Williams signs no-tax pledge; Sestak in hiding

Craig Williams, the Republican running in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, has signed the Americans for Tax Reform "Taxpayer Protection Pledge."

Williams says he will not support any tax increases on the middle class if he is elected to Congress.

His opponent, incumbent Democrat Joe Sestak, refuses to sign the pledge and supports higher taxes, according to the Philadelphia Bulletin.

Williams says the 7th District needs a fiscal conservative instead of a tax-and-spend liberal like Joe Sestak.

"The federal budget is full of waste and pork barrel spending that drive up taxes on American workers and seniors," Williams said in a written statement. "One of my main priorities in Congress will be to return fiscal discipline to our nation's capital and to fight hard to keep the hard-earned money of my neighbors in their own pockets."

Williams said the tax-and-spend record of his opponent shows how out of touch he is with voters in the 7th Congressional District, which includes parts of Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties.

Williams pointed to Sestak's vote last week on the federal budget as a prime example of how residents have lost their voice in Congress.

The budget, which was approved by the House of Representatives with Sestak's support, increases federal government spending through a $683 billion tax increase that includes reinstituting the marriage penalty tax, slashing the per child tax credit, and increasing income tax rates.

During debate on the bill, Sestak also voted against a moratorium on Congressional earmarks. (Source: Roll Call Vote 140).

"Failure to extend these tax cuts will result in the single largest tax increase in the history of the country," Williams said in a release. "The tax increases Joe Sestak approved in this budget are projected to increase taxes by an average of $2,796 per taxpayer in the 7th Congressional District. Married couples will see the marriage tax penalty return, families will see their per child tax deduction reduced and low and middle income families will see their income tax rates increase. I will stand up and fight for lower taxes, while Joe Sestak has made it clear that his priority is increased federal spending."

Sestak, a one-issue candidate (opposition to the Iraq War) won the 7th District seat in 2006.

Analysis of the Democrat budget resolution by The Heritage Foundation shows that the tax increases that would be imposed on residents of the 7th Congressional District are the third highest of all Pennsylvania Congressional Districts. In addition to the $2,796 per taxpayer increase, the budget resolution is also projected to result in the loss of 2,216 jobs in the Seventh District, a per capita personal income loss of $1,662, and a $303 million loss to the local economy. (Source: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/images/wm1844_table_10-OR-SD.gif)

Williams said he will seek to permanently extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and will oppose all new tax increases.

The Taxpayer Protection Pledge signed by Williams has also been signed by 194 Members of Congress and 41 U.S. Senators. Not surprisingly, Joe Sestak is not one of the signatories. A copy of the pledge and list of signers is available from the Americans for Tax Reform Web site at www.atr.org.

Williams is a former federal prosecutor, Marine combat veteran, and former active duty Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. For more information about Williams, visit his campaign Web site, http://craigwilliamsforcongress.com/