PLATTSBURGH — About 14 hours after he was absent from a high-profile candidates forum, Conservative Party candidate for Congress Douglas Hoffman spent about an hour addressing issues at a chamber breakfast.

Hoffman spoke to nearly 100 people at the Plattsburgh/North Country Chamber of Commerce breakfast Thursday morning, touching on several issues.

RIGHT TO LIFE
On Wednesday evening, Hoffman was noticeably absent from the forum held at E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium at Hawkins Hall, Plattsburgh State.

Hoffman's opponents, Republican Dierdre "Dede" Scozzafava and Democrat William Owens, both were there.

Hoffman told the chamber crowd that he missed the forum because had to attend a telephone conference "town hall" meeting organized by the Right to Life group that had been scheduled weeks ago.

"That (Right to Life) is a very important issue to me," said Hoffman, who is pro-life.

He also said that he agreed to attend every other debate that all three candidates would be at and that it has been Owens who has made a practice of backing out or not agreeing to participate.

TAXES, SPENDING
During his talk with the chamber crowd, Hoffman, a certified public accountant and managing partner of an accounting firm, repeatedly mentioned the need to curb taxes and government spending and to bring down the deficit.

He said the way to do that is to stop taxing businesses and allow them to reinvest in themselves, which will create jobs.

"Small businesses generate most of the job growth in the North Country and America," Hoffman said.

He favors a flat-tax system instead of the immensely complicated tax code that exists now.

He noted how Ireland pulled itself out of economic doldrums by implementing a flat tax about a decade ago.

"I would propose a flat-tax system even though about 50 percent of our firm's revenue comes from tax returns. But I would do it because it is right for America."

Hoffman also said that repealing some of the tax cuts installed by former President George W. Bush would hurt average citizens and not just the rich.

"To say they are just for the rich is totally incorrect."

EARMARKS
Hoffman also said that his opponents' claims that he is against earmarks are false. He explained that he is in favor of getting every dollar available for important projects but is against back-room dealing to get unneeded funding.

"I will make sure that all necessary projects are approved, but I will cut out the fat and pork."

On President Barack Obama's stimulus package, Hoffman said that while some parts of it are useful, spreading it out over three years and targeting governments instead of businesses is not the answer.

"That's like having your house on fire and sitting down to write a letter and then mailing it to the fire department," Hoffman said. "We need a jump-start now."

HEALTH CARE
Hoffman also told the crowd that he does not favor the president's health-care plan.

He said having government-run health care would not work and would be far too costly.

He said one way to fix health care is to implement tort reform to limit damages awarded and to find the $120 billion in waste and fraud in the system.

"If we can't find it, then we should hire a CPA to go in and find it."

E-mail Joe LoTemplio at: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com