PRESS RELEASE – Towne Signs Club for Growth Pledge to “Repeal It!!”

For immediate release

NAZARETH, PA - Jake Towne, independent candidate for US House in Pennsylvania's 15th district, signed Club for Growth's Repeal It! pledge to sponsor and support legislation to repeal any federal health care takeover passed in 2010 and instead sponsor true reforms that lower the cost of care without growing government.

Towne points out that Medicare is insolvent with $85 trillion in unfunded liabilities and Pennsylvanians are already taxed far too much by DC -- in addition to the state mandates that contribute 15-40% of each premium. “Government-run health care is an unsustainable idea and is an erosion of personal freedom. Health care is much too important to be run by the government. The services and products that are most abundant and affordable in America are those that are produced and exchanged in a free market. We need to return control over health care back to the people, instead of granting state-sponsored monopolies to the insurance lobby like the HMO Act of 1973 did.”

The Club for Growth is a national network that believes prosperity and opportunity come through economic freedom. Former area Congressman Pat Toomey was President of the group from 2005-2009. Towne is the only candidate in the district to have signed the pledge. In the past two years, incumbent Congressman Dent has received failing grades of 41% and 33% from the Club for Growth. Towne opposed Dent's attempt to expand government involvement and “foster state innovation” in health care this past summer. Democrat challenger Mayor Callahan has refused to say whether he would support the current bill, but has appeared at rallies in favor of the bill outside Dent's office during working hours.

In November, Towne respectfully challenged both career politicians to debate saying that in these tough economic times, “The dollar is in crisis and unemployment is rampant. Civil liberties are restricted more with each passing day. We have apparently endless wars continuing in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. I am traveling the district and the people are hurting. Congress's solutions of more spending through the stimulus plan and more taxation via the Cap and Trade bill on energy and even our health care seem dubious at best... we owe it to the public to debate on these issues.” Neither candidate replied.

Towne has pledged to not enlist in the elite congressional health care plan, and will only accept the median household income for a salary. The remainder of the $174,000 salary will be donated to local non-profit hospitals.

Towne has previously published a 700-word essay “Health Care Solutions” condensed from his health care plank for print, but has received no interest to date from the local press.  Towne is the first candidate in the race to take out a major half-page ad in a local newspaper, as seen here.

January 22, 2010

Email: TowneForCongress@gmail.com

Website: TowneForCongress.com