The candidates ask

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette asked U.S. Senate candidates Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D), Rep. John Boozman (R), Greenland Mayor John Gray (G), and Trevor Drown (I) to pose questions for their opponents. Lincoln asked questions of Boozman and offered modified versions for her other opponents; Boozman asked questions only of Lincoln; Gray and Drown asked only Lincoln and Boozman.

Here are some of the questions and answers (edited for length; the complete, unedited text is available at arkansasonline.com/extras/politics/):

BOOZMAN’S ANSWERS

TO LINCOLN’S QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1: Explain your support for a plan to add a national sales tax of at least 23 percent to everything Arkansans buy.

BOOZMAN: The Fair Tax abolishes the IRS, streamlines the over 67,000 pages of federal tax code, and replaces all current federal taxes with a simple sales tax. It taxes us only on what we choose to spend, not on what we earn, so it allows us to keep 100 percent of our paychecks, pensions and Social Security payments. It is not an additional sales tax, or tax increase, as all other federal taxes are eliminated ... every American will receive a reimbursement check for all basic necessities at the beginning of each month. This “prebate” “untaxes” all Americans for their basic necessities ... a couple making $50,000 a year would take home their full wages and receive $4,697 a year in the form of a monthly “prebate.” ... the Fair Tax doesn’t hurt low-income Americans, rather it empowers them more so than any other demographic.

QUESTION 2. Do you support Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget that would privatize Social Security and Medicare, yes or no?

BOOZMAN: No.

QUESTION 3. Explain why you have voted against ending tax breaks for companies that send U.S. jobs overseas.

BOOZMAN: I do not support tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas. The vote Senator Lincoln is referring to was on a comprehensive bill that included temporary extensions of expiring tax credits, but did so by permanently increasing taxes and adding another $134 billion to the deficit. I opposed this job-killing initiative.

QUESTION 4. Explain why you voted against providing tax credits to Arkansas small businesses for hiring unemployed workers.

BOOZMAN: HR2847 was a flawed piece of legislation. In an effort to offset the cost of the bill, Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi imposed $31.3 billion in upfront taxes on job creators. This is another job-killer at a time when we are struggling to put people back to work in the private sector.

QUESTION 5. Explain your vote in support of the original bank bailout (TARP) and against reforms that hold the Wall Street banks that wrecked our economy accountable.

BOOZMAN: I joined Senator Lincoln in support of TARP because I didn’t believe it was conservative to allow an entire sector of our economy to disintegrate. We were on the verge of an unprecedented economic collapse that would have devastated the finance sector and rippled around the globe. I remain convinced that TARP saved Arkansans’ jobs, savings and pensions. Today, the majority of TARP loans have been paid back by the banks with interest. As for the Wall Street regulatory bill, I opposed this because it needlessly expanded the size of the federal government, failed to address Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, unfairly restricted access to credit for Arkansas’ community banks, and created a permanent bailout authority that makes future bailouts much more likely.

QUESTION 6. Explain your five votes to raise the debt ceiling.

BOOZMAN: Throughout my tenure in Congress, our nation struggled to address various challenges including 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan, a new Department of Homeland Security, and Hurricane Katrina. I take full responsibility for my votes, which allowed our nation to address these challenges, particularly those votes to provide our troops with the resources necessary to execute their missions.

QUESTION 7. Do you think it is the role of Arkansas’ congressional delegation to request special projects for Arkansas’ communities and universities from previously appropriated funds?

BOOZMAN: Absolutely, which is why I fight hard to secure funding for worthy projects like retrofitting the turbines at the Ozark Dam. For every $1 spent, that project brings us $1.40 in return. That is responsible spending. However, we have to stop the bleeding before we can the clean up the mess. Right now, we are in a situation where 42 cents of every dollar we spend is borrowed money — that is unacceptable.

QUESTION 8. Do you believe women whose lives are at risk or who are victims of rape or incest should have the option to terminate their pregnancies?

BOOZMAN: Like the majority of Arkansans, I am proudly pro-life. There is a clear contrast in this race. Senator Lincoln has a proabortion voting record that does not reflect the values of the majority of Arkansans.

QUESTION 9. Do you consider yourself a Tea Party candidate?

Boozman’s response did not answer the question.

GRAY’S AND DROWN’S ANSWERS TO LINCOLN’S MODIFIED QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1: Do you support a national sales tax?

GRAY: No.

DROWN: Not at the present time; there is not enough information or control mechanisms in place. We have more important things to address. Now is not the time to look at new ways to do things, when we can fix many of the problems we have with common-sense legislation.

QUESTION 2. Do you support Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget that would privatize Social Security and Medicare, yes or no?

GRAY: No.

DROWN: No.

QUESTION 3. Do you support tax breaks for companies that send U.S. jobs overseas?

GRAY: No.

DROWN: No. QUESTION 4. Do you support tax credits for Arkansas small businesses who hire unemployed workers?

GRAY: No.

DROWN: Yes

QUESTION 5. How would you have voted on TARP and accountability reforms?

GRAY: Banks too big to fail are too big to exist. Faulty banks should have been allowed to fail. Glass-Stegall should have been reinstated.

DROWN: No on TARP. It depends on which accountability reforms. There have been many. We do need accountability reform, but I believe they should be regulatory bills which stand on their own, not attached to other bills as amendments.

QUESTION 6. Would you ever vote to raise the debt ceiling?

GRAY: Not if there was any other option.

DROWN: No.

QUESTION 7. Do you think it is the role of Arkansas’ congressional delegation to request special projects for Arkansas’ communities and universities from previously appropriated funds?

GRAY: It is “a” role, not “the” role.

DROWN: No, I disagree with this whole concept for any member of Congress doing this across the country. It is part of the reason our country is in such a financial mess.

QUESTION 8. Do you believe women whose lives are at risk or who are victims of rape or incest should have the option to terminate their pregnancies?

GRAY: Yes.

DROWN: Yes.

QUESTION 9. Do you consider yourself a Tea Party candidate?

GRAY: No.

DROWN: It is not up to me to make that claim or dispute it. ... If by that descriptor one means a small limited federal government, lower taxes, balanced budget and a strong belief in states’ rights and the Constitution, which are my beliefs, then I can understand why people identify me as a Tea Party candidate. If by that ... you mean a member of, or an offshoot of the Republican Party, or someone who believes we need to fix the GOP from within, the answer is no.

LINCOLN’S ANSWERS TO BOOZMAN’S QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1. During the primary you ran an ad that said you were the “deciding vote to pass health care.” The day after you won the primary, you said, “I wasn’t the deciding vote.” How do you reconcile these two positions?

LINCOLN: The simple answer is I voted for health-care reform. ... I listened to Arkansans when they told me they did not want government-controlled health care, and I stopped the public option from getting passed.

QUESTION 2. You and President Obama have stated the healthcare law is deficit-neutral. Please explain how a program that adds over 16 million new recipients of public health-care insurance is deficit-neutral?

LINCOLN: According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the health-care reform law will reduce the deficit by $132 billion over the next decade and roughly $1 trillion over the following decade ... also, the CBO reported that repealing the health-care law would increase the deficit $455 billion over 10 years.

QUESTION 3. The leadership of your party failed to produce a budget this year. American families don’t have that option. Unlike you, they can’t vote to spend money they don’t have. Why do you think it is acceptable for the government to operate that way?

LINCOLN: Unfortunately, this is not the first time that intense partisanship has prevented consideration of an annual budget in the Senate. It has also occurred in recent years when Republicans were in the majority. I prefer passing a budget so that spending limits are pre-set before individual appropriations are considered ... in the absence of a budget this year, many federal budget limitations remain in effect from the most recently enacted budget resolution.

QUESTION 4. In July, you said, “The Recovery Act has done exactly what it was intended to do.” The President promised if we passed the Stimulus Bill our unemployment rate would not go above 8.5 percent. It is currently at 9.6 percent. How do you say it “did what it was intended to” when 16 months later our unemployment rate has increased by over a full percentage point?

LINCOLN: The Recovery Act has provided thousands of jobs for working Arkansans and ensured those who were struggling could get the help they needed ... the unemployment rate in Arkansas has remained well below the national average ... at least partly due to jobs created by the Recovery Act. One-third of the Recovery Act was dedicated to tax relief, cutting taxes for 95 percent of working families, including providing an expanded child tax credit to families of 167,000 Arkansas children and a $2,500 tax credit for 44,000 Arkansas college graduates and their families ... this summer, two noted economists said that the Recovery Act helped to avert a second Depression and will boost 2010 Gross Domestic Production by about 3.4 percent and add almost 2.7 million jobs to the U.S. economy. In August, the Congressional Budget Office released a similar report, noting that the Recovery Act increased the number of jobs by as much as 3.3 million.

QUESTION 5. Over the years you and I have worked together on multiple issues. Can you point to one area where Republicans and Democrats work together to help Arkansans?

LINCOLN: ... I have worked across the aisle on estate-tax reform in order to provide a longterm solution that will provide meaningful and permanent relief for family-owned farms and small businesses. This year, I joined my Republican Senate colleagues in an effort to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, which would burden our Arkansas economy. I used to work closely with Congressman Boozman in obtaining funding for important projects here in Arkansas. ... He left it up to Senator Pryor and me to fight to ensure that our tax dollars come back to Arkansas in the form of key investments that make our lives better.

QUESTION 6. You have stated on the record that you oppose extension of the Bush tax cuts. Why then in a recession do you support the largest tax increase in history on the American people?

LINCOLN: I strongly support extension of the 2001 tax cuts except for the super-wealthy. ... It is irresponsible not to ask the wealthiest Americans who benefited disproportionately from the 2001 tax cuts to now help our country climb out of debt and restore our economy.

QUESTION 7. The nonpartisan Politifact has thoroughly researched the claims in your first television ads and found them to be “barely true.” Are you comfortable running false negative ads about my record?

LINCOLN: My television ads are true and the Politifact research verifies that.

QUESTION 8. How does the path to legal status for “undocumented immigrants” as described on your Senate website differ from amnesty? (Senator Blanche Lincoln’s website, www.lincoln.senate. gov, accessed on Jan. 29).

LINCOLN: I do not support amnesty for illegal immigrants. Our first priority must be to secure our borders, which is why I have supported measures aimed at increasing our security at the border, including co-sponsoring recent legislation in the Senate to provide $600 million in additional border security funding; and the Secure Fence Act of 2006 to increase mileage of existing border fence and enhance surveillance technology. ... In addition, we must deal with the millions of illegal immigrants who are currently residing in our country. I support common-sense reform that brings these illegal immigrants out of the underground economy and into the open. They must earn citizenship by paying a fine for entering the country illegally, pass a background test and wait behind those who are legally working their way to citizenship. If they are unable or unwilling to meet these requirements, they will face deportation.

QUESTION 9. Of the 535 members of Congress you are the second-largest recipient of lobbyist money. How do you still claim to be an “independent voice for Arkansas?

LINCOLN: I have a strong record of standing up to special interests and have proven time and again that I am accountable only to the people of Arkansas.

LINCOLN’S AND BOOZMAN’S

ANSWERS TO GRAY’S

QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1. How would you improve our economy in the short run?

LINCOLN: ... I will continue to push for tax breaks to keep jobs here and for ending tax cuts for companies that send jobs overseas. We can also create jobs here in Arkansas by increasing our exports and passing pending free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and Korea, and ending the Cuban trade embargo. ... Recently, I helped pass a bill in the Senate that will promote job creation through a combination of much-needed job tax credits and enhancements for small-business lending.

BOOZMAN: ... by empowering small-business owners and job creators with economic certainty, regulatory clarity, and tax relief.

QUESTION 2. Reports by the OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] and The Commonwealth Fund show the U.S. spends twice as much on health care, but has much poorer outcomes, than most other industrialized nations. Ours is the only industrialized nation whose government has been unable to move to a system of providing quality care for all its citizens. What are your thoughts as to why we’ve been unable to provide for our people as well as other advanced countries?

LINCOLN: I think it is unacceptable that the United States pays twice as much ... yet we cover less of our citizens. And it is one of the main reasons I worked so hard to change the status quo by passing health-care reform. This is a complicated task and will take several years to get right. ... We have the greatest doctors and nurses, research and hospitals in the world, but the logistics of our health-care delivery system are broken and they need to be fixed. We have to move from a system that reimburses for volume to one that reimburses for value ...

BOOZMAN: I firmly oppose socialized medicine and believe the “European-style” health-care model is inherently flawed. ... We certainly need to take steps to lower health-care costs. We need to implement substantive malpractice reform, encourage small businesses to pool health-care plans, and allow individuals to purchase insurance across state lines.

QUESTION 3. Since our military spending amounts to more than China, Russia, France, Japan, Germany, plus nine other countries combined, 72 times as much as North Korea, and 72 times as much as Iran — while we face economic, infrastructure and energy crises domestically — would you support a reduction in military spending as a sensible measure?

LINCOLN: The safety and security of our nation remains a top priority for me. ... America should spare no expense when it comes to providing our soldiers with whatever they need to complete their missions and to return home to an appreciative nation. The wellbeing of our troops, veterans and their families should be our utmost priority.

BOOZMAN: Our servicemen and women put their lives on the line every day to protect the freedoms every American enjoys. They must have all they need to ensure they can accomplish their mission and return home safely. ... I have supported bipartisan bills to rein in wasteful spending at the Department of Defense. However, I will steadfastly oppose any cuts that compromise our national security and troop safety. The effect defense spending has on our national debt pales in comparison to the wasteful spending of this administration. If we are going to seriously address the debt, we are going to have to reform our unfunded entitlement liabilities and discretionary spending.

QUESTION 4. What do you think should be done about the $60 billion a year in owed taxes that large corporations avoid paying, through the use of transfer pricing?

LINCOLN: ... It’s important that our tax system allow U.S. multinational corporations to be competitive in the global marketplace while at the same time ensuring they play by the same rules as our purely domestic companies. No company should be allowed to shift profits offshore merely for taxavoidance purposes. The Internal Revenue Service already has the authority to regulate inappropriate transfer pricing. ... I will support additional legislative proposals that would increase transparency of pricing and ensure against gaming of the corporate tax system. On the other hand, Congressman Boozman has amassed a long record of rewarding corporate tax dodgers, who use offshore tax havens to avoid paying $37 billion in federal taxes each year.

BOOZMAN: The U.S. had the second-highest corporate tax rate in the developed world. This gives companies an incentive to minimize the profits of their U.S. operations, and to maximize the profits of their foreign subsidiaries. We need to make our corporate tax rates more competitive so American businesses can survive in a global economy. This administration is all about finding more revenue for its big government programs — hence its interest in transfer pricing. The solution isn’t more IRS agents and it isn’t penalizing U.S. companies that do business overseas. We must address the root cause of the problem — an uncompetitive tax rate. The federal government doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem.

QUESTION 5. Do you support the Grand Prairie Area Demonstration Project, and what is your response to the alternatives offered by the Wildlife Management Institute?

LINCOLN: I have supported the Grand Prairie project throughout my career because it will help to prevent the depletion of the alluvial and Sparta aquifers that serve east Arkansas while also helping to sustain municipal water supplies and irrigated agriculture. The regional economy and most jobs are dependent on the agricultural industry, including farming, rice or soybean processing, distribution, and supporting businesses. The economic impact of not implementing this project is estimated at a loss of $46 million per year for the agriculture industry alone. ... I believe that it can be implemented in a way that does not harm the environment.

BOOZMAN: Arkansas’ farmers help feed our country. We must create an environment where this can continue in a responsible manner. Smart infrastructure investments in this region will provide benefits to all Arkansans for decades to come. It would be a disservice to taxpayers to walk away from this partially completed project. We must not allow irreparable damage to the aquifer and our groundwater supplies.

QUESTION 6. Are you in favor of agribusinesses being allowed to continue in their current practice of buying up patents, and controlling the use of seeds and other organisms, and if not, would you propose legislation to prohibit it?

LINCOLN: I believe investments in seed technology should be protected by our long-standing intellectual property and antitrust laws. Farmers have a myriad of options to purchase seeds that best fit the needs of their operation, and it has been proven that the world needs this rapidly advancing marketplace. Earlier this year, the National Research Council found that the use of patented genetically engineered crops over the last 14 years has led to improved soil quality, reduced erosion, massive reduction in insecticide use, higher yields, lower production costs and increased worker safety.

BOOZMAN: I support intellectual property rights. Many private businesses invest large amounts of money to develop superior agricultural products. At the same time, there is a tremendous amount of public investment in agri-research. Intellectual property rights should not extend to products that are developed with public funding.

QUESTION 7. Since our participation in free-trade treaties and the World Trade Organization have resulted in the loss of almost all U.S. manufacturing, as well as a loss of some national sovereignty over our own regulatory and institutional standards, do you advocate our continued participation in such agreements?

LINCOLN: Free-trade agreements have resulted in thousands of jobs in Arkansas and brought billions of dollars into our economy. However, losses have occurred in some industries, and I have fought for Trade Adjustment Assistance to retrain workers and help them find new jobs in Arkansas. I also believe that strict enforcement of our trade laws is an essential part of ensuring that global trade works positively for the United States. When foreign steel producers began dumping their highly subsidized and underpriced product on the U.S. market, I used my position ... to demand the necessary steps be taken to defend American steelworkers. I pressured the administration to impose higher tariffs on Chinese tire imports, protecting the jobs of 1,700 workers in Texarkana.

BOOZMAN: Free and fair trade is essential for our state’s economy. Over 600,000 Arkansas jobs depend on exports so not only is it critical to sustaining our current economy, but [it also is] evidence that free trade is a job creator. As more international markets open, more Arkansas products and crops can be sold. It is especially critical that Arkansas’ agricultural producers have access to markets in foreign countries. Given a level playing field, ... our cotton, rice, soy, poultry, fish and beef producers can compete with anyone. I will continue to work to ratify fair-trade agreements with foreign nations including Korea, Colombia and Panama as well as opening trade negotiations with countries like Cuba.

QUESTION 8. Since it’s been established that the expense of doing so would be minimal, where do you stand on requiring the labeling of all food products containing GMOs [genetically modified organisms]?

LINCOLN: There is currently no law preventing a product from being labeled “GMO-free.” I see that label almost daily when I shop for my family.Yet we cannot ignore the benefits genetically modified crops have provided the world. Not only have these crops dramatically increased yields, but they have improved soil quality and reduced insecticide use. Agriculture biotechnology advancement allows the safe expansion of the food and fiber supply in this country and around the world. I strongly support every farmer’s ability to grow crops and livestock with the freedom to choose among biotech, conventional or organic methods of production.

BOOZMAN: It has not necessarily been “established” that the cost [of] labeling GMO foods would be “minimal.” Labeling proponents like to claim a “consensus,” but there is a serious debate right now about what sort of impact this would have on businesses and jobs in terms of cost of compliance. Consumers should have as much information about the products they buy, especially when it comes to food safety. However, we must take the time to evaluate the economic impact of those regulations on jobs — particularly in an economy with our national unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent.

QUESTION 9. If farmers receive the $1.5 billion in disaster aid Senator Lincoln recently requested, and if you were — or are — the senator, how would you see to it that the hardest-hit farms, regardless of size, received the most aid, rather than the top 10 percent of wealthiest farmers receiving two-thirds of the total aid, regardless of how small their loss? Please be specific.

LINCOLN: The disaster program announced earlier this month by USDA ensures those who suffered the most will receive the assistance they need to stay in business. ... When disasters hit our state in 2009, they did not discriminate based on the size of any farm. The rains, floods and freezes did not pick and choose farmers based on how much land they own or what their tax return looked like, and neither does the agriculture disaster assistance I delivered through USDA earlier this month, over Congressman Boozman’s objections. The agriculture disaster assistance I secured for Arkansas farmers treats each farmer equally, regardless of size. Every farmer that suffered at least a 5 percent loss will receive the same per-acre payment per crop.

BOOZMAN: I am very supportive of federal assistance to Arkansas’ farmers who have been dramatically affected by natural disasters. However, these programs have to be paid for, not included in larger budget-busting bills. Sen. Lincoln’s party controls Congress and they refused to bring the package up in a responsible manner that does not add to the deficit. This administration and their allies in Congress continue to pass spending bill after spending bill with no ability to pay for them.The process, not the funding, is the problem. This was made clear by President Obama’s unilateral decision to take away the power of the purse from Congress and force his agenda on the people.

QUESTION 10. I’m inclined to describe our government’s payment status of the $1.25 billion, more than 10-year-old settlement owed to minority farmers as being in default. What suggestions do you have as to where the money to pay this overdue debt might be found?

LINCOLN: I agree that full funding of the Pigford settlement claims has to be a priority. ... Unfortunately, Republicans have objected to consideration of this measure in the Senate. ... In 2009, I co-sponsored legislation to ensure African-American farmers who filed Pigford settlement claims as a result of the 2008 farm bill will receive the money they are entitled to. The bill allows claimants to access the $100 million already appropriated in the farm bill; once that is expended, claimants would gain access to the Department of Treasury permanent appropriated judgment fund. I applauded the House passage of the Pigford Funds in May of this year. Congressman Boozman voted against the bill. [After answering this question, Lincoln introduced a bill she said would “ensure African-American farmers who were unfairly discriminated against when applying for loans, credit and other forms of financial help will receive the settlement to which they are entitled.” The bill will also extend the statute of limitations on certain outstanding discrimination complaints at USDA, she said.]

BOOZMAN: The United States has a responsibility to pay settlements to all individuals in cases that have been properly adjudicated. Minority farmers deserve to receive their full court awarded settlement. Unfortunately, this administration doesn’t seem to have the funds available to pay this obligation because they are too busy spending it on wasteful, ineffective programs and projects.

LINCOLN’S AND BOOZMAN’S ANSWERS TO DROWN’S QUESTIONS:

QUESTION 1. What do you consider your primary responsibility as a member of Congress?

LINCOLN: To represent the people of Arkansas.

BOOZMAN: To serve the people of Arkansas while protecting, defending and upholding the Constitution.

QUESTION 2. Do you think you have done a good job as a member of Congress representing the people of Arkansas in Washington, D.C.?

LINCOLN: I have worked hard to get into positions of influence for our state, such as becoming the first Arkansan to chair the Senate Agriculture Committee, which has jurisdiction over nearly one-third of the Arkansas economy. I am committed to using this committee as a pipeline for jobs and opportunity for Arkansas. I am also a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and serve on the Senate Energy Committee, positions I have used to push for tax incentives for working Arkansans and growing our new energy industry.

BOOZMAN: Yes. I have worked hard and done my best to represent the will of my constituents and will continue to do so if elected to the Senate.

QUESTION 3. What percentage of impact does your political party have on your decisions and votes?

LINCOLN: My job is to represent the entire state of Arkansas.

BOOZMAN: Zero. I vote for my constituents, not my party. However, I belong to a party because we share a similar platform. Therefore, my votes are often similar to those in my party.

QUESTION 4. How often do you feel you vote against your politicalparty lines when it comes time to vote on a bill?

LINCOLN: I approach every vote with Arkansas’ best interests in mind. I don’t answer to my party, I answer to Arkansas.

BOOZMAN: I vote for my constituents, not my party. ... I have put the interests of Arkansans before my party with every vote I cast.

QUESTION 5. Do you feel an obligation to the PACs, special-interest groups and political party that helped you get into office? Is that obligation higher than the one you have to the Constitution or the people of Arkansas?

LINCOLN: The people of Arkansas hired me for this job, and I answer only to them. As a U.S. senator, I have sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, and it is an obligation I take seriously.

BOOZMAN: No, I always put the Constitution and the interest of Arkansans first.

QUESTION 6. Do you consider yourself an independent voice for the people of Arkansas?

LINCOLN: Yes.

BOOZMAN: I consider myself a public servant who has an obligation to uphold the Constitution and do what is right for the people of Arkansas. Day in and day out, I vote the will of my constituents on the floor of the House and help them here in Arkansas when they have personal issues with the bureaucratic maze in D.C.

QUESTION 7. If so, then why didn’t you run as an independent?

LINCOLN: I’m proud to be an Arkansas Democrat in the same tradition as Dale Bumpers, David Pryor and Bill Clinton.

BOOZMAN: I believe in the principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government and personal responsibility for which the Republican Party stands.

QUESTION 8. Our national debt is growing higher every day. Do you feel responsible for that?

LINCOLN: I am the only candidate in the race to vote for a balanced budget. I helped pass legislation in 1993 that led to four years of surplus and economic prosperity. I know what it takes to make the tough decisions that lead to responsible spending. ... Congressman Boozman’s votes to rubber-stamp Bush deficit-busting budgets turned our record budget surpluses into record deficits.

BOOZMAN: Admiral Mullen testified before Congress recently and said the greatest threat to our national security is not Iran, not al-Qaida, it is our national debt. ... The current path that President Obama and his allies in Congress are taking this country will get us there sooner than Admiral Mullen predicted. I have stood my ground and fought against the Obama-Pelosi-Reid spending spree in the House and will continue to do so in the Senate.

QUESTION 9. Do you have any intention at all of dealing with this problem?

LINCOLN: Washington has to balance its checkbook just like Arkansas families. We need to get spending under control, which is why I support common-sense budget reforms like pay-go. ... I have a proven record of supporting legislation to balance the budget and reduce the deficit, including my support for a balanced-budget constitutional amendment, pay-go legislation and a bipartisan debt commission to find ways to bring down federal debt. I have voted to freeze my own pay and I have elected to freeze the pay of my Senate staff while Arkansans are feeling the brunt of economic recession ...

BOOZMAN: Yes. We cannot borrow and spend our way to prosperity. The focus of my tenure as U.S. senator will be to reduce the national debt by stopping the runaway spending. I support a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution and the line-item-veto authority for the president.