Politics of 2008
My views on the issues most often brought up in political debate
War on Terror: It seems a number of people (some of them running for President) believe that if we abandon Iraq
and Afganistan, pulling all our troops home, all will be well. My question for them: Do you believe Al-Quida and other
extremist terrorist organizations are defeated? If not, do you believe that if we pull our troops home and stop attacking
them, that they will not rebuild and come back to inflict more 9/11-type attacks on us?
Iraq: The action to remove a dictator who had already unilaterally invaded a neighbor, used WMD (nerve gas) on
his own population, and actively funded terrorist groups was needed. Whether the U.S. was justified in doing so in
the midst of operations in Afghanistan is no longer relevant. We�re there, the situation is what it is, and must be
addressed.
My position: Troop levels should be set by the theater commanders, not politicians. The generals in charge have their
objectives (a stable, self-reliant government) and a plan for how to accomplish at least the military (force / police / law enforcement) aspect.
As the fighting inside Iraq dies down, more troops will be available to patrol the borders of Iraq to stop the influx of jihadists from other countries.
Political clout should be used both within Iraq (to steer the various factions toward cooperation with each other) and in the surrounding countries.
The majority of the insurrection forces currently fighting are from Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. These governments should feel the heat to start
restraining their reactionary elements.
Economy: Sub-prime mortgage bailout. Sub-prime means just that� not top-shelf, secure investments. If they fall out, it�s not the job of the
government to use OUR TAX DOLLARS to bail out either the mortgagee or mortgager.
Border Security & Illegal Immigration: These are two separate (though closely linked) issues, and so I will address them separately.
Border Security: Every sovereign nation has the right to secure their borders. It�s part of the definition of the term �sovereign�.
Those who are screaming loudest about our move to secure our border are those who are taking most advantage of the current porosity.
Immigration: America used to be called the �Melting Pot�. Steel is far stronger than iron. Steel is made by melting iron, coal, nickel,
and other substances together, forming a new, stronger material than the elements that went in. If the coal, nickel, etc. maintained their own separate
identity, we would have a brittle slag that would shatter at the slightest pressure. If people chose to come to the U.S., they should be willing to become
part of America. Put away your Honduran, Cuban, Italian, Vietnamese, Sudanese, or whatever flag, put up an American one. LEARN ENGLISH,
and speak it in public.
Be proud of your heritage, but be prouder of your chosen country.
Illegals: I understand that the U.S. Immigration policies and administration don�t function well. However, Illegal means �NOT LEGAL�. As such, you have
broken our law. You are not a citizen of this country and have no rights in this country. You are not entitled to medical care (unless you pay for it) or a day in court,
except immigration court at your deportation hearing. Companies should be held accountable for employing illegals, including fines & jail time.
Deficit: Current (and I refer to �current� as everything since Reagan) government fiscal policy for both parties should rightfully considered treason.
Congress has continued to spend more and more without any regard for the future. They�ve masked the amount of overspending each year by various means,
including shoring up their budget numbers by stealing money from Social Security. In order to balance the budget, there are two extremes � raise taxes to
match spending, or lower spending to match income, and a median � slash spending while raising taxes to meet somewhere in the middle.
My position: Read my lips: No New Taxes. If the Federal Government is spending 10% (or 12%, or whatever the actual number is) more than they receive, then
EVERY Federal agency should have a matching (I.e. 10%, 12%, etc) budget cut. In addition, Congress should be required to submit (and the President
to approve) only balanced budgets. Like we the taxpayer, �If you don�t earn it, you can�t spend it�. Responsibility for bloated bills and earmarks should be made transparent by requiring authors of every bill and earmark to put their name on them.