Campaign Notebook
Ross Marrinson
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Tom Weaver, one of four Republican candidates for Massachusetts 5th District congressional seat, recently signed a pledge from the American Family Business Institute that calls for the elimination of the federal estate tax, more commonly known as the "death tax."
The AFBI is a political think tank focused on researching the effects the death tax has on families, businesses and the economy.
The institute's president, Dick Patten, lauded Weaver for the pledge, saying that by supporting the elimination of the estate tax, the Westford resident is saving local jobs and businesses.
The death tax taxes the net value of a particular estate, including all personal as well as business assets. A recent AFBI study has found that repealing the death tax would create 1.5 million jobs nationwide.
The tax has expired, but it is set to return in 2011 at a 55 percent tax rate on all assets over $1 million.
Shapiro would let market set energy policy
Fifth District candidate Bob Shapiro has outlined his energy policy, saying that a free market system should determine which energy source the U.S. should pursue.
Shapiro criticizes the subsidies given to solar, wind and geothermal energy sources, saying that working with those types of power sources will take decades, and says that energy legislation like the recently-passed cap-and-trade law only creates havoc within the industry.
"I would work to remove the subsidies, taxes and regulations which get in the way," he said. "So that we can navigate the dangerous road of ever-changing energy supplies."
Golnik pans public support of private sector
Republican candidate Jon Golnik issued a Labor Day statement talking about how he believes the unemployment rate will decrease if Washington focuses on supporting the private sector.
"We are facing a nearly 10 percent unemployment rate in this country," he said. "And I see nothing out of Washington to indicate it will get better if we maintain on this path of poor policies and unsustainable spending."
Golnik further outlined how to create jobs, saying that the U.S. needs to cut taxes, decrease spending and reduce over-regulation.
Tsongas' campaign fund exceeds $500,000
Democratic 5th District incumbent Niki Tsongas announced this week that her campaign has raised $121,323 over the past two months, pushing the campaign's cash-on-hand total to over $515,000.
"I am grateful for all the support I've received this fundraising period and throughout my time in Congress," Tsongas said. "The support of so many dedicated individuals is critical if we are to keep our country moving forward."
Over the past two months, there were 733 donations, including 309 first-time donors and 610 of the 733 were donations of less than $100.
"Niki is well-positioned to get her message out in the general election," said Tsongas Campaign Manager Nick Clemons. "Niki has stood up for consumers, cracked down on Wall Street, advocated on behalf of small businesses, kept our troops in the field safe and expanded benefits to for our veterans. That is a record that we can be proud of."
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