Latta's statement on Obama's address to the joint session of Congress

WASHINGTON- Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) made the following
statement after President Obama's address to the joint session of
Congress this evening.

"President Obama's address to Congress and our nation tonight provided a
sober reminder of the struggles we face as a nation. However, President
Obama relied on tired rhetoric of pointing fingers of blame on past
administrations and fixing the problems we struggle with by introducing
massive government spending, oversight, and regulation.

Unfortunately, President Obama's proposed tax and spend policy outlined
tonight will only send our nation further into debt and do nothing to
correct the recession we are facing right now. During last week's
recess, I met with over 170 constituents at local courthouse conferences
one on one, and they made it very clear that they do not support these
massive spending bills, whether it was the so-called "stimulus" package
or the financial market bailout. President Obama proposed billions more
in spending this evening, financed by tax increases, with no guarantee
to American taxpayers that these plans will work.

Since January, House Republicans have offered common-sense, viable
alternatives to the stimulus package and other pieces of legislation.
House Republicans introduced legislation that would provide twice as
many jobs, along with much needed unemployment benefits, for half the
cost of the so-called "stimulus" package. House Republicans also
included a provision that would eliminate the current income tax on
those unemployment benefits. Tax cuts provide an immediate boost to our
economy, putting money back in the hands of the taxpayers- where it
belongs. Additionally, we included provisions for small businesses that
would cut their taxes, provide incentives to hire more employees, and
free-up necessary capital funds. These actions, not pork-barrel
spending, will immediately stimulate the economy and put our neighbors
back to work. Our plan allows the market to correct itself without
government interference or wasteful spending.

Unfortunately, the Administration and Democrat Congressional Leadership
chose not to include any provisions of our legislation or include our
members in Conference Committee. As President Obama repeated a new era
of bipartisanship in Washington this evening, it is my hope that he and
the Democrat Congressional Leadership take those words to heart as we
debate future legislation.

As we move forward, House Republicans are dedicated to working with the
President and the Democrat Congressional Leadership to bring our country
out of this recession and tackle the other problems facing our nation.
I personally believe America's best days are ahead of Her and I look
forward to spirited debate to do what is best for our Nation."