There were 7 candidates in the top tier for the 6th Republican Debate, moderated by Fox News hosts Neil Cavuto and Maria Bartiromo.  These candidates are Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, and John Kasich.

Maria Bartiromo began by quoting Obama in his State of the Union address saying that we have the strongest, most durable economy in the world.  She said that “jobs” is one of the biggest issues resonating across the country.  The president is touting 14 million new jobs and an unemployment rate cut in half.  The president says that anyone claiming the American economy is in decline is peddling fiction.  She asked Ted Cruz what he sees that Obama doesn’t. 

Cruz began by bringing up that in his State of the Union speech, Obama didn’t so much as mention the 10 U.S. sailors pictured kneeling as captives of Iran.  President Obama is preparing to send 100 billion dollars or more to the Ayatollah Khomeini.  It was heart breaking.  But the good news is that the next Commander in Chief is standing on this stage.  If I am elected president, no service man or service woman will be forced to be on their knees.  Any nation that captures our fighting men and women will feel the full force of fury of the United States of America.  The president tried to paint a rosy picture of jobs.  We have the lowest percentage of Americans working today of any year since 1977.  Median wages have stagnated.  And the Obama/Clinton economy has left behind the working men and women of this country.  The reason all of us are here is that we believe that we should be fighting for the working men and women of this country and not Washington D.C.

Cavuto turned to Kasich and said that not even two weeks into the new year investors have already lost 1.6 trillion dollars, the worst start to a new year ever.  If this escalates like it did back when Barack Obama first assumed the presidency, what actions would you take?  Kasich said that it takes three things.  Common sense regulations, which is why I think we should freeze all federal regulations for one year except for health and safety.  If we don’t need unconstitutional regulations for a year, why do we need them at all?   It requires tax cuts, because that sends a message to the job creators that things are headed the right way.  We have to have fiscal discipline and show that we can march through a balanced budget. 

Bartiromo listed several world events such as ISIS growing, capturing our sailors and forcing them to apologize, etc. and said that sometimes the world seems that it’s on fire and asked Christie where and when should a president use military action to restore order.  Christie said that he’s glad to have heard from her about what’s going on in the world, because on Tuesday night he watched Story Time with Barack Obama and I gotta tell you, it sounded like everything in the world was going amazing. First we have to strengthen our alliances.  Next, we have to talk to our adversaries and we have to make sure they understand the limits of our patience.  And Ted was right, it’s absolutely disgraceful that Secretary Kerry and others said in their response to what was going on in Iran that this was a good thing, it showed how the relationship was getting better.  Christie turned to the camera and said that here is his warning to everyone out in the audience tonight.  If you’re worried about the world being on fire, worried about how we’re going to use our military, worried about strengthening our military and worried most of all about keeping your homes and your families safe and secure you can no give Hillary Clinton a third term of Barack Obama’s leadership.  If I’m the nominee, she won’t get within 10 miles of the White House.  Bartiromo asked again, when and where he would use military action?  He said it would be used when it was absolutely necessary to protect American lives and protect American interests around the world. 

Bush took a similar question and basically said that the military has been weakened by Obama and he would strengthen it.  He said that Hillary would be a national security disaster. He said that if she gets elected, she’s under FBI investigation and her first 100 days might be going back and forth between the White House and the court house.

Cavuto said to Rubio that Obama said that ISIS was not a threat to our nation and were nothing more than twisted souls plotting attacks from garages.  He asked Rubio how he defines the threat?  Rubio started by saying that Hillary Clinton wouldn’t just be a disaster, that she is disqualified from being Commander and Chief of the United States. True according to the 14th Amendment.  On the issue of Barack Obama, he believes that America is an arrogant global power that needs to be cut down to size.  That’s how you get a foreign policy where we make deals with enemies like Iran and we betray our allies like Israel and we gut our military and go around the world like he has done on ten different occasions and apologize for America.  He doesn’t understand the threat in ISIS and consistently underestimates it, but I do not.  When I am President of the United States, we’re going to win this war on ISIS.  If we capture any of them alive, they are getting a one way ticket to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and we’re going to find out everything they know. 

Maria Bartiromo asked Carson how you can attack a network that does not respect national borders?  Carson said that Obama doesn’t realize that we live in the 21st Century and war is very different than it used to be.  Now we have dirty bombs and cyber attacks and people who will be attacking our electrical grid.  We have the world’s best military, even though Obama has done everything he can to diminish it.  If we give them a mission and we don’t tie their hands behind their back they can get it accomplished. 

Cavuto addressed Trump and brought up the Syrian refugee who is a doctor Obama had as a guest in his State of the Union address and how Obama said that he is the real face of the Syrian refugees and not the one that you and some of your colleagues on this stage are painting, that you prefer in the face of fear and terror and that you would refuse to let anyone into this country seeking legitimate asylum.  He asked Trump how he would answer that.  Trump said that it’s not fear and terror, it’s reality.  You just have to look today at Indonesia, bombings all over.  You look at California, Paris, with the Strictest no gun policy of any city in the world and you see what happens, 130 people dead. Trump said that doctor could be the great Trojan horse, it could be people who are going to do great, great destruction.  When I look at the migration, I looked at the line, where are the women?  Very few women, very few children, strong, powerful men, young.  We are 19 trillion dollars… our country’s a mess and we can’t let all these people come into our country and break our borders.

Bartiromo asked Cruz about the New York Times reporting that he failed to disclose a million dollars in loans from Goldman Sachs and Citibank. Cruz said that the New York Times had a column a few weeks back that said, “Anybody but Cruz.”  That same columnist wrote a column comparing me to an evil, demonic spirit from the movie It Follows, it jumps from body to body possessing people.  The New York Times and I don’t exactly have the warmest of relationships.  Unlike Hillary Clinton, I don’t have 100’s of millions of dollars.  When I was running for Senate, my opponent was worth over 200 million dollars.  He put a 25 million dollar check from his own pocket to fund that campaign.  My wife Heidi and I invested everything we owned, we took a loan against our assets to invest it in that campaign.  The entire New York Times attack is that I disclosed that loan on one filing, a public filing, but it was not on a second filing with the FEC.  And yes, I made a paperwork error, disclosing it on one piece of paper instead of the other, but if that’s the best hit the New York Times has got, they’d better go back to the well.  

Cavuto said to Cruz that he is a strict Constitutionalist and as he knows, only natural born citizens are eligible for President of the United States.  The crowd booed.  That fellow next to you, Donald Trump, and others said that being born in Canada means that you are not natural born.  Do you want to try to close this topic once and for all?  Cruz said that he’s glad Neil is focusing on the important topics of the evening.  The crowd cheered.  Back in September Donald said that he had his lawyers look at this from every which way and there was no issue there, there was nothing to this birther issue.  Since September, the Constitution hasn’t changed.  But the poll numbers have.  More cheering.  I recognize that Donald is dismayed that his poll numbers are falling in Iowa.  But the facts and the law here are really quite clear, long standing U.S. law.  The child of a U.S. citizen born abroad is a natural born citizen.  If a soldier has a child abroad, that child is a natural born citizen.  That’s why John McCain, even though he was born in Panama was eligible to run for president.  If an American missionary has a child abroad, that child is a natural born citizen.  That’s why George Romney, Mitt’s dad, was eligible to run for president even though he was born in Mexico.  I would note that the birther theories that Donald has been relying on, some of the more extreme ones insist that you must not only be born on U.S. Soil, but have two parents born on U.S. soil.  Under that theory, not only would I be disqualified, Marco Rubio would be disqualified, Bobby Jindal would be disqualified, and interestingly enough Donald J. Trump would be disqualified.  The crowd cheered.  Because Donald’s mother was born in Scotland.  She was naturalized.  Donald Trump said, “But I was born here.”  On the issue of citizenship Donald, I’m not going to use your mother’s birth against you.  I suggest we focus on who’s best prepared to be Commander in Chief, because that’s the most important question facing the country.

Trump said, NBC, Wall Street Journal just came out with a poll headlined, “Trump way up, Cruz going down.”  In Iowa now, Ted, in the last three polls, I’m beating you.  This isn’t me saying it and I don’t care.  I think I am going to win fair and square and I don’t have to win this way.  Laurence Tribe from Harvard said that there is a serious question as to whether or not Ted can do this.  Ok.  There are other attorneys, very, very fine constitutional attorneys, that feel that because he was not born on the land he cannot run for office.  I’m running, running, I win… I choose him as my Vice Presidential candidate and the democrats sue, because we can’t take him along for the ride.  I don’t like that, ok?  If for some reason he beats the rest of the field, I already know that the democrats are going to be bringing a suit.  You have a big lawsuit over your head while you’re running if you become the nominee, who knows if you can even serve in office?  So you should go out, get a declaratory judgement, let the courts decide. 

Cavuto asked, why now, why is Trump raising this issue now?  Trump said, because now he is doing a little bit better. I didn’t care before.  It’s true.  He never had a chance.  Now he’s doing better, he’s got probably a 4 or 5 percent chance.  Trump turned to Cruz and said that he has a big question mark over his head and he can’t do that to the party.  I’m not bringing a suit, I promise, but the democrats are going to bring a lawsuit.  You have to have certainty.  You can’t have a question over your head. 

Cruz responded by saying that he’s spent his entire life defending the Constitution before the U.S. Supreme Court.  I’ll tell you, I’m not going to be taking legal advice from Donald Trump.  The crowd cheered.  The chances of litigation proceeding and succeeding on this are zero.  Trump is very focused on Larry Tribe, let me tell you who Larry Tribe is.  He’s a left wing, judicial activist, Harvard law professor who was Al Gore’s lawyer at Bush vs. Gore.  He’s a major Hillary Clinton supporter and there’s a reason why Hillary supporters are echoing Donald’s attacks on me.  I’ll tell you what Donald, you very kindly, just a moment ago, offered me the VP slot.  If this all works out, I’m happy to consider naming you as VP, so if you happen to be right you can get the top job at the end of the day. 

Bartiromo went to Trump.  She said that South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley in her response to the State of the Union Address (camera pans to RINO, Nikki Haley smiling in the audience) appeared to choose sides within the party saying republicans should resist the siren call of the angriest voices.  Was she out of line and how would a President Trump unite the party?  Trump said, first of all Nikki told me today that she is a friend of mine, a close friend and wherever you are sitting, Nikki, we’re friends, that’s good.  But, she did say there was anger.  I could say, oh, I’m not angry.  I’m very angry.  Because our country is being run horribly.  I will gladly accept the mantle of anger.  Our military is a disaster.  Our health care is a horror show, Obamacare, we’re going to repeal it and replace it.  Replacing it is just as unconstitutional as Obamacare is.  Our vets are being treated horribly.  Illegal immigration is beyond belief.  Our country is being run by incompetent people.  And yes, I am angry. 

Cavuto asked Rubio about his exchange of fairly nasty words of late with Chris Christie.  The governor went so far as to say, you won’t be able to slime your way into the White House.  He’s referring to your ads that say, “One high tax, common core, liberal energy loving, Obamacare medicaid expanding, President is enough.”  Do you think you went too far on that and want to apologize to the governor.  Rubio went on about how Obama undermines this country’s security and the Constitutional basis of the government.  I like Chris Christie, but we can’t afford to have a President who supports Common Core and gun control.  Our next president has to be someone who undoes the damage that Barack Obama has done to this country. It cannot be someone who agrees with his agenda.  No one here is a socialist.  No one here is under FBI investigation.  We’re a good group of people.  Cavuto asked, “Is he a liberal?”  Rubio said that unfortunately, Chris Christie has endorsed many of the ideas that Barack Obama supports, whether it’s Common Core, gun control, or the appointment of Sonya Sotomayor, or the donation he made to Planned Parenthood. 

Christie responded with, I  didn’t support Sonya Sotomayor.  Secondly, I never wrote a check to Planned Parenthood. Third, I have vetoed a 50 caliber rifle ban, I have vetoed a reduction in clip size. Magazine, Christie… Magazine.  I have vetoed a state wide ID system for gun owners.  I have pardoned 6 out of state folks who came through our state and who were arrested for owning a legally in another state.  Why were they arrested, Chris?  Why can’t they legally own a gun in New Jersey?  New Jersey is about most anti 2nd Amendment state there is.  Common Core has been eliminated in New Jersey.  When you’re a senator, what you get to do is just talk and talk and talk, and you talk so much that nobody can ever keep up if what you’re saying is accurate or not.  When you’re a governor, you’re held accountable for everything you do. 

Bartiromo asked Carson what he thought about whether Bill Clinton’s past indiscretions is a legitimate topic and what he thinks of the notion that Hillary Clinton is an enabler of sexual misconduct?  Carson said that we should be able to look at any past President.  Here’s the real issue.  Is this America anymore?  Do we still have standards?  Do we still have values and principles?  We need to once again start recognizing that there is such a thin as right and wrong.  Let’s not let the secular progressives drive that out of us.

Bartiromo referred to Dillon Roof’s slaughter of 9 people in the South Carolina church and said that he didn’t pass his background check, but still bought the guns.  She asked Bush what is the matter with tightening standards on who buys and sells guns?  Bush said that the FBI made a mistake.  The law requires a background check.  We don’t need to add new rules, we need to make sure the FBI does its job.  This is an unconstitutional job.  Background checks violate our 2nd, 4th, and 5th Amendment rights.  Bush said that the first impulse of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is to take rights away from law abiding citizens. Like forcing us to go through a warrantless background check and incriminate ourselves on a government form in order to find out if we are someone belonging to a second class citizen group that government has declared don’t have rights any longer?  I think we need to focus on what the bigger issue is.  It isn’t law abiding gun owners.  Look, I have an A+ rating with the NRA, and we have a reduction in gun violence in Florida, because if you commit a crime with a gun, you’re going away.  You’re going away for a long, long while.  The other issue is mental health.  Why not go to congress and deal with mental health issues so that people that are spiraling out of control because of mental health challenges don’t have access to guns.  Who decides who gets thrown into this category?  No due process, just label you as having mental health problems and wha-la your rights are stripped. 

Maria Bartiromo asked Trump if there are any circumstances we should be limiting gun sales of any kind in America.  Trump said, No.  I am a 2nd Amendment person.  If we had guns in California on the other side with the bullets… went in the different direction, you wouldn’t have 14 or 15 people dead right now.   If even in Paris if they had guns on the other side going in the opposite direction, you wouldn’t have 130 people plus, dead.  So the answer is no and what Jeb said is absolutely correct.  We have a huge mental health problem.  We’re closing hospitals, we’re closing wards, we’re closing so many, because the states want to save money.  You know the guns don’t pull the triggers.  It’s the people that pull the trigger.  We have to protect eh 2nd Amendment and you cannot do this… and certainly what Barack Obama was doing with executive order.

Cavuto said that Rubio had said that Obama wants to take peoples’ guns away, yet under his Presidency gun sales have more than doubled.  That doesn’t sound like a White House unfriendly to gun owners.  Rubio said that sounds like people are afraid the President is going to take their guns away.  Rubio said, look, the 2nd Amendment is not an option.  It is not a suggestion.  It is a constitutional right.  I am convinced that if this President could confiscate every gun in America he would.  Criminals don’t buy their guns from a gun show.  They don’t buy their guns from a collector.  And they don’t buy their guns from a gun store.  They steal them.  They get them on the black market.  ISIS and terrorists do not get their guns from a gun show.  If there is an act of violence in America, Obama’s immediate answer before he even knows the facts is gun control.  When I am President of the United States we are defending the 2nd Amendment, not undermining it the way Barack Obama does.  Cavuto asked if it wasn’t a bit extreme to say Obama would want to confiscate guns.  Rubio reminded him of his statements about Americans clinging to their guns and their religion.  Every chance he has ever gotten he has tried to undermine the 2nd Amendment. 

Cavuto said that Christie called Obama’s executive action on guns unconstitutional, but he has signed laws to regulate the possession of firearms too.  He quoted Christie saying that these common sense measures will strengthen New Jersey’s already tough gun laws.  Isn’t that kind of what the President wants to do now?  Christie said no, absolutely not.  The President wants to do things without working with his Congress, without working with the legislature, without getting the consent of the American people.  Chris, Congress has no authority to infringe on our right to keep and bear arms either.  Neither do you as governor.  The fact is that that’s not a democracy, that’s a dictatorship.  We aren’t a democracy either, Chris.  Are you sure you know what office you’re running for?  The fact is in New Jersey is that what we have done is to make it easier now to get a concealed carry permit.  Why do we need a permit to exercise a right, Chris? 

So what is the answer Senator Cruz, to stop mass shootings and violent crime, Maria asked Cruz?  Cruz said that the answer is simple, you prosecute criminals.  You target the bad guys.  A minute ago Neil asked what Obama had done to illustrate that he wants to go after guns?  Well, he appointed Eric Holder as Attorney General who said he viewed his mission as brain washing the American people against guns.  He appointed Sonya Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, who has been a radical against the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms.  He launched Fast and Furious, illegally selling guns to Mexican drug lords that were then used to shoot law enforcement officials.  Hillary Clinton says that she agrees with the dissenters in the Heller case.  There were four dissenters and they said that they believed the 2nd Amendment protects no individual right to keep and bear arms, whatsoever.  Which means, if their view prevailed, and the next President is going to get one, two, three, maybe four Supreme Court Justices, the court will rule that not a single person in this room has any right under the 2nd Amendment and the government can confiscate your guns.  Diane Feinstein said that if she could say to Mr. America and Mrs. America, give me your guns, I’m rounding them up, she would.  In every republican primary, everyone is going to say they support the 2nd Amendment.  Unless they are clinically insane.  That’s what you say in a primary.  But the voters are savvier than than, they recognize that peoples’ actions don’t always match their words.  I’ve got a proven record fighting to defend the 2nd Amendment.  There’s a reason Gun Owners of America has endorsed me in this race. 

Bartiromo addressed Cruz’s quote that Mr. Trump embodies New York values.  Could you explain what you mean by that?  Cruz said I think most people know exactly what New York values are.  Bartiromo said, “I am from New York!”  Cruz said, you’re from New York, so you might not.  But I promise you the People of South Carolina, they do.  Everyone understands that the values in New York City are socially liberal or prop abortion or pro gay marriage, focus around money and the media.  The concept of New York values is not that difficult to figure out.  A number of years ago Donald did an interview with Tim Russert.  And in that interview he explained his views on a whole host of issues that were very, very different from the views he’s describing now.  His explanation, he said, look, I’m from New York.  That’s what we believe in New York.  Those aren’t Iowa values, but this is what we believe in New York.  I guess I can frame it another way.  Not a lot of conservatives come out of Manhattan.  I’m just sayin’.

Trump said that conservatives do come out of Manhattan including William F. Buckley and others, just so you understand.  New York is a great place, it’s got great people.  It’s got loving people, wonderful people.  When the World Trade Center came down, I saw something that no place on Earth could have handled more beautifully, more humanely than New York.  He explained the cleanup and the smell of death and said that was a very  insulting statement that Ted made. 

Lindsey Graham has said that the air strikes against ISIS for 16 months have been ineffective and wants to send 20,000 ground troops to take out ISIS and Maria Bartiromo asked Carson his opinion.  Carson said that ISIS is a very serious problem and I don’t believe this administration recognizes how serious it is.  I think we need to do a lot more than we’re doing.  Recognize that the caliphate is what gives them legitimacy to go out on the jihadist mission.  So we need to take that away from them.  We give our military what they need and we don’t tie their hands behind their backs, so that they can go ahead and get the job done.  In addition to that, we take the oil from them, their source of revenue.  These engagement rules that the administration has, we’re not going to bomb a tanker that is coming out of there, because there might be a person in it… give me a break!  Just tell them, you put people in there, we’re going to bomb them!  Don’t put people in there if you don’t want them bombed.  We need to attack their command and control centers.  Why should we let their people sit there smoking their cigars, sitting in their comfortable chairs?  We need to shut off their supply routes and send in Special Ops at 2AM and attack them everywhere they go.  They should be running all the time, then they won’t have time to plan attacks against us.

Bartiromo told Trump that his comments about banning muslims from entering the country created a firestorm.  Is there anything you’ve heard that makes you want to rethink this position.  Trump said No. No.  We have to stop with political correctness. We can’t be the stupid country any more. 

Bush interrupted and asked Donald Trump to reconsider this position, because it makes it impossible to build the coalition necessary to take out ISIS.  The Kurds, our strongest ally, they’re muslim, you’re not even going to allow them to come to our country?  How are they a strong ally if they come to our country instead of staying home and fighting, Jeb? 

Trump said, I want security for this country.  Ok?  I want security.  I’m tired of seeing what’s going on between the border where people flow over, people come in, they live, they shoot.  We have a serious problem with, as you know, radical islam.  We have a tremendous problem.  I want to find out why those two young people, those two horrible young people in California, when they shot the 14 people, killed them, people they knew.  People that held a wedding reception for them.  Many people saw pipe bombs and all sorts of things all over their apartment.  Why weren’t they vigilant?  Why didn’t they call?  Why didn’t they call the police?  And by the way, the police are the most mistreated people in this country.  There’s something going on and it’s bad and I’m saying we have to get to the bottom of it.

Maria Bariromo said that 100,000 muslim immigrants enter the U.S. on a permanent basis each year and asked all candidates if they think we should pause muslim immigration.  Kasich said no, I’ve been for pausing admitting Syrian refugees.  We don’t want to put everybody in the same category.  These are in one category, John, muslims.  John waved his stiff fingers around and yammered on about needing a coalition.  Christie said that from the beginning he said we should take no Syrian refugees of any kind.  The FBI director said that he cannot vet them and we wouldn’t be safe.  That’s the end of the conversation.

Rubio said, let’s talk about why we’re having this debate and why Donald Trump has tapped into some of the anger about this issue.  This President has consistently underestimated the threat of ISIS.  He described them as a bunch of guys with long beards on the back of a pickup truck.  They are much more than that.  This is a group of people that enslaves women and sells them.  If we do not know who you are and we do not know why you are coming when I am President, you are not getting into The United States of America. 

Ted Cruz said I understand why Donald made the comments that he did and I understand why Americans are feeling frustrated and scared and angry when we had a President who refuses to acknowledge the threat we face.  Even worse, who acts as an apologist for radical islamic terrorism.  We should pass the Expatriot Terrorist Act, legislation I introduced that says if an American goes and joins ISIS and wages jihad against America that you forfeit your citizenship and you cannot come in on your passport.  Secondly, we should pass the legislation that I’ve introduced that suspends all refugees from nations that ISIS or Al Quaea control significant territory in.

Carson said that like all problems it can be solved with common sense if you remove the ego and the politics.  Clearly what we need to do is get a group of experts together including people from other countries, some of our friends from Israel and come up with some new guidelines for immigration and visas for people who are coming into this country.  As far as the Syrians are concerned.  Al Saka Province, perfect place, they have infrastructure.  All we need to do is protect them, they’ll be in their own country and that’s what they told me when I was in Jordan in November.  Let’s listen to them and let’s not listen to our politicians.

Trump was asked about the New York Times saying he wanted to put a 45 tariff on Chinese goods.  Trump said that this was false.  He explained that he is open to tariffs on Chinese goods, because they are devaluing their money, so they can sell their good cheaper in the U.S. and they put a tariff on goods we send there.  Kasich basically agreed with him, but Rubio  said that the U.S. consumer would end up paying the tariff, because the Chinese would raise their prices.  That’s the point, Marco.  If the Chinese have to raise their prices, perhaps our manufacturers could compete.  Trump said that it will never happen.  They’ll let their currency go up.  Japan, the same thing.  Look at Caterpillar Tractor and what’s happening to Caterpillar and Kamatsu.  Friends of mine are ordering Kamatsu tractors now, because they devalued the Yen to such an extent that you can’t buy a Caterpillar tractor.  We’re letting them get away with it.  That’s why we have to use great business people and not political hacks to negotiate with these people.  Jeb Bush claimed this would lead to retaliation, such as going  with Air Bus instead of Boeing.  Trump said, we don’t need a weak person being President of the United States. Ok?  Because that’s what we’ll get if it were Jeb.  And by the way, Boeing?  They order those planes and they force them to be made in China.  That’s not the way the game is supposed to be played.  Jeb said that the fact that the plane is being built here is being sold in China.  Trump countered, no, the new planes.  I’m not talking about old planes.  They’re building massive plants in China.  China happens to be smart.

Cruz said that both Donald and Jeb have good points, but there is a middle ground.  Donald is right that China is running over President Obama like he is a child.  Jeb is also right that if we just impose a tariff, they’ll put reciprocal tariffs that will hurt Iowa farmers and South Carolina producers and 20% of the American jobs that depend on exports.  The way you do it is you pass a tax plan like the tax plan I’ve introduced.  A simple flat tax.  10% for individuals and a 16% business flat tax.  You abolish the IRS.  The business flat tax enables us to abolish the corporate income tax, the death tax, the Obamacare tax, the payroll taxes, and they’re border adjustable, so every export pays no taxes whatsoever, a huge advantage for our farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers.  And every import pays the 16% business flat tax.  It’s like a tariff, but here’s the difference.  If we impose a tariff, China responds.  The business flat tax… they already impose their taxes on us, so there’s no reciprocal tariffs that come against us.  It puts us on a level, even playing field, which brings jobs here at home.

On the topic of corporations that have 2 trillion dollars overseas to avoid the 35% tax rate for bringing it back to America and companies moving overseas to avoid high U.S. tax rates, Chris Christie suggested a one time 8.75% tax rate to bring the money back.  Carson suggests a fair tax system.  A flat tax for everybody, no exemptions, no deductions, no shelters.  The other thing we have to do is stop spending so much money.  My mother taught me this.  She only had a 3rd grade education.  If we fix the tax system, make it absolutely fair and get rid of all the incredible regulations, because every regulation is a tax on goods and services.  It’s the most regressive tax that there is.  When you buy a box of laundry detergent and the price has gone up 50 cents, because of regulations, a poor person notices that, a rich person does not.  Middle class may notice it when they get to the cash register and everything is costing more money.  And Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will say, it’s those evil rich people.  It’s not the evil rich people, it’s the evil government that is putting all these regulations on us, so that we can’t survive. 

Trump said, Maria, what you are talking about is called corporate inversion.  It’s one of our biggest problems our country has.  Right now, corporations by the thousands are thinking of leaving our country.  They’re leaving because of taxes, but they’re also leaving, because they can’t get their money back in. 

Bartiromo asked what policies would be put forward to make sure Social Security and Medicare are more financially secure?  Let’s overlook the fact that both are unconstitutional.

Rubio started talking about a Value Added Tax, accusing Cruz’s tax plan of being a VAT.  He explained why a VAT is bad, because it hides how much the government is taking from the people  and is really bad for seniors who are no longer earning an income.  They don’t get the income tax break, but their prices are going to be higher.  He said he agrees with Reagan on the VAT and not Pelosi.

Cruz said that Marco has been floating this attack for a few weeks now.  But the problem is, the business flat tax in my proposal is not a VAT.  A VAT is imposed as a sales tax when you buy a good.  This is a business flat tax.  It is imposed on businesses.  And a critical piece that Marco seems to be missing is that this 16% business flat tax enables us to eliminate the corporate income tax.  It goes away.  It enables us to eliminate the death tax.  If you’re a farmer, if you’re a rancher, if you’re a small business owner, the death tax is gone.  We eliminate the payroll tax.  We eliminate the Obamacare taxes.  There’s a difference between Marco’s tax plan and mine.  Mine gives every American a simple flat tax of 10%.  Marco’s top tax rate is 35%.  My tax plan allows you to fill out your taxes on a post card, so we can abolish the IRS.  Marco leaves the IRS code in with all the complexity.  We need to break the Washington cartel and the only way to do it is to end all the subsidies and all the mandates and have a simple flat tax.  In the final observation, he invoked Ronald Reagan.  I would note, that Art Lauffer, Ronald Reagan’s chief economic adviser has written publicly that my simple flat tax is the best tax plan of any of the individuals on this stage.

Marco and Ted began to argue briefly when Christie broke in and said, this was a question on entitlements.  Remember that everybody?  Marco said that he’d answer that and Christie said, you already had your chance, Marco, you blew it.  No one wants to answer a question on entitlements, because it’s hard.  It’s a hard problem.  I’m the only one up on this stage, who back in April put forward a detailed entitlement reform plan that will save over one trillion dollars, save Social Security, save Medicare and avoid this.  Avoid what Hillary Rodham Clinton will do to you, because what she will do is come in and raise Social Security taxes.  Bernie Sanders has already said it.  And she is just one or two more poll drops down from even moving further left than she’s moved already.  

Trump was asked how he can separate himself from his company if he becomes President.  He said that if he becomes President he could care less about his company, it’s peanuts.  I want to make America rich again and great again.  I have Ivanka, Eric and Don sitting there.  Run the company kids, have a good time, I’m going to do it for America. 

Neil Cavuto turned to police.  He said that violent crime has spiked in 30 cities across the country (where guns are banned), and police are afraid to do their jobs, afraid of being sued or thrown in jail.  He asked Christie what he would do.  Christie went on about how much Obama hates police.  He said that Sanctuary cities are part of the problem.  Neil asked Kasich what he thinks of Chicago’s move recently to retrain cops to not be so quick to use their guns.  Kasich said that he created a task force and the person he named as one of the co-chairmen is a lady named Nina Turner, a former state senator, a liberal democrat.  With the head of public safety they sat down as a group trying to make sure that we can begin to heal some of these problems.  So in other words, Kasich’s solution is to hire a liberal democrat to fix the problem.  Is he in the right debate?

Bartiromo said that under current law, the U.S. will issue more green cards to immigrants in the next 5 years than the entire population of South Carolina.  Under Rubio’s bill, this will increase by another 10 million over 10 years.  She asked Rubio why he is so interested in opening the border to foreigners when American workers have a hard enough time finding work.  Rubio said that this issue has to be about keeping America safe.  What?  There is a radical jihadist group that is manipulating our immigration system.  He said that our number one priority has to be to insure that ISIS can’t get killers into the United States.  24 months ago we didn’t have radical islamists trying to come into our country.  The entire system of legal immigration must now be reexamined.  This is Rubio trying to walk back his stance on immigration, because he figured out which party he is running for President in.

Cruz said, radical islamisicm was not invented 24 months ago.  24 months ago we had Al Quada, we had Boko Haram, we had Hamas, we had Hezbola, we had Iran putting operatives in South America and Central America.  It’s the reason why I stood with Jeff Sessions and Steve King and lead the fight to stop the Gang of Eight Amnesty bill, because it was clear then, like it’s clear now that border security is national security.  It is also the case that that Rubio Shumer amnesty bill, one of the things it did, it expanded Barack Obama’s power to let in Syrian refugees. The Senate voted just a few weeks ago to suspend Syrian refugees.  I voted yes to suspend that, Marco voted on the other side.  So you don’t get to say we need to secure the borders and at the same time try to give Barack Obama more authority to allow middle eastern refugees coming in when the head of the FBI tells us they cannot vet them to determine if they are ISIS terrorists.

Bush was asked about communications and wire tapping and if government should be allowed to tap in without warrants.  With a lot of waffling, his answer was yes and he wants laws changed to keep companies from being sued for sharing their data with government.  So, just throw the 4th Amendment out.

Closing Statements:

John Kasich: In our country there are a lot of people who feel as though they just don’t have the power.  Having been raised by a mailman father whose father was a coal miner who died of black lung and was losing his eye sight.  Or a mother whose mother could barely speak English.  All of my career I thought about giving voice to the people I grew up with and voice to the people who elected me.  If you really want to believe that you can get your voice back, I will continue to fight for you. 

Jeb Bush: Who can you count on to keep us safer, stronger and freer?  Does wire tapping make us freer?   As governor, I pushed Florida up to the top in terms of jobs, income and small business growth.  Credibility counts.  There are people here who will talk about what they’re going to do.  I’ve done it.  I ask for your support.  To build together, a safer and stronger American. 

Chris Christie:  When I think about the folks who are out there home tonight watching, and I think about what they ahd to watch this week, this spectacle they had to watch at the floor of the House of Representatives where the President of the United States who talked a fantasy land about the way they’re feeling.  They know this country is not respected around the world and they know this country is pushing the middle class, the hard working tax payers, backwards.  They saw a President who doesn’t understand their pain.  And doesn’t have any plan for getting away from it.  I love this country.  It’s the most exceptional country the world has ever known.  We need someone to fight for these people.  I’ve lived my whole life fighting.  Fighting for things I believe in. Fighting for justice and to protect people from crime and terrorism.  We need fight Hillary Clinton and make sure she never gets in the White House again.  I am the man who can bring us together to do that and I ask for your vote. 

Ben Carson: I’ve encountered so many Americans who are discouraged and angry as they watch our freedom, our security and the American dreams slipping away under an unresponsive government that is populated by bureaucrats and special interest groups.  The only way we’re going to solve this problem is with We the People.  And I ask you to join me in truth and honesty and integrity. BenCarson.com.  We will heal, inspire and revive America for our children.

Marco Rubio: You know, 200 years ago America was founded on this powerful principle that our rights don’t come from government.  Our rights come from God.  That’s why we embraced free enterprise and it made us the most prosperous people in the history of the world.  That’s why we embraced individual liberty and we became the freest people ever.  Now, people say what I feel.  This country is changing.  It feels different.  We feel like we’re being left behind and left out and the reason is simple.  Because in 2008 we elected as President someone who wasn’t interested in fixing America.  We elected someone as President who wants to change America.  Who wants to make it more like the rest of the world.  And so he undermines the Constitution.  And he undermines free enterprise by expanding government.  And he betrays our allies and cuts deals with our enemies and guts our military.  And that’s why 2016 is a turning point in our history.  If we elect Hillary Clinton our next 4 years will be worse than our last 8.  Our children will be the first Americans ever to inherit a diminished country.  If you elect me, we will turn this country around.  We will reclaim the American Dream.  And this nation will be stronger and greater than it has ever been.

Ted Cruz: Thirteen Hours, tomorrow morning a new movie will debut.  About the incredible bravery of the men fighting for their lives in Benghazi and politicians that abandoned them.  I want to speak to all our fighting men and women.  I want to speak to all all the moms and dads whose sons and daughters are fighting for this country and the incredible sense of betrayal when you have a Commander in Chief who will not even speak the name of our enemy, Radical Islamic Terrorism.  When you have a Commander in Chief who sends 150 billion dollars to the Ayatollah Khomeini who is responsible for murdering 100’s of our service men and women.  I want to speak to all of those maddened by political correctness where Hillary Clinton apologizes for saying all lives matter.  This will end.  It will end on January 2017.  And if I am elected President every soldier and sailor and airman and marine and every police officer and fire fighter and first responder who risks their lives to keep us safe.  I will have your back. 

Donald Trump: I stood yesterday with 75 construction workers.  They’re tough, they’re strong, they’re great people.  Half of them had tears pouring down their face.  They were watching the humiliation of our young 10 sailors sitting on the floor with their knees in a begging position, their hands up.  And Iranian wise guys holding guns to their heads.  It was a terrible sight.  A terrible sight.  And the only reason we got them back is because we owed them, with a stupid deal 150 billion dollars.  If I’m president there won’t be stupid deals anymore.  We will make America great again.  We will win on everything we do.  Thank you.

Well, that wraps it up.  Writing this took me well past my bed time, so I have no time to proof read, so please understand.  As always, I am not giving my opinions for winners, but the losers are clearly Kasich, Bush, and Christie.  They just have no concept of the Constitution, no matter how many times they say the word “Constitution.” 

AMP (Anna Maria Perez)

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