DelawarePolitics.net

Businessman Fred Cullis is ready to step up and serve.  He started his political involvement at the bottom as a 2000 Bush volunteer and a checker challenger, but now he believes we need his perspective as a businessman in Congress.  He is ready to clean up the mess on the hill.  Before he has a chance to do that, you have to get to know him.  I am doing a series of posts on the people running for office in their own words. We spoke for about an hour so these are the highlights. The conversation was not as choppy as the interview may appear. Enjoy.

What qualifications from business does he think transfers over to Congress.

Just being in business since 1991, gives him a better perspective. One example is health care. A family policy cost him less than $500 for health care in 1991 now $1500.
He deals with the impact of taxes, reduction in American manufacturing, and regulation.

He runs a manufactors rep agency he contracts with 6 principles and sees first hand the reduction in American manufacturing.
The current business environment we are in has hurt his current ability to employ others.

How long has he been in Delaware?

I have been in Delaware since 1991 when I moved here to buy a business. I have been in Delaware half of adult life; it is home.

I asked for examples of community involvement.

I moved into new development shortly after coming to Delaware. I saw a need to form new mantianence corportation. I became first President of Westwood Maintainence Corporation for 3 years. I had to build it from the ground up. It is interesting when you are the first president no precedent.
I saw the need so I stepped up and did what needed to be done. The same is true of other involvements. I belong to a shooting club in Oxford, where I served as treauser. During that time we paid off mortagage and bought new equipment. He was also the photographer for fire company.

Right now I see a need for some common sense solutions in Washington. I don’t need the glamor and glory of an elected official. I see a job that needs to done.
It is a pattern and a history that has characterized my life. When something needs to be done, I step forward and do it.

I asked his plan of action if elected.

Coalition building is vital. You can not be a one person show in 435. He has made contact with Freshman 50′s Brian Miller who is trying form a group to restore fiscal integrity.

Top Three Issues

Top issue is the economic house in order. Taxation, spending, national debt, regulation — It covers everything. Actions that the government takes in relation to taxation, regulation, and health care costs impact on how businesses can grow and survive.

He would love to see more green energy, but the economy is standing in the way. T-Boone Pickens plan is on hold because of lack of capitial. A company that he calls on had a back log of wind turbines 3 years long, but now all of the orders have been canceled because of lack of capital. In order to get good clean energy, you have to get taxation, spending, and regulation straightened out. It is as if Congress has a stack of books and they pull down one at a time. They work on the economy and pass something. Then they pull down the health care book and do things that raise taxes and force seniors to buy coverage. Then cap and trade raises energy costs. Then they look and the economy book as red ink dripping out of it. They are puzzled. We need a comprehensive approach to economy.

We need a balanced budget and we need to lower. We need to have a tax sale. We need to lower rates to get more money. We can’t just lower taxes. We need to do things to improve the overall economy. Skeptical of payroll tax reduction because the overall business climate determines hiring.
President Obama’s

Energy
Cap and trade is a unilateral action to reach a global economy. We would need to do something globally. When asked about human activity, he agrees that solar activity is having a significant effect. I brought up solar models v. carbon models. He believes that change may not be our fault and it is a false premise to keep the climate the way it is now. What is worse than a mistake about glob al warming is doing something that will have no impact .

National Defense
I have great respect for the military. We have a strong respect for national defense. Foreign policy must not be ineffective or weak. It leads to the questioning our resolve causes more damage and death. We are not here for a popularity contest. Abandoning Afghanistan would impact Pakistan. Taliban has some success in Pakistan. It is a nuclear power. The situation has degraded. You can not separate the two. He would support McCyrstal. We need to set the mission and set the goal and within reason, give them the resources that we need to accomplish the mission. How do you face the parents of who lose a child in an understaffed situation who are losing their children?

DOMA support or repeal?
He favors state’s rights and keeping DOMA. Some states may in favor of having gay and lesbian unions and others are not. He said until there is a consensus on the issue, it makes sense to ensure that each state can reflect local values. There is no need to revisit DOMA unless the consenus evolves.

Abortion
I am opposed to federal funding of abortion. We need to make the path to life easier than the path to abortion. It is a cop out to talk about outlawing abortion when we have not made the path to life is easier. We need to answer who is going to support this girl those nine months and help if she wants to adoption. He told the old Wind and sun parable about who can make man take his coat off. The wind tried to blow his coat off while the sun persuaded him he did not need his coat.

Gun rights,

I’ll make it easy, he said, I am a Life NRA member with carry permits in two states.

I asked him why not start at the state level.
He rejects the notion that one needs to hold political office to be qualified for congress. He said fully one third of an average incoming freshman class never held office before.

I asked him where he would cut spending –that dreaded question few wish to hear.

We need to stop monetizing the debt. Inflation is the cruelest tax of all. The government must balance the budget and live within its means.

First cut the rest of the recovery act, not sure we need to finish projects not even started yet. 2/3 of a billion dollars for digital to analog converters is a crime when have to borrow the money.

Entitlements need reviews to see how to run them effectively. In Medicare a large sum of money had been spent on prescriptions for dead people by doctors who are dead. We need to verify payments through a computer program not have a commission to study it.

I ended it with an invitation to come to the Kent County Republican Christmas party, and one to write a guest opinion.