Published: June 01, 2008 10:23 am      

Coburn frank on fiscal issues

When U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn paid a visit to the Del City Kiwanis Club meeting in the Rose State College Student Center on Wednesday, much of what he said about fiscal irresponsibility and a bloated federal government was enthusiastically embraced.

The Muskogee physician-turned-pork-barrel-battling politician didn’t mince words when he started out by saying that he wants all the young people in America to grow up in a country that is fortified by freedom and liberty.

“Freedom and liberty are at risk because we’ve failed to protect the values that protect this country and make it strong,” Coburn said.

And that puts future generations in jeopardy, he said.

“If we don’t fix (errant fiscal policies), our hopes and dreams for our children are put at great risk.

“This year we came close to a $1 trillion deficit,” adding that $300 billion of our tax dollars has been lost due to “pure waste and fraud.”

But Coburn said he was optimistic these problems can be tackled.

“I don’t believe there’s one problem in front of us that we can’t solve,” Coburn said.

He emphasized that it was high time for politicians to put the country first, not themselves.

With the cost of the Iraq war putting a drain on the federal budget, Coburn said he is keeping tabs on that issue.

“The military deserves some criticism,” Coburn said, noting that approximately 17 percent of the annual budget goes to the Pentagon. “There is $55 billion of waste in the Pentagon.”

One line that received applause from the assembled crowd was when he emphasized personal responsibility.

“The federal government is not the answer to our needs,” he said. “We’re the answer to our needs.”

A question from the audience addressed the issue of global warming. Coburn bristled at the suggestion that it actually exists.

“What we’re seeing is a hoax foisted upon the country,” Coburn said, echoing skeptical senior Sen. James Inhofe, R-Tulsa.

Bob Stockton addressed Coburn and inquired about port safety and control, asking him if the country has “gone kind of asleep at the wheel” regarding domestic ownership of ports.

The free-market Republican did not specifically answer the question, noting that America is part of “the global economy” and that rebuilding our infrastructure is important.

Coburn was also asked about growing concerns that secretive deals have been made to build a NAFTA Superhighway, which would go right through Oklahoma County, and the potential creation of a North American Union.

“There’s been more Internet traffic on that falsehood,” Coburn said. “It’s something based on fear rather than actual fact.”

Coburn said that interacting with our southern and northern neighbors is a good thing and that the number of Border Patrol agents in the field has doubled.

However, Coburn concluded he and his staff were skeptical of the rumors he has been hearing regarding the ultimate integration of Canada, Mexico and the United States.

“We’ve researched this and looked at it and it’s not something we should be concerned about,” he said.

Other topics addressed during the question-and-answer session included national health care, where he quipped, “If you like the compassion of the IRS, the efficiency of the postal service and the work of FEMA and Homeland Security in the wake of Katrina and Rita, then you’ll love national health care.”

Coburn said focusing on prevention is important and making sure that the best doctors are paid for their skills, just as the best teachers should be paid better and acknowledged compared to those who are performing weakly in their job.

Following a question in the audience about public education, Coburn said the federal government has no business getting involved in education and that when No Child Left Behind comes back up for renewal, he intends to “try to kill it.”

A woman representing a local food bank inquired about what the poor should do in the face of rising food prices.

One audience member asked Coburn if he would run for president, saying, “We need you.”

Coburn smiled and said, “I’m not going to be running for president.”

The man that Coburn is supporting for president this year is Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Jokingly referring to McCain as an “old fart,” Coburn admitted McCain isn’t perfect as a candidate but that he trusts his stances on the fight against radical Islamic terrorism and the worsening financial situation.

“He has the qualities to handle the major things that are in front of us,” Coburn said. “He is one of the most honorable men I’ve ever met in my life and he has a teachable spirit and is a reconciler.”

As for his friend, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Coburn said he had told the Democratic frontrunner “to wait eight years.”

In conclusion, Coburn said, “I’m a hardcore partisan for freedom, a hardcore partisan for liberty and a hardcore partisan for smaller government.”

At the end of the meeting, Kiwanis members spoke highly of Coburn’s comments.

”I think he is right on target,” said Troy Gibson. “We’ve been on our tuckus for too long and we need to get more involved with what’s going on in government.”

Gibson added that he’s become discouraged over the upcoming generation and the fact that “we’ve lost our patriotism with the young people.”

Norris Price said Coburn was “pretty straightforward with what he believes in.”

Price added, “I like that he looks hard at the deficit, drilling and developing our natural resources.”