Bryan Smith meets with Madison County Republicans

Idaho District 2 candidate for Congress, Bryan Smith, was asked by the Madison County Republican Central Committee to come and share his reasons for running for office at their monthly meeting this past Thursday evening. Smith addressed a full house explaining that he wasn’t running because he needed the money or the job.  In fact, a few years ago he would never have entertained the idea.  But he remarked his energy and passion for his family and especially his concern for his five children have moved him in this direction.

Smith said we can do better in Washington and he is not afraid to stand up for what he believes is right.  He is NOT in favor of raising the debt ceiling and has pledged to not vote for any tax increases.  Unlike his challenger Congressman Mike Simpson, he would not have voted to raise the debt ceiling unless there were major spending cuts.  In the case of the recent budget proposal, (H.R.2775 Continuing Appropriations Act of 2014), he would have only supported it if it reversed the President’s decision to exempt 17,000 people from Obamacare.

Smith addressed many questions from the audience and explained that the record shows that Simpson did not initially vote for the cash for clunkers project, but did vote later to fund two billion dollars to help keep it from crashing. Although Simpson has been an advocate of the INL, it is ironic that the  money used to fund the Cash for Clunkers project was money cut from the Department of Energy’s budget. In his answers, Smith revealed that he would support auditing the Federal Reserve and allow for full accountability, encourage free enterprise in the long run over farm subsidies, simplify the tax code by even using a flat tax, transfer federal lands to the state and challenge the President’s Constitutional authority to sign his own law exempting 17,000 people from Obamacare.

The heated moment came with the idea of taxing Internet sales.  This idea is something that state law makers from Madison County seem to support, although Bryan Smith said when it comes to more taxes he just can’t go there.  Cutting spending- not raising taxes- is his idea of fiscal responsibility. Questions about his legal profession clarified attacks coming from the media. He explained that his father worked as a baker for 60 years starting at the age of 13.  Bryan was the first in his family to finish college and went on to receive a  law degree from BYU.  He worked 5 years with medical malpractice suits, and 22 years solving business litigation disputes.  He has never practiced family law and less than 1% of all his cases dealt with personal injury cases- usually the kind that involves drunken driving accidents. (For more information on Bryan Smith go to: www.bryansmithforcongress.com)

During the meeting, the MCR Central Committee also reported that they will award a $500, $300, and $100 scholarship to the winning essays of senior high school and home schooled students ages 16 years and up living in Madison County.  The deadline to submit the essay is in December and the prompt dealing with the Bill of Rights can be viewed on their Website along with other information at www.madisonidahogop.com.