Sen. Toomey On Pierson's Resignation, Ebola And Republican Prospects For The Senate
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Chris Stigall spoke with Senator Pat Toomey on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT about the first case of Ebola in the United States and the resignation of Julia Pierson, the Director of the Secret Service.
Toomey thinks the failings of the Secret Service, which have cost Pierson her job, demonstrate an ingrained problem with government in general.
"Government is usually incompetent and the reason -- it's not a slur or a slander against government employees -- is the fact that, systematically, it's not subject to competition. The private sector would be, too, except that if you're incompetent in the private sector, it ends up costing your business, you lose your job, or the company you work for goes out of business. There are pressures from competition that force the constant striving for excellence in the private sector. Government is immune from that competition."
He feels the best course of action to prevent Ebola from becoming a pandemic is to send resources to West Africa now.
"I think we have to be very concerned about this. I do think it's right to send American capability to the places in West Africa where this has become a huge problem to try to contain it there. If this spreads into the big cities of Africa, then it really could be catastrophic, and it will spread from there. Once it's in the big cities, where they have regular commercial air flights and other means of easily spreading this, it could be catastrophic. We certainly have to do everything we can to keep it bottled up where it is."
Toomey also remains cautiously optimistic that Republicans will take control of the Senate after November's mid-term elections.
"I think odds modestly favor Republicans taking control, I really do. I think there is a very broad dissatisfaction with this administration."