Contact: Matt Lahr

WALBERG WEEKLY WRAP-UP: "America Is Hurting But Poised For A Comeback"

Coffee Hour in Charlotte

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Washington, Oct 31 - For many months now, you have given me the opportunity to share my thoughts and plans for America's future, and I appreciate all the feedback you have provided and continue to provide to me. It is a tremendous honor to serve the good people of south-central Michigan as your Congressman.

We are at a very important point in America's history, and right now our country is enduring great challenges, challenges that will test our resolve and our commitment to liberty. America is hurting, and our economy is in a recession. Families are struggling. Jobs are hard to come by. Health care costs are overwhelming for many people.

While times are tough in Michigan and across America, I know Michigan can come back and I know our nation will recover. We can build a better, brighter future for our country, and I have no doubt the American people are up to the task.

The number one thing America needs right now is more good-paying jobs. Congress can help foster job creation by working for a climate that will allow economic growth to occur.

Like our nation as a whole, Michigan's economic turnaround depends on manufacturers innovating, growing and expanding.  For example, our American auto manufacturers spend $20 billion a year on research and development, and I am co-sponsoring the Investment in America Act (H.R.2138) to extend the research and development tax credit, so we can keep high-tech, high-paying jobs here in America and encourage further investment. Congress needs to make this important commitment to our American manufacturers.

Congress also needs to lower the capital gains and corporate tax rates to enable American companies to innovate, grow and expand. Because America has the second highest business tax rates in the world, many companies move operations or headquarters offshore, cut back on expansion or decide not to locate in the United States.

Creating jobs and making America competitive again will include hard choices. We need common sense ideas like making our tax code more competitive; encouraging better educational development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and installing a Trade Prosecutor to crack down on countries cheating on trade deals.

I also believe American families need to show greater financial discipline, and I support bills that would provide homeowners, farmers and business owners tax fairness; help middle and lower income families save and invest for the future and allow impoverished Americans to build assets through matched savings accounts.

We also need true health care reform to our presently broken system. Our current system is fatally flawed, and right now more than 47 million individuals find themselves without coverage and millions more are underinsured.

Two vastly different answers to our current health care crisis have emerged. One side is advocating for a single provider system in which Washington, D.C. bureaucrats would have the ultimate decision-making authority over every American's medical coverage. Supporters of this government-run health care approach advocate its ability to provide every American with a level of health care coverage, but fail to elaborate on the actual quality of care this approach will provide. Government-run health care programs all over the world are currently failing to meet the needs of those who need coverage.

I have a patient-centered health care reform plan that gives patients direct control over their health care decisions. Through health care tax credits, lawsuit abuse prevention, Association Health Plans, Health Savings Accounts, and other reforms, we can fix our broken system.

One other thing we need right now in America is ethical leadership and accountability. I believe the American people want men and women in Congress who follow through with their commitments, are accountable to the people they serve and maintain the highest of ethical standards. Similarly, the American people are tired of corruption on Wall Street and tired of bailouts for companies that act inappropriately.

Alexis de Tocqueville once said, "America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." Through common-sense reforms, a respectful non-partisan climate in Washington and leadership that is accountable to the people, this country poised for a historic comeback. The best days of Michigan and America are still ahead.