Gardner right for the 4th CD

But while candidate Betsy Markey presented herself as a centrist who would be a good fit for the district, Congresswoman Markey quickly strayed to the left. We think the district would be better served by her opponent, state Rep. Cory Gardner.

The Yuma Republican has a better agenda for the district, and for these shaky economic times.

As the General Assembly’s House minority whip, Gardner proved to be a go-to guy in the legislature. The up-and-comer is far more animated by fiscal issues than the kind of divisive social issues that helped drive Marilyn Musgrave, the last Republican to hold the seat, out of office.

Gardner is motivated by bringing fiscal discipline to government. Meanwhile, Markey has delivered a mixed performance.

In her first year, the congresswoman, who now says in TV ads that she’s offended by government bailouts, helped pass the flawed, $800 billion stimulus package. She also voted for the so-called “cap-and-trade” legislation that passed the House.

That poorly written measure contained a host of provisions that would have increased costs for consumers, created a marketplace for permits ripe for abuse and threatened international trade — all without having much influence on global emissions of greenhouse gases.

Markey also co-sponsored the now-stalled Employee Free Choice Act, which contained a “card check” provision to effectively eliminate the secret ballot vote among workers when forming a union. It also would allow government to force binding arbitration in contract disputes not settled within 90 days.

Finally, Markey, who originally opposed health care reform because the House bill did little to control rising costs, ended up voting for a health care bill that still won’t bring down costs.

Of course, we haven’t always agreed with Gardner either. He opposed the repeal of some tax exemptions that we supported this year as the legislature worked to balance a recession-shattered budget. (Unlike the federal government, which favors deficit spending, the state has gaping shortfalls in a budget that must balance and needed revenue.)

Gardner was less than forthcoming with us about his ideas for tackling entitlement reform, yet he wants to bring more market forces to bear in reducing the costs of health care. He also recognizes that the better way to rebuild the economy is to bring regulatory certainty to the private sector. He doesn’t believe in boosting employment through additional stimulus spending or putting government in the role of picking winners and losers in the marketplace.

We think Gardner will be a thoughtful conservative in the model of Hank Brown, and ultimately will be a better fit for a district that stretches along the Eastern Plains and into Greeley and Fort Collins.

We hope to see Gardner take his message of fiscal discipline to Washington and restore balance to his district and Congress.

Read more: Gardner right for the 4th CD – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_16279708#ixzz11mAy32Og
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