Collins campaign stops in Geneseo

Twenty-seventh Congressional District candidate Chris Collins was in Geneseo Tuesday afternoon as part of a busy schedule of appearances he is making throughout the district as the June 26 national primary election date approaches.

Collins was commenting on President Obama’s recent message assuring the nation of the economic health of the private sector and calling for more government jobs.

“Things are not fine in the private sector. Unemployment of 8.2 percent is not acceptable. We don’t need more government jobs. What we need are polices in Washington that get this economy moving again,” Collins asserted. “We need less government spending, lower deficits with more confidence, and we need to lower taxes on small business owners.”

“Both Obama and Hochul are wanting to increase those taxes, but at 35 percent — with New York’s nine percent on top of that — we are already the highest taxed country in the world.”

“When the average across the world is 25 percent and countries like Ireland are at 12.5, it’s a punishing rate. There is no wonder jobs have gone overseas.”

“It’s money that business are not putting into new plant, equipment and R& D.”

“The polices that Obama and Kathy Hochul are supporting, with more government jobs and taxation, are not the solution.”

Collins continued with highlights of his platform:

“We need energy independence in a reasonable ten year time frame. We need to stop China from cheating. Barack Obama could do that tomorrow with tariffs which punish them for currency manipulation and stealing our intellectual property.”

“We are calling Obama out throughout this district, and we are saying we adamantly disagree with his polices — and here are our positions.”

Collins is predicting his June 26 victory in the primary.

“We are doing very well. We are running a professional campaign which has been well received across all the eight counties.”

Collins suggests that Hochul’s alliance with Obama polices poses “a fundamental disagreement on core values” which, Collins believes, are not the values of the 27th District. In the four-and-a-half months separating the primary and general elections, Collins intends to make the distinction clear.

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Lonsberry remarks

The County News asked Collins to comment on Bob Lonsberry’s scathing June 5 blog entry. Lonsberry accused Collins of “whoring votes” at the Mount Morris Memorial Day services, working the crowd at an inappropriate time, when village citizens had gathered to honor their war dead.

“He knows better,” Collins said. “I went overboard to be respectful. During a setup the fire chief introduced me to six or eight people and I shook their hands. Then they started the ceremony and I stood there respectfully with my hand over my heart. When it was done I said good-bye and we got in our car and left.”

Collins acknowledged that Lonsberry has invited him to appear on the radio program in a live debate with primary election opponent David Bellavia — and he has declined the invitation.

“Since David is not being truthful in his various comments these days, I have no particular interest to enter that forum,” Collins stated.

A Collins-Bellavia debate did, however, take place last week and is being aired this week on Finger Lakes TV.

Collins feels the debate flattered both him and Bellavia.

“The moderator really controlled it,” Collins reported. “He did not allow either candidate to go off on a rant or make personal attacks. It was about the economy, jobs, energy and Obamacare — issues that are important to voters. David and I would alternately get two or three minutes to speak.”

Collins believes there was no clear winner, but concedes that Bellavia “did well.”

Collins is of the understanding that Bellavia has declined a debate was had previously been scheduled to take place in Clarence on June 19. Collins said he will be there whether Bellavia shows or not.