Dem congressional candidates talk fracking, taxing & spending

With a couple of interesting differences, the two Democrats vying to represent Ohio's 15^th U.S. House District in Congress staked out roughly similar political territories in election interviews last week with The Athens NEWS.

Athens Law Director Pat Lang and airline pilot Scott Wharton will face off in the March 6 primary for a shot at running against Republican incumbent Steve Stivers of Upper Arlington. This assumes that Stivers will beat his two GOP primary opponents, Charles Chope and Ralph A. Applegate, which outcome seems very likely.

Lang, a former Athens City Council member and assistant prosecutor with the Athens County Prosecutor's office, defeated incumbent Republican Garry Hunter to become Athens law director. He lives in Athens.

Wharton, a former U.S. Air Force pilot who served in "Desert Storm," the first U.S. invasion of Iraq, now flies for Delta Airlines. He lives on his family farm near the tiny town of Amanda in Fairfield County.

Ohio's 15^th U.S. House District includes most of Athens County, as well as all of Morgan, Hocking, Perry, Vinton, Fairfield, Pickaway, Clinton, and Madison counties, and parts of Franklin, Ross and Highland.

Last week, Lang and Wharton sat down separately with The NEWS to share their views on a variety of issues that a U.S. congressman might have to address if elected in November. Edited accounts of their comments follow.

On the issue of horizontal "fracking" for oil and natural gas, and the federal government's role in regulating it:

Lang: "We only have one opportunity to get this right, and I think every level of government has a responsibility to make sure that we have the right regulations in place… But we can't ignore the potential for jobs that this could bring."

Regarding a proposed statewide moratorium on new fracking wells to let the regulatory agencies catch up, Lang said this "would be more of a state issue" than something Congress should address.

Wharton: As a working farmer, Wharton said, he has gotten much of his information about the issue from the Ohio Farmers Union. That group has called for a two-year moratorium on new horizontal hydro-fracking while regulations are upgraded.

"That sounds reasonable to me," Wharton said.

On reducing the federal deficit:

Wharton: "The first step is to make sure all Americans pay their fair share of taxes," Wharton said. He agrees with President Obama that the highest-earning Americans could probably afford to pay somewhat higher tax rates to help bring the budget back in line.

Wharton said he was not familiar with details of the budget proposed by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., so he could not comment on it.

Lang: "It is absolutely offensive that some of the same people in Washington who have fought to slash taxes on millionaires and billionaires now believe that the only way to balance the budget is on the backs of the middle class and the poor," he declared.

Regarding Ryan's budget proposal, Lang said, "if it weren't such a serious matter, it would be laughable… Frankly, somebody who would support something like the Ryan budget is not fit to govern."

On the current polarization in Congress, and how to encourage more bipartisan cooperation:

Lang: "It has to be changed," he said. Many of the country's economic problems, he suggested, stem from "a lack of confidence on the markets' part that the two sides can come together" and address issues such as the deficit.

How to fix it? "In a broad sense, that's up to the people," Lang said. They can vote out reps who follow a hard-core party line at the expense of compromise to get things done, and replace them with people who "don't take a political approach to issues."

Wharton: He agreed that "it has to be changed. Congress's approval rating right now is hovering at about 10 percent… We need new people in Congress. We need to get rid of the incumbents. You need to have compromise – and there's enough blame for both parties. You've got to have compromise, and come off your ideologies."

On the nation's fragile recovery from the recession, and the possible role of more stimulus spending by the federal government:

Wharton: "I think that stimulus spending on infrastructure would be good," Wharton said, citing such projects as bridges, roads, schools and airports.

Lang: "I think it would be premature to commit to something like that, given the budget constraints that we have. But as a general principle… economies revive and grow when you put dollars in the hands of the middle class. It creates a ripple effect."

On the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), and the current legal challenge against it:

Lang: He dismissed the idea, pushed by some critics of the legislation, that the legal case now before the U.S. Supreme Court represents a major showdown between federal power and states' rights. "It's an issue of trying to provide the best health care possible to as many people as possible in an affordable way," he insisted.

The legislation in place "is far from perfect," he added, "but did a lot of good things," such as barring insurance companies from disqualifying people for pre-existing conditions, allowing parents to keep children on their policies until age 26, and closing Medicare's so-called "doughnut hole" coverage gap.

Wharton: "Until the Supreme Court rules, it's kind of a moot point," Wharton said, adding that he believes "it's going to be struck down" – i.e., that the high court will find it unconstitutional to require Americans to have health insurance.

After that happens, Wharton said, Congress should get to work to salvage the many good things in the legislation. "There are some good issues in there that are really worth keeping," he suggested. "Unfortunately, (the court case) probably means that we're going to have to start over."

On the possibility of cuts in military spending to help balance the budget:

Wharton: He suggested that one way the United States could cut military spending immediately would be to pull its troops out of Afghanistan.

"I don't think that we need a standing army in Afghanistan," Wharton argued. "The reasons that we went in there are no longer valid… So it kind of comes down to, why are we still there?"

Lang: "America's armed forces are the finest in the world, and that must never be allowed to change," he said. "However, the Pentagon, like every other area of government, has waste, and waste should be eliminated in every area of government."

Top priority in any military spending decisions, he added, should be "to make sure that the actual soldiers, sailors, airmen, are taken care of."

On reform of the U.S. tax code, which some economists suggest would generate more revenue than upping tax rates for the rich:

Lang: He said he would support letting the Bush-era tax cuts on the wealth expire, and called it "obscene" that presidential candidate Mitt Romney pays taxes at a rate of about 14 percent.

"I think it is encouraging that both sides are willing to talk about a significant overhaul of the tax code," he added. "It certainly can be made more simple for ordinary people to understand."

Wharton: "The U.S. tax code is too complex. It does need to be simplified," he said. While stressing that he needs to do more research on particular proposals, Wharton said that some type of flat tax, or value-added tax, might be possibilities worth looking into.

One area that needs addressing, he added, is tax breaks for the rich and big corporations, such as the oil depletion allowance.

"These are the richest corporations in the world, and we're giving them an oil depletion allowance?" he marveled. "We need to look at closing special-interest loopholes."

Like Lang, Wharton said he approves of letting the Bush tax cuts expire.

On the best thing the federal government can do for Ohio's economy:

Wharton: "The single best thing that the U.S. government could do would be to start leading us," he said. "Lead. Provide leadership. Show that we're going forward."

Lang: "In a broad sense, to invest in the tools that make it possible for the middle class to flourish," he suggested. These would include investing in infrastructure, negotiating fair international trade deals, "and finally, retirement security" in the form of Medicare and Social Security.