Press Pieces

Articles on the "Great Debate," Dundalk, March 15, 2012

• Dundalk Eagle, March 21, 2012
• East County Times, March 23, 2012

Congressional Candidate Smith: “Sen. Jacobs’ Picture Belongs on Milk Cartons;” Jacobs Only Candidate Refusing to Debate.  The Dagger Press, February 14, 2012

Sitting Lawmakers Split on Congressional Debate Challenge.  Timonium Patch, February 7, 2012

Fox 45 Report on Ruppersberger's Challengers.  WBFF-TV, Fox 45, January 5, 2012

Gingrich Spokeswoman No-Shows; Ruppersberger Challenger Rises.  Odenton Patch, January 4, 2012

Ruppersberger, Smith Denounce Failure of Deficit Reduction Committee.  Cockeysville Patch, Nov 22, 2011

Larry Smith Announces Run for Congress.  Cockeysville Patch, November 8, 2011

Letters to the Editor

Recovery depends on Debt Load.  Baltimore Sun, December 28, 2011

Congress irresponsible to reject balanced budget amendment.  Baltimore Sun, November 23, 2011

Ruppersberger isn't serious about reining in government spending.  Baltimore Sun, June 3, 2011

Press Releases

Lt. Col Larry Smith Calls for Congressional Reforms, March 8, 2012

Smith wants Term limits, Transparency and Accountability

TIMONIUM, MD…Today Lt. Col. Larry Smith, Republican candidate for Congress in Maryland’s Second District, announced a series of reforms to clean up Washington politics.

“It is time to restore the public’s faith in our system of government, and it starts with cleaning up Beltway politics.  I will work to implement reforms that restore integrity,” said Smith.

Smith’s reforms include the following:

• Institute reasonable Term Limits for Congressional members.
• Require 60% bi-cameral majorities to pass deficit spending.
• Withhold Congressional salaries for every day after October 1^st that a budget has not been passed
• Have Ethics Committees establish public, online searchable databases of Member Financial Disclosure Statements, requiring Members to amend their statements within seven days of changes to their investment portfolio. 
• End quasi-government paid lobbying.  According to the Wall Street Journal between 2001 and 2006, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac spent $123 million to lobby Congress.
• Invoke Article VI of the Congressional Ethics Code:  “Make no private promises of any kind binding upon the duties of office, since a Government employee has no private word which can be binding on public duty.”  In other words, no pledges beyond those to the Constitution, one’s spouse, and the American flag.
• Confirm or reject all Presidential appointments within 90 days of their nomination.  In one notorious case from 2010, a senator held up over 70 nominees at once to secure more federal spending for his state.   
• Require real filibusters (not virtual) and end filibusters on motions to proceed.  In the first 50 years of the filibuster, it was used only 35 times.  In the last two years alone, it was used over 100.
• Post all legislation 72 hours before a vote so the public has time to comment and members have time to read the bills.  As it stands now, Congress’ “three day rule” means a bill can be posted last thing Monday night and voted on first thing Wednesday morning.  This is unacceptable.

“As a former business owner, I never signed a contract without reading it first.  Hence, when Congress is dealing with legislation costing millions, billions and trillions, they need to read it,” said Smith. 

Smith believes that the passage of Affordable Care Act in 2010 was a prime example of a bill that wasn’t read.  Speaker Pelosi urged passage to see what was in the legislation.  “Only a rare few members read the 2,300 page bill that overhauled our health care system.  Taking over 16% of our nation’s economy should have been better scrutinized.  The first step would have been to read the bill,” said Smith.

“As we all well know the collapse of Fannie and Freddie was a major contributing factor to our economic downturn.  Maybe if so much money had not been spent on protecting the status quo for the taxpayer backed corporation, we might have been able to prevent some of the disaster,” said Smith.

Smith is the only candidate who has released serious plans on issues.  He is running a campaign on the issues, not insider endorsements.

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Smith to Ruppersberger: End the Pain at the Pump!

Smith Energy Plan will Create Jobs, Cut Dependency on OPEC, Lower
Gas Prices, and Improve National Security

TIMONIUM, MD (March 1, 2012)…Today Larry Smith, Republican candidate for Congress in Maryland’s Second District, challenged Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger to support the Keystone XL Pipeline.

“Gas is quickly heading towards $5 per gallon. Unfortunately, our Congressman is doing nothing about this issue, an issue that is very important to everyone, especially the middle class. It is time for Congressman Ruppersberger to stand up to President Obama and the special interest groups in Washington. It is time for him to fight for the people of his district and begin taking constructive measures to help end the pain at the pump,” challenged Smith.

Smith sees a clear urgency in embracing North American energy that Congressman Ruppersberger is obviously blind to. Projects such as the Keystone XL Pipeline will not only reduce our dependency on OPEC, they will also create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and lower the price of gas. Securing our nation’s energy supply is also critical for our national security.

“Keystone is a win, win, win shovel-ready project,” said Smith. “Failure to build that pipeline will disastrously impact our country because Canada will sell its oil either way -- if not to us, then to the Chinese. Moreover, the practice of begging OPEC to increase its production level must stop. We can and must take our energy future back into our own hands.”

Mr. Smith has an extensive energy plan that deals with energy policy for the long term as well as the short term. The “Smith Plan” includes:

• Building the Keystone XL Pipeline
• Building refineries
• Promoting natural gas
• Upgrading the national grid
• Building nuclear power plants

“Going to scale on renewable energies is at least a decade away. We need to think both short and long term, but we’ll need a thriving short term in order to get to the long term,” said Smith. “What is not a decade away is natural gas. Our nation has an abundance of natural gas. We should be encouraging home owners and truck fleets to convert to it and begin re-balancing our trade deficit by exporting it. I’m shocked that both the President and our Congressman have failed to promote natural gas.”

“Voters have a choice -- they can have a Congressman who lacks the courage to stand up for the small businessmen, carpool drivers, and taxpayers of his district, or they can choose a Lt. Col. who will fight to reduce gas prices, fight to cut wasteful subsidy programs, fight to revive our economy, and fight for our children’s future,” added Smith.

Details of Larry Smith’s Energy Plan can be found at http://www.larrysmith4congress.com/energy.aspx.

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Mr. Larry Smith Details Top 12 Legislative Priorities, February 8, 2012

TIMONIUM, MD…Today, on Baltimore’s historic TV Hill, Larry Smith, Republican candidate for Congress in Maryland’s Second District, announced his Top 12 Legislative Priorities for the 113^th Congress, which will convene in January 2013.

“The challenges America faces over the coming decades are very real and very serious!  The time has come for every national leader to put aside their talking points and platitudes, and begin delivering very real and very specific solutions.  That’s why today, I am announcing the top 12 legislative efforts that I will pursue as District Two’s next congressman.  These substantive reforms and initiatives will put our nation squarely back on the right path, and stand in stark contrast to the incumbent’s current agenda.  My Top 12 Legislative Priorities provide refreshing clarity and detail to voters at a time when too many incumbent members of Congress are obfuscating their real agenda with smoke and mirrors,” said Smith. 

Upon Swear-in, Mr. Larry Smith will Co-Sponsor or Introduce Legislation that Promotes:

1.  Embracing North American Energy:  HR 909 (Roadmap for America's Energy Future); HR 1380 (Natural Gas for Transportation Solutions Act); and HR 3548 (North American Energy Access Act)

2.  Replacing the Affordable Care Act with tort reform; interstate health insurance exchanges that have no minimum insurance policy mandates for small businesses or religious institutions; high-risk pools for pre-existing conditions; family plans for kids under 27; no IPAB (HR 452); and no CLASS Act (HR 1173), etc.

3.  Reducing America’s Corporate Tax Rate:  HR 609 (American Competitiveness Act)

4.  Right-Sizing Government:  HR 1782 (Reduce Government Waste and Duplication per GAO Report) and picking from Senator Tom Coburn’s over $9 trillion deficit reduction menu, “Back in Black”

5.  Reigning in the Alternative Minimum Tax:  HR 3747 (Increase the AMT Exemption Amount and Index it for Inflation)

6.  Ending Illegal Immigration by mandating E-Verify (HR 800) and allowing illegals with employer sponsors the opportunity to work off $5,000 illegal entry fines and become taxed guest workers

7.  Attracting/Retaining High-Skilled Immigrants:  HR 399 (Stopping Trained in America Ph.D.’s from Leaving the Economy (STAPLE) Act)

8.  Reforming Entitlements by preserving Medicare with the Seniors' Choice Act; block granting state Medicaid supports (HR 2013); and gradually raising Social Security's retirement age to 70 (HR 867) and adjusting its taxable wages cap -- up or down -- as needed for solvency 

9.  Fully Auditing the Federal Reserve:  HR 459 (Federal Reserve Transparency Act)

10.  Ending Hyper-Partisanship by instructing members of Congress, “No budget, no pay!” (HR 3643)

11.  Requiring 60% Bi-Cameral Majorities to Pass Deficit Spending:  House Joint Resolution #2

12.  Establishing Term Limits that no reasonable person can oppose:  House - 20 years; Senate - 30 years.  Such limits would today remove 49 Representatives and 6 Senators.

And a half dozen More!

1. Tax Reform:  reduce our unsustainable borrowing by ending ethanol, oil company & hedge fund subsidies and limiting the mortgage interest deduction to $250K on a primary residence
2. Veterans:  ensure sufficient administrative capacity at VA; fund "concurrent receipt" for all disabled veterans (HR 303)
3. Second Amendment:  protect the inherent right of responsible adults to defend themselves and their families
4. Intelligence:  adopt National Security Agency's practice of including tear lines* on all Intelligence Information Reports community-wide
   [* Tear Lines specify allowable verbiage for communicating the essence of a highly classified message at lower classifications]
5. American Business Liberty:  allow American companies to freely expand within America:  HR 1976 (Jobs Protection Act)
6. Presidential Appointments:  require Senate to call an up or down vote within 90 days of each Presidential nomination
7. Giving Kids a Fair Start:  promote pre-kindergarten education (HR 555) to reduce our dropout rate and avoid much higher social costs later on
8. Mr. Smith's Rule:  Require real (not virtual) filibusters and end filibusters on motions to proceed

** For information on each bill go to thomas.loc.gov

“My ‘Top 12 Legislative Priorities’ tells voters exactly what I will do in Congress while clearly exposing just how wrong Mr. Ruppersberger is for America’s future.  Mr. Ruppersberger did not co-sponsor any of the 11 bills I support and would probably want to get his party leadership’s permission before he would consider supporting them.  Putting my intentions on public record before I vote is something I will continue to do in Washington as well.  It’s just something that real leaders are accustomed to doing and something that today’s voters should be demanding more of from their leaders,” said Smith.

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Larry Smith Announces Economic Plan for Restoring America, January 30, 2012

TIMONIUM, MD…Today Larry Smith, Republican candidate for Congress in Maryland’s Second District, announced his “Recover Now, Right-Size, and Grow” Plan for restoring America’s economy and making the 21^st century “America’s Century.”

“In the United States, we already have everything we need for a prosperous future, save one:  leadership in Washington.  With no plan, and no sense that our key leaders really grasp our situation, Americans -- especially parents and business owners -- are understandably anxious about their futures.  This is precisely why I am, today, announcing my economic plan for restoring America:  “Recover Now, Right-Size and Grow.”  It’s a plan that Americans will intuitively understand and readily embrace,” said Smith.  “We must build today’s recovery upon a foundation of long-term sustainability and growth.”

Americans are hurting right now!  We can help them recover immediately by making targeted improvements to our nation’s infrastructure.  Ultimately, however, the length and depth of our final recovery will depend upon how much our government restrains American free enterprise and whether it begins seizing ever-larger portions of our personal savings in order pay for its spiraling debt service and runaway spending.  So we must right-size government, make it sustainable, and hold it to its proper role.

• RECOVER NOW with short-term infrastructure projects that yield positive returns on investment:
  • Ports, bridges, power grids, natural gas refueling stations, nuclear waste repositories, etc.
  • Energy saving retrofits for old government buildings
  • Surging the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to eliminate its massive application backlog
• RIGHT-SIZE government to put our national debt on a long-term glide path below 60% GDP:
  • Repeal the Affordable Care Act.  Replace it with tort reform,  interstate health insurance markets, high-risk pools for pre-existing conditions, and family plans including kids under 27
  • Properly re-purpose government using best mix of  “Simpson-Bowles” and “Coburn” reports
  • Remove inequitable tax loopholes and end corporate welfare
  • Means test Medicare; block grant Medicaid; and raise the age and wage cap for Social Security
  • Require 60% majorities to pass deficit spending, and tell Congress, “No budget, no pay.”
• GROW under pro-growth, pro-American policies:
  • Build the Keystone Pipeline and legislate in favor of North American energy -- not against it
  • Require cost-benefit analyses for all new regulatory proposals
  • Lower America’s top corporate tax rate by 20% (to 28%)
  • Implement Mr. Smith’s “Ending Illegal Immigration and Welcoming Guest Workers” Plan
  • Permit American companies to expand wherever they want to within America
  • Permanently eliminate capital gains taxes on new companies
  • Rein in the alternative minimum tax (AMT)
  • Promote pre-school and help small businesses provide continuing education to their employees

As Maryland’s next Congressman, Mr. Smith will go to Washington to lead his colleagues on the “Recover Now, Right-Size, and Grow” Plan in order to secure and maintain America’s rightful position atop the world economy.

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Larry Smith Announces 8 Point Plan to End Illegal Immigration and Welcome Guest Workers, January 23, 2012

TIMONIUM, MD…Today Larry Smith, Republican candidate for Congress in Maryland’s Second District, announced his Eight Point Plan for finally addressing the chronic problem of illegal immigration.

“It is time for real leadership on the issue of illegal immigration because our states and communities can no longer bear its financial burden.  As Maryland’s next Congressman, I will work to resolve this issue once and for all by implementing lasting, common sense reforms,” said Smith.  “Above all, we must reserve citizenship’s benefits for our citizens while providing earned equitable pathways to legitimate working status and subsequent citizenship.”

Smith’s Eight Point Plan would hold all parties responsible for their respective roles in this issue.

• Federal Government:  Uphold and clarify current law

1. Withhold federal transportation funding from “sanctuary” states that indirectly provide prohibited government benefits to illegal immigrants by refusing to verify their social security numbers.
2. Limit birthright citizenship to the children of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.
3. Deploy various Army and Air National Guard units to civilian border patrol agencies each year, while fully leveraging national intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets.
4. Remove the annual numerical cap on H-1B visas for high-skilled guest workers.  [By 2020, America's schools will provide only about 50 million of the 125 million highly skilled or highly educated workers we will need.  Without help from abroad, we’ll be short over 90,000 doctors.]

• Employers:  Verify worker eligibility or pay a stiff penalty

5. Mandate national use of “E-Verify” to verify every employee’s social security number.
6. Require employers to offer their openings to Americans first and to sponsor their guest workers by paying $1,000 towards each guest worker’s $1,390 H-2B visa petition fee.

• Illegal Immigrants:  Find employer sponsors or go home

7. Deport illegals who have no employer sponsor, and use 10% minimum payroll deductions (on top of payroll taxes) to pay down $5,000 illegal entry fines on guest workers who arrived illegally.  Any immigrant who secures a sponsor and then loses his or her job would be given a four month grace period to obtain another sponsor.
8. Guest workers who enter legally would pay $390 of their H-2B petition fee and then pay regular payroll taxes.  Previously paid income taxes would be credited towards any illegal entry fines.

“Having served our country, I understand how important securing our borders is to our national security.  We need ‘high walls;’ but we also need ‘broad gates.’  Allowing illegal immigrants to hold jobs that Americans could perform is just another form of outsourcing…right here at home.  And yet, every time a guest engineer fills an otherwise vacant high-tech position, some American company increases its output, and another 8-10 ‘spin-off’ jobs are created,” said Smith.  “Smarter immigration policy is essential for our future growth and prosperity.”

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LARRY SMITH, NANCY JACOBS AGREE TO POST-PRIMARY REPUBLICAN UNITY, January 10, 2012

Ruppersberger Must Be Defeated

TIMONIUM, MD…Today Larry Smith and Nancy Jacobs, Republican candidates for Congress in Maryland’s 2^nd District, agreed to support whoever wins Maryland’s April 3^rd primary, and will encourage their supporters to join the eventual nominee’s team.

“It is important that we elect a Republican next fall to represent the people of the 2^nd District,” said Smith.  “We literally cannot afford another two years of Congressman Ruppersberger who has never met a spending bill he didn’t like.  Taxpayers need a friend in Washington rather than an advocate for special interest groups.  By agreeing now to unify after the Primary, we are increasing America’s chances for a brighter future.”

Ruppersberger’s Troubling Tax Record

Smith is concerned about the attacks being launched in the Republican Presidential Primary race, and he doesn’t want to see the same thing happen here in Maryland. 

“During nine years in Washington, our Congressman has gotten the fundamental issues wrong.  Far from being part of any solution, he is part of the problem.  It is time for a new Congressman who will fight to control government spending, embrace North American energy, and make our safety net sustainable,” added Smith.  “Our unity ensures we will stay focused on the right target.”

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Larry Smith Calls for Immediate Freeze on Implementation of the Affordable Care Act, January 5, 2012

TIMONIUM, MD…Today Larry Smith, Republican candidate for Congress in the Second District, called for the Obama administration to postpone further implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) until January 1, 2013.

“An implementation freeze is the responsible thing to do.  It would provide the Supreme Court time to decide on the constitutionality of the ACA’s primary funding source, the Individual Mandate, and would also allow parties that Rep. Pelosi excluded from original drafting negotiations to add broadly supported measures such as tort reform, and remove commonly disdained features such as the Independent Payment Advisory Board or IPAB,” said Smith.

According to recent polling, about 80% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the ACA.   One month before final passage -- in late February 2010 -- President Obama hosted a bi-partisan summit to discuss final modifications to the ACA.  The essential message delivered by Republicans that day was that they needed three or four more months of good faith discussions to devise a plan everybody could agree on.  President Obama ignored them, and looked rank and file Democrat representatives like Dutch Ruppersberger to secure passage.  Not a single Republican voted for the bill.

Now, with Republican majorities likely in both the House and Senate after 2012, it is a perfect time to take a pause from implementing the ACA, fix it, and then get Americans behind whatever new form it takes,” said Smith.

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