

Archer said he doubted that rate of growth is possible.

“That's for developing nations like India and Brazil,” he said, adding he would be perfectly happy with 4 percent growth.

His plan for attacking federal spending would be modernizing entitlement programs and privatizing wherever possible.

Entitlement programs, such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which according to Archer consume 43 percent of the federal budget, must be reformed to be viable into the future, he said.

Citing the recent launch of spaceship by a private company, Archer called for privatizing Amtrak and the Transportation Security Administration as well as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Archer and Dolan agreed taxing the rich is not the answer.

“Raising taxes lowers revenues,” Dolan said, because people figure out how to hide, delay or defraud.

“It's deplorable that we're villanizing success. It's disgusting,” he said. “We should encourage profits so we can increase revenues.”

“To raise taxes on job creators is the wrong thing to do,” Archer added.

America is competing in a global economy and has to be competitive, Archer said. But right now it has the highest corporate tax rate.

“Is that making us competitive?” Archer said.

They agreed securing the border is the first step to dealing with illegal immigration.

“I don't think it's possible to put together comprehensive immigration policy until we secure the borders,” Dolan said.

Immigration policy is upside down, Archer said, with it being too easy to enter the country illegally, but too hard to enter legally.

It might be the only case of “federal under-reach,” Archer said. He ruled out mass deportation of illegal immigrants in favor of integrating them into society with, perhaps, modified visa and “green card” programs so they are paying taxes and are accounted for.