Clarkston man faces primary test in bid for Congress
By David Cole
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Republican congressional candidate Kurt Erickson of Clarkston wants to reduce the nation's mounting debt, dump the "unconstitutional" USA Patriot Act and secure the borders.
To get a shot at working on his priority issues as Washington's next 5th Congressional District representative, he must beat incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is seeking a third term. Several Democrats are also in the race. The primary is Aug. 19.
"When we keep sending people to Washington, D.C., with prior political experience, it's just business as usual," Erickson said.
Erickson, who has no political experience, said he takes a 100 percent constitutional approach to government. "The Constitution is the manual for good, limited government."
He said he's a Republican in the mold of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, of Texas, a presidential candidate. Paul, who has maintained an anti-war and libertarian message, is a "true statesman," he said.
"The difference between a politician and a statesman, is a statesman is going to do what is best for his constituents - stand on principals of the Constitution," Erickson said. "(McMorris Rodgers) is running not to lose. She's not clear and concise as to what she's for and not for."
McMorris Rodgers, in a written statement, sought to make her priorities clear. She's finalizing a farm bill important to eastern Washington farmers, taken a stand against wasteful government spending and voted to keep taxes low.
"I support the full repeal of the death tax," she wrote. "I'm preparing to introduce legislation to streamline rules that make it easier for working parents to balance work and family life. And I'm committed to protecting our Snake River dams, which have provided us with low-cost hydropower."
Erickson said his experience in management, labor and business prepared him to represent the district and have given him a sensitivity to people's needs. He is currently self-employed, with plans to buy and remodel homes for resale.
Erickson moved to Clarkston with his wife and two children in 2005, from California, where he owned and managed rental apartments and homes, he said.
He worked in a stockroom at a dental manufacturing and design plant, which made equipment for dental labs, he said. Earlier, he spent brief stints in a number of other jobs.
He received a "less-than-honorable" discharge after about six months in the U.S. Army.
If elected, while working for lower taxes and less spending, he said he'd push to do away with the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Reserve.
If the nation's budget was reduced to what it was in 1990, it would make eliminating the IRS possible. He said other forms of revenue - including gas taxes, tariffs, excises taxes and a multitude of other taxes - would cover the federal budget.
"And by getting rid of the Federal Reserve, it would get rid of inflation," Erickson said. "It would also eliminate the bust and boom cycle that the country goes through."
He'd fight what he sees as threats to the nation's independence. He said the United States must do whatever it takes to secure its borders.
"A defense policy designed to keep Americans safe should start with the idea that we must secure our borders from those who would cross them to do us harm," he said. America spends too much money maintaining troop levels in foreign countries, draining money from the U.S. economy while providing limited security for American people.
He'd demand strict enforcement of immigration laws and eliminate incentives to enter the United States illegally.
Reversing the Patriot Act, which he said contains unconstitutional provisions, is critical to protecting the freedoms and privacy of U.S. citizens.
"We need leadership at all levels that will prevent (the federal government) from centralizing power and private data about our lives," he said. "The biggest threat to privacy is the (U.S.) government."
