CHEYENNE - Citing the state of the economy, Republican U.S. House candidate Mark Gordon said if he is elected, his top priority will be to lower taxes.

On Wednesday after he filed for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House with the secretary of state's office, Gordon issued a paper that listed eight steps to revitalize the U.S. economy.

"I believe strongly that it's possible to keep taxes and make government more efficient and cut government waste and fraud and bring government into the 21st century," he said during a news conference here.

His general approach is that government ought to be closest to the people and accountable, and the "footprint" in Washington ought to be reduced.

He said he agrees with Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate for president, in wanting to do away with earmarking, or dedicating money in a budget to a specific projects.

These appropriations should stand alone on their own merit, he said.

"We need transparency," he said.

He wants to make the existing federal tax cuts permanent; to keep rates low on income and capital gains; repeal the alternative minimum tax; eliminate the death tax; and simplify the tax code.

A large tax burden makes it more difficult for the economy to recover, he said.

He acknowledged these changes will be difficult for a freshman congressman to get through.

"One reason I wanted to run was because I think there is need for people who have workaday experience," Gordon said.

As for the war in Iraq, Gordon said he believes the solution must be political.

"I don't want to stay there 100 years," he said.

He also said he favors diplomacy as part of the solution, as well as military involvement short of invasion.

"I don't think it's in anyone's favor to have a completely disorganized Mideast," Gordon said.

Gordon, a Buffalo area rancher and former chairman of the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council, is one of four Republicans seeking their party's nomination for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Rep. Barbara Cubin.

The other candidates are Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne, former two-term state treasurer; Bill Winney of Bondurant in Sublette County, a retired Navy captain; and Michael Holland, a Green River physician.

The only Democrat to file so far is Gary Trauner, a Teton County businessman who ran against Cubin two years ago. Libertarian W. David Herbert of Cody also is a candidate.

During the news conference, Gordon also said he wants to reform Social Security by giving workers some personal control over their future retirements.

A combination of 401(k) programs and health savings accounts could go a long way in helping to reduce the obligations of Social Security without sacrificing future benefits, he said.

Some steps are needed, he said, given the shrinking work force and the coming flood of baby boomers into the ranks of the retirees.

Gordon acknowledged there is a risk in relying on 401(k) investments to carry workers in retirement.

"I don't know if a 'no action' alternative gives people any more confidence that their futures are any more secure," Gordon said.

Contact Joan Barron at joan.barron@trib.com or by phone at 307-632-1244.