jeremiah-wright « WordPress.com Tag Feed

Obama the same today as yesterday (1995, that is)

Procrustes — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:43:02 +0000

Ben Smith at The Politico posted the following video of Obama from 1995 that "[turned] up" by a "pro-Obama" blogger. Smith comments the video "reveals that Obama was...exactly the same 13 years ago." (h/t RV)

In "Obama Unchanged", Smith writes:

He tells the story of his grandmother visiting his African-American Chicago world for the first time, and speaks warmly (as he does in Dreams for My Father, which he's promoting) of Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Andrew Sullivan sees the consistency in "his determination to confront racial polarization and his cultural centrism (as well as liberal politics)." There's also, though, an analytical detachment, even when talking about himself, that he's shaken off as this campaign cycle progressed.

Do We Really Want a President Who Lets the Press Interview his 7 and 10 Year Old Daughters?

goodtimepolitics — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:29:11 +0000

Barack's True Colors...

Double Barreled Opinions

Now that it's over, Obama says they'll probably not let it happen again. They said it was an exception, that they got carried away. Well DUH! But wake up Barack Hussein Obama - it's too late - your true colors are showing.

Clueless...
What kind of a presidential candidate would let the press interview his 10 and 7 year old daughters? Someone who is clueless. Someone who is more interested in HIS objectives than shielding and protecting his daughters. It reeks of nothing more than an attention getting gimmick.

As a country, we can't afford to have an inexperienced, clueless president who does not understand simple, common-sense things like this. What mistakes will he make as president when he gets "carried away"? What catastrophes will be "exceptions" then?

http://www.doublebarreledopinions.com/113.htm

I suggest you check out the page above to understand why its so bad to allow press interview his 10 and 7 year old daughters. But if we think back Obama allow his daughters to listen to Jeremiah Wright taking God's name in vain and cursing America. Not much of a man that would do such a thing. Obama would do anything it seem to win this election and this proves it!

Is Obama a Patriot?

Aaron — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:19:55 +0000

Author: Aaron

At a rally in Raleigh, NC yesterday, Barack Obama threatened John McCain, he said, ““I don’t intend to lose this election. John McCain doesn’t know what he’s up against,” and then added, “Let me be clear: I will let no one question my love of this country.” Ok, so it wasn’t the worst threat in the world, but it was still a threat, kind of like saying “you don’t know what’s coming”. But put that aside, and the first term senator from Illinois is just starting to get antsy since he’s losing all of the hype that has surrounded him during this election. And just to spite Barack Obama, I’m going to question his patriotism and love for this country:

Did you love America Barack Obama when you voted against an emergency defense spending bill for out troops?

Did you feel Patriotic Barack Obama when you couldn’t lift your hand and cover your heart during the pledge of allegiance?

Were you loving America when you married a woman who had never felt proud to be an American until she was over 40 years old?

Did you feel patriotic Barack Obama when you befriended William Ayers. A man that bombed the U.S. Capitol, numerous other federal buildings and said he would do it again?

Did you mean to be patriotic Barack Obama when you said you would meet with terrorist Mahmud Ahmadenijad, Communists Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro and Kim Jong Ill, without pre-conditions?

What about in 2007 when you said that you won’t wear an American flag on your lapel, since people viewed it as a way to be patriotic?

How much did you love America when you sat through sermon after sermon filled with anti-American sentiment?

Did you love America when the man that married you and your wife, the pastor of the church you spent 20 years in, Jeremiah Wright, continuously said “G-d D*** America” and called the United States the “USKKK of A”?

This stuff isn’t even going into his anti-capitalist, pro-communist agenda. This isn’t even tapping into his common disrespect and disregard of the middle class American. This isn’t going extensively into his voting record and looking at numerous other occasions where Barack Obama, tried to slow down what America is all about. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. These reasons are just the social aspect of Barack Obama, and the social aspect of someone really translates into their true personality.

Barack And Michelle Obama Bashing "Ignorant" Americans

exemployee — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:42:53 +0000

Below you will find the statements made by Barack Obama concerning his "inflating tires" remarks. He has since included those who don't follow his beliefs on this as "ignorant". Read below, then click on the video for further enjoyment.

"There are things that you can do individually though to save energy," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, said. "Making sure your tires are properly inflated, simple thing, but we could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling, if everybody was just inflating their tires and getting regular tune-ups. You could actually save just as much." --Barack Obama July 30, 2008

Now after hearing much critisicm over this "tire inflating" nonsense that he made in front of a crowd in Missouri, he makes this remark to a crowd in Ohio:

"So I told them something simple," Obama said. "I said, 'You know what? You can inflate your tires to the proper levels and that if everybody in America inflated their tires to the proper level, we would actually probably save more oil than all the oil we'd get from John McCain drilling right below his feet there, or wherever he was going to drill.'"So I told them something simple," Obama said. "I said, 'You know what? You can inflate your tires to the proper levels and that if everybody in America inflated their tires to the proper level, we would actually probably save more oil than all the oil we'd get from John McCain drilling right below his feet there, or wherever he was going to drill."

Notice how in this latter statement he includes the word "probably" when he talks about saving oil. Obama is a real piece of work. Are we to just forget what idiotic things come out of his mouth? Or his wife's? Now he wants to call all the citizens in the Republican party "ignorant" because we do not think his "inflate your tires" remark is a very practicle one. Why would I want to be led by some socialistic person who thinks "I" am ignorant. Hmmm. Click on the video below to hear this from his own condescending mouth.

Favoring a Christian president--or not

James McPherson — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:07:00 +0000

Despite criticism leveled at John McCain for saying last year that he would prefer that the United States have a Christian president, most Americans apparently agree. Not that it matters much--despite the loons who still maintain that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim, no non-Christian has mounted a serious candidacy for decades, other than perhaps Mormon Mitt Romney (a definitional issue too complicated to get into here, but which may cause interesting problems for social conservatives if McCain tabs Romney as his vice presidential nominee--see the arguments here and here).

The mixed emotions among people of faith about Romney's candidacy point out a significant problem with the "Christian president" theme. Even those who prefer a Christian leader don't agree is about what kind of Christian president they want. Should he (or she, assuming we'll someday get there) be in line with John Hagee, Jeremiah Wright, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, the "Jesus for President" folks, or some other version of Christianity?

Should it be someone who believes that even Christian founding fathers intended for a separation of church and state, or someone who believes that those founders intended to create a "Christian nation" (though as religious scholar Stephen J. Stein points out in a recent article in Historically Speaking, "Virtually all Protestant clergy at the time were persuaded that the Antichrist was the pope"--the leader of the same church that now provides conservatives with much of their support (along with five of the nine members of the Supreme Court)?

How does one decide which candidates--or non-candidates--are Christian enough? Heavy conservative contributor Rev. Sun Myung Moon owns the Washington Times, which has become perhaps the best-known conservative newspaper other than the Wall Street Journal. Yet Moon, who also founded the American Family Coalition and calls himself a Christian, also refers to himself and his wife as "the first couple to have the complete blessing of God, and to be able to bring forth children with no original sin." Despite Moon's wacky views, I don't know of any conservative Christian candidates who refuse his money or who seek to be excluded from the Times.

Like every other regular faculty member at the university in which I teach, I am a Christian. So is one of my best friends, but we disagree on many things. The university president, in his latest quarterly message to alums and friends of the university, lists among 15 things he loves about the school: "An environment in which people who disagree with each other protect each other. I have yet to meet a faculty member on the liberal-conservative continuum who wants to silence his or her counterparts. In fact, faculty and staff members at Whitworth recognize that, ultimately, freedom to disagree provides protection for their ideas." I can't think of any faculty member here, though, who would make a good U.S. president.

Many conservatives hated Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, all of whom were "Christian presidents" who expressed their faith more often and more comfortably than conservative heroes Barry Goldwater (who fell short of the presidency, of course) and Ronald Reagan. They generally disliked Roosevelt for his practical application (government intervention) of what he saw as Christian duty, while bashing Carter for failing to apply his own Southern Baptist views strictly enough. The two worst presidents of my lifetime--and the two generally recognized as the most religious--have been Carter and George W. Bush.

One key question is how a president should demonstrate his faith. Jerry Falwell once suggested that preachers should stay out of politics. But one of Bush's biggest appeals was his willingness to state publicly his belief in Christ. One thing seems certain, however: a president who professes Christian principles and then seriously fails to live up to those principles--to me, Clinton and Bush are obvious examples--ill serves both the nation and his fellow Christians.

In addition, as I suggested yesterday with my discussion of the Saddleback Church forum, the nation also is poorly served when it stresses the faith of its president above all else. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin noted before the forum that Abraham Lincoln would likely fail to measure up to today's religious standards for presidential candidates (he might also be viewed as too inexperienced and too homely to be a serious candidate, of course).

All else being equal, I'd prefer a Christian president. But if there's an honest non-Christian candidate who will do more to reduce the budget deficit, produce a workable national health care plan, and keep us out of foolish illegal wars, I say bring on the heathen.

Added note: Somewhat related to this post (and perhaps slightly more related to yesterday's), this al-Jazeera column offers an interesting discussion of religion in America and of evil as defined by U.S. presidential candidates. For example:

If religious interviews were done with such fanfare and influence in a Muslim country, democratic or otherwise, western and especially US media would have made mockery of such an imposition of religious fundamentalism on political process.

For most outsiders, the US is in denial over its own "evil doing" around the world. Obama and McCain could see evil in Darfur but would not admit that the invasion and occupation of Iraq on false premises or for oil is no less an evil act.

McCain leads Obama 56 percent to 34 percent

goodtimepolitics — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:49:01 +0000

While troops deployed abroad might be giving more money to Barack Obama, a poll released today says that John McCain will get the vast majority of votes from members of the military and veterans.

McCain leads Obama 56 percent to 34 percent, with 11 percent expressing no opinion or picking someone else.

The military vote could be a difference maker in several traditionally Republican states where Obama is trying to pull off upsets, including North Carolina and Virginia.

And McCain would seem to have the edge because veterans tend to be Republican and because of his experience as a decorated Vietnam War veteran and prisoner of war. Obama did not serve in the military.

I'm sure that our military men and women would want someone with experience to be their Commander in Chief. Who would want a leader like Obama with no experience except for sitting in a Church for 20 years listening to Jeremiah Wright saying "God damm America."

Geraghty asks reporters if they KNOW Obama

Procrustes — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:17:40 +0000

A Google email alert just brought something so refreshing, and so damning, that it needs to be spread far and wide. In the context of how the media managed for more than a decade to follow the career of former N.C. Sen. John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, without really knowing them at all, Jim Geraghty at NRO asks:

Do the reporters covering Obama feel like they really know what he heard in the pews of the Trinity United Church, Sunday after Sunday? Do they feel like they really understand why he had a fifteen year relationship with Tony Rezko, and why Obama bought his house with Rezko, even after it was known that Rezko was the target of a federal investigation? Do they feel like Obama's been honest about his relationship with Bill Ayers, calling him a professor who lives in his neighborhood? ("No," Tom Maguire explains.) Do they feel like every last dollar Obama has raised is on the up-and-up, including the $1,000 from a donor named "Hbkjb, jkbkj"? Do they think there's any reason to look into the small mountain of papers and documents he won't release?

The press is being given this big, clear, obvious lesson: POLITICIANS THAT SEEM NICE AREN'T ALWAYS REALLY NICE. YOU HAVE TO LOOK BEYOND THE SURFACE. And many reporters hear that, nod, smile, and then go on to completely ignore a candidate falsely accusing his critics of lying.

Well, Jim, all RBO has to say is this: If you think that is all the good Senator is lying about, come spend a few days here reading RBO's archive. It'll be an enlightening education if nothing else.

Jack Cafferty is a tool

Steven — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:54:55 +0000

Jack Cafferty has one of his usual flaming liberal columns up today over at CNN.com. It is basically a hit piece saying that McCain is stupid, an idiot, and a moron.

Let's do some response:

Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation.

His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11, when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, and the time Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans.

Sen. John McCain takes weekends off and limits his campaign events to one a day. He made an exception for the religious forum on Saturday at Saddleback Church in Southern California.

(Let me clear my throat) It was OBAMA who went on vacation when Russia invaded Georgia. And so what if McCain doesn't want to campaign at a pace where he runs himself ragged. He's doing a fine job of campaigning, running even with the Great Obamessiah! At least he didn't skip a visit to the troops to go play basketball for three hours.

It occurs to me that John McCain is as intellectually shallow as our current president. When asked what his Christian faith means to him, his answer was a one-liner. "It means I'm saved and forgiven." Great scholars have wrestled with the meaning of faith for centuries. McCain then retold a story we've all heard a hundred times about a guard in Vietnam drawing a cross in the sand.

As a Christian myself, I think he answered the question fairly well. He was asked "what it means to him." And to him it means grace, salvation, and forgiveness. That is what it means personally for every Christian. By grace we are saved through faith. Christ died for us so that we would be forgiven. Is that too hard to understand Cafferty? I don't think Warren was looking for his systematic theology. I guess that just wasn't a great theological answer. Maybe we should let Obama's pastor of 20 years explain to us the meaning of great Christian faith: God Damn America, the U.S. of KKK A., our chickens are coming home to roost, and the government gave black people AIDS.!

Unless he's reciting talking points or reading from notes or a TelePrompTer, John McCain is lost. He can drop bon mots at a bowling alley or diner -- short glib responses that get a chuckle, but beyond that McCain gets in over his head very quickly.

I cannot believe that someone is saying McCain needs a TelePrompTer. Maybe you should check out Senator UH. Whenever Barack goes off the TelePrompTer, he talks about bitter people who cling to their guns and religion and how he visited all 57 states.

Cafferty, you are going to get at least four years to see how stupid McCain is, sweety.

Hugh Hewitt Audio: Barack Obama "Above My Paygrade"

exemployee — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:40:40 +0000

I was listening to Hugh Hewitt today on my way home from work, one of my favorite things to do, and I thought it such a true character protrayal of Obama I would add the audio to this blog. Just click on the link below and then click on the icon that says "listen to". It's as simple as that. What I found the most interesting was a portion that discussed Barack Obama stating that he had worked with John McCain on an issue (that occurred in 2002) as a Senator in Washington. I started laughing when I heard this. A logical person would have to ask themselves, "How could that be since he didn't become a Senator until 2004?" Listen to the audio. It just proves what a sack of lying you-know-what Barack Obama is. And by the way, if making a decision on abortion is "above my paygrade" why was he casting votes for it in Illinois? Seemed to have an opinion there.

http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/talkradio/Show.aspx?RadioShowID=5

Scroll down to Hugh's August 18th show titled Saddleback Church

from the mind of...

If You Live In Glass Houses Don't Throw Stones

exemployee — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:09:07 +0000

It's interesting how, depending on what party wants to talk about it, infideity in marriage is talked about or covered up. I mean, look at John Edwards. The pretty boy of the democratic party. Everything has been handed to him on a silver platter. The media couldn't cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter fast enough. And his wife is dying of cancer, in the present, at this very minute, a little bit every day. No one can begin to know what she is going through with all of this.

However, John McCain, who spent five years in a POW camp, came home a very different person from the one who left, to a wife who also was a very different person due to a horrible automobile accident, but he gets hounded 20 some years after the fact for leaving her for Cindy McCain. Excuse me, but not that I believe in divorce, I have been happily married for almost 25 years now (I can't speak for my husband, ha) but being a prisoner of war, beaten and body parts broken, for over five years, tends to change a persons perspective on life.

I'd like to know how in a nation where the divorce rate is 1:1 that a man who was divorced 20 years ago and has now been happily married for 30 years is being hounded about something that happened over 20 years ago. Afterall, we have John Edwards affair of today we could be talking about. But instead let's look at the divorces that aren't mentioned along with John McCain's divorce: Let us spell out D-I-V-O-R-C-E.....

1. Dem. Russ Feingold has been married twice.

2. Dem. Max Baucus has been married twice.

3. Dem. Thomas Carper has been married twice.

4. Dem. Kent Conrad has been married twice.

5. Dem. Christopher Dodd has been married twice.

6. Dem. Edward (Ted) Kennedy has been married twice.

7. Dem. John Kerry has been married twice.

If you really want me to go on I can, but I don't think it is necessary. It is that old school house rhyme of if you live in a glass house don't throw stones....

Barack Obama Insults Justice Thomas

exemployee — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:53:43 +0000

I don't know why this one went right over my head but it did, possibly because when I heard him say it I was so disgusted with something else he had said that I was oblivious to it, until tonight when The Old Gray Cat crept into my short term memory and reminded me of it. The words, THE AUDACITY of Barack Obama jumped into my head.

"Apparently Senator Obama said yesterday that the Supreme Court Justice he liked least was Clarence Thomas. I’ve met Justice Thomas, Senator, and you are no Clarence Thomas. He is a great man, a humble man, a friendly person who truly wants the Supreme Court to work for the people of this Nation. When I met him he was cordial and shook hands with me, but really wanted to talk to my son, who is in his 20s - he understands how our country needs to grow and develop, with young people with good hearts. I was kind of amazed at how he zeroed in on my son.

Senator Obama, you should talk to Justice Thomas. Get to know him. Get to know more people like him. Then, someday, you might be qualified to be President. Right now, you’re listening to the wrong people.

If we were to elect an African-American as President this year, Justice Thomas would be a far better President than Senator Obama." http://jdwaggoner.wordpress.com/

I am afraid that people have forgotten that there are several Justices on the Supreme Court that are ready and willing to retire if Obama is elected for president. Let me remind you:

Our Supreme Court Justices make decisions that affect the lives of everyday Americans, in cases that many of us never hear anything about. Their decisions are hard to overturn. Case in point, Roe v. Wade. Here is a look at our Justices of today:

[caption id="attachment_182" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="From Top Left, US Supreme Court Justices: John Roberts, John Paul Stevens, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito (Official US Supreme Court Photos) "][/caption]

Now, let's take a little closer look at the potential retirements we could be facing within the next four years.

John Roberts: Age 53 - Conservative - Probably won't retire

John Paul Stevens, 88 - Liberal - Probably will retire

Antonin Scalia, 72 - Conservative - Probably won't retire

Anthony Kennedy, 71 - Swing Vote - Probably won't retire, but could

David Souter, 68 - Liberal - Probably won't retire

Clarence Thomas, 60 - Conservative - Probably won't retire

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 75 - Liberal - Possibly could retire

Stephen Breyer, 69 - Liberal - Probably won't retire

Samuel Alito, 58 - Conservative - Probably won't retire

So, as you can see, there is a probability of two liberal retirees from our Supreme Court. If Barack Obama is the President that fills those two positions we will have a liberal court for a lengthy time, seeing that the ages of the other justices are quite young in todays new standards. Can we afford to have that happen?

UPDATED: MCCAIN'S VOTING RECORD

exemployee — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:15:29 +0000

Senator John Sidney McCain III (AZ)
Current Office: U.S. Senate Current District: Senior Seat Office Seeking: President First Elected: 11/04/1986 Last Elected: 11/02/2004 Next Election: 2010 Party: Republican
http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=53270 http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=S0061103 http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=53270 http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=53270 http://www.votesmart.org/speech.php?can_id=53270 http://www.votesmart.org/endorsements.php?can_id=53270 http://www.votesmart.org/extended_bio.php?can_id=53270 http://www.votesmart.org/finance.php?can_id=53270


Senator John Sidney McCain III repeatedly refused to provide any responses to citizens on the issues through the 2008 Political Courage Test when asked to do so by national leaders of the political parties, prominent members of the media, Project Vote Smart President Richard Kimball, and Project Vote Smart staff. Urge Senator John Sidney McCain III to fill out the Political Courage Test Campaign Website: http://www.johnmccain.com/ Campaign Webmail: http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/ What is the Political Courage Test? This candidate has responded in a past election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here. Congressional Election 2004 National Political Awareness Test Please Note The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item. Project Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.

Abortion Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.
	a) Abortions should always be illegal.
	b) Abortions should always be legal.
	c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
X	d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
X	e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
X	f) Prohibit the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial-birth" abortion.
X	g) Prohibit public funding of abortions and of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
	h) Other or expanded principles

Budgetary, Spending, and Tax Issues, Part 1: Budget Priorities
(Back to top)

Using the key, indicate what federal funding levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category.
Budget Priorities
Maintain Status	a) Agriculture
Slightly Decrease	b) Arts
Slightly Increase	c) Defense
Slightly Increase	d) Education
Maintain Status	e) Environment
Slightly Increase	f) Homeland security
Maintain Status	g) International aid
Maintain Status	h) Law enforcement
Slightly Increase	i) Medical research
Slightly Increase	j) National parks
Maintain Status	k) Public health services
Maintain Status	l) Scientific research
Slightly Decrease	m) Space exploration programs
Maintain Status	n) Transportation and highway infrastructure
Maintain Status	o) Welfare
Eliminate	p) Other or expanded categories
Pork barrel projects

Budgetary, Spending, and Tax Issues, Part 2: Defense Spending
(Back to top)

Defense Spending
Slightly Increase	a) Armed Forces personnel training
Greatly Increase	b) Intelligence operations
Slightly Increase	c) Military hardware
Slightly Increase	d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment
Slightly Increase	e) National missile defense
Greatly Increase	f) Pay for active duty personnel
Greatly Increase	g) Programs to improve troop retention rates
Slightly Increase	h) Research and development of new weapons
Greatly Increase	i) Troop and equipment readiness
Eliminate	j) Other or expanded categories
Defense pork barrel projects

Budgetary, Spending, and Tax Issues, Part 3: Taxes (A)
(Back to top)

Using the key above, indicate what federal tax levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category.
Taxes
Income Taxes:
Family Income
Greatly Decrease	a) Less than $25,000
Greatly Decrease	b) $25,000-$75,000
Greatly Decrease	c) $75,000-$150,000
Maintain Status	d) Over $150,000
	e) Other or expanded categories
Retiree Income
Greatly Decrease	f) Over $40,000
	g) Other or expanded categories
Other Taxes:
	a) Alcohol taxes
Greatly Decrease	b) Capital gains taxes
Maintain Status	c) Cigarette taxes
Slightly Decrease	d) Corporate taxes
Slightly Decrease	e) Gasoline taxes
Greatly Decrease	f) Inheritance taxes
	g) Other or expanded categories
Deductions/Credits:
Maintain Status	a) Charitable contributions
Slightly Increase	b) Child tax credit
Slightly Increase	c) Earned income tax credit
Greatly Increase	d) Medical expense deduction
Maintain Status	e) Mortgage deduction
Maintain Status	f) Student loan credit
	g) Other or expanded categories

Budgetary, Spending, and Taxes, Part 3: Taxes (B)
(Back to top)

No	4) Do you support permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
No	5) Do you support eliminating taxes on dividends paid to individual investors?
Yes	6) Should a married couple filing jointly pay the same taxes as if they were an unmarried couple filing separately?
	7) Other or expanded principles
Eliminate the marriage penalty

Campaign Finance and Government Reform Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.
	a) Support public taxpayer funding for federal candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
	b) Increase the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
	c) Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
	d) Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
	e) Allow ads paid for by soft money that support or attack a candidate for federal office.
X	f) Allow issue advocacy commercials by corporations, labor unions, and non-profit groups which appear within 60 days of a general election and within 30 days of a primary election.
	g) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
	h) Do you support instant run-off voting (IRV)?
Undecided	i) Should Election Day be a national holiday?
Yes	j) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?
Yes	k) Should marriage be restricted to a union only between a man and a woman?
l) Other or expanded principles
I support the concept of the presidential election campaign fund, but I believe it ought to be reformed so that candidates use it in primaries

Crime Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.
X	a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
	b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
X	c) Impose "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
X	d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
X	e) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
	f) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
X	g) Support additional criminal penalties if a fetus is killed in the commission of a federal crime against a pregnant woman.
	h) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, and disability be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
X	i) Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
X	j) Impose stricter penalties for those convicted of white-collar crimes.
	k) Enforcement of civil rights should primarily be the responsibility of the federal government.
X	l) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
X	m) Other or expanded principles
I support at-risk youth programs that are properly authorized & appropriated, not pork barrel projects; very young children should not be prosecuted as adults

Drug Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding drugs.
X	a) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
X	b) Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
	c) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
	d) Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
X	e) Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
	f) Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs."
	g) Other or expanded principles

Education Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
X	a) Support national standards for and testing of public school students.
X	b) Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any public school.
X	c) Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any private or religious school.
X	d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive authorization and funding to establish charter schools.
X	e) Increase funding for block grants to states to aid in the hiring of additional teachers.
X	f) Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
X	g) Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings, infrastructure, technology).
	h) Support granting states limited control over Head Start programs.
	i) Support changing the mission of Head Start to emphasize improving the math and reading skills of disadvantaged children.
	j) Providing education is not a responsibility of the federal government.
	k) Support affirmative action in public college admissions.
X	l) Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
X	m) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
	n) Other or expanded principles

Employment and Affirmative Action Issues
(Back to top)

1) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.
X	a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
X	b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
X	c) Provide tax credits or grants to businesses that offer child care services to employees.
X	d) Encourage employers to offer flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
	e) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
	f) Increase the federal minimum wage.
	g) Support the right of workers to strike without fear of being permanently replaced.
X	h) Allow workers to sell company stock and to diversify their company retirement funds into other investment options.
	i) Other or expanded principles
2) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding affirmative action.
	a) The federal government should consider race and gender in government contracting decisions.
	b) The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
	c) The federal government should continue affirmative action programs.
	d) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
	e) Other or expanded principles

Environment and Energy Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
X	a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
X	b) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
X	c) Require states to compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses of privately-owned land.
	d) Relax logging restrictions on federal lands.
	e) Relax standards on federal lands to allow increased recreational usage.
	f) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
X	g) Strengthen emission controls and fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
	h) Support opening a select portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration.
X	i) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
X	j) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
X	k) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits.
	l) Support the U.S. re-entering the Kyoto treaty process to limit global warming.
X	m) Other or expanded principles
I supported Healthy Forests legislation encouraging thinning in areas where communities exist near forests.

Gun Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.
	a) Renew the ban on the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
X	b) Maintain and strengthen the current level of enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
	c) Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
	d) Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
X	e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
X	f) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
X	g) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
	h) Require a license for gun possession.
	i) Establish a national database of ballistic "fingerprints" to track guns used in criminal activities.
X	j) Support legislation that would protect manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers of firearms from civil lawsuits by crime victims.
	k) Other or expanded principles

Health Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health care.
	a) Providing health care is not a responsibility of the federal government.
	b) Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income.
X	c) Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes appeal mechanisms when claims are denied.
X	d) Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes the right to sue when claims are denied.
X	e) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
X	f) Establish limits on the amount of punitive damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
X	g) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
	h) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under private managed care plans.
X	i) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
X	j) Support automatic enrollment of children in federal health care programs such as CHIP and Medicaid.
	k) Allow 55-65 year-olds to buy into Medicare.
X	l) Support stem cell research on existing lines of stem cells.
	m) Allow laboratories to create new lines of stem cells for additional research.
	n) Other or expanded principles

Immigration Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration.
	a) Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
	b) Establish English as the official national language.
X	c) Increase the number of visas issued for agricultural workers.
X	d) Relax restrictions barring legal immigrants from using social programs (e.g. public housing, food stamps).
	e) Support amnesty for certain illegal immigrants who already reside in the United States.
	f) Support the detention of asylum seekers from countries known to sponsor terrorism.
X	g) Other or expanded principles
I support comprehensive immigration reform allowing willing employers & employees to connect, while protecting American jobs & securing our borders

International Aid, International Policy, and Trade Issues, Part 1: International Aid
(Back to top)

International Aid
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding United States economic assistance.
X	a) Aid should be granted to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
X	b) Aid should be granted to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
	c) Aid should be eliminated for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
	d) Aid programs should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
	e) Other or expanded principles

International Aid, International Policy, and Trade Issues, Part 2: International Policy
(Back to top)

International Policy
1) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the Middle East.
Yes	a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
Yes	b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
No	c) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
d) Discuss your proposals for the reconstruction of Iraq. What funding sources would you use to implement these proposals? (75 words or less. Please use an attached page if the space below is not adequate.)
1st we need to dispense the funds that have already been authorized & appropriated, next we need to work w/ the international community to financially support the reconstruction effort. Finally, we need to be prepared to spend what it takes to assure success. It is too important not to fail
	e) Other or expanded principles
2) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Central and East Asia.
Yes	a) Should the United States use diplomatic and economic pressure to encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program?
	b) Should the United States use military force to destroy the North Korean nuclear weapons program?
	c) Should the United States remove the North Korean government from power?
Yes	d) Should the United States increase financial support to Afghanistan?
Yes	e) Should the United States increase military support to Afghanistan?
	f) Other or expanded principles
All options should be on the table w/ regard to N. Korea, but all opportunities should be exhausted before military force is used
3) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the United Nations.
Yes	a) Should the United States maintain its financial support of the United Nations?
No	b) Should the United States decrease its financial support of the United Nations?
Yes	c) Should the United States commit troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions?
d) Other or expanded principles
While implementing reforms, our nation should participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations when defense of our national interests and values calls for such action, provided the U.S. maintains operational control of our forces.
No	4) Should the United States lift the travel ban to Cuba?
Yes	5) Should the United States increase its financial support to Colombia to combat "the war on drugs"?
Yes	6) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention programs fund distribution of contraceptives?
Yes	7) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention fund abstinence education?
	8) Other or expanded principles

International Aid, International Policy, and Trade Issues, Part 3: International Trade
(Back to top)

International Trade
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade.
Yes	1) Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
Yes	2) Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?
Yes	3) Do you support continued U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO)?
	4) Should a nation's human rights record affect its normal trade relations (most favored nation) status with the United States?
Yes	5) Do you support the trade embargo against Cuba?
No	6) Should trade agreements include provisions to address environmental concerns and to protect workers' rights?
	7) Other or expanded principles

National Security Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security.
Yes	a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
Yes	b) Should the United States adopt stricter rules for student visa applications from nations known to sponsor terrorism?
No	c) Should the United States grant law enforcement agencies greater discretion to read mail and email, tap phones, and conduct random searches to prevent future terrorist attacks?
Yes	d) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
Yes	e) Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
Yes	f) Do you support a policy of pre-emptive strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to national security?
	g) Other or expanded principles
Pre-emptive strikes should be evaluated on a case by case basis depending on the severity of the threat

Social Security Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security.
X	a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage themselves.
	b) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts managed by private firms contracted by the government.
	c) Invest a portion of Social Security assets collectively in stocks and bonds instead of United States Treasury securities.
	d) Increase the payroll tax to better finance Social Security in its current form.
	e) Lower the annual cost-of-living increases.
	f) Raise the retirement age for when individuals are eligible to receive full Social Security benefits.
	g) Other of expanded principles

Technology and Communication Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding technology and communication.
	a) Collect taxes on commercial Internet transactions.
X	b) Continue the moratorium on Internet taxation.
	c) Implement regulation of Internet content.
	d) Support government mandates to curtail violent and sexual content on television.
X	e) Support strict penalties for Internet crimes (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
X	f) Support legislation to detail how personal information can be collected and used on the Internet.
	g) Regulating the Internet is not a responsibility of the federal government.
	h) Impose regulations on "spam" emails.
X	i) Other or expanded principles
Reasonable regulations should be enacted to protect individual privacy on & off line. Consistant regulation of pornography, fradulent activity, etc... should exist on & off line

Welfare and Poverty Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.
X	a) Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
X	b) Increase funding for child care programs.
X	c) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
X	d) Direct federal poverty aid through religious, community-based, or other non-profit organizations.
	e) Abolish all federal welfare programs.
X	f) Support housing assistance for low-income families.
	g) Other or expanded principles

Legislative Priorities
(Back to top)

On an attached page, disk, or via email, please explain in a total of 75 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
No Answer