ISSUES

ISSUES

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ISSUES IN BRIEF

• ” We must implement a responsible energy policy to get our economy back on track before the cost of fuel stifles all future economic development” more on Energy Policy
• “I’ll protect Social Security by working to make sure adequate funding is available to prevent any reduction in benefits.” more on Social Security
• “The Income Tax needs to be fair and simple. When everyone pays their fair share, we all prosper.”
• more on Income Tax
• “The voice of the working women and men of Mississippi needs to not only be heard in Washington DC but acted on as well. I will make sure it’s your voice not that of the special interests that is heard.”
• (more on Where I Stand )
• “Whether we should have gone to Iraq is not the issue now. We’re there and have to act. There will be time to examine the reasons in the future. The important issue is how do we best ensure the safety of our shores with the resources we have today. As far as Iraq is concerned, we must let the Generals and military strategists formulate an effective exit plan to bring the troops home as soon as possible without wasting the sacrifices of our brave women and men who have served as well as those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, in this struggle. ( more National Defense/Iraq )
• “Illegal immigration is now one of the greatest threats to our nation, draining our economy of the precious resources. Our fellow citizens need to have quality health care and top notch education for their families. You shouldn’t use the services if you don’t pay into the system.”
• (more on Illegal Immigration )
• “We must rein in these free trade agreements that may be good for the bottom line of multinational corporations, but cause job losses here at home as well as abroad. These FTA’s are a major reason we are experiencing a record influx of illegal immigrants.”
• (more on Free Trade )
• “The brutal barbaric procedure known as partial birth abortion should be outlawed forever at the Federal level”
• (more on Abortion )
• “I will bring a combination of both business and political experience to the office. There are plenty of lawyers in Congress already, its time for a businessman with common sense who also knows how to function effectively in the legislative environment as well.”
• (more of Official Announcement )
• “As a member of the NRA and an avid hunter, I will oppose any effort to limit our 2nd amendment right to own a firearm. I fully support your right to own not only hunting weapons, but hand guns for personal protection as well. I was endorsed in 2008 by the Sportsmen and Animal Owners Voting Alliance. “

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ISSUES

ENERGY POLICY

“With gasoline at $4 per gallon and electricity at record prices, now is the time to implement a responsible energy policy for our nation.”
“The  paragraph above was written during the summer of 2008.  While Mississippians rejoice with the rest of the nation at lower prices now, we still must formulate responsible sustainable energy policies rather than fall back into wasteful practices that invite the oil producing nations to hold us hostage once again at their whim.”

SOCIAL SECURITY

Jack and Wanda Gill,  Joel’s parents. Both receive Social Security payments, but of vastly different amounts.

“2042 will mark the doomsday of the current system unless we act now.”
“We can no longer afford to exempt the wealthiest wage earners in America from contributing their fair share into the Social Security system.”
” I was introduced to the inequities involving the “notch generation” and unfair practices involving payments.
Benefits should be fair and equal, not punishing those who because of the systems failure years ago are now forced to endure reduced monthly payments. I want to bring all recipients up to the highest lawful level of payment possible.
The Republican Administration’s solution seems to be to take no action and wait for those affected to die, that is wrong. There is no excuse for inequity within the system””If we do not face up to the challenge and fix social security now, our children and grandchildren will face a bankrupt future. Unless younger workers are allowed to have control over a small portion of their contribution in a real “lock box” they direct that can provide for the funds to grow in a safe secure tax free fashion with the funds being fully inheritable in case of an untimely death, we will simply continue funding a Ponce’s type pyramid scheme until it collapses under its own weight being unable to provide benefits for anyone. This is the last step in saving social security and was rejected by the Republican controlled Congress of a few years ago as unworkable because they were afraid to address the total solution, complete removal of caps on the social security contribution which is the first step. We can no longer afford the huge exemption granted to the wealthy. Did you know that anyone earning over $102,000 per year contributes not one penny to the social security system on any wage over that amount? A professional ball player or corporate CEO that earns $20 million per year should not be given a free ride on the backs of America’s poorest wage earners. That change alone, having everyone contribute at the same tax rate on their entire wages, will enable the system to be sustainable.

Those currently receiving payments or who are within a few years of qualifying for the program should be allowed to continue in the current program, with no benefit reduction from current levels.

You can’t have only one half of the change that helps the already wealthy remove more money from the system You must have the total program to ensure that current as well as future benefits are guaranteed.”

INCOME TAX

Wealthy citizens can no longer be afforded a free ride at the

expense of the poor and middle class. However it is important to remember that if the richest citizens in the Nation were taxed at 100%, it would still not be enough to fund our government.

The vast majority of wealth in our country is in the hands of the middle class. It will be through all sectors paying a fair share that our budget needs can be met. A tax that is fair will help all. I remind those of lower incomes, that a Soak the Rich strategy is doomed to failure. Under a tax that is truly fair, the wealthy would pay more. 20 % of $2,000,000 less the minimum wage deduction is considerably more than 20 % of $60,000 should 20 % be determined to be the magic amount.
The current Income Tax system is a hodge podge of hard to understand complex rules designed to modify citizens behavior, This system cannot be fixed. It must be revamped from the beginning creating a fair tax to all.

For those earning minimum wage, they should pay no income tax at all while still being able to qualify for the earned income credit, the only current facet of the system I would keep. A fixed percentage of all workers earnings greater than  the minimum wage should be collected equally on all salaries and investment income with no additional deductions.

Only a simple system can be truly equal to all. This percentage must be set based on the budget passed by the Congress. We cannot continue with deficit spending and provide any kind of secure future for the generations to come.”Each year the tax rate would be set be the OMB based on the budget passed by Congress to ensure a balanced budget. A rate that would change yearly depending on what the people request funding for will spark a serious discussion among taxpayers of what program to increase, reduce, or eliminate altogether.”

THE CONSTITUTION

“I believe that over 220 years ago, a group of very dedicated, freedom loving, personal rights preserving, highly capable and experienced in the ways of tyrannical politics, individuals met and forged one of the greatest guiding frameworks to preserve personal freedom that the world had ever seen.

While not perfect with 3/5 citizens and no women voters, these brave founders forged ahead.

In that same desire to preserve freedom, rest assured, amending the Constitution is a last resort solution for me. Sometimes it is necessary and advances fairness in our Nation such as granting women the right to vote. Many times sadly, it is a reaction to an ill conceived idea such as amendment 16, the income tax.

NATIONAL DEFENSE – IRAQ  

You break it, you own it. We went in with high expectations and the best of intentions to aid the people of Iraq. While Saddam Hussein has been removed and executed, the people of the region have never known freedom of any kind let alone the wondrous system we enjoy and cannot be expected to trust in any system that provides for an orderly transition of power. The idea is beyond the comprehension of people who have for thousands of years  lived under the control of  Kings, Potentates, and Dictators.
Only time will allow these citizens of Iraq the chance to experience the American Dream of free enterprise and opportunity.
The real question is how much time do we allow and is it worth it. Are we really safer as a Nation?
The next Commander in Chief must ask our most trained Generals to craft a plan to bring most of our troops home as quickly as possible, while not squandering the sacrifices made for Democracy so far.”

“The news media must lend their aid in reporting to the world the struggle in Iraq. The foes we stand up to are not insurgents, citizens of a nation fighting invading oppressors from the outside, but rather enemies of the people of Iraq. They are not standing up to oppressors when they bomb schools, hospitals, and public transportation to kill and maim innocent women and children. These people are the ones seeking to once again oppress the people of Iraq. Hopefully the US press will change their term to better reflect the reality of  who the real villains in this struggle are.”
We cannot be solely dependent on our technology to protect us in the future.

While currently superior and the best in the world, a space based attack on our defensive satellites would leave us vulnerable and blind to aggressive action by hostile nations. We must continue to maintain our vigilance in traditional means as well as computerized modern methods.

This was demonstrated to us a few years ago when the Chinese shot one of their own satellites out of orbit in a veiled but hard to ignore threat that they could do the same to us in the future should that be their desire.”

“I support the all volunteer military, oppose a renewed draft, and believe as Jefferson did “The price of freedom is not free.” Freedom is not without a price, but misguided policy must be addressed while still funding our defense at the levels required to keep us the best defended Nation on the planet.

As we begin our withdrawal from Iraq, why not ask  that nation, not you, to fund it’s rebuilding effort.
It was said we went to war over oil. To date, I have not seen any extra supplies that could reduce the cost of filling your gas tank come into the United States, but I ask, is it not reasonable to request that the Iraqis  fund their own rebuilding through their oil sales and other trade rather than asking the Mississippi taxpayer to fund that effort?

I will work to ease the tax burden on U S citizens that are being asked to fund the war in Iraq.”

VETERANS

“They gave their best, now we must give them our best. Many of our servicemen were able to complete their tours of duty without injury. Many others were not. We must not turn our backs on these brave men and women, some volunteers, some caught up in the draft of years past, who suffer to this day from disabling injuries received in the line of duty.

Our VA system must be made user friendly to meet the needs of those called to serve our Nation, whether they helped in WW II, Korea, Vietnam, Greneda, Desert Storm , Somalia, Bosnia, or the current campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are entitled by their service to receive not only our best medical care, but our respect as well.”

Promises made to those who enlisted prior to 1956, and served for 20 years before retiring, should not be broken now in the name of budget cuts. Saving money at our veterans expense is no place to attempt to balance the budget to cover other failed Republican policies.  Our veterans  have given much in the past , to ask them to give more now is just wrong. “The elimination of the “Widows Tax” which cuts the surviving spouses benefit from 55% of the veterans benefit to 35% when she reach’s 62, at a time in life when many need it most also needs to be addressed and corrected.
As to cancer claims involving Agent Orange, we should always err on the side of the veteran. It is unfair to deny benefits because they have difficulty proving the amount of exposure while in service to our Nation.”

FREE TRADE