Posted on 01/16/2004 12:07:32 PM PST by JohnnyZ
U.S. Senate candidate Thomas Ravenel billed himself as "a Reagan Republican" as he stumped for votes in Rock Hill on Thursday, saying federal spending has to be clamped down.
Lower taxes and less government are vital for a strong America, Ravenel told the Kiwanis Club during a speech at the City Club of Rock Hill. A strong national defense to fight terrorism is the No. 1 issue facing the country, Ravenel said, but "to pay for it you need a strong economy."
Charleston's Ravenel, 41, a real estate developer, is the second Senate candidate to speak to the Kiwanis Club. Former S.C. Attorney General Charlie Condon spoke in December, and the club hopes to have the remaining candidates speak in the next few months.
Besides Condon and Ravenel, former Gov. David Beasley, Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride and U.S. Rep. Jim DeMint are seeking the Republican nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings. A primary will be in June, and the general election will be in November.
Beasley officially joined the race Wednesday, but Ravenel said Beasley and the others are not running against him, but with each other for the chance to beat a Democrat.
"I welcome Governor Beasley into the fray," Ravenel said.
Ravenel said government's role should be to get out of the way so that business can prosper, creating wealth and jobs. He supports the Bush tax cuts.
Ravenel slammed Democrats and trial lawyers, saying judicial reform is needed to stop frivolous lawsuits he described as "out of control."
He favors a loser-pays system of civil courts but would go even further, like Brazil.
"There if the loser can't pay, his lawyer pays," Ravenel said.
Ravenel is not all in the Bush camp though, saying the "No Child Left Behind" federal education initiative is full of good intentions but unattainable because of bloated education bureaucracies.
Federal education spending has mushroomed from $36 billion to $56 billion under a Republican controlled White House and Congress, he said.
Ravenel favors some privatization of Social Security and Medicare, saying, "Consumer choice and competition are the key."
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