A potential Republican candidate for U.S. Congress stopped by Feb. 9 to speak with Anson Republicans.

Tim D'Annunzio spoke to about two dozen citizens in the theater of the Hampton B. Allen Library.

The Darby, Pa. native, now a resident of Raeford, gave a brief biography and then took questions from the audience about his policy positions and opinions.

After serving in the U.S. Army as an infantryman and parachute rigger, he became a member of the Golden Knights parachute team and represented the U.S. Army around the world, according to his official campaign Web page.

After an honorable discharge, he started a company in North Carolina that manufactures products related to military and civilian parachuting. He claims to own "the world's largest freefall simulator wind tunnel."

He segued from his company to the economy.

"Everybody knows [jobs are] the biggest issue nationally right now," he said. He attacked Democrats in Washington, claiming their solutions were not working.

"I fear that [the American Dream] is disappearing for this generation and others to come," he said.

"I think our economy is probably going to collapse" later this year, he said later in the evening.

D'Annunzio expressed his opposition to a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" because he believed it was the first step in "normalizing homosexual marriage."

"I think it's the greatest evil that has been perpetrated by one group of human beings against another group of human beings in history," he said of abortion.

One man expressed his opinion that he was "being robbed" every time he paid into Social Security because he doubted its future solvency.

"You are," D'Annunzio replied. He added he believed there was no basis for that program, along with Medicare or Democrats' proposed healthcare reform, in the Constitution.

He claimed the only way to save Social Security and Medicare was to place them under the control of the states.

He expressed his support of a national sales tax in place of the income tax as well as an audit of the Federal Reserve.

D'Annunzio expressed his desire to see the departments of Energy and Education eliminated. He believes there is too much regulation coming out of Washington.

"We all believe in 'common sense-type' regulation," he said.

Asked by North Carolina State Senate candidate Jason Phibbs what practical steps he would take to return powers to the states, he replied, "All I can do is fight."

"The country will not survive if we don't take it back in 2010," he said.

He said the situation was so dire, if the Republicans did not take back Congress and the White House, "in just a few years it all collapses."

To that end, D'Annunzio said Americans were living in as profound a time as the American Revolution.

"We can't turn our back on Israel," he said, when asked about his stance toward the country.

He also made a comparison of liberals to Muslim extremists.

"The liberals here, in the country, are never going to stop," he said, adding Muslim extremists were similar. "Israel understands that."

"We should be doing more than sanctions against Iran," he said.

When one woman asked why the U.S. did not "just bomb the hell out of them," he replied, "Someone is going to."

He said the U.S. was leaving Iraq because its will to make war was destroyed.

"That will is destroyed through the media and through the liberals," he said. "If the will is destroyed the enemy knows they have an ally inside this country."

He singled out the media as "the enemy's ally."

He used occasional diversions about American history to make his points. At one point, after a discussion about the Federalist Papers, he said the U.S. was now "in the tyrant stage."

"I believe I'm the most conservative" candidate, he said of his bona fides.

Last month, the Anson County Republican Party heard from two other candidates hoping to replace Congressman Larry Kissell, Darrell Day and Hal Jordan. Primaries will be held May 4.