The top five highest ranked candidates were invited to this debate. Multiple time frames were offered for Mitt Romney but he did not take up the offer. The other top four are as follows: Larry M Meyers, Samuel B Parker, Mike Kennedy, and Timothy A Jimenez
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Any misinformation is the fault of the note taker.
Opening statement:
Larry M Meyers: a big supporter of the caucus. We have career politicians who are bankrupting our country. We need to say no to business as usual.
Samuel B Parker: There is too much inside of me to just debate over Facebook. We need to restore the constitution. Make government local again. You should have control of your lands and control.
Mike Kennedy: Took six yrs. to get through law school since I was a practicing doctor. He is a doctor and an attorney. State senator. Presented three bills but abandoned one.
Timothy A Jimenez: Is an environmental engineer. Was raised family with substance abuse, I understand the value hard work. I know how structured entitlements hold people back.
Q: entitlements: what do you advocate for?
Larry M Meyers: Concrete answers; roll back the cost of entitlement. Roll back gradually. Category those who paid in longer get more who paid it. Scale back wealthy; phase it out to make a private situation. Each person responsible for their own entitlement. Change bankruptcy;
Samuel B Parker: Medicare, important thing revitalized insurance and medial industry. Repeal Obamacare and not placing it with something else. Make health insurance portable. It goes wherever you go. Buy the amount of coverage you want. In an auto purchase, we don’t buy a car wash, detailing, health insurance, I have to pay for 60 things I don’t use. Increases health care cost for everybody. We need to privatize insurance. Social security: reform, phase it out. It is morally wrong. It takes your money to give to someone else. Introduce legation to phase it out.
Mike Kennedy: We send money to distance entity. Social security recipients have not seen a raise for 10 yrs. Keep our money and we can invest our money with compound interest. Washington wants power over us. The government takes our funds and break promises. Money stays in your pocket. Hold back the title wave of Obamacare. Prevented the full implementation of Obamacare and reduce expansions of Medicaid.
Dr. Response I been involved with local government through local fire organization.
Timothy A Jimenez: I understand entitlement from poverty. The system runs out. My mother was told to stop doing anything in order to get government help. She refused. Small business gave me work opportunities. Make it easier for employers to hire people. Spent 22 trillion in last 50 yrs. to fight poverty. Charity and love is the responsibility of the local community job, not the government. Returning all entitlements to be controlled by the state. Government steals social security money
Q: Omanis spending bill: Utah is split on entertainment. Mike Lee says we should not vote for officials who vote like that.
Samuel B Parker: Omanis bill added $22 trillion and 200 unfunded liabilities. Needs to go back to doing individual bills for the budget. And discuss this in the open. Use of resources of taxpayers’ responsibility. I’m an automatically no to Omanis vision. Need to allow us to break it up and provide sufficient time to debate and read it. The dollars sent to Washington belong to us.
Mike Kennedy: At schools, there is a lot of bullying going on. If you don’t do this I will hurt you. The same is in government. You have two days to read this bill and you’d better vote our way, or we will stop the government. This process is not right. I’m not going to be subject to threats. I am a no vote.
Timothy A Jimenez: not voting for any bill I don’t understand. I’m there to represent Utah. My neighbor owns a Hvac business. He has to meet a budget. Where does government get idea to not stay on budget? Why charge my children. If I don’t read it I won’t vote for it. We have problems in our own party that need not be address.
Larry M Meyers: Our number one priority is to cut spending. The Fed too powerful and too intrusive. Should have voted no on Omanis bills. We need to reform the procedure. There is a long list of items that could be cut. The Heritage organization has provided a list of things that can be cut. Cut foreign aid, unfound the UN, and remove solders from foreign wars. Support budget of cutting big cuts in education. Don’t bring money back to the state with strings attached. Did you know 49 % states have balances budget amendments? They are constitutionally bound to do it. I will be like a bulldog to fight for a balanced budget.
Q: US Trade has 800 billion trade deficits. Position to recognize trade agreements and tariffs.
Mike Kennedy: I’m a fan of what Trump has done. Nafta Needs to be reorganized. Tariffs, I call them economic warfare. You’re implementing punishment on another country. I don’t have access to all the info. I’m willing to default to Trump’s actions as he has access to info we don’t have. You need a surgical scalpel to cut things. Need more info.
Timothy A Jimenez: I don’t support tariffs. Construction jobs won’t go forward. The real discussion is the tariffs we impose upon ourselves. I live in the world for oil companies. Oils have tariffs. 21% tax is illegal. We punish our business. Corporations won’t pay tariffs money. It comes to us as the consumer.
Larry M Meyers: I would like to have lower prices. some countries giving tariffs. Trump has a plan to contend against China. Tariffs are one tool to limit the expansion of power for China. Feel that NAFTA is something that Americans should not be involved with. International countries should not control our agreements. Trade should be fair to use. Tim said about tariffs. We have high taxes and regularity burdens. We need to reduce taxes in our country.
Samuel B Parker: I am 100 % pro American trade policy. War with finances has been happening for a long time. China takes our technology. Now are behind in technology. We must address national security.
Q: Immigration: Do you support for a legal path to illegal immigrants and daca?
Timothy A Jimenez: talking about federal government incompetence. We pass immigration in the 80s and got a bunch of lies. The government does not enforce. Will not vote for comprehensive immigration. We need to secure the border and look at regulation agencies that are preventing us from building the wall. We enforce current laws. 40% of illegals come form overdue visas. DACA, they can’t cut in front of people.
Larry M Meyers: You’re asking the wrong question. What do for us citizens not illegals? 100 % for border security. We let in millions of OxyContin. OxyContin in illegal. Want to go back to help him. I have not stabbed the President in the back. We need to border patrol to have the funding and technology they need to do their job. Don’t have immigration laws and they are released. If we secure the wall.
Samuel B Parker: America is not a global welfare program. Too expensive. It is unfair to the countries. An organization would not last that does not respect its members. Immigration is a benefit we extend to benefit our country. We have a rich heritage. People come in and want to take stuff they don’t believe in American values. 135 bills a year on illegal. Many don’t merge into society. The 4th amendment says we have a right to be security in our effects.
Mike Kennedy: compare it to a victim of a car accident. We find a victim who is bleeding and has a broken bone. Fix bleeding first and that means stop the flow of the borders.
Q: gun: where do you draw the line for guns and school security?
Larry M Meyers: I vote for no gun control measure. Propose pulling back gun-free school zones. Gun free zones make schools a target. We need to be responsible for ourselves, our children and community. Often an armed citizen stops a killer. We need a culture who respects gun owners. Guns should be treated with respect. School resource officers. PUt locks in the appropriate places. Training for teachers and students on how to respond.
Samuel B Parker: The term AMRS does not mean (general means offensive and defensive tools of war.) it is about rights of people for security. Last week retired justice called for a repeal of the amendment. Venezuela or Cambodia guns were taken away and citizens were slaughtered. I don’t support limits. I’m for constitutional carry. We don’t get rid of fire extinguishers because we have firemen nor get rid first aid kits because we have doctors.
Mike Kennedy: bill for a constitutional vote was vetoed by the governor. I voted for the second amendment. I’m honored to stand for the constitution.
Timothy A Jimenez: I’ve always carried everywhere. Outright to protect our children does not stop because we cross some border. Why is the Senate not going after states and cities who want to take away rights? We have the right to protect ourselves again tynery or a bad guy who wants to break into our home.
Q: National security: what is the nation’s biggest current threat?
Samuel B Parker: The EMP. It knocks out all electronic technology. It would knock out our entire grid. Right now China, Russia, and North Korea are arming space. Trump wants to arm space. China has already stolen our equipment and technology. The government has done nothing.
Mike Kennedy: Lead by strength is fundamental to us. Our deficit is our biggest issue. We can’t spend. Our national debt cannot continue as it is. Border security, we have to focus security our borders.
Timothy A Jimenez: Russian has successfully handicapped Europe, through environmental controls. Europe stopped oil production. Energy is our biggest threat. We have a lot of resources. We don’t recognize the Russia threat. 90% of uranium purchased from Russia. We need to get into our own resources. We need to sell our resources to our allies.
Larry M Meyers internarial socialism is our number one threat. We should have the strongest military to protect our border. We need to get back to the principle of induvial freedom. Take care of ourselves. Pushed to the left we are being pushed that our country will be part of an internal socialist organization.
Q: How to fix health care:
Mike Kennedy: so many opportunities. We have outstanding people and resources. The government will never take care of you as well as you take care of yourself. Take care of your own body. Our job as people providing medical services is to a facility. Obamacare needs to be repealed. I voted against it in the state legislator. Regulation is killing the industry. It is killing the industry. Medicare and Medicaid have been in for years. Put patients and dr. in the driver’s seat.
Timothy A Jimenez: With the new deal, it forces business to pay the same salary. Employers needed to get people so that started providing benefits. Switching our lives is a fun process. Had to pay for 3 surgeries while switching between jobs. Doctors spend a lot of money for anti-suing. We need a free market. We can hire what doctor we want.
Larry M Meyers: the free market is the answer. We can bring prices down and have better services. I advocate for increasing competition. Have insurance compete across state lines. It will bring costs down and innovation in the health system.
Samuel B Parker: Deregulation: we’ve been regulating health care. Repeal all Fed regulations. Get government out of the doctor’s office and insurance co. completions and regulations.
Samuel B Parker: deregulate health care. Have it in your control. Repeal all federal regulation. Let you spend your money where you want. I want to make government local again.
Q: Caucus system: Why support caucus?
Timothy A Jimenez: Had a contentious meeting with state reps from Washington. They had to hurry off after a short meeting. Shouldn’t they want to talk to us? Get involved in local politics. Caucus is a wonderful system. Love how it gets people involved. Our country is a republic and not a democracy. We have Electoral College. Career politicians spend their careers earning money. Delegates are doing the work of the people.
Larry M Meyers: I applaud keep my voice. Good to fight against people who have money and power. We became delegates as college students. Delegate system is the best way to represent the people. rebuttal: Four years ago I vetted Chris steward. Was able to let delegates know about Chris’ voting record.
Samuel B Parker: There are a million GOP voters in Utah. We would love to speak to all of them. It’s not feasible. A select group can represent the people and get one on one interaction with the candidates. Thanks for eep my voice.
Mike Kennedy: There is no more thorough review of the candidates. Three of them had signatures gathered. I’ve chosen to not get signatures. Sb54, voted against it in its original form. Happy to see you in the face and
Q: What do you think of the 10th amendment?
(added by note taker: The Tenth Amendment of the US Constitution restates the Constitution’s principle of Federalism by providing that powers not granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or the people)
Larry M Meyers: power back to the people.as much as we can get back. Free market and free enterprise empower the people. We need to understand that rights come from God. The government cannot take the rights from us. The people are the ones who run the government. There are areas that state government takes more responsibility.
Samuel B Parker: taking back what is ours. How to put teeth back into the 10th amendment. When our government was the first setup, the house of represented by votes of the people and the Senate represented the states. The state rep had power 17th amendments state votes popularly elected There is a structural problem we need to appeal the 17th amendment.
(17th amendment: Note by note taker: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislatures.)
Samuel B Parker: I see the potency of state government. Power belongs to the people and not the government. Send in people who represent people not special interests.
Samuel B Parker: The federal government is like an out of control race car. It lacks a brake pedal. I want to fix the car
Timothy A Jimenez: As an engineer, I work with regulations every day. I deal with a bunch of unconstitutional organizations every day. These agencies should not even exist. Take a different voice. We will kill them by attrition.
Q: What is the role of government as it applies to net neutrality? What role of government.
Samuel B Parker: Huge cable companies have carved up sections of the country. Need to turn things over to the federal trade commission government only regulate interstate commerce but only to a small degree. Open things to free enterprise. When the government makes things they pick winners and losers. Politicians rewarded their friends and punished their opponents. <Like which car companies were closed down.
Mike Kennedy: net neutrality is a bad restating. It needs to be unfiltered and unregulated. Trump makes sure regularity burden is lifted. I support the President.
Timothy A Jimenez: There used have a lot of car companies. Then the government took control. Cable companies took a seat at the table. Only a few broadcast companies exist now. Large companies buy the politicians. Let’s not change it into a utility. Regulating FCC will let the government put things on their campaign.
Larry M Meyers: Industry people go to the government to solve problems. Knowledge is limited. Bigger companies allow smaller companies to be charged to use their resources. Recommend deregulation. Eventually, the market will answer the question;
Q: If you could only accomplish one goal in Washington and be happy, what is it?
Mike Kennedy: Deficit reduction. Don’t make Washington DC worse. Passed two bills and dropped a third that was not relevant. I’m a minimalist. And have deficits reduced by cuts
Timothy A Jimenez: National security. We have a bunch of enemies who providing energy to our enemies and destroying our allies. Get jobs into Utah and a secure our nation. Change the perception of the value of our land. Deregulate our economy.
Larry M Meyers getting the federal government to the constitutional role and decrease debt. Commitment to the right to life. Protect the lift of the unborn. In the future, we could elect more judges that could overturn rode versus wade.
Samuel B Parker: Federal Reserve: wreaks havoc on our economy, since its founding the dollar has lost 95% of its value. Abolish the fed reserve, moved the bill to discontinue fed reserve.
Q: Convention of states: This was the one question where the conversation got a bit heated)
Timothy A Jimenez: 75% of states of voted for it. Stop run-away elections. Utah voted against it. Utah needs to be involved in a convention of states. Will do only two terms. Want to repel 17;
Larry M Meyers: repel 17th. Two terms limits should end career politicians. I’m opposed to a convention of states. Of states. Studies both sides. I see the potential for harm. Left is well funded. Don’t want 2hnt amendment repealed. Even if it not left, what makes us think that the conv. of states will bring anyone different to change anything.
Samuel B Parker: Conventions of states is to propose amendments. In the past, there have been 35 successful conventions of states. Have multiple layers of control. One way to take our government back. ¾ of states has to agree to an amendment.13 of 99 can cancel an amendment.
Mike Kennedy: There is no partnership between federal and state government. 17th amendment not there. Conv of states not convinced that it is the path to follow. Reserving judgement.
(Note by note taker: I was once for a convention of states. Then someone made a very good comment to me. God inspired our founding fathers in the founding of America. We do not currently have the caliber of men and women who work under influence of God to meet that condition again. They are susceptible to power and corruption and external forces.)
Final statement:
Timothy A Jimenez: Stop sending professional politicians. Send people who understand who has come from nothing. Tired of fighting the government to create jobs. I’ve already created jobs and made rural lives matter. People in Utah want to manage their land.
Mike Kennedy: send someone with experience.
Samuel B Parker: Take back the republic for Utah state.
Larry M Meyers: don’t restock the swap. We need delegate s to present a strong constitutional rep to content against a professional politician. I’ve been a leader of some conservative organizations. Fight for a limited constitutional government.
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