WAR IN IRAQ EDUCATION ENERGY ECONOMY IMMIGRATION REFORM

WAR IN IRAQ My position on the war in Iraq has been consistent .  While supporting the war in Afghanistan, I opposed the invasion of Iraq.  The preemptive unilateral invasion of the Arab heartland was a strategic blunder for our country. Solution I:  Immediate Withdrawal Our immediate withdrawal from Iraq would be almost as great a strategic blunder as was our invasion.  An immediate withdrawal would make our country less secure.  The invasion of Iraq created a haven for terrorists and our immediate withdrawal would most likely result in Iraq becoming a failed state as was pre-war Afghanistan. Solution II:  Stay the Course This is President Bush's current policy and it fails to recognize the reality that our presence in Iraq feeds and reinforces the insurgency.  Military experts estimate that success over the insurgents could take six to ten years.  This prospect is unacceptable to the American people. Solution III:  My Position The United States should complete a phased withdrawal of all its forces from Iraq by December 2006.  The United States should immediately seek an honest broker to arbitrate a compromise among the major Iraqi factions.  This honest broker could be a respected elder statesman from the United Nations or the Arab League.  The goal would be to create stability among the people in Iraq in exchange for our orderly withdrawal.

EDUCATION I am committed to fulfilling our promise of a quality education in a safe school for every child. As an educator for the past nineteen years, I have a sense of what will improve the educational opportunities for our children. First, we need the brightest and the best teaching our next generation in public schools. We cannot recruit the brightest and the best with the salaries currently paid today's teachers. Teacher pay and teacher competence must be a part of an overall strategy to improve our nation's public schools. To accomplish this I will work to increase funding for education. I support incentive pay programs which reward teachers for improved performance and attract talented people to join the teaching profession. I also support the innovative proposal by Senator Barack Obama of a National Teacher Academy that would place 25,000 new teachers in high-need public schools over five years.

ENERGY On The Energy Crisis: Long term reduction in energy consumption. Reduce Gasoline Consumption by raising the efficiency requirements for all vehicles (on May 2, 2006, ten states sued the Bush administration for failure to set responsible fuel efficiency standards). Give a tax credit to Americans who purchase fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles to compensate for the additional cost. Increase Production of Alternative Fuels through incentives in research for wind, solar, bio fuels. Expand domestic refinery capacity and permit additional exploration for petroleum in coastal areas   The cost of gasoline and utilities has become an unreasonable burden on American families today.  High demand and limited supply have driven energy costs to record levels. I believe that energy policy must address both supply and demand. By creating incentives to promote conservation and development of alternative energy sources we can reduce demand on existing resources and create new energy sources to meet our future needs. We can do this by offering tax incentives to businesses and consumers who purchase hybrid vehicles and high efficiency appliances and equipment.  We must also offer long term tax incentives to industry to develop alternative energy sources such as hydrogen and solar which are not financially viable today.  I believe energy policy must always operate in harmony with foreign policy, the economy and the environment. We must avoid dependence on foreign oil which creates economic hardship at home and leads us into unnecessary military conflict abroad.  Furthermore, all of our energy needs should be met by cleaner energy sources.

ECONOMY I am a fiscal conservative and I believe in a balanced budget. Our economy and national security is undermined by the unprecedented growth of budget deficits under the present administration. To balance the budget and shore up our economy for the future I will, 1. Vote NOT to extend tax cuts which are set to expire over the next few years. 2. Work to change The Medicare Prescription Drug program that cost three quarters of a trillion dollars. Our seniors need a real Medicare prescription drug law that allows the federal government to negotiate drug prices. 3. Vote to end all "earmarks" (pork) placed in appropriation bills. I am opposed to "bridges to no where" in Alaska or in Texas. 4. Vote to close loopholes that encourage companies to move jobs abroad. 5. Reward companies that create quality jobs in America. 6. Ensure fair trade by enforcing existing trade agreements. 7. Encourage research and development. 8. Increase the minimum wage in order for working Americans to feed and clothe their families.

IMMIGRATION REFORM Immigration Reform is a complex issue that resists the simplistic solutions offered by my opponent, John Culberson. I oppose HR4437, backed by Representatives Sensenbrenner and Culberson, which passed the House in February.   The Sensensbrenner/Culberson Bill would wall off the nation's Southern border and would turn all undocumented immigrants into felons. It would declare children born in the U.S. of undocumented parents to be non-citizens. It would treat anyone who hired aliens, or provided aid of any kind, as "aggravated felons".   While I agree with Mr. Culberson that better enforcement is critical for immigration reform, this enforcement-only bill is unrealistic.   If you think that a 700 mile wall will stop illegal immigration on a 2,000 mile border, or that we can arrest, detain, and deport 11 million immigrants and imprison their employers, then you should vote for my opponent John Culberson. Instead, I support Senator John McCain's Immigration Bill: a “Get Tough But Get Real” solution with broad bipartisan support. This plan provides improved enforcement at the border, with more agents and investigators, more checkpoints and better electronic surveillance.   In the workplace, this bill will require employers to verify the legal status of job applicants, and it provides serious penalties for those who hire undocumented workers. It includes 15,000 new agents to investigate 'document fraud', and enforce the law at work sites. McCain's bill will make it easier to detain and deport those who arrive here illegally. In addition to these enforcement provisions, Senator McCain's bill also provides: (1) A way for undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S. to earn the opportunity to apply for citizenship, if they pay a fine and back taxes, learn English and American civics, obey the law, and get in line behind others seeking citizenship - an eleven year process. (2) A guest worker program that matches workers with employers who have advertised jobs to U.S. citizens first. In addition: (1) I would add a provision that all guest workers be paid no less than the minimum wage, and I would support raising the minimum wage to $6 an hour for all workers ,including those in agriculture; and (2) I support the bipartisan DREAM Act, which would allow children brought to the U.S. as undocumented minors to attend college.