The North Platte Telegraph - Ricketts Vows To Cut Government Spending

Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - North Platte Telegraph

Ricketts Vows To Cut Government Spending

By Ben Thompson

Republican Senate candidate Pete Ricketts filed for election Monday, vowing to do away with congressional earmarks and cut government spending if elected.

He made a campaign stop in North Platte and emphasized the importance of controlling government spending. Ricketts, former CEO of Ameritrade, said, "My first priority is to get government spending under control. We don't have a revenue problem in this country. We have a spending problem. We need to give the president line-item-veto authority, prioritize spending and institute taxes which are fair and simple.

"We need to send people to Congress who have experience cutting spending," Ricketts said. "My experience (with Ameritrade) makes me a uniquely qualified candidate. When spending cuts were necessary at Ameritrade we asked, 'Is this a nice to have or a gotta have project?' The same question needs to be asked in regards to government spending. I support reducing the size of government and making President Bush's tax cut permanent."

Ricketts cited examples of what he considers wasteful spending, including a $223 million bridge in Alaska, which leads to an island with only 50 inhabitants. He said the national debt has grown from $1 trillion when Reagan was president, to a current figure of $8 trillion.

"The death tax is bad because it is impractical and because of what is says about us as a country," Ricketts said. "It is just wrong and is based on jealousy of high achievement. The death tax divides us; it does not bring us together."

Regarding the war in Iraq, Ricketts said, "Let the troops on the ground run the war. Progress is being made. Seventy percent of Iraqis participated in the election. 4.5 million Iraqis have cell phones. None were allowed during Sadam Hussein's regime."

"Nebraskans believe in fiscal prudence and they know that agriculture is the backbone of the Nebraska economy," Ricketts said. He supports "promoting and pursuing the use of ethanol and bio-diesel fuels, which can extend oil reserves" which strengthens Nebraska's corn economy.

Ricketts supports oil exploration in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve, where an estimated 10 billion barrels of oil are available in a 2,000-acre area. The reserve covers 19 million acres.

Regarding Social Security, Ricketts said, "In 2017 the money coming in will not cover commitments made. Personal accounts are a great idea because they will be protected so that Congress can't use them for other programs."

Ricketts supports school vouchers to provide equal education opportunities. He is a board member of Children's Scholarship Fund, which has provided 1,500-1,800 scholarships to those in need.

If government does a good job defining and evaluating requirements, expectations and results, Ricketts supports outsourcing government programs that can be more efficiently run by private organizations.

Ricketts is vying for the GOP nomination with former Attorney General Don Stenberg and Omaha lawyer David Kramer, who is the former Nebraska Republican Party chairman. Incumbent Sen. Ben Nelson is the lone Democrat candidate.

http://www.petericketts.com/full_article.asp?article_id=54