GOP official: People need Republican Party to feel secure
Being a Republican is all about being part of what makes America work, Rep. Curt Webb, R-Utah, said Tuesday in a speech at USU.
He said contributing to society is what being a Republican is also about, Webb said.
“Being part of what makes America go, not what part of what takes from America,” Webb said. “There’s a big difference. This nation will always need an economic engine. There is no money for the poor if there’s nobody making any to pay taxes.”
Republicans believe in social responsibility just as much as Democrats but in a way that makes people “responsible for themselves,” Webb said.
“You can’t keep taking away from the people that make money, that are the economic engines of this nation and have them have incentive to continue to make money,” Webb said.
President Barack Obama wants to raise the capital gains tax, Webb said. This tax increase would give people less incentive to stay in business so they’ll just sell their businesses to avoid paying the higher taxes, Webb said.
“What’s the incentive to stay in business,” Webb said. “Believe me, there is a real consequence to that one simple thing.”
Webb said Republicans believe in a set of basic principles.
“Limited government, freedom and individual responsibility,” Webb said.
Webb said he wants people to stand for something.
“If you’re going to be a Republican, be a Republican,” Webb said. “Jump in, figure it out and have a conviction and be committed to the principles of small government, freedom and individual responsibility.”
People all want to feel secure, to be able to make enough money to live comfortably and give their children those opportunities.
“That’s really what politics is about,” Webb said. “It’s preserving those values and making sure that we create an environment that allows us to get everything.”
Webb said Democrats believe that big government is the answer to people’s problems.
“I have always viewed the Democrats from this point of view,” Webb said. “Democrats believe that the federal government can do everything, that you only need government to accomplish things. They are the end all, solve all of every entity in the nation.”
Democrats have a tendency to vote for things that benefit the most people even if it’s against the Constitution, Webb said.
Webb said Utah has a great business environment for multiple reasons.
“We have a good tax base,” Webb said. “Utah has a dedicated work force, generally healthy life styles and a strong work ethic. That’s why companies come here.”
Carl Aldrich, president of the USU College Republicans, said he’s Republican because he has the same values as the Republican party.
“I believe in limited government,” Aldrich said. “We have the ability to govern ourselves better than government can.”
Not only Republicans attended the speech. Webb asked people what their political affiliations were and the results were mixed. Some said they are Libertarian and others Republican. Others said they identified with no party and that was the reason they were attending Webb’s speech.
USU student Gretchen Rinehart said she was at the meeting because she’s recently become informed with how government is affecting her life and she wants to become more educated on the subject.
Webb said politicians are unethical when they do things for their own personal gain and when they violate trust.
“Unethical behavior, in my mind, is doing something that is contrary to your public trust,” Webb said. “You can question my vote, but if you question that I voted for personal gain, then I violated your trust.”
Webb spoke of different politicians that resigned because of private issues and explained why they did.
Webb said when a politician violates the public’s trust, they can no longer trust him because they don’t know who he really is.
– blaze.bullock@aggiemail.usu.edu