Price Feisty in Roswell Remarks

By John Fredericks / Staff

Sixth District Congressman Tom Price (R), sounding very much like a candidate vying for re-election to a third term in his heavily Republican district, was feisty and candid in his remarks at the Ripon Society’s first State Policy Outreach event of 2008 held at Founders Hall in Roswell.

Price’s district encompasses North Fulton, East Cobb and Cherokee County, some of the most politically conservative areas in Georgia.

The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 -- Ripon, Wisconsin. It heralds Teddy Roosevelt as its icon.

The event also featured college scholarships awarded to three students from North Fulton County. The students -- Peter Ianakiev of Roswell High School, Sheila Vedala of Alpharetta High School, and Krista Whalen of Chattahoochee High School – each received a $1,000 scholarship from the Ripon Society for their future college studies.

Presidential Politics
An early and enthusiastic supporter of Mitt Romney, Price acknowledged his relationship with presumptive GOP nominee Senator John McCain was cordial, although not close. “I was and still am a great friend and admirer of Mitt Romney. I know Senator McCain, of course, but my relationship with him is not like the one I have forged with the former governor.”

“I have taken my political prognostication hat and thrown it away, as everything I predicted [about this race] has not come to pass.”

Price nonetheless is enthused about the upcoming presidential election and said, “I think we have an opportunity in this election with Senator McCain and one of the nominees on the other side to have a real policy debate, focused on the issues that is not filled with invective. I believe if that is indeed the [crux] of this campaign we will be victorious, as we are a center–right nation.”

Asked to comment on who might be an effective vice presidential nominee for McCain, Price forwarded some surprising choices: Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, and Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele. He said both are solid conservatives and would add diversity to the ticket.

Blasts Dems on Protect America Act
Wasting no time in taking on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic House leadership, Price blasted their handling of the expired Protect America Act on terrorist surveillance.

“There are reasons why we have not been attacked again since 9-11 and this [bill] is one of them. It is not just luck,” said Price.

“We have 24 Democrat House members who have pledged support of this bill if it comes up for a vote. They [U.S. House leadership] will not let it come up for a vote. If it they bring it forth, it will pass with bi-partisan support.”

Frustrated by the tactics he is witnessing in the House, Price added, “This disturbs me greatly. We are now 21 days into a national policy that has us using the same kind of intelligence law that we had in place on September 10, 2001. This is pure, unadulterated lack of leadership at the federal level in the House.”

The Protect America Act would continue to allow the federal government to monitor and listen to telephone calls by those they deem as potential terrorists on foreign soil without a court warrant. The sticking point for opponents is that the phone calls beam up from one satellite to another while bouncing through U.S. soil. This factor has given some Democrats in Congress pause, as they fear it may infringe on First Amendment rights and could be over-reaching. In addition, it gives all U.S. telecom companies immunity from lawsuits, many of which have been filed. The trial lawyers lobby vehemently opposes the bill, and it means that a court order must now be obtained to listen in to each phone call in question.

Price termed the delay, “Insanity,” and said, “This is nothing short of unilateral disarmament.”

“The atmosphere in Washington is so poisoned and partisan that it is now affecting the security of our country. We need to keep this issue in front of us as it puts the nation at grave risk.” 

Challenges Ahead in Health Care, Energy, Taxes
“Our two parties are divided and divisive as ever and there is lot of blame to go around,” Price said, adding, “Unless we get down to brass tacks and forge alliances to form solutions, we are going to continue to drift.”

A former practicing orthopedic surgeon in Roswell for better than 20 years, Price singled out health care as a national crisis with no consensus in sight, and said, ”I found that my ability to treat my patients and take care of folks was being impeded by both insurance companies and the federal government.”

He stated that the pipeline for new physicians in the United States is producing at an all-time low and said, “The shortage of new physicians is indicative of a system that is broken. Health care is a Republican issue if we just frame it correctly.”

Price has co-sponsored a bill with liberal Democrat Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin – The Health Partnership Through Creative Federalism Act – that he hopes has legs.

The bill provides for an expansion of health care coverage and access by using a bipartisan commission made up of 19 state, local, and federal appointees who would approve a variety of approaches that would in turn be submitted to Congress for approval.

“This is the health care bill with the most bi-partisan support in the U.S. House and may just be left standing when the bell rings [session concludes].”

Price described the legislation as having three primary criteria.

“You have to have insurance. You get to own the insurance. You have the power to choose your physician.”

Reflecting a compromising tone, he summed it up this way; “Republicans have to get comfortable with the idea that everyone has to be insured.”

Tom Price enjoys a photo-op with scholarship winners (from left) Peter Ianakiev, Krista Whalen and Sheila Vedala.

Energy
Price blamed the federal government for the nation’s energy woes, saying, “We are now the victims of a flawed process. In the 1970’s when we waited in gas lines our dependency on foreign oil was 25 percent. Today it is 60 percent, approaching 65 percent. It is heading in the wrong direction.”

The congressman believes the federal government must be more aggressive and cited Newt Gingrich’s solution of offering a one billion dollar bounty to the company or person who invents the first 100-mile per gallon car.

“We have to conserve. We have to find new sources of fuel and we have to unleash American technology to help us [get there],” Price said.

Entitlement Reform
Referencing GAO (Government Accounting Office) statistics, Price noted the national average of tax revenue to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has averaged 18 to 20 percent over the last forty years.

“If you look at our entitlement programs as they are and then [factor in] the aging of our population, we will exhaust our entitlement budget by 2030. This means we will either have to reduce payments or increase taxes to the mid or upper twenty percent levels of GDP. This [tax] scenario would cripple the economy.”

Price said the only real solutions are the typical Republican themes of more reliance on individual responsibility and personal accountability. “I believe these will be embraced by a majority of Americans,” he said.

Price is not likely to draw GOP primary opposition and is waiting to see who his Democratic opponent will be. The filing deadline is not until April. He garnered over 70 percent of the vote in his re-election bid of 2004.