Hartzler: Federal government can't run health care

In her latest campaign news release, Fourth District Republican Congressional candidate Vicky Hartzler said the Obama Administration is incapable of running U. S. health care:

Republican congressional candidate Vicky Hartzler said today that false job claims and gross errors by the Obama Administration demonstrate what most people already know, that the federal government is incompetent to run U.S. health care or control energy production and use.

Hartzler is challenging 17-term incumbent Democrat Congressman Ike Skelton for the Fourth
U.S. House district in western Missouri.

Hartzler stated: "The revelations of shocking incompetence in handling the failed 'stimulus' spending supported by Ike Skelton are a preview of the mess we will have if the President and Congress succeed in their plans to take over health care and energy production and pricing. Report after report is finding grossly inflated employment claims from the failed stimulus bill, and absurd reports of spending in congressional districts that don't exist. This is our hard-earned money being trashed, with the help and support of Congressman Skelton.

"When Rep. Skelton and the other Pelosi supporters voted a $787 billion spending spree with our money, they said the so-called economic 'stimulus' would keep the jobless rate from exceeding 8 percent. Joblessness now has surpassed 10%, with tremendous suffering for millions of workers and families in Missouri and the nation. Now we learn from news reports that the big-spenders don't even know where billions went, and that job claims have been grossly inflated time after time.

"What this tells us above all is that it's time to change from the failed policies of big spending, borrowing and debt favored by Rep. Skelton. To get new jobs, we need to cut taxes for small businesses, where real jobs are created. We need to put the government on a diet. We need to send a very clear message to Rep. Skelton, Speaker Pelosi and President Obama that the government is grabbing for power it shouldn't have, doesn't rightly have, and can't be trusted to exercise competently. Most people in our district know how to fix this runaway liberal Congress. It starts with voting for proven, common sense policies and conservative principles."

Hartzler strongly favors market-oriented policies for U.S. energy production in place of the huge tax hikes and vast government economic controls supported by Skelton and others who passed the so-called "cap and tax" bill for global warming. This huge bill would impose major price hikes on all carbon-based energy, including electricity and transportation fuel.

On the health care issue, Hartzler began her campaign with open-door town meetings on health care throughout the district. In line with comments from citizens and health care providers, she supports numerous steps to make care more affordable and accessible, including reforms in coverage and greater competition for insurance providers, and lawsuit reform to improve access and reduce costs to patients.