Brand, Womack divided on government's role

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack and 3rd Congressional District challenger Grant Brand at a Tuesday debate shared their differing views on government spending and foreign policy.

Brand, the Libertarian candidate, said he'd like to go to Congress and, if necessary, "hold things up."

Brand was talking in particular about things that expand government or the national debt.

"I like the impasse," Brand said. "Congress being held to a standstill is not necessarily a bad thing. They might not be getting a whole lot done, but sometimes doing nothing is better than doing the wrong thing."

The 113th Congress was considered the least productive Congress in modern history in terms of the number of laws passed.

Womack, a Republican who has represented the 3rd District in Northwest Arkansas since 2011, said implementing Brand's ideologies would be "counterproductive to the growth and development of our country."

"At the end of the day, it's not about the fact that all government spending is bad," said Womack. "We do have to have a tax base. We have to have certain spending programs to fully be what America should be."

Brand and Womack debated Tuesday morning at the Conway studios of the Arkansas Educational Television Network. The debate aired on the network Tuesday night and is available online at aetn.org.

Brand, 33, of Pea Ridge painted a picture of a Congress that's so inept that it's better off being ineffectual. He said there are too many laws already, and if more are made, then some old ones should be abolished.

Brand said he'd like to go to Congress to "protect future generations from our bad decisions today.

"I want to stand in the way of the destruction of our country as we know it," said Brand. "We're heading down a road that we might not get out of. Our economy is in real trouble. That deficit is very worrying to me."

Womack, 57, of Rogers said government was designed to be messy, with a separation of powers that makes it difficult for one side or the other to gain control.

"But at the end of the day, our government needs to function so that we can promote economic prosperity, so that we can provide for the common defense," said Womack. "Those are all things that happen as a result of a functioning, working government."

Womack said he'll work with those across the aisle to get things done and that his record indicates he has done that in the past.

"If you look back at my record over the last four years, you will see that I am willing, sleeves rolled up, to work with people who are ideologically different than me," said Womack. "But we're not different on everything. There is common ground in Washington on which we can come to some agreement on some things and at least incrementally move our country in the proper direction."

Womack said President Barack Obama made a mistake by pulling troops out of Iraq the way he did, leaving a vacuum for Islamic State terrorists to get a foothold. The Islamic State is also known as ISIS.

"[Obama] ran on such a populist message back in 2008 that he was going to end that war in Iraq," said Womack, adding that President George W. Bush warned that a hasty withdrawal of troops would result in a larger problem later on.

"We just gave the platform to the first comer, ISIS, who could get a toehold and then run rampant from Baghdad to near Damascus to create the havoc they have," said Womack. "Now, we are fighting that issue all over again. ... I just think you've got to keep all of your options on the table. It is a clear and present threat to that area and the rest of world, including here in the homeland."

Brand had a very different opinion.

"I don't think ISIS is our problem," he said. "We got out. We left the area much as we did ... the people over there are fighting amongst themselves. It's a terrible shame what's happening. ... But at what point does people in some far-off land killing each other become our responsibility?"

Brand said that if the Islamic State became a country and attacked the United States, it would be a different matter.

"They won't stand a chance," he said. "We'll wipe the floor with them. In the meantime, I don't want to dirty my hands, and I don't want to risk my children and my neighbor's children, sending them over there to die because other people won't fight for their own freedom, for their own lives."

Concerning the funding of highway construction, Womack said there are several possibilities, including increased taxes on gasoline, though he added, "there's not a lot of appetite for that."

Womack said the federal Highway Trust Fund is running out of money because the gasoline and diesel taxes that fund it haven't increased since 1993 and aren't indexed to inflation. Also, more fuel-efficient vehicles are on the road, meaning less money is being spent on gas.

Brand said there must be a better way than increasing taxes.

"Why can't we go to a voluntary-type system?" asked Brand. "The people involved, businesses, trucking companies, surely want good interstates. If it's a vital route people travel every day, maybe they would like to donate or join a cause. I just think there's a free-market solution to this and most every other problem that will allow us to decrease our tax burden individually to the federal system and allow us to achieve our goals in a 'we-want-to' manner instead of a 'we-have-to' manner."

Brand and Womack are the only two candidates in the 3rd District race. The seat has been in Republican hands since 1967.

The general election will be held Nov. 4.

Metro on 10/15/2014