Law Enforcement Community Endorses Frank Guinta

Manchester Police, County Sheriffs tout Guinta’s proven, tested leadership

Manchester, NH – Republican Congressional candidate Frank Guinta continues to build momentum leading up to Tuesday’s primary election. Guinta has earned the endorsement of both the Manchester Association of Police Supervisors and the Manchester Police Patrolmen’s Association. Guinta has also been endorsed by the Sheriffs of Hillsborough, Merrimack, Belknap, Strafford and Carroll Counties. These people and groups touted Guinta’s proven, tested leadership as Mayor of Manchester, and his strong record of service to the city.

“Our association stands with Frank Guinta because of his strong leadership and integrity he has shown in his support of public safety in the city of Manchester,” said Manchester Association of Police Supervisors President Peter Bartlett. “We need honest, righteous leadership in Washington. We believe Frank Guinta will deliver.”

“Frank Guinta is a true friend of the law enforcement community, and did great things for the city of Manchester while in office,” said Dave Connare, President of the Manchester Police Patrolmen’s Association. “Frank looked out for his constituents in Manchester. He’ll do it again in Washington.”

“New Hampshire voters can count on Frank Guinta to stand up for them, just as he’s stood with law enforcement throughout the years,” said Strafford County Sheriff Wayne Estes. “The law enforcement community was proud to stand with Frank in Manchester, they’ll be proud to stand with him as he serves in Congress.”

“As Mayor of Manchester I had the privilege of working with the dedicated men and women who served as our first responders. Their commitment to public safety is second to none,” said Guinta. “I’m honored to have the endorsement of these dedicated public servants.”

For more information about Frank Guinta’s campaign, visit http://www.teamguinta.com.

Shea-Porter Lying About DC Lobbyist Money

Claim that Shea-Porter refuses money from DC lobbyists proven to be false

Manchester, NH – Republican Congressional candidate Frank Guinta criticized Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter for directly lying to voters regarding campaign contributions from Washington lobbyists. Shea-Porter claims she does not take campaign contributions from DC lobbyists . But an evaluation of Shea-Porter’s latest FEC report proves that claim to be false. Shea-Porter accepted $25,450 from lobbyist groups registered in Washington, DC between August 26th and September 30th of this year. Shea-Porter’s penchant for accepting DC lobbyist cash goes even further, having received $109,950 from 17 registered DC lobbyist groups since the start of 2009.

“Congresswoman Shea-Porter is lying to voters when she says she doesn’t take money from Washington lobbyists,” said Guinta campaign spokesman Brett Bosse. “Carol Shea-Porter is free to take campaign contributions from any legal donor, including Washington lobbyists. But she owes it to the rest of us to have her campaign rhetoric match her record in Washington.”

In just four years, Congresswoman Shea-Porter has become a fully-entrenched member of the Washington establishment. Aside from her accepting Washington lobbyist money despite her claims to the contrary, Shea-Porter has become a loyal foot soldier for Nancy Pelosi’s big-government agenda. Shea-Porter has voted with Pelosi 98% of the time, including a costly deciding vote last month to send Congress home without passing a budget, or extending much-needed tax cuts for all Americans.

“Congresswoman Shea-Porter condemns special interests, then gladly cashes her checks,” Bosse continued. “Carol Shea-Porter claims she stands with the rest of us and against Washington lobbyists, but her record proves that these claims are nothing but lies.”

For more information about Frank Guinta’s campaign, visit http://www.teamguinta.com.

Hindsight on Shea-Porter’s Stimulus is 20/20

20th straight month of unemployment over 8% confirms stimulus’ failure

Manchester, NH – Republican Congressional candidate Frank Guinta called on Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter to finally agree with the rest of us who believe her failed stimulus package was a waste. This morning unemployment numbers for September were released, showing the unemployment rate remaining at 9.6% nationwide. This marks the 20th consecutive month unemployment has been over 8%, and over 9% for 17 straight months.[1] Last year, Obama Administration officials promised that the stimulus package would keep unemployment no higher than 8%.[2] Earlier this week, 68% of Americans said they thought the stimulus was a waste of taxpayer money.[3]

“This latest dismal jobs report is further proof that Congresswoman Shea-Porter’s stimulus package was a failure,” said Guinta campaign spokesman Brett Bosse. “When will Congresswoman Shea-Porter finally agree with the rest of us who believe her failed stimulus was a waste of our money?”

Today’s jobs report shows a total loss of nonfarm employment of 95,000 jobs in September.[4] This statistic piles on top of news yesterday that the private sector lost 39,000 jobs last month.[5] Further analysis of the jobless numbers show a record 14th consecutive month of unemployment over 9.5%.

“Congresswoman Shea-Porter promised us job growth with her failed stimulus, instead all we’ve seen is bigger government and a waste of taxpayer money,” Bosse continued. “The rest of us have known all along that Shea-Porter’s failed stimulus was a waste. For her, hindsight is 20/20.”

From the Union Leader: To Carol Shea-Porter, it's Big Government or Nothing

Thanks to the Union Leader for printing my Op-ed on the difference between myself and Carol Shea-Porter on how we view government. The choice on November 2nd is clear.

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in the first of what will be many candidate debates with my opponent, Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter. These events serve as a valuable outlet to provide information on where we as candidates stand on the most important issues facing New Hampshire and the nation and to have a dialogue on the different views we have on policy.

At the debate on Monday, we saw a clear difference between me and Rep. Shea-Porter on how large government should be, and what the role of government should be.

Carol Shea-Porter is a proud advocate for bigger government solutions on virtually every issue. No matter what the question is, to Rep. Shea-Porter, the answer is always bigger government. She is a staunch supporter of the federal stimulus package, a trillion-dollar waste which has failed to produce job growth in America. Obama Administration officials promised the stimulus would keep unemployment no higher than 8%. Instead, unemployment has been above that figure for 19 consecutive months. The stimulus wasted billions in unnecessary pork projects, gave millions in bonuses to Wall Street executives, and gave billions to companies that ship jobs overseas. It’s a big-government effort, and it has failed.

Shea-Porter also voted for the trillion-dollar takeover of the health insurance industry. Obamacare cut $500 billion from Medicare, raises numerous taxes and has done nothing to lower health care costs. The law also contains a provision that requires small business owners to fill out a 1099 tax form with the IRS any time they spend more than $600 with a vendor in a year. The White House says this will raise $17 billion over the next ten years. It is yet another tax on small businesses that will do absolutely nothing to improve health care.

Instead of focusing on free-market solutions to tackle the rising cost of health care and health insurance, Congresswoman Shea-Porter again went with the big-government approach. Once again, this approach has failed.

I offer a different approach to answering these challenges. On job growth, I want to lower taxes on individuals and small businesses, and reduce the regulatory red tape small business owners must cut through. I want to provide small business owners with a tax break by allowing them to fully write off the cost of equipment purchases in the year they make the purchase. I want to cut both the payroll tax and corporate tax rate on all businesses, so they have more money available to their employees, and have an increased ability to hire. These are small government solutions that will keep businesses thriving, and put people back to work.

I am proud of my record of leadership as Mayor of Manchester. I was able to produce the city’s first tax cut in nearly a decade, and help put a Spending Cap on the ballot, because I held true to a philosophy of limited government and trust in the taxpayers. I helped make Manchester run better and more efficiently because I held true to those core principles. I was lauded for demonstrating “competent, responsible, fiscally conservative governance”. I will bring that style of governance to Congress if given the chance.

Rep. Shea-Porter knows her big-government approach will not win out among voters when compared to my small-government approach, so she is trying to distort it. She is falsely labeling me as an “extremist”, playing straight out of the Democratic Party handbook. In her mind, if you do not believe in a big-government solution for every challenge facing this country, then you are for no government at all.

Carol Shea-Porter doesn’t believe in good government. To her, it’s either big government or no government. To her, it’s either a complete adoption of Nancy Pelosi’s big-government agenda, or anarchy. We cannot allow this falsehood to go unchallenged.

There is a significant difference between the Pelosi-led big government agenda Shea-Porter advocates, and my plan to bring smaller government and fiscal responsibility back to Congress. The voters of New Hampshire have a clear choice when they go to the polls on Nov. 2: big government, or good government. I know the difference between the two. It’s unfortunate that Rep. Shea-Porter does not.

Shea-Porter Abandons New Hampshire Taxpayers

Casts deciding vote that paves the way to raise taxes on average NH family by $1,698

Manchester, NH – Republican Congressional candidate Frank Guinta chastised Carol Shea-Porter for casting the deciding vote that paves the way to raise taxes on New Hampshire families. Shea-Porter voted in favor of motion for Congress to adjourn until after the November elections. The motion passed by a single vote, 210-209. The motion came without the House voting on extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for everyone. Allowing these tax cuts to expire at the end of the year will raise taxes on the average New Hampshire family by $1,698. The motion to adjourn came after it became clear that there was sufficient support in the House to pass a tax cut extension for all.

“Carol Shea-Porter has abandoned New Hampshire taxpayers, and cast the deciding vote that will lead to higher taxes for New Hampshire families,” said Guinta campaign spokesman Brett Bosse. “The Congresswoman has shown she cares more about defending her mentor Nancy Pelosi’s radical liberal agenda than with standing up for New Hampshire taxpayers.”

This is not the first case in which Carol Shea-Porter has been the only thing standing in the way of taxpayer relief. In 2008, Shea-Porter once again was the deciding vote on a motion to adjourn, this time without the House taking up a vote on a measure that would lower gas prices. At the time, gas prices were well over $4.00 per gallon nationwide.

“It’s bad enough that Carol Shea-Porter has voted with her mentor Nancy Pelosi 98% of the time, but now we see once again that she’s too afraid to do her job,” Bosse continued. “The Congresswoman once again has put blind partisan loyalty ahead of her constituents, and was the deciding vote that will lead to higher taxes for every American family.”

Guinta Statement on Preserving Social Security

Frank Guinta has released the following statement in response to false assertions made by Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter's office:

"Carol Shea-Porter continues to deny there is a problem with Social Security. Social Security is projected to run a deficit in 2015 because of the partisan, big-spending agenda championed by Carol Shea-Porter and Nancy Pelosi. They have wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on frivolous spending, and trillions on the failed stimulus package and Obamacare takeover. And for too long both parties have raided the Social Security Trust Fund, which is due to become bankrupt by 2037.

The only way to ensure Social Security's future is to cut federal spending, so we can maintain the commitments we've made to our nation's seniors. I believe we need a solution to preserve Social Security which does not privatize the system, does not raise taxes, and does not cut existing benefits. If Carol Shea-Porter is so concerned about our seniors, why did she vote for ObamaCare which cuts half a trillion dollars in Medicare benefits for seniors?"

Will Shea-Porter Raise Taxes on NH Families by $1,698?

Manchester, NH – Republican Congressional candidate Frank Guinta called on Carol Shea-Porter to for once stand up for New Hampshire taxpayers. Congress is set to adjourn on Thursday, and will not meet again until after the November elections. Shea-Porter’s mentor, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has still yet to hold a vote on extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for all Americans. Failing to extend the tax cuts will raise taxes on the median New Hampshire family by $1,698.

“Carol Shea-Porter has a very easy decision to make in the next two days, will she raise taxes on New Hampshire families by $1,698?” asked Guinta campaign spokesman Brett Bosse. “Carol Shea-Porter needs to show some leadership and ask her mentor Nancy Pelosi to vote immediately on cutting taxes for all Americans.”

Just last week, Shea-Porter signed on to a letter with more than thirty of her far-left colleagues. The letter desperately begged Speaker Pelosi to not hold a vote on the tax cut extension. This stands in stark contrast with dozens of members of Shea-Porter’s own party, who have called for the tax cuts be extended for everyone. It also contrasts with her own party’s history. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy pushed through an across-the-board tax cut, a move which helped the country get out of a recession.

“Carol Shea-Porter has voted with Nancy Pelosi 98% of the time, but this is an opportunity to finally take a stand against her radical liberal agenda,” Bosse continued. “Will Carol Shea-Porter stand with her mentor Nancy Pelosi, or will she for once stand up for New Hampshire taxpayers?”

Guinta organizes petition effort opposing Obamacare

Congressional candidate Frank Guinta has organized a petition effort to demand Rep. Carol Shea-Porter respect her constituents and vote against the government health care bill that New Hampshire residents in district one have clearly said they don’t want.

Thanks to Guinta’s Web page, HonestHealthCareReform.com, New Hampshire residents of the first district can add their voices in opposition to the socialized health care plan Shea-Porter and her cronies in Washington are offering. The petition will be delivered to Shea-Porter’s office prior to the vote on health care later this week.

"There are good solutions on the table and we must go back to the drawing board and start again with real reform," Guinta said on the petition Web page. "We need medical malpractice reform, small business pooling, and the right to buy insurance across state lines. We need to provide small businesses the same tax benefits big businesses receive and we need to maintain our current quality of care. This is what the public wants, but is Carol listening?”

Frank Guinta, the former mayor of Manchester, has opposed the Democrats’ health care plan since its inception last year. He has also listened to the majority of citizens across New Hampshire and the country who are in deep opposition to the plan. On Thursday, January 21, he pledged in front of about 100 people in Bedford that he would repeal any health care plan that increases government control over the health care industry. He has reinforced his commitment to this pledge at almost every public event he’s held since January.

Folks across the district have repeatedly engaged in public protests during this past summer and into the winter--in large part, opposing Obamacare--while Shea-Porter arrogantly ignored the people, saying she knows better than they do what kind of health care they need. Tired of this kind of representation from Shea-Porter, former Mayor Frank Guinta launched his campaign to run for Congress and held his own Town Hall meetings during the summer when the congresswoman refused. While Carol Shea-Porter continued to blindly support the Obamacare bill because Nancy Pelosi told her to, Frank read each new iteration of the bill in full and publicly commented about its flaws and what should be done instead.

Since then, Guinta has completed a tour of the first district, where he has made dozens of stops talking with small business owners, customers and folks on the street. He has held six Town Hall meetings, and he's used the occasions to clearly articulate his plans for health care and other issues facing the nation, which he has shared with the world on this blog and via YouTube videos.

Unbalanced national budgeting cannot continue

Congressional candidate Frank Guinta told a Town Hall crowd in Wolfeboro that Congress needs strong leaders who are willing to say that the nation’s current tax-and-spend agenda is ‘unacceptable’ and make the tough decisions to change the system.

“Right now, what I think we need to do is stop the bleeding and freeze the spending,” said Guinta, the former mayor of Manchester. “Secondly, I think we should audit not just the Fed, but every federal department or agency that is spending money. Then, I think we need to adjust spending levels. In some cases it could be as significant as 10 [percent] or 15 percent. In other cases, I’d like to be convinced why some of the departments that exist need to exist on the federal level.”

Guinta specifically noted that the departments of education and energy were created only about 30 years ago and should be examined to determine if they’re really necessary. He said these departments and others simply take money from states such as New Hampshire, absorb about a third of the money, and then dictate how the money they send back to the states has to be spent. He said he’d rather keep the money in New Hampshire so citizens and business owners can decide how to spend their own money.

“What this nation needs are a group of people who are going to go down there, and say, ‘Prove to me that first of all this [spending line item] is a constitutional requirement; secondly, prove to me that you’re spending the money effectively; and third, let me see the … goal setting and the outcomes’,” he said. “If you watch the budget process at the federal level, that doesn’t happen right now.”

Guinta said the current way the budget is managed is the reason why President Obama’s current budget proposal is $1.9 trillion out of balance and it is the reason why the national debt has reached $12.4 trillion.

“We don’t have savings accounts,” he said. “What we spend right now is borrowed money or printed money. It just has to stop. It’s so out of control."

Term limits will help keep Congress accountable to the people

Congressional candidate Frank Guinta told a Town Hall meeting crowd in Wolfeboro that term limits are needed in Congress to keep senators and representatives accountable to the people and to the law.

The fact that some representatives have been in Washington so long gives them an “entitlement” mentality that the “rules don’t apply to them,” he said.

“The system was not created to give any one person power for a long period of time,” said Guinta, a former mayor and alderman for Manchester and a former state representative for New Hampshire who has never served more than two terms in any office. “I think we would be better served as Americans if you had people who went down for 12 years and then went home, and you always had a new group of people.”

Serving in Congress should be about service to the American people, but it has become more of a career that is self-serving, he said. America should start having a debate and dialogue about amending the U.S. constitution to require term limits, he said.

When “people 100 years ago used to serve, they would go down to Washington for a period of time--they would leave their farm or they would leave their business, they would leave their family--and trek down to Washington, take their votes, and come back,” he said. “It was financially a challenge and a burden, but it was a responsibility. And I think term limits can create that environment.”

Guinta acknowledged that some good representatives and senators would be sent home due to the restriction, but he asserted that other good people “just as smart and equally as dedicated” would rise to the occasion and replace the people who have finished their term. Term limits would give more people the chance to serve and perhaps even make running for office less expensive, he said.

Guinta says his plans for America would reverse the country’s current direction

Congressional candidate Frank Guinta said voters in New Hampshire’s first district will have a clear choice between Rep. Carol Shea-Porter and him in the upcoming Midterm elections since their positions on the issues facing the nation couldn’t be further apart.

“I’m going to continue to be the person who listens to constituents,” said Guinta, the former mayor of Manchester, at a Wolfeboro Town Hall meeting. “I’m going to talk about my record of reforming government, cutting taxes and prioritizing government as what I think the country needs right now.

“Right now, the country needs debt and deficit reduction; it needs reform at almost every level; it needs more accountability in government,” he added.

The attempt by Democrats in Congress to label Republicans as the “party of ‘no’” has actually had a positive effect, because most Americans don’t want what Congress is trying to force on them, Guinta said.

The candidate said he is against bills such as card check, which allows unions to end privacy in their elections; Cap & Trade, which would add a massive tax burden on Americans and businesses, and increase the cost of energy; the government health care bill, which would increase the cost of health care while reducing access to quality care; and bailouts to banks and companies such as General Motors, which are simply unconstitutional. He said he is against overspending, particularly at a time when the nation’s debt and deficit are unsustainable.

Carol Shea-Porter “and I could not be on more opposite ends on all of these issues,” Guinta said.

“The country wants progress on the economy, they want to feel stability in the economy, and they want to know that government is not going to take over their business or their life,” he added. “I’ve always tried to make decisions with the best information and the best intent for the people that I represent.”

The country must restore its work ethic and the American concept of self-reliance

American leaders must set an example of personal responsibility to help the nation restore its honor and common sense, congressional candidate Frank Guinta told a Town Hall meeting crowd in Wolfeboro.

“There was a time in this country that you worked so hard to get here, you refused to take a dime from anybody because you wanted to make it yourself,” said Guinta, the former mayor of Manchester. “That’s the kind of work ethic that we need right now.”

Today, there are too many people who expect the government to take care of them, he said. But it’s not the government, but other hard-working Americans who are actually footing the bill. This “Where’s mine?” attitude needs to be reversed, he said.

“We have got to strive to make this a country where people don’t expect a handout from the government, but they demand of themselves that work ethic that gives them the opportunity to be successful,” he added.

To change the status quo, Americans must start electing the right people who will bring the same responsible attitude to Congress that they should also have for themselves. Congress should only spend as much money as it has and not a dime more, he said.

“I do not subscribe to the notion that government is the solution to our problems,” Guinta said. “I believe we are the solution to our problems, and innovation is the solution to our problems.”

Qualifying his statements, Guinta said there is a need to have a limited safety net for people who legitimately fall on tough times and need some help getting back on their feet. But there are too many abusing the system today, he said.

“People have to feel that they are self sufficient, that they are self-reliant and they are responsible for themselves,” he said. “Personal responsibility should matter.”

The federal government should remove its heavy hand from education

While it is good that federal, state and local governments are all having a conversation about accountability in education, it really is up to parents, teachers and local school administrators to improve the system that prepares our youth for the global economy, Congressional Candidate Frank Guinta told a Town Hall meeting crowd in Londonderry.

“I believe in local control, and I think local communities should be making decisions, and I think that’s where the best decisions are made,” Guinta said. “And if you don’t like those decisions, you have an opportunity at the local level to influence the people making those decisions.”



Guinta, who as mayor served as chairman of the Manchester School Committee, said the number one complaint he heard from local administrators and teachers was about the federal mandates from the U.S. Department of Education, which overseas the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

“While there were high hopes and expectations from teachers in its inception, the reality that teachers convey to me is that it is time consuming, not effective and it’s burdensome in terms of the regulations that you have to follow,” he said.

The Department of Education has a $47 billion budget this year. It received an additional $81 billion in stimulus funds, and centrally decides how to spend the money on the nation’s roughly 99,000 school districts. For every dollar New Hampshire taxpayers send to Washington, the state receives about 75-to-78 cents back, Guinta said.

“What have we received for that amount of money that we’ve sent to Washington?," Guinta said. "To have them decide federal policy and establish a blanket policy for every school district in the country.

“So, why don’t we just keep the money here--not send it down--then we can figure out locally how to invest in our communities and invest in our state?,” Guinta added. “That’s what limited government means. We don’t need federal policies at every level dictating to us how we need to run our communities. That needs to change.”

Further, Guinta noted that the U.S. Department of Education was established by the Carter Administration in 1979 and took effect in 1980, making the point that it is not a longstanding department. He suggested that Congress should reconsider the usefulness and constitutionality of the Department of Education and consider eliminating it from the federal government.

Congress must cut spending to pay down our debt and regain our position of strength

The U.S. government’s pattern of irresponsible spending has led to a $12.4 trillion national debt, which already poses great risk to the prosperity and freedom of every man, woman and child in America who each share $41,000 of that burden, Congressional Candidate Frank Guinta told a Town Hall meeting crowd in Londonderry.



With the current leadership in Congress and in the White House, however, the problem is only going to get worse, he said. The current fiscal year’s national budget is operating with a $1.4 trillion deficit, and President Barack Obama has proposed a budget for next year with a $1.9 trillion deficit. That’s before any other special programs the current Congress proposes to waste the people’s hard-earned dollars.

“Our government has stolen our checkbook and has gone wild with borrowing, and spending, and printing money to the point where most of the country is deeply concerned,” said Guinta, the former mayor of Manchester.

“It’s no longer a partisan concern,” Guinta continued. “There [are] concerns [among] Republicans, Independents and Democrats about the direction of our country, the lack of fiscal discipline and responsibility, the new policies of taking over government, of being intrusive in our lives--things that I don’t believe we believe is right in New Hampshire.”



While on his tour of the first district, voters have told Frank repeatedly how they are looking for lower taxes and fairness and equity in a simpler tax system, which are things the candidate said he supports.

“Most people tell me: Constrain spending and reduce the size of government, and do it effectively,” Guinta said. We must “figure out what areas of government are larger than they should be and what areas of government shouldn’t even exist or provide the services they’re providing.”

Ultimately, voters are depending on the people they send to Washington to find solutions to reduce spending, lower taxes and pay down the debt and deficit, Guinta said. The current Congress is just not getting this done.

“How many members of Congress know how much money they’re spending overall in any line item or in any department?,” Guinta said. “We need to get back to that approach, then we can get back to the idea that we can reduce the spending and the liabilities in our country.”

Guinta also said that Congress is putting America in a position of weakness by depending on countries such as China to fund our debt.

“When we spend money that we don’t have, we’re printing or we’re borrowing,” Guinta said. “When you print it, it devalues the dollar. When you borrow it, it puts someone else in control. We talk about being the greatest country. We want to be self sufficient, whether it comes to energy independence, or monetary independence, we don’t want to rely on some other nation.”

Legislators should be judged by how many pieces of legislation they repeal

Congressional candidate Frank Guinta at a Londonderry Town Hall meeting on February 24 outlined his first orders of business once he’s sworn in as the first district’s next representative in Congress.



Should government-run health care legislation pass during the current session of Congress, Guinta said he would immediately file or sign-on to legislation to repeal it. Guinta said he would also work to identify legislation that is “outdated or archaic or is invasive personally or overly bureaucratic.”

“Government is onerous, and I think people are feeling that,” Guinta said. “Legislators don’t need to be judged by how many pieces of legislation they file. They can also be judged by how many pieces of legislation they repeal.”

Next, he would work to immediately freeze federal spending to help bring the national debt and budget deficits under control.

“I would institute a spending freeze,” said Guinta, the former mayor of Manchester. “I would do top-to-bottom reviews not just of the Fed, which is the thing that most people want to see right now, but of every single department and agency.”

The former mayor said such audits would identify what’s working and what isn’t and detect where there are duplications in service. Using the constitution as its guide, Congress can then use the audit to determine what departments are no longer needed and what dollars can be used to bring the budget into balance, pay down the national debt and reduce the tax burden on families with children and small businesses.

With national spending and taxes under control, individuals and small businesses will have more of the resources they need to create jobs.

Guinta pledges to stop federal spending smorgasbord

Congressional candidate Frank Guinta told a Town Hall gathering in Rochester, N.H., that he would not celebrate pet projects or bring home treasure chests from Washington; rather, he will pride himself in halting such practices nationwide.

“The government will spend whatever it gets; this government is spending what it doesn’t even have,” said Guinta, the former mayor of Manchester. “I will not be a congressman that looks to have those ribbon cuttings to [highlight] the millions of dollars I brought to you. I don’t think that’s the role [of government]; nor do I think that’s what people are asking for.”



As an example of government waste, Guinta highlighted a congressional party-line vote a few weeks ago in which the U.S. government purchased a park in the Virgin Islands for $50 million. The sitting congresswoman from New Hampshire’s first district voted in favor of the bill, not one month after the president said the country needs to freeze spending. And all the while, the nation faces a $1.9 trillion budget shortfall if the president gets his way.

“I don’t think there’s a justification for that kind of expenditure, but it’s an example of why people are angry and why they don’t trust their members,” Guinta said. “We need to elect people who are going to take this budget process seriously; who are going to look what the role of government is and do everything to be good stewards with taxpayer dollars.”

To highlight the seriousness of the country’s financial woes, Guinta noted that the country’s $12.3 trillion national debt would cost $41,000 per person to pay back. He also noted that the figure is growing by the week.

“That’s what each of our portion of the debt is, and next week it’s going to be bigger,” he said. “We need people who are going to prioritize, who are going to make tough decisions about how to curtail spending.”

Voters want a representative committed to serving them

Congressional candidate Frank Guinta pledged at a Town Hall meeting in Rochester, N.H., last week to introduce a constitutional amendment that would make term limits for members of Congress the law of the land.

“I think what you’re seeing in the country is a level of anger, where it’s not just at Democrats, it’s at incumbents who have made these promises [and failed to keep them],” said Guinta. “And I think people around the nation are now starting to realize that if we’re going to trust our government again, there has to be a basic set of principles that each and every member adheres to—and term limits have to be at the top of the list.”



Guinta has self-imposed term limits on each of the offices he’s held. He has served two terms as a Manchester alderman, two terms as a New Hampshire state representative and two terms as the mayor of Manchester. Seeking a constitutional amendment to require term limits for members of Congress is simply the next step.

“I’ve been to Washington to meet with some of the legislators already, and I said, ‘Look, New Hampshire [residents] need an independent voice. They want an independent voice. They want someone who’s going to break from their party when their party is out of touch.’ And I commit that to you; I commit it publicly.”

The people running for office in 2010 are bringing with them an energy that stems from the desire to serve the country, and that desire comes directly from the people, Guinta said.

“The mood of the country is they’re angry, and they’re frustrated, and they want to be able to trust the people who spend their money and are stewards of their money,” he said. “But how do you trust them when they make a promise and then they turn around and break their promises. So I think the country needs to go through a healing process.

“People who are elected need to make commitments and they need to honor them, and [term limits] are the way to do it,” Guinta said.

National defense is a top priority

Former Mayor Frank Guinta said defense is a top priority for any level of government, and he will consider security among his most solemn duties once he’s elected as a member of Congress.

“The responsibilities outlined in the constitution: those are the things we should be focused on as a government,” said Guinta, addressing a Town Hall meeting in Rochester, N.H., last week. “One of them, and I think a very important one, one we haven’t talked about it yet, is the defense of our nation.”



These are “frightening” times, Guinta said, particularly with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s announcement last week that his country is capable of producing weapons-grade uranium. Yet, it is among the federal government’s top duties to keep the nation safe from threats, such as the menace Iran now poses.

“Part of my responsibility as mayor was to keep people safe in Manchester,” he said. “Part of the country’s duty is to keep you safe from people like Ahmadinejad, who, like it or not, wants to annihilate us.”

As a representative for New Hampshire in Washington, Guinta said government reform, tax cuts and defense based on good information will be his top priorities. When it comes to defense, Guinta said he would give deference to generals overseeing the situation directly.

“Any troop that protects us and serves us has to have the equipment and a game plan identified by the general on the ground,” he said.

Businesses want problem solvers in Washington

As former Mayor Frank Guinta continued his tour of the First District today in Rochester, N.H., he met with several business owners who clearly said they want someone in Washington who can come home, sit down with them and help them solve problems.

Serving in Washington “is about identifying problems that people have and then trying to solve them,” Guinta said during a sit-down meeting with Mel and Walter Belville at their restaurant, Mel Flannigan’s Irish Pub. “People want problem solvers; they want people who are willing to sit down with them and say, ‘OK, how can I help you to be a better business?”

Promoting such public servants does not mean Guinta thinks the federal government is the answer to everyone’s problems, because most of the time, it isn't. But a congressman who represents his constituents at the Capitol should also make the time to meet with them back home and help them come up with solutions, which they can then work to achieve on their own.

At Mel Flannigan’s Irish Pub at52 N. Main St. in Rochester, Guinta gave the Belvilles some possible solutions to generate more business in their downtown district.

“Rochester and the rest of the state needs a congressman that listens to the people and acts accordingly,” said Walter Belville, owner of Mel Flannigan’s Irish Pub. “I look forward to future meetings so we can further discuss some of the issues that we touched upon today; mainly, helping out the small businesses of New Hampshire, which are the backbone of the economy.”

Guinta also had great visits with Lenny Bernard, owner of the Pink Cadillac at 17 Farmington Road; Scott Brock, owner of Brock’s Plywood Sales at 298 North Main St.; Tim Galvin, operating manager of Nantucket Beadboard Co. at 109 Chestnut Hill Road; Michael Deegan, owner of Distinctive Forest Creations at 22 North Main St.; and Susan Jackson-Rafter, owner of The Portable Pantry at 12 Hanson St. He had meetings at City Hall, with the Rochester Main Street association and with the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce.

“I’m disappointed in the government’s attitude and the fiscal irresponsibility going on in the country right now,” said Bernard, owner of the Pink Cadillac diner. “My hope is the U.S. government will live within their means just like the majority of Americans are forced to do on a daily basis.”

Brock, who has run his lumber sales store for 32 years in Rochester, also noted Congress’s irresponsible spending spree. He said he had to lay off some 18 employees due to the deteriorating economy that has resulted. He now employs 52 people, who keep busy supplying clients with materials for their smaller projects.

Finally, several business owners urged Guinta to keep his independent spirit once elected to Congress.

“I’d like him to go in and not be partisan,” said Jackson-Rafter, owner of The Portable Pantry. “He should be someone to work for the people, and not the party.”

Government can help create jobs by letting businesses keep more of their money

It was incredible to hear the same concerns coming from business owners around Portsmouth today that I've been hearing around the rest of the First District. I'm encouraged that my consistent message of reform continues to be well received, and I'm confident that the conservative changes I have in mind for Washington will make things better for companies and the working families they support.

"My big concerns are coming down to be taxes and having mandates placed on me—not only from Concord, but from Washington," said one Portsmouth businessman. "It seems like we're constantly being berated by our representatives who we send down to Washington, such as what we've been getting hit with by Carol Shea-Porter. And they're just not hearing what the needs are of individuals, but businesses as well."



First of all, let me just make it clear that I think businesses create jobs, not the government. And when I go to small business owners and ask them what they need to create jobs, they are telling me that they want less regulation, tax reform to put more cash in their pockets, and more affordable, private health insurance. They don't want a government-run program that's filled with more mandates, and they don't want a Cap & Trade bill that will tax them more for the energy they need to keep their businesses running.

As for health insurance, smaller companies should be able to pool their employees together to get the same discounted rates as larger businesses and they should be able to buy insurance from any company anywhere in the country. Such reforms would put real cash back into small businesses' bank accounts, which will lead directly to more jobs.

As for Cap & Trade, it's simply not the government's role to use taxes on energy to redistribute wealth, especially when power costs are already an issue for businesses. Government can use incentives to encourage environmentally friendly business practices, but it should leave it to business owners to make the right decisions for their companies and their employees.

— Frank Guinta