Risch focuses on the future
By JESSICA KELLER
ARGUS OBSERVER
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 11:25 AM PDT
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| Jim Risch discusses the issues with one of the attendees at a fundraiser Tuesday evening in Fruitland. |
FRUITLAND — Taxes and energy are two key elements to Jim Risch’s campaign for Idaho’s U.S. Senate seat, which he shared with a crowd of supporters Tuesday evening in a private fundraising reception in Fruitland.
Risch, a Republican and former Idaho governor and current lieutenant governor, is running for the seat currently filled by U.S. Sen. Larry Craig in November. Risch did not spend much time talking about his opponents. Instead, Risch said he preferred to keep his campaign issue-oriented and positive. One of the ideas he shared to the gathering Tuesday night revolves around extending tax cuts issued in 2001 and 2003 that are set to expire in 2010 if elected to the Senate.
While some people argue those tax cuts benefited only the wealthy, Risch said, if allowed to expire, they affect all Americans. If they expire, he asserted, taxes for millions of American couples will increase by $3,000 or more, and many others such as single parents and the elderly will see their taxes increase by $1,000 or more.
“It’ll be one of the largest tax increases, if not the largest tax increase, in the history of America, and it’s going to hit right when America is getting back on its feet,” he said after the reception. The other key focus for Risch if elected, he said, is energy and specifically opening up large oil reserves off the American coast and in Alaska to drilling, which would help solve the country’s immediate energy concerns. That, however, is only a short-term solution.
“I really believe that the single biggest challenge over the next two to three decades is the cost and the availability of energy,” he said.
Risch said America’s next generation is going to expand the country’s interests in all types of alternative energies, such as solar and wind power and geothermal. He said, however, those sources all will not serve the country’s power needs. Risch said he believes nuclear power can provide the large chunk of America’s energy, and it’s one area the country needs to start focusing on. Risch said the nuclear power industry is one of the safest and most tested in the world, and Americans need to overcome their hesitance in developing nuclear power resources. Currently, he said, one of the challenges with nuclear power production is it takes an extremely long time for nuclear power companies seeking to open a plant to perform all the necessary tests regarding a site, go through the application process, construct a plant and get it up and running.
Risch said, while the time lag in the application process was legitimate when the nuclear power industry was young and there were obvious concerns about safety, he believes much of that red tape is unnecessary now that nuclear energy is “tried and true.” Cutting down on the time for applications to be processed could help the country move ahead in its search for viable alternate energies, he said.
While his days are filled with events such as the one held Tuesday night and speeches and appearances, Risch said, on a broader spectrum, the presidential campaign between the two candidates should be interesting. He said, while a few weeks ago, he wasn’t feeling as certain about a November win for Republican presidential candidate John McCain, since McCain announced his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate, he believes the playing field has improved significantly for the Republican party.
While he has his preferences as to who should win this November, Risch said, his last 30 years serving the state of Idaho in a public office, including 22 years in the state Senate, has him prepared for working with members of both parties in Washington D.C., to get things done.
“The legislative process is not new to me,” Risch said.
