Despite some concerns in congress over President George W. Bush's proposed $1.6 trillion tax cut plan, the president has at least one strong supporter in the senate -- New Hampshire Republican Senator Bob Smith.
"I'm strongly in favor of the president's plan," Smith said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "I'd go further if I could, but I think the president is reasonable."
Smith said he believes there may be as much as a $6 trillion budget surplus over the next 10 years and outlined four areas, including a direct tax cut, on which he believes the excess funds should be spent.
Other facets of his plan to allocate the surplus include paying down the debt, fortifying social security and also funding additional programs in such areas as education and infrastructure.
Smith also said he hopes to pass further tax cuts in addition to the president's plan, including a program to allow those who do not itemize their tax returns to deduct their property tax payments.
He believes such a plan will particularly help the elderly, many of whom he said own their houses and pay property taxes, but no longer have mortgage payments which create deductions to offset these taxes.
In addition outlining his tax reduction plans, Smith shared some of his thoughts on Former President Bill Clinton's legacy and the Bush transition as well his some of what he hopes to accomplish over the next two years.
The Clinton past and Bush future
Despite vocalized support from other members of his party and the Senate as a whole, Smith said he does not favor continued investigation into Former President Clinton regarding his actions during the final days of his presidency.
"All the investigations we've had, no matter what he's done, he always gets out, he always gets off, so why bother with it?" Smith said. "I'm ready to move on."
Smith also praised the Bush transition into the White House.
"After the president takes office he usually has a 90 day to a 120 day 'honeymoon period' where he has a chance to promote his agenda," Smith said. "Then reality sets in; we begin to have our differences ..." He said he expects the Bush administration to face increasing conflict with the congress in the coming months.
Issues Smith cites as being potentially divisive between the White House and the Senate include tax cuts, defense spending increases, education initiatives and energy initiatives.
Smith did characterize Bush's current plans as specific and targeted toward these few major areas.
"I think he's off to a very, very good start," Smith said. "He's trying to be non-confrontational and fair," he added, mentioning meetings Bush has had with democratic senators including Edward Kennedy,D-Mass.
The Environment
As Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee of the Senate, many of Smith's plans for the 107th Congress focus on environmental regulation and cleanup legislation.
Smith characterized past actions by the Environmental Protection Agency as "command control" over polluters and the public and said he hopes to change this type of regulation.
While he admitted that EPA measures have been effective in the past, Smith said he favors the use of more "positive" measures to implement future environmental regulations rather than using EPA mandates supported by fines and other penalties for those who do not comply.
Using the future of hybrid and hydrogen automobiles as an example for how he hopes to implement changes, Smith said he wants to use tax incentives to encourage producers to manufacture these types of cars and to work with consumers to create a market for the new products.
"Give them the incentive to [convert to hybrid car production], as opposed to worrying about regulating every last emission that comes out of the end of their exhaust pipes with the old oil cars," he said.
Smith said he sees this type of car coming into mass production within the next 20 years.
Smith also outlined his plans to reduce several major causes of air pollution by working with individual polluters rather than by forcing across the board reductions.
He said his plan, which allows polluters to continue releasing toxins while they invest in developing cleaner processes, is economically more efficient and more effective than simply mandating overall, industry-wide reductions.
Smith also said he has, in the past two weeks, introduced legislation to clean up brownfields, sites on which contaminants that have been dumped but have generally low levels of toxicity. He said he believes this program will work to reclaim polluted land in industrialized areas and, as a result, reduce further development of currently unused, "green" land.
The next two years
Smith said he believes congress's agenda over the next two years will focus on four major areas, including military expenditures, education, tax cuts environmental and infrastructural needs.
Increases in military salaries are expected, according to Smith, as well as an increase in overall military spending.
Smith said he maintains a strong opposition to any Internet taxes, given what the senator describes as a current mood in congress that "the question is not whether we will cut taxes, but how much we will cut them."
He said he opposes oil drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, a plan Bush supports.
