Clay Cope: 'Americans Will Not Feel Safe Until Our Borders Are Secure'

Third of a four-part series written by Scott Benjamin

Brookfield, CT--

Sherman First Selectman Clay Cope, who is seeking the Republican nomination along with three other hopefuls in the Fifth Congressional District, said voters tell him the top issues are the economy and homeland security.

He said he wants to reduce spending and supports the pay as you go budget controls that Congress enacted in 1991 as part of a deal with President George H.W. Bush. Under the provisions all new spending would have to either be offset by reductions in other line items or by revenue increases. Congress let pay as you go lapse about a decade later.

Cope said that, in effect, Sherman and other municipalities operate annually on a “pay as you go” system.

He said, if elected to Congress, he would go over every line item to find reductions. He said that over the recent years the federal government has grown too large, noting the number of public buildings that have been added in Washington.

Cope said that as of the moment he doesn’t have a position on the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan. The report from the National Commissions on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform was issued in late 2010 but never considered by Congress.

Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker of Bridgeport, a candidate for the Republican nomination of lieutenant governor in Connecticut two years ago, said during a talk with a panel of members of No Labels movement in Danbury four years ago that Simpson-Bowles would effectively reduce the federal deficit through reductions in both domestic and military spending.

“One area I would not cut is defense,” Cope said. “We need to keep our military strong.”

He said that the United States should “be at war” with the ISIS. Cope added that President Obama’s pledge to increase spending for cyber warfare is not enough. He said that after the attacks in Paris, Americans will not feel secure until they are confident that the country’s “borders are secure.”

Cope said Connecticut’s fragile economic recovery is primarily due to “high [state] taxes.” Connecticut’s state budget has suffered through budget deficits in recent years and General Electric is moving its world headquarters from Fairfield to Boston.

Obama’s allies contend that he’s taken the country from a severe recession to recovery with an unemployment rate that is lower than it ever was under Ronald Reagan and saved the American auto industry.

However, critics contend too many of the new jobs have low wages and businesses and consumers still lack confidence following the 2008 financial crisis.

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“A lot of families are heavily in debt because of college costs,” Cope said regarding the current economy. He said that while college is a valuable asset, more young people might be better placed in technical schools, which offer instruction in some fields that have high salaries.

He said he opposes any alterations to Social Security. Republicans in the Fifth Congressional District, dating back at least to former U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson of New Britain, have complained about Democratic attacks that they would reduce benefits, invest trust fund money unwisely or further increase the eligibility age.

On a separate topic, Cope said he’s against the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which encompasses 40 percent of the global economy. He said free trade can eliminate American jobs.

“I think that outsourcing is disgraceful,” he said, noting, for example, that the workers in the call centers for the major American corporations should not be foreigners. Sources indicate that many call center jobs have been outsourced to India and Ireland.

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