Chris Christie
Christie called out President Obama for his lack of support of police forces: ”The number one job of the president of the United States is to protect the safety and freedom of Americans.” He believes that a lack of public support has made police fearful to do their jobs.
Christie wants to invest more money in solar and wind energy, instead of using government funds to legislate changes through Congress. Christie pointed out that New Jersey is third in solar energy usage by making solar an affordable energy option. Moderator Carl Quintanilla was quick to interrupt him, but Christie responded, “Even in New jersey, what you’re doing is called rude.”
Christie wants to stop sending so much tax money to Washington. Once again he called out the Democrats, and feels that voters should know that the changes Democrats offer only come from American citizens’ pockets.
This sentiment stays with his closing statement. “Are you fed up with how Washington taxes you?” Christie asked the camera. “I’m deadly serious about changing this culture.”
Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush’s tax reform plan is much inspired by Ronald Reagan’s 1986 tax reform bill. He would cut corporate tax rates to 20 percent. He believes his plan would give the middle class the “biggest break” by taxing labor at a higher rate than income from investments. Bush stated that big corporations are out-competing smaller ones because they have the scale to deal with current economics and tax policies; to sustain growth, policies have to be changed.
He doesn’t believe the federal government should get involved in reducing student debt; rather, it should be a state matter. Among the issues raised was that of whether the recent daily fantasy sports craze is gambling. Bush bragged about his success in fantasy football, but emphasized that it should be regulated. With no regulation, insider information trading and cohorts easily exist, and Bush says the NFL should begin moving away from associating with the fantasy.
Bush’s economic plan is founded on the idea that the wealthy and the poor are not equal, and shouldn’t be treated financially as such. He wants to protect Social Security and enhance savings in the private market, and reform Medicare so that senior citizens have a fixed amount of guaranteed coverage.
Bush relied on his past track record as a business manager and Florida’s governor to push his role as a successful leader, and used spiteful comparisons to the Democratic office to strengthen his loyalty to the Republican cause and audience.
