GOP Pledge

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Below in black is the original GOP Pledge minus the graphics. I have not

edited their document in any way. I have inserted my own comments and

observations in red.

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America is an idea - an idea that free people can govern themselves, that

government's powers are derived from the consent of the governed, that each of

us is endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and

the pursuit of happiness. America is the belief that any man or woman can -

given economic, political, and religious liberty - advance themselves, their

families, and the common good. America is an inspiration to those who yearn to

be free and have the ability and the dignity to determine their own destiny.

These first principles were proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence,

enshrined in the Constitution, and have endured through hard sacrifice and

commitment by generations of Americans. Whenever the agenda of government

becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to institute a

new governing agenda and set a different course. In a self-governing society,

the only bulwark against the power of the state is the consent of the governed,

and regarding the policies of the current government, the governed do not

consent.

America is more than a country.

America is more than an idea. America IS it's people.

A PLEDGE TO AMERICA

An unchecked executive, a compliant legislature, and an overreaching judiciary

have combined to thwart the will of the people and overturn their votes and

their values, striking down long-standing laws and institutions and scorning the

deepest beliefs of the American people. Rising joblessness, crushing debt, and a

polarizing political environment are fraying the bonds among our people and

blurring our sense of national purpose.

Joblessness is no longer rising. It rose most directly after the Bush

recession of 2008. The Stimuls has stopped most job loss and started to

create new jobs. The Democrats had time and again done all they could to

get cooperation from the GOP who, instead of participating have blocked

any effort to fix our economy buy a uniform and united partisan position

of voting "NO" to everything including ideas they themselves had sponsored

in the past.

An arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites makes

decisions, issues mandates, and enacts laws without accepting or requesting the

input of the many.

No on in governmet is self-appointed and elites are all that are ever

elected to or appointed public positions because only the wealthy can

afford to enter politics. They are all elites in both parties.

With this document, we pledge to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconnecting

our highest aspirations to the permanent truths of our founding by keeping faith

with the values our nation was founded on, the principles we stand for, and the

priorities of our people. This is our Pledge to America. We pledge to honor the

Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of

those precepts that have been consistently ignored - particularly the Tenth

Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by

the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states

respectively, or to the people. We pledge to honor families, traditional

marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core

of our American values.

Page 1 of 22 Pages - Portions Paul C. Kruger www.JoetheVoter.org

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Families, marriage, faith-based etc. Are personal individual issues not

subject to government interevention. Such a statement in a political

pledge is without any real meaning in terms of politics. These are things

governement does not concern itself with as to do so would be an invasion

of personal liberty.

The need for urgent action to repair our economy and reclaim our government for

the people cannot be overstated.

Reclaim out government from who? Last time I looked it was still being

run by Americans who were duly elected by a majority in 2008. This

statement is arrogant in the extreme because it takes the position that

the only people who should have a right to government are the

conservatives who broke it in the first place.

Like free peoples of the past, our citizens refuse to accommodate a government

that believes it can replace the will of the people with its own. The American

people are speaking out, demanding that we realign our country's compass with

its founding principles and apply those principles to solve our common problems

for the common good.

People are speaking out but on both the liberal and conservative side. It

is the will of the majority that counts, not the will of the GOP who

ignored their own base when writing this pledge. The people demanded

inclusion of a platform to stop outsourcing our jobs to other nations

which was ignored by the GOP despite that being the number two item from

their own people.

We pledge to advance policies that promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, a

robust defense, and national economic prosperity.

No Republican since Eisehnower has ever produced an economy better than

each Democrat since has done. Each Republican administration has out spent

their Democrat counterparts then left huge deficits and broken budgets to

be fixed by Democrats. In more than half a century only twice has the US

had a balanced budget, both times under Democratic President Bill Clinton

who left history's largest surplus to the Bush administration.

1

We pledge to make government more transparent in its actions, careful in its

stewardship, and honest in its dealings.

The GOP in order to stall legislation routinely resorted to anonymous

blocks by senators. The GOP, when it decided to do so, disciplines its

members behind closed doors as opposed the the Democrats holding open

hearings into allegations of wrong doing by Democrats. The only

transparency is on the Democratic side.

We pledge to uphold the purpose and promise of a better America, knowing that towhom much is given, much is expected and that the blessings of our liberty buoy

the hopes of mankind. We make this pledge bearing true faith and allegiance to

the people we represent, and we invite fellow citizens and patriots to join us

in forming a new governing agenda for America.

The GOP put up a web site to seek input for this very pledge. At the least

they totally ignored the top two issues voted to be included in this

pledge. This is how they respond to your input when they "invite" fellow

citizens to join them.

2

It's time to do away with the old politics: that much is clear. It's not enough,

however, to swap out one set of leaders for another. Structure dictates

behavior, so we have drafted this blueprint on a process of listening to the


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American people and fielding their concerns and ideas for turning things around.

Our plan offers a clear and clearly different approach, one in which the people

have the most say and the best ideas trump the most entrenched interests. Our

plan stands on the principles of smaller, more accountable government; economic

freedom; lower taxes; fiscal responsibility; protecting life, American values,

and the Constitution; and providing for a robust national defense. These are

focused concrete examples of the policies through which we will promote greater

liberty, wider opportunity, and national economic recovery - and they can be

implemented today.

This is double-talk for more power to the rich at the expense of the poor

and middle class. When they speak of economic freedom that is really

code for deregulation of business. Since Mr. and Mrs. Middle Class are

normally labor and not the owners of big business, the negative effects of

deregulation falls on our heads. It was rampant deregulation that was a

direct cause of the 2008 Bush recession that nearly cost our economy.

Protecting life is an oxymoron when they want to take away protections we

just won for health care. By handing the reigns back to the same

unregulated insurance giants who have been constantly raising rates, more

and more Americans will be price out of health care. Many will die. This

is not protecting life...this is protecting profit.

Politicians in Washington have imposed an agenda that doesn't reflect the

priorities of the people. What's worse, the most important decisions are made

behind closed doors, where a flurry of backroom deals has supplanted the will of

the people.

The back room deals is and has always been the way Congress did business.

It is no different for Republicans or for Democrats. It is the corruption

of big money that sets up these deals and no one is a bigger supporter of

"big money" than the GOP.

Though these petitions come from different walks, their message is uniform:

Washington has not been listening.

The American people do not accept these counsels of timidity, failure, and

despair. In town halls and on public squares, in every corner of this country,

people have gathered and spoken out - in small groups and larger crowds, through

phone calls and in letters, through websites and new technologies.

Americans need no reminder that the challenges we face are enormous. Our economy

has declined and our debt has mushroomed with the loss of millions of jobs. The

social fabric that binds us as citizens, families, and communities is

unraveling. Voices in and out of government whisper that our standing as the

world's leader of democracy and economic growth is ending.

FOREWORD

Our plan puts forth a new governing agenda that reflects the priorities of the

American people - priorities that have been ignored, even mocked by the powers-

that-be in Washington.

Including being ignored by Republicans for years. All politicians of both

are corrupted by greed and special interests. Without serious campaign

finance reforms this will not end. I saw nothing at all about reforming

our elections or campaigns in this pledge. As long as special interest

money funds campaigns we will never be free of corruption from either

side.

By permanently stopping job-killing tax hikes, families will be able to keep

more of their hard-earned money and small businesses will have the stability

they need to invest in our economy and help grow our workforce. We will further

encourage small businesses to create jobs by allowing them to take a tax


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deduction equal to 20 percent of their income. We will rein in the red tape

factory in Washington, DC by requiring congressional approval of any new federal

regulation that may add to our deficit and make it harder to create jobs. In

addition, we will repeal the costly small business mandates contained in the new

health care law.

This paragraph started out with a lie and got worse. There is no bill or

proposal to raise taxes. What this piece of mis-information is really

about is a tax cut from Bush Republicans that they, themselves, scheduled

to expire in 2010 because to allow them to go beyond ten years violated

their own rules about tax cuts adding to the deficit. They will expire by

themselves and have nothing to do with Obama or the present congress what

so ever. The push by the GOP is to extend these cuts for the very very

rich, claiming they will use those cuts to create more jobs. Obama wants

to extend them for 98% of us but not for the super rich who don't need

them. The hole in this argument is that these cuts have been in place for

ten years, so where are those jobs now? The rich used their cuts to help

fund the export of our jobs to Asia and Mexico and other countries. This

was the issue that was in second place to be included in this pledge but

which the GOP refused to address. Our jobs continue to go elsewhere and

the middle class is expected to pay for those moves through taxes to the

rich.

A plan to create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more

competitive must be the first and most urgent domestic priority of our

government. So first, we offer a plan to get people working again. We will end

the attack on free enterprise by repealing job-killing policies and taking steps

to assure current businesses and future entrepreneurs that the government will

not stifle their ability to compete in the global marketplace.

It has been the GOP itself refusing to cooperate to bring tax breaks and

credit assistance to small business. In the recent jobs bill to help small

business that did exactly what the GOP claims it wants to do, only two

republicans voted for it. Their goal has not been to restore jobs but to

prolong the recession with the specific intent to blame their recession on

the Democrats and to manipulate voters into restoring the GOP so they can

further damage our middle class economy.

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With common-sense exceptions for seniors, veterans, and our troops, we will roll

back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, saving us at least

$100 billion in the first year alone and putting us on a path to balance the

budget and pay down the debt. We will also establish strict budget caps to limit

federal spending from this point forward. We will launch a sustained effort to

stem the relentless growth in government that has occurred over the past decade.

By cutting Congress' budget, imposing a net hiring freeze on non-security

federal employees, and reviewing every current government program to eliminate

wasteful and duplicative programs, we can curb Washington's irresponsible

spending habits and reduce the size of government, while still fulfilling our

necessary obligations.

As correctly noted the growth has occurred over the past decade...under

the Bush administration. But you cannot roll back all spending in the

middle of a recession. Any economist worth their salt will agree that

spending is the only means by which government can end a recession.

Government spending is what pulled us out of the Great Depression. As for

those bail outs those were a Republican voted for program that everyone

agreed had been made necessary as a result of the Bush recession. By now

the majority of those bail outs have already been repaid and the taxpayer

earned a profit in the form of over $4 Billion in interest.


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If we've learned anything over the last two years, it's that we cannot spend our

way to prosperity. We offer a plan to stop out-of-control spending and reduce

the size of government.

Government was smaller under Clinton and grew to its present size under

President Bush.

Instead of pushing off our long-term fiscal challenges, we will reform the

budget process to ensure that Congress begins making the decisions that are

necessary to protect our entitlement programs for today's seniors and future

generations.

We will also prevent Washington from forcing responsible taxpayers to subsidize

irresponsible behavior by ending bailouts permanently, canceling the Troubled

Asset Relief Program (TARP), and reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

This is a real bag of wind. The GOP along with Democrats under Bush agreed

TARP was needed at the time. Ending TARP is pretty much a pointless

argument as most of those loans have already been repaid, with interest.

Above all else, the primary obligation of the federal government remains

providing for the common defense against all threats foreign and domestic. We

offer a plan to keep our nation secure at home and abroad that will provide the

resources, authority, and support our deployed military requires, fully fund

missile defense, and enforce sanctions against Iran. We will keep terrorist

combatants in Guantanamo Bay not in our local jails and courtrooms. Our borders

are a vital part of our security, so we will act decisively to ensure that the

federal government fulfills its constitutional duty to protect our citizens and

our Nation, working closely with our state and local governments.

Our military was doing better until the GOP started to hack at our

soldier's benefits and promises. We have the world's best military now so

I fail to see how the GOP is suddenly going to make it better even as some

propose privatizing or eliminating the VA administration and taking

soldiers medical coverage away from them. How do you keep a powerful

volunteer army when you keep slapping your citizens in uniform in the

face? The GOP stance will reduce enlistments and could eventually lead

back to a draft. The GOP recently filibustered the defense bill which

included some beginning amendments to fix the immigration problem, the

DREAM ACT which was originally co-sponsored by Republicans.

We recognize that these solutions are ambitious, and that we are proposing them

at a time of intense public distrust in politicians and the political system.

That's why we are offering a plan to reform Congress and restore trust so that

we can put power back where it belongs: in the hands of the people. We will

govern differently than past Congresses of both parties. We will require that

every bill contain a citation of Constitutional authority. We will give all

Representatives and citizens at least three days to read the bill before a vote.

We will make sure that the floor schedule and operations reflect the priority of

revitalizing the economy, and ensure there is an open process that makes iteasier - not harder - to eliminate unnecessary spending on any legislation that

spends the people's money.

Missing from this reform congress initiative are some vital changes we

need before we can trust them again. Reform campaign finance to fully

disclose all money from any source used to fund political ads and

campaigns. Set maximum limits on such spending. Institute term limits on

members of Congress. Ban corporate lobbying. Prohibit any amendment on any

bill that is not germane to that legislation.

Of course, Americans remember that President Obama argued his government

takeover of health care was the single most important thing we could do to

address our growing debt crisis. This notion has since been thoroughlydiscredited: we now know the new health care law will mean more financial pain

for seniors, families, employers and the federal government. We offer a plan to


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repeal and replace the government takeover of health care with common-sense

solutions focused on lowering costs and protecting American jobs. We will enact

real medical liability reform; allow Americans to purchase health coverage

across state lines; empower small businesses with greater purchasing power; and

create new incentives to save for future health needs. We will protect the

doctor-patient relationship, and ensure that those with pre-existing conditions

gain access to the coverage they need. We will permanently end taxpayer funding

of abortion and codify the Hyde Amendment.

Another crazy piece of mis-information. Government did not take over

health care. If it had we would have a national health care system of a

type we could all take comfort in. Instead what we got were a few needed

regulations on the health insurance industry to protect the lives and

health of Americans. We still do not have a health care system outside of

the VA and Medicare/Medicaid. What the rest of us have is an insurance

system for profit. Some in the GOP have argued to dimantle the VA and

Medicare. I suspect that they don't want Americans to have any experience

with a functional government program that protects their health over

private profits.

5

Joblessness is the single most important challenge facing America today. Jobs

are the lifeblood of our economy, and for our workforce, there is no substitute

for the pride and dignity that comes with an honest day's work and a steady

paycheck. Washington's heavy-handed approach is not working. Private sector

unemployment remains at or near 10 percent, jobless claims continue to soar, and

the only parts of the economy expanding are government and our national debt. It

is time to end this liberal Keynesian experiment and stop the attacks on our

employers that prevent them from investing in our economy. We need private

sector jobs, not more government. WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST We have a plan that will

help create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more competitive.

This is another clear lie about jobs. The stimulus is working and has

created over 100 new green jobs facilities alone. In just the month of

August over 67,000 new private sector jobs were created. The government

jobs the GOP is talking about is not really what it seems. They are

complaining about such jobs as teachers and police and fire. They are also

talking about infrastructure jobs. While it is true most highways and

bridges belong to one lever of government or another, most of the repairs

are contracted out to private contractors which create private sector

jobs, not government jobs. By cutting back on the spending and halting

stimulus, they will put tens of thousands of teachers, police, fire and

private sector contractor jobs back on the unemployment rolls.

A Plan to Create Jobs, End Economic Uncertainty,

and Make America More Competitive

The trillion-dollar "stimulus" spending bill has made "where are the jobs?" a

national rallying cry after failing to live up to the specific promises made byits architects. Instead of remaining below eight percent, unemployment has been

above nine percent for 16 consecutive months. This is a far cry from the

recovery the American people were promised. Undeterred by dismal results,

Washington Democrats continue to double-down on their job-killing policies.

President Obama is proposing spending billions more on government "stimulus"

projects. He also wants to raise taxes on roughly half of small business income

in America. Raising taxes on anyone in a struggling economy - especially small

businesses - is precisely the wrong thing to do. Economists agree, as do the

American people. "Top-down one-size-fits-all decision making should not replace

the personal choices of free people in a free market, nor undermine the proper

role of state and local governments in our system of federalism." - Gov. Bob

McDonnell (VA)

This is one of the biggest pieces of GOP misinformation yet. First Obama

has no bills to raise taxes on small business. This is an expiring tax cut


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placed into law by the Republicans themselves ten years ago. In fact his

plan included decreased taxes and incentives for better access to credit

to help small business grow. The GOP voted to block this bill. Obama does

want to extend those cuts for 98% of Americans which will include small

business owners. The GOP has twisted the definition of small business

in a very creative way to include some of the nation's largest privatly

held corporations who employ thousands and earn billions of dollars a

year. That is not Small Business.

Washington-focused economic policies have failed to put people back to work and

have pushed our nation to the brink of a fiscal crisis. The American people know

that to boost the economy, spending must be slashed, tax increases must be

prevented, and small businesses must have certainty that the rules won't change

every few months so they can get back on their feet. The constant threat of new

taxes and new regulations prevents investors and entrepreneurs from putting

capital at risk. These private sector employers must be given the certainty that

if they take a risk to expand their company or hire a new employee, Washington

won't yank the rug from under their feet.

This brink happened under republican deregulatory policies in 2007-2008.

There is no threat of new taxes other than the false threat being planted

by the GOP for political purposes. The recent Democrat tax cuts for small

business along with eased credit helps reduce the uncertainty claimed in

this pledge. This bill which was originally a republican idea was voted

against by all but two republicans when it was proposed by Democrats.

In addition to punishing businesses, these looming tax hikes will hurt every

family in America. During the 1990s, a Republican Congress enacted pro-family

policies such as marriage penalty relief and the child tax credit. Unless action

is taken, a $3.8 trillion tax hike will go into effect on January 1, 2011 that

will unravel the pro-family policies. A family of four with a household income

of $50,000 a year will have to pay $2,900 more in taxes in 2011, according to a

new analysis by Deloitte Tax LLP, a tax consulting firm. The same family making

$100,000 a year will see its taxes rise by $4,500. In addition, the marriage

penalty will return, the child tax credit will be cut in half, and the

Alternative Minimum Tax will ensnare more than 25 million taxpayers.

Again...there is no looming tax hike, only a republican impose expiration

of a ten year old tax cut that, if extended, would add about $4 trillion

more to our deficit. Half of that would be for the very rich which the GOP

would pay for by laying middle class federal workers off. Every thing in

the GOP agenda is about moving the money uphill away from the middle class

into the wallets of the mega-rich.

"An economy constrained by high tax rates will never produce enough revenue to

balance the budget, just as it will never create enough jobs." - John F. Kennedy

Tax rates are very low compared to our past. In fact some of our richest

Americans pay a smaller percentage than the middle class because they can

use the loop hole of capitol gains to report nearly billion dollarincomes and pay no more than 17%. These are the rich-only tax options

the republicans want to preserve for the same Wall Street bankers who

nearly took our economy down in 2008.

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Permanent bailouts, government takeovers, threats of tax increases and

"stimulus" spending sprees have combined to create uncertainty for

private investment in our economy and keep employers on the sidelines.

The longer our government refuses to wake up and abandon its job-killing

agenda, the longer it will take to turn things around and get people

working again.

"Where Are the Jobs?" Since the trillion-dollar 'stimulus' was signed

into law in February 2009, the unemployment rate has climbed and is stuckat near 10 percent. Despite the 'stimulus' and Democrats' promises the

unemployment rate would remain below eight percent, the unemployment rate

climbed from 7.7 percent in January 2009 to 9.5 percent in August 2010.

So far, Washington Democrats have passed, and the president has signed

into law, at least 14 violations of his pledge that "no family making

less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase." o The White

House's own internal departments have identified 191 planned rules that

will have an economic cost of at least $100 million, including mandates

related to the government takeover of health care and the financial

regulation bill. o

Since January 2009, President Obama and Congressional Democrats haveenacted $680 billion in gross tax increases, $316 billion of which are

tax hikes that hurt the middle class families President Obama said would

not see a tax increase.

Source: January 2009 Romer/Bernstein Report and U.S. Department of Labor

data.

This data is nearly a year old and fails to make it clear that for

the first year of the Obama administration, he and Congress were

working under a Bush budget passed prior to the end of his term.

Obama did not get his own budget until the start of 2010. The

Stimulus has been producing jobs and saving others. It has helped a

number of states avoid the choice between massive layoffs andbankruptcy. Many GOP law makers who voted against the stimulus bill

went back home to brag how they got money to help save jobs in

their states....money they voted against!

"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own

pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor

the bread it has earned this is the sum of good government." - Thomas Jefferson

This is a wise saying if the GOP would actually believe in it rather than

use deregulation to grant near anarchy to the wealthy to take advantage of

the powerless middle class workers.

If we've learned anything during the recession, it's that we cannot tax and

spend our way to prosperity. The best way to get people working again is to rein

in the growth of government and end the uncertainty facing small businesses. By

addressing both issues, our plan revives free enterprise and moves America away

from a debt-driven economy.

Our Plan to End The Uncertainty and

Create Incentives for Job Growth

Permanently Stop All Job-Killing Tax Hikes: We will help the economy by

permanently stopping all tax increases, currently scheduled to take effect

January 1, 2011. That means protecting middle-class families, seniors worried


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about their retirement, and the entrepreneurs and family-owned small businesses

on which we depend to create jobs in America.

There is no tax hike. There is only the expiration of a GOP tax cut that

Obama wants to extend to 98% of Americans including small business owners.

The GOP has said it will block those tax cuts for most Americans unless

they get to add an estimated $2 Trillion more to our deficit to extend the

cuts for the mega rich.

Give Small Businesses a Tax Deduction: We will allow small business owners to

take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their business income. This will

provide entrepreneurs with a much-needed infusion of capital for investment and

new hiring.

The Democrats just gave small business a tax deduction. The GOP voted

against it.

Rein In the Red Tape Factory in Washington, DC: Excessive federal regulation is

a de facto tax on employers and consumers that stifles job creation, hampers

innovation and postpones investment in the economy. When the game is always

changing, small businesses cannot properly plan for the future. To provide

stability, we will require congressional approval of any new federal regulation

that has an annual cost to our economy of $100 million or more. This is the

threshold at which the government deems a regulation "economically significant."

If a regulation is so "significant" and costly that it may harm job creation,

Congress should vote on it first.

We just saw what deregulation can do for Americans. Wall Street nearly

collapsed because no one was regulating their behavior. The Gulf Oil Spill

that killed 11 workers and put thousands out of work in the fishing

industry and polluted the Gulf was a direct result of letting BP regulate

itself. Anytime a big company can set its own rules, those rules will be

designed to maximize profits at the expense of workers and America's

economy. The GOP plan is to go right back to the same policies that nearly

destroyed us in 2007-2008 under Bush .

Repeal Job-Killing Small Business Mandates: One of the most controversial

mandates of the Democrats' government takeover of health care requires small

businesses to report to the Internal Revenue Service any purchases that run more

than $600. This 1099 reporting mandate is so overbearing that the IRS ombudsman

has determined that the agency is ill-equipped to handle all the resulting

paperwork.. We will repeal this job-killing small business mandate. At the

current pace of job growth, it will take longer to recover now than it did to

recover from the Great Depression. At this rate, the pre-recession level of jobs

will not be achieved until September 2017, more than 80 months from now. That

would be nearly 10 years after the recession started, or almost two years longer

than it took the U.S. to recover from job losses during the Great Depression. A

single mom earning $36,000 per year could pay more than $1,100 more in taxes.

According to congressional analysts, these are the consequences of the tax hikesthat are set to take effect on January 1, 2011: 31 million families will pay an

average of $1,033 in higher taxes next year due to a reduction in the child tax

credit from $1,000 to $500. 8 Married senior citizens earning $40,000 per year

could pay more than $1,400 in higher taxes.

Obama wants to extend these breaks for these people. The GOP plans to

prevent breaks for the middle class unless they get their deficit busting

tax breaks for the mega rich. The Republican plan is to hold the middle

class hostage to give more money to the very wealthy 2%.

88 million taxpayers will pay an average of $503 in higher taxes next year due

to the elimination of the 10 percent tax bracket.


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35 million married couples will pay an average of $595 in higher taxes next year

due to a reinstatement of the marriage penalty.

9

It isn't just that we need to stop spending so much - we need to stop spending

so irrationally. The spending process in Washington is designed to make it easy

to increase spending and raise taxes and difficult to cut spending and lower

taxes. The deck is stacked against limited government and fiscal responsibility.

This must stop. We have a plan to impose fiscal discipline and cut governmentdown to size. WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST

Really? What is so new? Eisenhower was the last Republican to lower

spending. Every Democrat has lowered spending.

Washington's out-of-control spending spree needs no introduction. Our debt is

now on track to exceed the size of our economy in the next two years. The lack

of a credible plan to pay this debt back causes anxiety among consumers and

uncertainty for investors and employers.

A Plan to Stop Out-of-Control Spending and

Reduce the Size of Government

Economists have warned that all this borrowing runs the risk of causing a

damaging spike in interest rates, which would cripple job creation. If our

economy remains debt-driven, it will not be in a position to support a lasting

economic recovery.

What really crippled borrowing has been a loss of available credit from

the very banks we paid to bail out. A recent Democratic bill passed with

no help from the right to ease lending to small business already.

Within three years, our government will spend more than $1 billion a day just to

pay the interest on our debt. That money won't build roads, fight terrorism,

secure our border, or support Medicare for seniors. It is simply the cost of

Congress' failure to control spending. "Government's view of the economy couldbe summed up in a few short phrases: if it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving,

regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." -- Ronald Reagan

Reagan increased the deficit by over 8% since the start of his presidency.

Bush II increased his deficit from 1.7% left him by Clinton to a record

breaking 24.8% at the end of just his first term in office. By comparison

Clinton took over Bush I's 21% and left office with a 4.84% SURPLUS and a

balanced budget...and 23 million new private sector jobs. For a remarkable

performance like that the GOP rewarded him with impeachment proceedings

that cost the US taxpayers millions of dollars.

Over the past three years, non-security discretionary spending (the spending

that is approved each year by Congress outside of the Department of Defense,Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Veterans Affairs) has

increased a staggering 88 percent. As a result, we now borrow 41 cents of every

dollar we spend, much of it from foreign countries, including China, and leave

the bill to our kids and grandkids.

Instead of putting the brakes on Washington's spending habits as they promised,

President Obama and Democratic Leaders have stepped on the accelerator and

demonstrated unparalleled recklessness with taxpayer dollars.

Unfortunately, Washington Democrats refuse to listen to the American people and

eliminate, restrain, or even budget for their out-of-control spending spree.

Indeed, Democrats simply walked away from writing next year's budget altogether

- a first in the modern era. Without a budget, Washington will try to get awaywith continuing to spend at current "stimulus" levels. We cannot allow that to

happen. We will have a responsible, fact-based conversation with the American


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people about the scale of the fiscal challenges we face, and the urgent action

that is required to deal with them. We will curb Washington's spending habits

and promote job creation, bring down the deficit, and build long-term fiscal

stability. o Our Plan to Put Government on a Path to a Balanced Budget

Act Immediately to Reduce Spending: There is no reason to wait to reduce

wasteful and unnecessary spending. Congress should move immediately to cancel

unspent "stimulus" funds, and block any attempts to extend the timeline for

spending "stimulus" funds. Throwing more money at a stimulus plan that is not

working only wastes taxpayer money and puts us further in debt.

A major portion of that stimulus is already spent and producing or saving

jobs. The unspent portion as of this writing is $164 Billion set for

improving roads and bridges and other infrastructure projects that employ

many thousands of jobs . Killing the remainder will keep more people out

of work.

10

Cut Government Spending to Pre-Stimulus, Pre-Bailout Levels: With common-sense

exceptions for seniors, veterans, and our troops, we will roll back government

spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, saving us at least $100 billion in

the first year alone and putting us on a path to begin paying down the debt,

balancing the budget, and ending the spending spree in Washington that threatens

our children's future.

Simple math says you can't roll back to pre-stimulus levels. You would

have to take back all of the stimulus money that was already spent in

order to do so.

Establish a Hard Cap on New Discretionary Spending: We must put common-sense

limits on the growth of government and stop the endless increases. Only in

Washington is there an expectation that whatever your budget was last year, it

will be more this year and even more the next. We will set strict budget caps to

limit federal spending on an annual basis. Budget caps were used in the 1990s,

when a Republican Congress was able to bring the budget into balance and

eventual surplus. By cutting discretionary spending from current levels and

imposing a hard cap on future growth, we will save taxpayers hundreds of

billions of dollars. Cut Congress' Budget: This year, Congress increased its own

budget by 5.8 percent at a time when families and small businesses across the

country are cutting back. We will make Congress do more with less by

significantly reducing its budget.

A hard cap is impossible. Government cannot foretell the future and must

be flexible to meet unforeseen circumstances as they arise. A bill to

hard-cap is a bill to hobble government.

Hold Weekly Votes on Spending Cuts: Earlier this year, House Republicans

launched the YouCut initiative to combat the permissive culture of runaway

spending in Congress. Over the course of nine weeks, YouCut produced proposalsto save taxpayers more than $120 billion. We will continue to hold weekly votes

on spending cuts.

End TARP Once And For All: Americans are rightly outraged at the bailouts of

businesses and entities that force responsible taxpayers to subsidize

irresponsible behavior. We will cancel the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP),

a move that would save taxpayers roughly $16 billion.

Tarp funds was Bush's program in 2008. Most of those funds have already

been repaid with interest. Ending TARP is nothing more than an empty

meaningless sound bite. As of this month Treasury says it could still earn

up to $19 billion in interest as a result of TARP loans to banks.


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End Government Control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Since taking over Fannie

Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage companies that triggered the financial

meltdown by giving too many high risk loans to people who couldn't afford them,

taxpayers were billed more than $145 billion to save the two companies. We will

reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by ending their government takeover, shrinking

their portfolios, and establishing minimum capital standards. This will save

taxpayers as much as $30 billion.

This meltdown happened because no one was regulating Wall Street. We now

have a new Consumer Protection Agency to over see financial products in

order to protect our citizens from some of the worst abuses of big banks

and mortgage companies.

Impose a Net Federal Hiring Freeze of Non-Security Employees: Small businesses

and entrepreneurs are the engine of our economy and should not be crowded out by

unchecked government growth. We will impose a net hiring freeze on non-security

federal employees and ensure that the public sector no longer grows at the

expense of the private sector.

Root Out Government Waste and Duplication: Once created, federal programs almost

never go away, even if the problem they were created to address is no longer

relevant. More than 20 states have addressed this problem by requiring that

programs end - or "sunset" - by a date certain. We will adopt this requirement

at the federal level to force Congress to determine if a program is worthy of

continued taxpayer support. Reform the Budget Process to Focus on Long-Term

Challenges: We will make the decisions that are necessary to protect our

entitlement programs for today's seniors and future generations. That means

requiring a full accounting of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, setting

benchmarks for these programs and reviewing them regularly, and preventing the

expansion of unfunded liabilities.

Every one wants to root out waste. This line is as old as politics but no

one ever does anything about it. All of the years Republicans were in

power they did nothing. Why would anyone really believe they would change

their habits now?

DID YOU KNOW?

Today, Washington spends $7 million every minute of every hour of every day.

That is twice as much as was spent per minute in 1980.

11

There is literally no aspect of our economy or our society that the federal

government doesn't tax, regulate or subsidize, and often it does all three at

the same time. The most recent edition of the Catalogue of Federal Domestic

Assistance listed 2,050 different assistance programs available to states, local

governments, for-profit and non-profit organizations, groups, and individuals.

Taxpayers are literally funding programs from cradle to grave:

Our cumulative national debt now exceeds $13,000,000,000,000 which is more than

$42,000 for every man, woman, and child in America. Under the most recent budget

projections, it will continue to grow, doubling by 2020.

There is a nice graph based on government figures that date back to 2008 (

figures lag behind because they are not available until calculated the

next year. Obama's first year will include the debt inherited from Bush.)

What is shows is clear. At the height of the Bush I's years the national

debt topped $432 Billion then under Clinton declined to a record low of

$18 Billion. Under Bush II that number climbed to a $574 Billion which he

passed on to Obama who had to start his term not only with a record

national debt but two Bush era wars and the Bush recession.You can view this and other information here.

http://www.joethevoter.org/dems-better-at-economy.html


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Federal Assistance Programs

Dept of Health and Human Services Dept of Agriculture Dept of the Interior Dept

of Education Dept of Justice Dept of Housing and Urban Development Environmental

Protection Agency Dept of Commerce Dept of Homeland Security Dept of

Transportation Dept of Defense Deptof Labor Dept of Veterans Affairs Dept of

Energy Dept of State

Federal spending consumes nearly one-quarter of our entire economy and is

crowding out the private economy. Indeed, today more Americans work for one

level of government or another than work in all the goodsproducing industries,

such as manufacturing, combined. According to the Obama Administration's most

recent budget forecast, government spending as a percentage of the economy will

be, on average, several percentage points higher over the next ten years than it

was during either the Clinton or Bush presidencies.

12

Federal Spending as a Share of the Economy

24.00% 23.00% 22.00% 21.00% 20.00% 19.00% 18.00% 17.00%Average During the Clinton Presidency

Average During the Bush Presidency

Average Under the Democrat Budget Blueprint 2009-2020

This really means nothing if the outcome is a better economy, a balanced

budget and net increase in private sector jobs...all of which happened

under Clinton and which got worse under Bush II.

13

The American people wanted one thing out of health care reform: lower costs,

which President Obama and Democrats in Washington promised, but did not deliver.

Instead of expanding the size and scope of government with more debt, highertaxes, and burdensome mandates, Americans are calling for reforms that lower

costs for families and small businesses, increase access to affordable, high-

quality care and strengthen the doctor-patient relationship. We have a plan to

do just that. WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST The core promises Washington Democrats made

to force the health care law through Congress have already been broken: o Jobs.

Employers large and small coast-to-coast have announced that they are

considering laying off employees or dropping their health care coverage in

response to the new law, despite President Obama's boast that it is also a jobs

plan.

Actually we the people wanted more than lower prices. We wanted access.

Since we still have no health care system in America, price is still under

the complete control of private insurance giants. The GOP blocked reformsthat could have actually provided lower cost care to more Americans

because those would have had a negative impact on profits. The insurance

lobby gave many millions to elect Republicans to office and they did not

want to upset their campaign donors with anything as silly as meaningful

health care reform for our citizens. We got some much needed protections

but we still have only an insurance system, not a health care system.

A Plan to Repeal and Replace the Government Takeover of Health

Care

Costs. Both the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the chief

actuary at the Obama Administration's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

(CMS) have confirmed that the new law fails to lower health care costs as

promised.


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The difference in the proposed cost cuts and actual cuts amount to less

than one percent.

Seniors. The chief actuary at the Obama Administration's Centers for Medicare &

Medicaid Services has confirmed that the new law's massive Medicare cuts will

fall squarely on the backs of seniors, millions of whom will be forced off their

current Medicare coverage.

If You Like It... You Can't Keep It. The Obama Administration has been forced to

acknowledge that the new law will force some 87 million Americans to drop their

current coverage despite President Obama's promise that Americans would be able

to keep the coverage that they have.

Part of this is due to insurance companies not the law. Some companies

have dropped or will drop certain plans rather than comply with the new

laws. This is driven by profit motives. It does not mean loss of

insurance. In fact all new plans must include the protections provided

while grandfathered in plans do not have to meet the standards until 2014.

Changing plans actually provides protections that keeping the old plans

would not grant.

Abortion. Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to using tax dollars to pay for

abortion, and the executive order issued by President Obama in conjunction with

congressional passage of the health care law is inadequate to ensure taxpayer

funds are not used in this manner.

The bill does not provide for abortions funded by taxpayers either.

Nothing in the bill prohibits private insurance companies from paying for

abortions. In fact until just a few months ago the GOP's own health care

plan covered abortions. Kinda hypocritical don't you think? It was removed

only because of the national embarasment.

Taxes. The new health care law includes at least a dozen violations of President

Obama's pledge not to raise taxes on middle-class families. The Obama

administration has conceded that the 'individual mandate' at the heart of the

new law is indeed a tax, a notion the president "absolutely" rejected last fall.

Personally I don't like the mandate provision. But on the other side that

favors the GOP, this part amounts to welfare for the big insurance

companies who will be handed a guaranteed 30 million new customers. Guess

who lobbied for that? I would have preferred an national healh care system

similar to what is commonly loved in Europe. The added tax would be less

than the cost of paying premiums to a greedy insurance company.

Deficits and Debt. The Obama Administration's Social Security and Medicare

Trustees report confirms that the new law does little to address the nation's

growing fiscal crisis despite President Obama's pledge that passing his plan

constituted the "most important thing we can do" for the nation's financial

future.

I will refer you to above where I show historical proof that Republicans

run up higher debt and deficits than the Democrats.

Instead of bringing the full weight of the government to bear in enforcing this

job-killing health care law, Washington Democrats should listen to the American

people and stand down. Our Plan to Repeal the Job Killing Health Care Law and

Put in Place Real Reform.

I see nothing here that substantiates the claim that the health care

reforms kill jobs? Show me.

Repeal the Costly Health Care Takeover of 2010: Because the new health care lawkills jobs, raises taxes, and increases the cost of health care, we will

immediately take action to repeal this law.


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Enact Medical Liability Reform: Skyrocketing medical liability insurance rates

have distorted the practice of medicine, routinely forcing doctors to order

costly and often unnecessary tests to protect themselves from lawsuits, often

referred to as "defensive medicine." We will enact common-sense medical

liability reforms to lower costs, rein in junk lawsuits and curb defensive

medicine.

Republican President Nixon asked his congress to reform health care in the

1970's. The GOP ignored him and has ignored reforms ever since.

Purchase Health Insurance Across State Lines: Americans residing in a state with

expensive health insurance plans are locked into those plans and do not

currently have an opportunity to choose a lower cost option that best meets

their needs. We will allow individuals to buy health care coverage outside of

the state in which they live. Expand Health Savings Accounts: Health Savings

Accounts (HSAs) are popular savings accounts that provide cost-effective health

insurance to those who might otherwise go uninsured. We will improve HSAs by

making it easier for patients with high-deductible health plans to use them to

obtain access to quality care. We will repeal the new health care law, which

prevents the use of these savings accounts to purchase over-the-counter

medicine.

This is now the law thanks to the Democrats. GOP voted against this.

Strengthen the Doctor-Patient Relationship: We will repeal President Obama's

government takeover of health care and replace it with common-sense reforms

focused on strengthening the doctor-patient relationship.

Nothing has change. You still see what ever doctors your plan provides for

and this is controlled by your choice of insurance company not by the

government.

Permanently Prohibit Taxpayer Funding of Abortion: We will establish a

government-wide prohibition on taxpayer funding of abortion and subsidies for

insurance coverage that includes abortion, this includes enacting into law what

is known as the Hyde Amendment. We will also enact into law conscience

protections for health care providers, including doctors, nurses, and hospitals.

This is an anti-woman measure and is also anti-freedom of choice. Seems

the GOP is all about personal liberty except for women.

Ensure Access For Patients With Pre-Existing Conditions: Health care should be

accessible for all, regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illnesses. We

will expand state high-risk pools, reinsurance programs and reduce the cost of

coverage. We will make it illegal for an insurance company to deny coverage to

someone with prior coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition, eliminate

annual and lifetime spending caps, and prevent insurers from dropping your

coverage just because you get sick. We will incentivize states to develop

innovative programs that lower premiums and reduce the number of uninsuredAmericans.

This is now the law thanks to the Democrats. GOP voted against this.

DID YOU KNOW?

The new health care law includes $569.2 billion in tax increases - including

taxes that will directly increase the cost of health care goods and services -

and $528.5 billion in Medicare cuts, which will be used to create new programs

not related to seniors.

Roughly 16,500 IRS auditors, agents, and other employees may be needed to

collect the hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes levied on the American

people by the new health care law.


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Through July 31, 2010, 3,833 pages of federal regulations have been issued

regarding the new law.

The new health care law provides for the creation of more than 160 boards,

bureaus, and commissions. Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee have

released a chart detailing this maze of busybodies and bureaucracies:

Wonder how many man hours the Republicans spent on this elaborate and

confusing chart to no where?

15

We now propose changing the way Congress works once and for all, so that the

will of the people can be heard and the best ideas can trump the most vested

interests. WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST

Americans have lost trust with their government, which has too often ignored the

will of the people in favor of party loyalty and a desire to pass partisan bills

at any cost. Backroom deals, phantom amendments, and bills that go unread before

being forced through Congress have become business as usual. Never before has

the need for a new approach to governing been more apparent than under Speaker

Nancy Pelosi and her leadership. Americans are demanding change in the way

Congress works, and we are fighting to bring much-needed sunlight to the process

and give the American people a greater voice in their Congress.

No one is more adept at the back room deal than Republicans. I don't see

anything here to solve the real underlying cause of corruption in

Congress...campaign money and private special interests meddling in our

government. If the GOP were serious they would not be blocking the

campaign finance bill to require disclosure of private funds used to

influence our elections. There would at least be mention of term limits

which many Americans strongly support. I saw no complaint about unrelated

amendments tacked onto bills, something both parties are famous for.

Republicans have had their chance to address these issues in the past and

did nothing. The fact is this very pledge was written by a staffer who

was formerly a lobbyist for big oil and big drug companies. We all know

where the GOP loyalties lie and it is not with the middle class American

worker.

A Plan to Reform Congress and Restore Trust

The House of Representatives continues to move further away from its roots as a

deliberative body, toward a centralized power structure where the majority does

whatever it needs to win at all costs. Over the course of her tenure, Speaker

Pelosi has consolidated authority, abusing the letter and spirit of the House

rules to get the outcome desired, while ignoring the voices of the American

people, the minority and even dissenters within her own party. o o Despite

having the largest Democratic majority since 1993, the current Congress marked

the first time in the history that not a single spending bill was considered

under an "open" amendment process.

win at all cost is an apt description of the GOP strategy. A recent look

at their campaigns and rhetoric now filled with hate, racism, bias, anti-

islam, anti-gay rights and so on is clear evidence of their win at all

cost mentality. This very pledge is part of that scheme to manipulate the

voters into voting against their own best interests.

Democratic Leaders continue moving in the wrong direction by limiting openness

and debate, and using various backhanded tactics to ignore the will of the

people: During final consideration of President Obama's government takeover of

health care, Speaker Pelosi and Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter

publicly discussed a plan to allow the House to pass the bill without a vote by

the House. Referred to as the "Slaughter Solution," House Democrats eventually

abandoned the scheme under the weight of a sustained public outcry. When the

House was poised to consider legislation to impose a "cap-and-trade" national


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energy tax, a 300 page "manager's amendment" rewriting key provisions of the

bill without a separate vote was dropped in the laps of lawmakers at 3:00 am.

The House began debate on the bill just a few hours later. For the first time in

modern history, the House failed to pass or even debate a budget, allowing

spending to continue to grow at a breathtaking rate without any blueprint for

making fiscal decisions.

I almost laughed myself off my seat when I read this...limiting openness

and debate. If you have been watching, the GOP was the party that

filibustered even having a debate on the Defense Bill because it had an

amendment to allow the military to end DADT if they chose to do so. This

is the very measure McCain once said he would vote for...but who lead the

filibuster to prevent even debating the measure. This is a clear sign

they don't intend to practice what they preach.

The top-down way of governing is outdated and just plain backwards. We will

launch a prolonged campaign to transfer power back to the people and ensure they

have a say in what goes on in the Congress. This year House Republicans launched

a first-of-its-kind web platform called America Speaking Out to engage directly

with the American people and allow them to establish a dialogue with their

members of Congress. We will continue this groundbreaking transformative effort

to give people a voice in real time with their government. We recognize that if

we are truly committed to addressing the American people's highest priorities,

the House of Representatives must operate differently - differently from the way

the Democrats do now, and differently from the way Republicans did in the past.

Change begins at home. Our Plan to Restore Trust

17

It's no wonder that a national survey released earlier this year showed that

just two in 10 Americans believe our government operates with the consent of the

governed. We cannot continue to operate like this.

A survey also released shows that the majority of Americans blame Bush and

the republicans for the economic collapse and recession. Wonder why they

left that survey out of this pledge?

DID YOU KNOW?

Advance Legislative Issues One at a Time: We will end the practice of packaging

unpopular bills with "must-pass" legislation to circumvent the will of the

American people. Instead, we will advance major legislation one issue at a time.

Republicans stalled the present defense bill, in part, because they said

they could not get their unrelated amendments attached.

Make It Easier to Cut Spending: By forbidding amendments on spending bills,

Democrats have denied lawmakers the opportunity to tighten Washington's belt and

slash wasteful and duplicative programs. Structure dictates behavior, so we will

let any lawmaker -- Democrat or Republican -- offer amendments to reducespending.

This statement is just the opposite of the statement above?

Adhere To The Constitution: For too long, Congress has ignored the proper limits

imposed by the Constitution on the federal government. Further, it has too often

drafted unclear and muddled laws, leaving to an unelected judiciary the power to

interpret what the law means and by what authority the law stands. This lack of

respect for the clear Constitutional limits and authorities has allowed Congress

to create ineffective and costly programs that add to the massive deficit year

after year. We will require each bill moving through Congress to include a

clause citing the specific constitutional authority upon which the bill is

justified.


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This is the very reason we have the courts, to function as a check on

Congress. Elsewhere these same protectors of the constitution state they

will continue to operate Gitmo and hold prisoners without any due process

in clear violation of our constitution and our founding principles.

Read The Bill: We will ensure that bills are debated and discussed in the public

square by publishing the text on line for at least three days before coming up

for a vote in the House of Representatives. No more hiding legislative language

from the minority party, opponents, and the public. Legislation should be

understood by all interested parties before it is voted on.

I have no issue with this idea. Sometimes they get one right.

The number of House legislative days devoted to action on noncontroversial and

often insignificant "suspension" bills is up significantly in this Congress by

comparison with the past several Congresses, wasting time and taxpayer

resources. Of the bills considered under the suspension procedure - requiring

2/3 vote for passage - so far during this Congress, more than half were bills

naming federal buildings, recognizing individuals or groups (like sports teams)

for achievements, or supporting the designation of particular days, months, or

weeks. This year, for the first time in the modern era, the House did not pass a

budget, and of the twelve regular spending bills, only two have passed. House

Democrats have relied heavily on what are known as "martial law" procedures

during the current Congress, particularly provisions that allow them to bring

any bill to the floor with little or no notice and deny Republican members of

Congress or even factions of their own party their right to debate and offer

amendments or substitutes for consideration or vote.

Guess what? GOP caused this by their clear intention to obstruct anything

and everything any Democrat proposes. After awhile when the fat kid can't

play nice the other kids start to ignore him.

18

We are a nation at war. We must confront the worldwide threat of terrorism and

to deal with the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. We will do all that is

needed to protect our homeland, support our troops and the veterans who have so

honorably served us, and ensure our government has a coherent strategy to

confront and defeat the terrorist threat. And we will never apologize for

advancing the cause of freedom and democracy around the world, nor will we

abandon our historic role in lifting up those who struggle to receive the

blessings of liberty. Over the last year, we have seen clear and immediate

evidence that terrorists continue to plot devastating attacks against our

homeland, including a plot to bomb the New York City subway system, and

continuing with the attacks at Fort Hood, Times Square, and on board Northwest

Flight 253. Each of these attacks represented new strands of terrorism, new

signs of an enemy ready and willing to adapt. "History does not long entrust the

care of freedom to the weak or the timid." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

So what is your point here...Democrats are doing as good a job if notbetter than Bush did. 9/11 took place on Bush's watch after receiving

clear warnings from Clinton. It was Bill Clinton, a Democrat, who first

launched cruise missile attacks in an attempt to take out Bin Laden before

he had attacked America.

A Plan to Keep Our Nation Secure at Home & Abroad

We have a plan to keep our nation secure at home and abroad and hold the current

government accountable for fulfilling its responsibility to provide for a robust

defense. Our Plan for National and Border Security Providing for the common

defense is a not just a priority or political imperative - it is a

Constitutional duty. National security is more than just war fighting: it is

protecting our citizens, bringing certainty to an uncertain world, supporting

those who volunteer in the service of their country and defend our way of life,

using every tool to protect Americans from threats at our borders. o


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Demand an Overarching Detention Policy: Foreign terrorists do not have the same

rights as American citizens, nor do they have more rights than U.S. military

personnel. We will work to ensure foreign terrorists, such as the 9/11

conspirators, are tried in military, not civilian, court. We will oppose all

efforts to force our military, intelligence, and law enforcement personnel

operating overseas to extend "Miranda Rights" to foreign terrorists.

This is a clear case of the Republican's disdain for our own constitution.

Once you start carving out exceptions you weaken that great document. Ben

Franklin said that those who would trade security for freedom deserve

neither.

Keep Terrorists Out of America: We will prevent the government from importing

terrorists onto American soil. We will hold President Obama and his

administration responsible for any Guantanamo Bay detainees they release who

return to fight against our troops or who have become involved in any terrorist

plots or activities.

They are already on American soil. Guantanamo, as an American base is

considered legally American soil. In addition we already have tried and

incarcerated a number of terrorist in our prisons. Those we continue to

hold in Gitmo have never been charged with any crime or proved to be

terrorists or they would have been tried by now.

Pass Clean Troop Funding Bills: When asked to provide our troops with the

resources they need, we will do so without delay. That means no more troop

funding bills held up by unrelated policy changes, or extraneous domestic

spending and pork-barrel projects.

GOP just refused to debate the Defense funding bill in the senate. Their

objections included the provision to allow the military to repeal DADT

which is clearly a military related provision. The GOP also said they

blocked the bill because they thought they were being denied the ability

to add amendments of their own that would have been unrelated to the

military, as they did last time as well.

Fully Fund Missile Defense: There is real concern that while the threat from

Iranian intercontinental ballistic missiles could materialize as early as 2015,

the government's missile defense policy is not projected to cover the U.S.

homeland until 2020. We will work to ensure critical funding is restored to

protect the U.S. homeland and our allies from missile threats from rogue states

such as Iran and North Korea.

We have so much excess ability to flatten both of those nations that

deterrence is a better bargain for our tax money then yet another

expensive weapons system. What the GOP is really saying is that we need to

provide more welfare to the military contractors.

Require Tough Enforcement of Sanctions Against Iran: The Iranian regime is a

state-sponsor of terrorism, has actively worked to harm our deployed troops in

Iraq and Afghanistan, and violates the rights and will of its own people. It has

declared its determination to acquire a nuclear capability, which threatens its

neighbors and the security of the United States. We will work to ensure the

government aggressively and effectively implements the sanctions tools Congress

has provided.

I don't think many people object to this on either side of the isle.

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Establish Operational Control of the Border: We must take action to secure our

borders, and that action starts with enforcing our laws. We will ensure that the

Border Patrol has the tools and authorities to establish operational control at

the border and prohibit the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture from

interfering with Border Patrol enforcement activities on federal lands.

Work with State and Local Officials to Enforce Our Immigration Laws: The problem

of illegal immigration and Mexican drug cartels engaged in an increasingly

violent conflict means we need all hands on deck to address this challenge. We

will reaffirm the authority of state and local law enforcement to assist in the

enforcement of all federal immigration laws.

State and local law enforcement can already enforce any federal laws. No

additional action is required on the part of the Federal government to

grant this. Immigration and drug cartels are two separate issues. The

drug violence is not spilling over our borders and FBI crime statistics

show our South West to be among the safer places to live in our nation.

These same statistics show that a violent crime is 11 times more likely to

be committed by an American citizen than by an illegal worker.

This simple minded statement ignores that this is a problem created by

American business who invited and hire these illegal workers. Had there

been no jobs they would not be here. Also ignores the fact that illegal

immigration has declined by two thirds over the past few years.

Strengthen Visa Security: To stop terrorists like Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the

Christmas Day bomber, we will require the Department of Homeland Security to

review all visa applications at high-risk consular posts and prevent aliens from

attempting to avoid deportation after having their visas revoked.

No problem with this. I think the Democrats agree as well so we really

don't need you in power to work on this unless the GOP decides to oppose

any solutions just because a Democrat proposes one.

20

Unfortunately, the metrics used to hold Congress accountable are often flawed.

Rather than using the scale of how well elected representatives represent the

views of the people, the scale is often currently measured in bills passed,

dollars spent, and programs created. This must change.

Our founders built a system of checks and balances to slow the growth of

government and prevent the tyranny of the majority. The ultimate power in this

system of government is held by the people, who were given the tools by our

Founders to hold those they elect as their representatives accountable for their

actions. Government exists to be the servant of the people, not their master.

Yes and when the people tired of the tyranny of the Bush administration

they spoke and elected Obama and a majority in Congress. Now that the GOP

has lost, somehow the Democrats are all villains. Guess what...this is how

it is supposed to work...until it does not work for the party out of

power.

Checks and Balances

We will stand committed to our principles and fight to renew the drive for a

smaller, less costly, and more accountable government. We will promote and

advance solutions that get people working again, stop out-ofcontrol spending,

repeal and replace the government takeover of health care, make Congress more

open and transparent, and keep our nation secure at home and abroad. At the same

time, we will serve as a check and a balance against any schemes that are

inconsistent with the priorities and rights of the American people:


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We will fight to ensure transparency and accountability in Congress and

throughout government. We will fight efforts to fund the costly new health care

law.

I tire of repeating myself, but the cost of insurance is not under

government control...it is a private for profit system backed by the GOP.

The costs of care are projected to be lower than if we had not implemented

care. What the GOP is misleading you about is that the estimate is looking

to be higher than originally anticipated...by less than one percent !!

Every American must ask: what has Congress done to ensure opportunity and to

safeguard my liberty and the freedoms guaranteed to me in the Constitution? We

stand ready to be judged by that standard.

Congress writes and passes laws. They do not pass laws to NOT protect your

liberty but they can and have passed laws designed to protect your

freedoms. In Lincoln's time it was to abolish slavery. More recent it was

the civil rights act to assure the civil rights of minorities were

protected. The ADA was written to protect the liberties of the disabled

citizen.

"But the whole history of America is quite different from Europe. People went

there to get away from the intolerance and constraints of life in Europe. They

sought liberty and opportunity; and their strong sense of purpose has over two

centuries, helped create a new unity and pride in being American." - Margaret

Thatcher

Too bad this tide is turning. People in Europe never fear for their health

for they are healthier and happier than we are. Every nation in Europe has

a more highly rated health care system than the US. We rate 37th. People in

Europe no longer fear religious persecution, while here in America a

growing conservative movement is bent on persecuting Muslims contrary to

our founding principles of freedom or worship. How long until US Citizens

start to flee American in order to feel safe? Newt Gingrich has been very

vocal against the Muslim faith. I give Bush credit for standing up for

those Americans who choose Islam as their faith. But his party has abandon

or founding principles for political gain.

We will continue to fight the growth of government and oppose new stimulus

spending that only puts our nation further in debt.

Too bad you did not think of that over the past 8 years when you let the

banks and Wall Street run wild with our money.

We will fight to increase access to domestic energy sources and oppose attempts

to impose a national "cap and trade" energy tax. We will fight for the rights of

workers and oppose "card check" schemes that put union bosses before

individuals' right to a secret ballot. We will fight efforts to use a national

crisis for political gain.

Another great Flip Flop! In the 2008 elections is was Republicans McCain

and Palin who campaigned in favor of Cap and Trade. Now that the Democrats

want it, suddenly the GOP does not. But isn't that how they work now?

Built through a process of listening to the people, this is our Pledge to

America. To begin the process of implementing a new governing agenda that honors

our Constitution and reflects the will of the people, we call on the leadership

of the 111th Congress to bring these reforms and policies to an immediate vote,

and ask all citizens of our Nation - men and women of good will and good heart -

who share in our beliefs, to join with us today.


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GOP did not listen to their people. They provided a web site for the

purpose, neither of the two top items listed as most important were even

give mention here. Your supporters wanted and end to the ridiculous and

costly prohibition of marijuana. You ignored them. Your base wanted you

to address the continued outsourcing of American jobs...you ignored them.

//

21

Notes:

The original page numbers were left in place for reference. Graphics and

photographs were omitted to concentrate on the words rather than the deal

with the emotional ploy of graphics unrelated to the topics. The comments

and opinions expressed are my own. Information relied upon to counter GOP

talking points were researched from a number of reliable web based

resources and do not rely on other persons opinions.

Throughout the above I have noted a clear disrespect for any ideas the

republicans have not created themselves. Their behavior in Congress since2009 has been one of obstruction and a refusal to participate in the

process of law making followed by wining about not being allowed to

participate. When the Democrats decided to try end runs to get things

done they complain, after having made it clear they had no intention of

cooperating in the first place. They would weasel concessions with the

promise of support only to refuse that support once concessions were added

to various bills. They have been deceitful and manipulative...far from the

transparency they promise here. They claim they will seek cooperation to

fix our problems, yet have clearly demonstrated they are unwilling to

cooperate.

Reader comments are appreciated.

Commentary portions 2010 All rights reserved.

Paul C. Kruger aka Joe the Voter

Please freely distribute with credit.

http://www.joethevoter.org

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