Yamhill Valley News-Register Endorses Rob Cornilles

For 1st District, send Cornilles to Congress

The Republican candidate would begin with “quiet, wholesale changes to tax policy.”

By The News-Register Editorial Board

In the race for Oregon’s 1st Congressional District — a congressional seat vacated when Rep. David Wu resigned last year — our endorsement goes to Washington County businessman and Republican Rob Cornilles.

Cornilles, running against former state Senator Suzanne Bonamici, has declared creating jobs as his No. 1 priority. His successful private sector experience would give Congress more of that much-needed quality.

The Republican candidate would begin with “quiet, wholesale changes to tax policy.” He says the country needs fiscal policies that would help create jobs, eliminate tax loopholes and move toward lower tax rates in general. These are major goals that depend on having many like-minded members of Congress.

Cornilles recognizes that his support for a balanced budget amendment is a long-term effort facing many political hurdles. However, that support exemplifies his core goal of getting our massive federal spending under control, and again, that can happen only if Americans populate their Congress with fiscal conservatives.

We believe Cornilles would be an independent thinker, not a button-pusher for party politics.

He doesn’t believe Social Security and Medicare should be privatized, but rather supports reforms that include means testing for Social Security. Not everyone needs to collect benefits, he said. He also would work to rid Medicare of an estimated $70 billion in annual fraudulent claims, saying that efforts to care for seniors cannot continue to be plagued by such wasteful spending.

Cornilles sees many flaws in the national health care act, but he disagrees with Republicans who want to repeal it. Instead, he says, Congress should work to fix it.

Both candidates agree that Congress is broken, and we think Cornilles is best suited to help mend some of those broken political fences.

Democrat Bonamici says that her record of bipartisanship, first in the Oregon House and then the Senate, proves she is right candidate to send to Washington.

She points to the partnership she formed with Sen. Chris Telfer, R-Bend, in work to pass redistricting legislation last session. Bonamici chaired that committee. She also joined Sen. Larry George, R-Sherwood, in support of the transportation act that helped fund the Newberg-Dundee Bypass.

Bonamici worked in Washington in the 1980s as a consumer protection attorney for the Federal Trade Commission and continued working on consumer protection issues in Oregon.

She wants to eliminate tax subsidies for big oil companies and agricultural giants, and increase taxes on very high-income Americans. She calls the national health care act less than perfect —  she would prefer a public option in the bill — but agrees it is a much-needed beginning.

Both Cornilles and Bonamici are honorable candidates who want to work for Oregon’s best interests. Each has garnered a slew of endorsements, with Cornilles counting among those the support of eight Yamhill County mayors and many other local officials and prominent citizens.

We believe that Rob Cornilles better represents the priorities of Yamhill County and Oregon’s 1st District. We hope those priorities extend nationwide this year, giving us a Congress that works together to solve our complex economic, social and fiscal problems.

http://newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=for+1st+district%2C+send+cornilles+to+congress–1325893376–2385