Photo credit: seventy.org

Ira Hoffman is a career businessman who has worked in large global manufacturing firms and is currently running his own financial planning firm. Motivated by concern for the direction the country is going, Mr. Hoffman is running for his first public office. Together with his wife, serving as campaign manager, Mr. Hoffman is “running for a good cause and because he is committed to and loves his district and country”.
 

Mr. Hoffman realizes the importance of the upcoming election, as well as the great many issues that concern his voters. However, Mr. Hoffman has provided three greater issues that are representative of what is at stake in the upcoming primary and the eventual general election in November.
 

In no particular order, the issues motivating Mr. Hoffman’s campaign are as follows:
 

1.       Federal Spending
 

Mr. Hoffman is committed to controlling federal spending. He seeks to do this in part by rethinking current entitlement programs such as: Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and the creation of a new entitlement in the recently passed Health Care Bill. Mr. Hoffman believes that the federal government has stepped beyond the role designated in the Constitution in the enumerated powers. Furthermore, Mr. Hoffman advises that the federal government has proven itself to be fiscally irresponsible. Consequently, the country finds itself in dire fiscal condition due to these unsustainable entitlement programs.
 

Although too elaborate to be fully explained at this time, Mr. Hoffman provides  common sense solutions to the federal spending problem. First of all, he would like to see the federal government acknowledge the unconstitutionality of their role in these entitlement programs and develop a planned transfer of control and funding to the states of Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Mr. Hoffman is aware that the revision of such social programs may be unpopular initially, but he is committed to public education on the necessity of such revisions and their phase-in plans, and demonstrating that  new state controlled plans will better serve the nation’s economy and it citizens.  States can tailor the programs to their specific needs and not be lumped into a federal plan. Such possible revisions to current policy would not affect current beneficiaries. Rather, they would take hold for future generations in hopes of creating more sustainable programs under the guidance of the states as well as the private sector rather than by the federal government.
 

Mr. Hoffman is especially concerned with the current operation of the country’s Medicaid program. He feels that the cost share between the federal government and the state governments is fiscally unsustainable. Within this scenario Mr. Hoffman points to the unfair cost shift that is experienced by states who institute much narrower Medicaid programs than some other states. When a state chooses to institute more extensive Medicaid programs, the federal government is forced to pay higher sums of money to that state. Consequently, to raise revenue to pay for these extensive programs the burden is felt by all states who are ultimately forced to help pay for another state’s programs.
It is financial issues such as this that Mr. Hoffman seeks to address if elected.
 
2.       Personal and Business Accountability
 

Mr. Hoffman believes that the country needs to reinvigorate vitality in the ideals of free enterprise. He believes that the growth our economy must realize will come from thriving free enterprise rather than by government borrowing and spending. Mr. Hoffman points to the lack of evidence in support of the viability of government spending fueled recoveries to support his position.
 

Mr. Hoffman advises that free enterprise cannot be completely ‘free’, and there must be some oversight to insure accountability on behalf of both private individuals as well as corporations.
Some measures that Mr. Hoffman would pursue would include voting against any so-called ‘Card Check’ legislation. Mr. Hoffman is also against any cap and trade legislation as he fears that said programs would not only constrain the growth of our economy, but also include wasteful spending.  There is controversial  scientific evidence  regarding the validity of Man – Made Global Warming, and cap and trade legislation would further expand the government bureaucracy.
 

Mr. Hoffman would also look to institute tax reform that would invigorate savings and investment. Some measures regarding corporations would include cutting corporate taxes (which are currently the 2nd highest in the world) in order to encourage growth and jobs creation. Also, Mr. Hoffman would seek to eliminate the double taxation inherent in C-Corp. taxes as one step to overall tax reform.
Regarding personal tax reform, Mr. Hoffman seeks to simplify the current tax code. He would like to eliminate many of the confusing credits and deductions present in the current code. He would also like to see taxes on interest and capital gains eliminated in order to encourage investment and saving, and ultimately jobs creation.
 

Overall, Mr. Hoffman would like to see America return to free enterprise economics and encourage business/job growth and accountability through reformed tax codes rather than government regulation and wasteful stimulus spending.
 
3: The interpretation of the General Welfare and Interstate Commerce clauses of the Constitution.
Mr. Hoffman believes that a significant issue guiding the narrative of the upcoming elections is the interpretation of the United States Constitution; more specifically, the interpretation of the General Welfare and Interstate Commerce clauses. Mr. Hoffman believes that those in power have strayed from the original intentions of our Founding Fathers and have interpreted the clauses in question to justify the expansion of federal government power into interests not enumerated specifically in the Constitution. Mr. Hoffman is running on the platform that those in power have misinterpreted the original intentions of these clauses. He states that these clauses were intended to further protect the citizens of this country from the long reaching arm of the federal government. Consequently, the expansion of powers under the protection of these said clauses is unconstitutional and an infringement on the rights of the people of this country.
Mr. Hoffman is running to restore faith in the original intents of our founding fathers, give power back to the people and states, and prevent this country from an imminent slide into economic stagnation or worse.
 

Come see Ira Hoffman and other candidates speak this weekend May 8th at a Pork Roast sponsored by the Kitchen Table Patriots. The event will be held from 4 pm – 8 pm at:
 

Maennerchor Field
3470 Cold Spring Creamery, Doylestown
For pre-registration please call Ana at (267) 884 – 6335
 

For more information on Ira Hoffman please visit www.hoffman4congress.com