Will the Real Mitt Romney Please Stand Up?

As a member of the First Coast Tea Party's research committee, I was asked to research Mitt Romney. It took much longer than I had anticipated because my goal originally was to fairly and accurately portray his positions on issues important to conservative voters. These include abortion, gun rights, gay marriage, tax reform, government spending, immigration, fair trade, global warming, energy policy, health care, and education.

Early in my research, I ran into a problem. I found Willard Mitt Romney has multiple, often conflicting positions on many of these issues. There were times when I felt whiplashed watching a too-fast tennis match while reading his positions. Like on the old TV game show "To Tell the Truth," at the end of my research, I am asking, "Will the real Mitt Romney please stand up?

Because I have no idea who the real Mitt Romney is or what he stands for, I decided the best thing to do was catalog his positions on the issues chronologically. You, the reader, are left to draw your own conclusions. I hope you find the information helpful. If you find any errors or omissions, please include reliable source citations in your comments. I will make corrections if I am able to confirm the information.

Biographical Information:


Full Name: Willard Mitt Romney
Birthdate: March 12, 1947
Primary Residence: Belmont, Massachusetts
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
Parents: George & Lenore Romney. His father was the former President & C.E.O. of American Motors, governor of Michigan, and a presidential candidate in 1968. His mother ran for the U.S. Senate in 1970.
Marriage: Married childhood sweetheart Ann in 1969. Ann was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1998; it is currently in remission.
Children: 5 sons & 16 grandchildren
Religion: Church of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon)
Net worth (estimated): $190 - $250 million
Education: Attended Stanford University in 1966. After Mormon missionary trip to France, enrolled at Brigham Young University where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English from Brigham Young University in 1971 as Valedictorian of his class. Earned both an M.B.A. from Harvard University Business School & a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1975.

Resume:
2008: Ran unsuccessfully for President.
2004: Appointed by President George W. Bush to the Homeland Security Advisory Committee.
2003 - 2007: Governor of Massachusetts. Created a scholarship program that rewards the top 25% of Massachusetts high school students with a tuition-free education to any Massachusetts public college or university. Proposed and signed legislation that requires all Massachusetts residents to have health care. Backed a proposed state constitutional amendment in 2004 that would have allowed civil unions and banned gay marriage (the amendment failed to pass). Withdrew his support of this amendment, however, in favor of a 2005 petition that banned both.
1999 - 2002: C.E.O. of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics Organizing Committee with $1.32 billion budget, 700 employees and 26,000 volunteers. The Games netted a $100 million profit. He was asked to take the job because the organization was in the midst of budget shortfalls and numerous scandals that jeopardized the 2002 Winter Games. He donated to charity the $1.4 million in salary and severance payments he received for his three years as president and CEO.
1994: Ran unsuccessfully against Ted Kennedy for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
1990 - 1992: C.E.O. with Bain & Company, where he had previously served as vice president and a business consultant
1984 - 1998: Co-founded Bain Capital, a private equity investment company that started or acquired over 100 businesses, including Staples, Domino's Pizza, and The Sports Authority.
1978 - 1984: Vice President with Bain & Company
1974 - 1978: Intern, then business consultant with The Boston Consulting Group
1966: Served as a Mormon Missionary in France.

Books published:
No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, St. Martin’s Press, 2010
Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership and the Olympic Games, Regnery Publishing Inc., 2004

Sources:
http://www.mittromney.com/ viewed 1/9/2012
http://mamagrizzlyscubs.com/y4p-blog/mitt-romney-s-resume viewed 1/9/2012
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-mitt-romney-defends-work-at-bain-capital-20120108,0,7680084.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fpolitics+%28L.A.+Times+-+Politics%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher viewed 1/9/2012
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71214_Page1.html & http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71214_Page2.html both viewed 1/9/2012
http://smartgirlpolitics.ning.com/group/white-house-run-for-2012-presidential-candidates/forum/topics/mitt-romney-former-massachusetts-governor viewed 1/9/2012
ttp://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/candidates/mitt-romney/ viewed 1/9/2012
http://www.infoplease.com/us/government/presidential-campaign-2008-mitt-romney.html viewed 1/9/2012
http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/Mitt-Romney viewed 1/9/2012
http://www.republicanprofiles.com/presidential-candidate/mitt-romney/ viewed 1/20/2012
http://www.issues2000.org/2012/Mitt_Romney_Principles_+_Values.htm viewed 1/20/2012

On Abortion:

1994: Romney ran and lost as a pro-choice candidate against Senator Ted Kennedy. Romney stated in a campaign debate, "Many, many years ago, I had a dear close family relative who was very close to me who passed away from an illegal abortion. It is since that time that my mother and my family have been committed to the belief that we can believe as we want, but we cannot force our beliefs on others in that matter. And you will not see me wavering on that." He endorsed legalization of RU-486, the morning-after pill.

2001: Romney told the Salt Lake City Tribune, “I do not wish to be labeled pro-choice.”

2002: Romney ran and won as a pro-choice candidate for Governor of Massachusetts. Answering a NARAL survey, he wrote, "I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose." He promised Planned Parenthood that he supported "the substance of" Roe v. Wade, taxpayer-funded abortions, and emergency abortion drugs. He received the endorsement of the "Republican Majority for Choice." He promised he would do nothing to weaken Massachusetts laws that allow abortion. During a campaign debate, he said, "I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose and I am devoted and dedicated to honoring my word in that regard. I will not change any provisions of Massachusetts's pro-choice laws."

2004: Romney claimed to have made a pro-life conversion following a meeting with Harvard embryonic stem-cell researcher Douglas Melton. However, he told the American Right To Life group, "To be personally pro-life means to be officially pro-choice."

2005: Romney wrote in a Boston Globe editorial his pro-life conversion and now opposes abortion except in the cases of rape, incest, or to protect the mother's life. He stated that Roe v. Wade was judicial activism and should be overturned to return the question of abortion rights to the states. He vetoed a bill allowing morning after abortion pills without a prescription because it allowed them for minors without parental consent. The Democrat-controlled legislature overturned his veto. The same year, he supported taxpayer-funded embryonic stem-cell research, appointed pro-abortion Democrat Matt Nestor to a Massachusetts' district court, supported increased taxpayer funding of abortion counseling, sought a federal waiver to give chemical abortion (morning-after) drugs to rape victims, and issued an executive order requiring all hospitals (including Catholic) to furnish morning after abortion drugs to rape victims. In a May press conference, he reiterated, "I am absolutely committed to my promise to maintain the status quo with regards to laws relating to abortion and choice and so far, I have been able to successfully do that. And my personal philosophical views on this issue are not something that I think should distract from a more critical agenda." Reacting to all of this, a Boston Globe editorial stated, "Flip, flop, flip… Romney has now executed an Olympic-caliber double flip-flop with a gold medal performance twist-and-a-half."

2006: Massachusetts' Commonwealth Care (MCC) was signed into law by Romney. Unlike Obamacare, MCC or "Romneycare" fully funds abortions with patient co-pays ranging from $0-$100. Romney appointed 7 of the 10 members of the Board which oversees MCC, including a representative from Planned Parenthood. At the same time, he gave charitable contributions to conservative groups, including Massachusetts Citizens for Life.

2007: Romney both supports and opposes a Constitutional "Human Life" Amendment to ban abortions. For the most part, Romney supports allowing each state to decide for itself whether to allow or bar abortions and under what circumstances. He claims in a CNN interview, "You can look at my record as governor, in you can see in my record as governor that I have consistently been pro-life on every piece of legislation that dealt with life." On Meet the Press, he opposed punishing women who have partial birth abortions. He added, "In the case of a doctor, the kinds of penalties would be potentially losing a license or having some other kind of restriction." Although he would outlaw embryo farming, he would allow, "on a private basis, the use of surplus embryos from in vitro fertilization."

2010: Romney stated in his book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness: "The debate over abortion puts two of our fundamental values in conflict: our respect for life and our love of personal freedom. Arguments in support of abortion generally revolve around the right of a mother to make decisions about her own body. But in any decision about whether to end a pregnancy, we must remember that two lives are involved, and own this point, courts have been long and conspicuously silent. Because the fact is that two lives, not one, is involved. I am unapologetically pro-life. Both mother and child are human beings, but only one does not yet have a voice to defend itself."

2011: Romney believes Roe v. Wade could be overturned but doubts a federal Human Life Amendment is feasible. He said he would not propose federal legislation to overturn Roe v. Wade or "precipitate" what he called would be a "constitutional crisis" with a Constitutional Amendment. "What I would look to do would be appoint people to the Supreme Court that will follow strictly the constitution as opposed to legislating from the bench." In a Manchester, NH town hall meeting, he recommends, "Let the states make their own choice. I'm pro-life. I think that this is a decision best handled like many other things, at the state level." In the June NH presidential debate, he claimed his record was to have been pro-life from birth to death.

Sources:
http://prolifeprofiles.com/romney viewed 1/9/2012 & 1/20/2012
http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Governor/Massachusetts/Mitt_Romney/views/Abortion/ viewed 1/20/2012
"On the Issues" website: http://www.issues2000.org/Mitt_Romney.htm viewed 1/20/2012

On the Second Amendment (Gun Rights):

1994: Romney, in his run against Ted Kennedy in the Senate race, stated, "I don't line up with the NRA" on gun control. He supported strong gun control laws in Massachusetts. He supported the Brady Bill, which requires a 5-day waiting period for hand guns and banned semi-automatic weapons.

2002: Running for Governor of Massachusetts, Romney said he does not "line up" with the National Rifle Association (NRA) or Gunowners of America (GOA). He bragged, “We do have tough gun laws In Massachusetts. I support them. I won’t chip away at them. I believe they help protect us and provide for our safety.”

2004: Romney signed a firearms control bill that required waiting periods for handguns and permanently banned semi-automatic weapons, the first such legislation in the country. However, it also relaxed other gun control laws, resulting in the bill winning support from the NRA and other gun owner groups.

2006: Romney became a Life member of the NRA.

2007: In a Meet the Press interview, Romney explained he supported the work of the NRA as a member but not their position on every issue. He supported most of the Brady Bill and many of its provisions were in the assault weapon ban he signed as Massachusetts governor. Still, he claimed at NRA and National Shooting Sports Foundation meetings, "I support the Second Amendment as one of the most basic and fundamental rights of every American. It's essential to our functioning as a free society, as are all the liberties enumerated in the Bill of Rights."

2008: While running for President, he claimed he was a gun-owner and had a life-long devotion to hunting. It turns out he had gone hunting only twice for "small varmints" (rodents, rabbits, etc.). He supported the ban on semi-automatic weapons during a GOP presidential debate in Boca Raton, citing legislation he had signed as Governor of MA. He said he supported the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold individual rights to keep and bear arms.

2011: Romney tries to reassure voters, “The Second Amendment protects the individual right of lawful citizens to keep and bear arms. I strongly support this essential freedom.” As of January 20, 2012, he has not answered the GOA's Presidential Candidates' survey. There is no mention of gun rights on the Mitt Romney website.

Sources:
http://www.issues2000.org/2012/Mitt_Romney_Gun_Control.htm viewed 1/20/2012
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=47940 viewed 1/20/2012
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/nov/02/jon-huntsman/jon-huntsman-accuses-mitt-romney-flip-flopping-gun/ viewed 1/20/2012
http://gunowners.org/mittromney-2012.htm viewed 1/20/2012

On Immigration:

2004: Romney reluctantly vetoed in-state tuition and opposed driver's licenses for illegal aliens. He told the Boston Globe, “I hate the idea of in any way making it more difficult for kids, even those who are illegal aliens, to afford college in our state.”

2005: Romney called the McCain immigration reform legislation "reasonable" in a Boston Globe interview.

2006: Governor Romney authorized the round-up of illegal aliens by Massachusetts state troopers despite Massachusetts' sanctuary laws shortly before his term ended. His successor rescinded the order and it was never put into effect because no troopers were able to complete the required 6-week training. During Romney's term, there is no record that he ever took any actions against four sanctuary cities in the state despite his opposition to the idea. He said, "Governors aren’t responsible for mayors who are not following the law." The Massachusetts' health care plan, signed into law by Romney, includes a program call the Health Safety Net. It allows uninsured illegal aliens to get taxpayer-funded medical care. He claims this provision was approved after he was out of office.

2007: Romney became caught up in a controversy regarding a landscaping company he hired that had some illegal aliens working on his property for 8 years. He terminated the contract and advocated for a reliable employment verification system. Perhaps this is why he opposed jailing employers who hired illegal aliens. Instead, he said they should "be subject to the same kind of sanctions you get for not paying your taxes." He reiterated his opposition to sanctuary cities, in-state tuition and drivers' licenses for illegals. He advocated for the federal government to defund sanctuary cities and English be the official language. He believes, "It’s important to end illegal immigration so we can maintain and encourage legal immigration. Immigration is good for this country; it’s helped us over our history."

2008: Romney supported allowing American employers to hire more foreign workers in certain skilled professions. However, he advocated that illegals be forced to return to their home countries at a speed dependent on how long they have been here, allowing them to get their affairs in order in a "humane and compassionate way." He opposed the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill, especially the Z-visa, which would have allowed illegal aliens to pay a fine and stay here permanently.

2010: In his book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, Romney disagreed with current immigration policies that require foreign students to return to their home countries after graduation. He opposed bilingual education, advocating for English immersion for immigrant children.

2011: Romney opposes amnesty because it encourages more people to come to the U.S. illegally. He advocates that legal aliens be given a card that shows they are here legally that employers would be required to inspect. He continues to oppose in-state tuition discounts for the children of illegals, as he did when he was governor of MA. He supports building a border fence along all 2,600 miles of our southern border and hiring enough border guards to patrol it to stop crossers. "Amnesty is a magnet." Despite unemployment rates over 9%, he told Iowans in a debate that he would "like to staple a green card" to foreign students' diplomas if they came here to study legally, saying it is important "that America welcomes the best and brightest in the world."

Sources:
http://www.issues2000.org/2012/Mitt_Romney_Immigration.htm viewed 1/20/2012
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-10-24/politics/30315476_1_illegal-immigrants-romney-signed-mitt-romney viewed 1/20/2012
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/10/mitt-romney-hire-illegal-immigrant-rick-perry-/1 viewed 1/20/2012
http://www.cfr.org/united-states/campaign-2012-candidates-immigration/p26803#p4 viewed 1/20/2012

On Homosexuality:

1994: Romney did not believe same-sex marriage was politically feasible, suggesting civil unions as the alternate. He stated that the question should be left up to the individual states. However He believed gays should be allowed to serve openly in the military. He supported Clinton's don't-ask-don't-tell policy to allow gays to serve in the military "as a step in the right direction." If elected to the U.S. Senate, he vowed to co-sponsor the Federal Employee Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) and broaden it to include housing and credit. In private meetings with gays and lesbians, he compared his support for gay rights to his father's support for civil rights and told them, "I’m with you on this stuff… I’ll be better than Ted Kennedy.” He wrote the Log Cabin Club of Massachusetts, seeking their endorsement, "We must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern." He told Bay Windows, a gay newspaper in Massachusetts, “I think the gay community needs more support from the Republican Party, and I would be a voice in the Republican Party to foster anti-discrimination efforts.”

2002: As head of the Salt Lake City Olympics, he enacted a workplace non-discrimination policy for homosexuals. Romney circulated a flyer at a Gay Pride rally proclaiming the need for equal rights for all regardless of sexual orientation. He promised to “support everything that it calls for in terms of recognizing unions between people. But just don’t use the M-word." He distanced himself from his wife and son's decisions to back a state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman and legislation to bar domestic partner benefits to state employees.

2003: Throughout his governorship, Romney appointed gays to his cabinet and to state courts. When Massachusetts Supreme Court declared gays had the right to marry, Romney objected, "Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman. I will support an amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution to make that expressly clear. Of course, basic civil rights and appropriate benefits must be available to people in nontraditional relationships, but marriage is a special institution between a man and a woman, and our constitution and laws should reflect that.” In the meantime, he worked to get the Massachusetts legislature to pass a law allowing civil unions for same-sex couples to satisfy the Court.

2004: The Massachusetts Spreme Court rejected civil unions as an acceptable alternative to marriage. Romney said he would abide by the Court's ruling that allowed gay marriage. Despite lobbying by the Catholic League for a "conscience exception," he threatened to fire state employees who refused to issue marriage licenses to gays or perform civil marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.

2005: Romney became more vocal in his opposition to gay marriage as well as civil unions, explaining that children have a right to both a father and a mother. He upset many in the gay community when he expressed disapproval of gay adoptions. He hoped a state constitutional convention or the legislature would allow the people of Massachusetts to vote on an amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. He told Chris Matthews on MSNBC's HardBall that he supported domestic partner benefits.

2007: Asked about gays in the military by George Stephanopoulis on ABC-News, Romney said he was always skeptical that don't-ask-don't-tell would work. However, the policy having been in place for a decade, he opposed changing it. He added, "What I can tell you is I oppose discrimination on the basis of race, gender, but also sexual preference."

2008: In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), Romney said, "The development of a child is enhanced by having a mother and father. Such a family is the ideal for the future of the child and for the strength of a nation. I wonder how it is that unelected judges, like some in my state of Massachusetts, are so unaware of this reality, so oblivious to the millennia of recorded history. It is time for the people of America to fortify marriage through Constitutional amendment, so that liberal judges cannot continue to attack it."

2009: Romney supported an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage. He believed that it was untenable for different states to have different standards for marriage. He told Eric Cantor on John King's CNN show, "Marriage is a matter of national consequence. It's a status, it's not an activity, and as a result there should be a national standard."

2011: In a NH debate, CNN's John King asked the candidates if same sex marriage should be handled with a Constitutional amendment or as a states' rights issue. Romney was unequivocable, answering simply, "Constitutional."

2012: Romney has signed a pledge with the National Organization for Marriage promising to support a federal constitutional amendment "defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman." He also promised vigorous enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act, which Obama has not, and to appoint only judges who do not support gay marriage.

Sources:

Email received & viewed from the First Coast Tea Party on 11/20/11 at 9:36 a.m. forwarding a text from Kristi Dunn, citing http://romneyfacts.com/ and http://www.whichmitt.com
http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/10589-rabbinical-alliance-urges-social-conservatives-to-reject-romney viewed 1/20/2012
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20088274-503544.html viewed 1/20/2012
http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/governor/Massachusetts/Mitt_Romney/views/Gay_Marriage viewed 1/20/2012
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/01/17/405214/in-private-meeting-with-gay-leaders-romney-compared-lgbt-equality-to-fathers-fight-for-civil-rights/?mobile=nc viewed 1/20/2012

On Tax Reform & Government Spending:

1996: Romney strongly opposed the flat tax and called it a “tax cut for fat cats.”

2002: Romney pledged to Massachusetts voters that he would not raise taxes, although he refused to sign a no-tax-raises' pledge. He opposed a ballot proposition that would have eliminated the state's income tax. He wanted to impose an excise tax on SUV's and a "greenfields tax" on development in the ocean. “All voters care about great education, improving our environment, bringing more jobs to Massachusetts and balancing the budget without raising taxes."

2003: Romney refused to endorse the proposed Bush federal tax cuts, which won him praise from Rep. Barney Frank. Romney also agreed an increase of the federal gas tax might be appropriate. When he became governor, Massachusetts had a $650 million deficit; he cut $343 million with legislative approval.

2004: Part of the economic reform measures pushed by Romney were fee increases of $240-$259 million. Romney claimed these were justified since many of these fees had not been raised in 20 years and they were narrowly tailored. Some of the fees raised included deed registrations, court filing fees, marriage licenses, professional registrations, firearm licenses, and gasoline deliveries. He closed tax loopholes, generating $128 to $170 million in additional revenues from 2004-2006 and cut state aid to cities and counties. The result was elimination of a $3 billion deficit. Romney wanted to cut the state’s income tax rate from 5.3% to 5.0%, but the state legislature refused.

2005: Standards & Poor's upgraded Massachusetts bond credit rating while Romney was governor because the state had reduced its deficit, cut spending, and balanced its budget. Romney credited the fact that legislators from both parties cooperated to accomplish these improvements under his leadership. His proposal to provide property tax relief to seniors was passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature. Many of his proposals to eliminate duplicative or wasteful expenses were blocked by the legislature.

2006: Romney cut $425 million from the state budget and stopped the legislature from using the state's "rainy day fund" for local earmarks.

2007: Romney proposed a state budget that was 10.12% higher than the previous year's budget because Massachusetts now had surplus revenues. Romney commented in a Des Moines debate, "I don’t stay awake at night worrying about the taxes that rich people are paying." Instead, he pushed for middle class tax cuts. He opposed the death tax. He signed the no-new-taxes pledge of the Americans for Tax Reform. He continued to oppose the flat tax, calling it "unfair."

2008: Romney claimed to have supported the Bush tax cuts. Although there is no record that he ever opposed them, there is also no public record that he endorsed them either. He advocated eliminating taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains for all who earn less than $200,000 per year. He told Fox News, "Lowering taxes grows the economy." He supported the Wall Street bailout. He wrote an editorial for the New York Times entitled "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt," which opposed a bailout for car manufacturers unless they "come up with a win-win proposition." He advocated for increased federal spending on alternative energy research.

2011: Romney opposes the Flat Tax and the Fair Tax because he believes they would benefit the richest and poorest with lower tax rates at the expense of the middle class. Instead, he would like to make tax rates flatter, such as reducing the top corporate tax rate from 35% to 25% and cutting capital gains taxes on those with incomes below $200,000, and plugging special tax breaks. He supported continuing the Bush tax cuts. In a CNBC debate, he said, "Let me tell you, I'm not looking to raise taxes. What I'm looking to do is to cut spending." He supports ethanol subsidies.

2012: Romney wants to permanently extend the Bush tax cuts, eliminate taxes on investments or savings for middle class taxpayers (those who earn less than $200,000), reduce corporate income taxes, eliminate the estate tax, and repeal taxes related to Obamacare. He would allow the American Opportunity Tax Credit, the expanded earned income credit and child credit, which were part of Obama's stimulus package, to expire. Based on current law, the Romney tax plan would reduce projected federal revenue by 16 percent or $180 billion in 2015 and reduce tax liabilities for "about three-fourths of taxpayers by an average of more than $4,700," according to the Tax Policy Center (TPC).

Sources:
http://www.issues2000.org/2012/Mitt_Romney_Tax_Reform.htm viewed 1/20/2012
http://taxpolicycenter.org/taxtopics/romney-plan.cfm viewed 1/21/2012
http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Governor/Massachusetts/Mitt_Romney/views/Taxes/ viewed 1/21/2012
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/whitepapers/?subsec=137&id=905 viewed 1/21/2012

On Foreign Trade & International Relations

2005: Romney supported the Central American Fair Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

2007: Romney advocated for elimination of most trade barriers. He said in a CNBC interview with Larry Kudlow, “Any economy that's tried to put barriers up to keep itself from having to compete with innovation around the world is an economy which ultimately ends up collapsing and becoming second tier.” Although he supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), he opposed the proposed North American Union and the North American Superhighway. He supported free trade with India and China. He claimed that free trade made the average U.S. family "$9,000 a year richer." He agreed that future trade agreements must better protect U.S. patents and intellectual property, however. He said businessmen, not politicians, were best qualified to negotiate trade agreements.

2008: Romney campaigned with a trade policies tht included approval of the Doha Round to reduce trade barriers and advocated the President should be allowed to negotiate free trade agreements without Congressional interference by enacting the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA).

2010: Romney called for going to the World Trade Organization about China's unfair trade policies and currency manipulations. However, he warned against protectionism because it stifles productivity.

2011: Romney unveiled his "Believe in America Plan," which proposes increasing free trade and getting more free trade agreements signed, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership to expand trade with existing partners as well as Vietnam and Malaysia. He claims that the current free trade agreements (FTAs) with 17 countries have created 5.4 million jobs for Americans. He said U.S. trade policies promoting fair trade with China were harmful to us and penalties should be imposed if their unfair trade practices, including theft of intellectual property and currency manipulation, do not end. He criticizes Obama for not getting new FTAs with Korea, Colombia, and Panama enacted because of labor union opposition. Romney opposes Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), which assists workers who lose their jobs because of foreign trade. He reiterated his support of the TPA, eliminating Congress' role in trade agreement negotiations. He proposes forming a "Reagan Economic Zone" for developing nations who agree with the principles of free enterprise and open markets.

2012: Romney supports tariffs on ethanol.

Sources:
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/whitepapers/?subsec=137&id=905 viewed 1/21/2012
http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Governor/Massachusetts/Mitt_Romney/views/Trade_Policy/ viewed 1/21/2012
http://www.issues2000.org/Mitt_Romney.htm#Foreign_Policy viewed 1/22/2012
http://www.issues2000.org/Mitt_Romney.htm#Free_Trade viewed 1/22/2012

On Global Warming & Energy Policy

2004: Romney proposed a "Climate Protection Plan" to reduce greenhouse emissions by 25% by 2012 by enacting California's standards for vehicle emissions, subsidizing low-income people to upgrade their oil burners, and implement regional climate change plans.

2006: Romney pulled Massachusetts out of the New England climate change pact to control greenhouse emissions.

2007: Romney said he believes in man-made global warming, although he is unsure as to how much culpability mankind has. He agreed energy conservation was needed but also we needed to increase domestic energy production. He linked energy independence with national security. He called on oil companies to use their profits to build more oil refineries in the U.S. He supported giving tax incentives for fuel efficient vehicles. He opposed provisions in the Kyoto treaty that imposed carbon caps on the U.S. but not on China and India but would support cap-and-trade if it was worldwide. He advocated for more production or development of biofuels, ethanol, nuclear power and liquified coal. He supported both offshore and Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) drilling. He told an Iowa Town Hall meeting, "I will work on a global basis to get other nations to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in a way that is fair to us and the other people of the world."

2008: Romney told Californians that states could impose their own caps on greenhouse emissions, if they wished. He called nuclear power a "win-win" because it produces no CO2 or energy imports. He proposed spending $20 billion for energy research and new vehicle technology. He said, "I side with states being able to make their own decisions, even if I don't always agree with the decisions they make."

2011: Romney supports global cap-and-trade if it is fair. He continues to support increased use of nuclear, clean coal, shale gas, natural gas, solar, wind and other renewable energy sources as well as drilling in ANWR and offshore. He feels Nevada should be compensated for nuclear waste stored in Yucca Mountain. He continues to believe in global warming and that man contributes to it to an unknown extent. At a Town Hall meeting in Manchester, NH, he stated, "I believe that the world is getting warmer. I can't prove that, but I believe it based on what I read that the world is getting warmer. And number two, I believe that humans contribute to that. I don't know how much..."

2012: Romney criticized Obama's moratoriums on ocean drilling following the BP Gulf Coast spill. In Romney's economic plan, he wants to fast-track permitting for exploration and drilling, overhaul the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, and make it easier to build nuclear power plants through regulatory reform. He believes government should fund energy research and development of new energy technologies. He supports partnerships with Mexico and Canadian, such as the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline to bring Canadian oil to the U.S. He is highly critical of Obama's use of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to impose more regulations that will cost U.S. jobs. Romney's economic plan states, "Energy policy is critical to our country’s economic future...The bad news is that self-defeating policies have left us less secure as a country and weakened our economy. The good news is: we can change."

Sources:
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/whitepapers/?subsec=137&id=905 viewed 1/21/2012
http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Governor/Massachusetts/Mitt_Romney/views/Energy_and_the_Environment/ viewed 1/21/2012
http://www.issues2000.org/Mitt_Romney.htm#Environment viewed 1/22/2012
http://www.issues2000.org/Mitt_Romney.htm#Energy_+_Oil viewed 1/22/2012

On Education Reform

1994: Romney campaigned on a position to eliminate the Department of Education. He supported charter schools, school vouchers, and home schooling.

2002: Romney continued to call for the abolishment of the Department of Education. He supported replacing underperforming schools with charter schools, using means-tested vouchers, abstinence-based and family values' education, but not teaching religion or prayer in public schools.

2004: Romney presented an education policy that included full-day kindergarten, mandatory parent preparation programs and full college scholarships for the top 25% of graduating high school seniors. He vetoed a bill that would have placed a moratorium on new charter schools; he favored expanding the number of charter schools to increase school choice for poor students. He asked, when announcing his plan for education reform in Massachusetts, "What legacy will we leave our children? I am convinced that our legacy should be a legacy of learning."

2007: Romney called for a national merit-based scholarship similar to Massachusetts' Adams scholarships that pay 100% of college tuition for the top 25% of high school graduates. He backed English-only programs for children whose native language is not English. He proposed tax-free college savings for those earning less than $200,000 annually. He supported the Bush's No Child Left Behind reforms and credited his state's testing program as a model for it. He admitted changing his mind about eliminating the Department of Education, a position he supported in his 1994 Senate campaign. He told the Des Moines Register, "Having a federal department of education can encourage and promote the testing of kids."

2010: Romney called the failure to educate minorities a "civil rights issue." He attacked teachers' unions for their opposition to student testing and school choice.

2011: Romney no longer advocates the elimination of the Department of Education. He supports No Child Left Behind. In a Fox News debate, he proclaimed, “The Department of Education can actually make a difference.”

Sources:
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/whitepapers/?subsec=137&id=905 viewed 1/21/2012
http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Governor/Massachusetts/Mitt_Romney/views/Education/ viewed 1/22/2012
http://www.issues2000.org/Mitt_Romney.htm#Education viewed 1/22/2012

On Healthcare Reform

2006: Romney signed into law a comprehensive healthcare plan for the state of Massachusetts with Sen. Ted Kennedy in attendance at the signing ceremony. The MassCare plan included an individual mandate requiring citizens to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. Insurance companies could not refuse coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Low income people would receive subsidies to pay for their policies. It created a government-run "exchange" tasked with approving and regulating all healthcare policies sold in the state.

2007: Romney reiterated his support for individual mandates that force people to buy heathcare insurance, calling those without coverage "free riders." A hospital rating system was established with internet access for healthcare consumers. He said, "The best way to find new solutions in health care is to allow the states to be laboratories for experiments on coverage."

2008: Romney called mandating individuals to buy health insurance was "conservative."

2011: Although modelled in many of its features after the Massachusetts' plan, Romney says he would work to repeal Obamacare if elected President. In the interim, he says he would issue a waiver from its provisions to all 50 states. Instead of Obamacare, he has proposed a healthcare plan that would return control of healthcare to the states and reduce regulations that increase costs. He would keep the ban on insurance companies refusing coverage due to pre-existing conditions. He advocates medical liability reform. He continues, however, to defend his state's plan, even though healthcare premiums paid by Massachusetts' citizens have risen 21-46% faster than the national average and subsidized care for low-income patients has gone from $133 million in 2007 to $800 million in 2009. Massachusetts' citizens have paid $12 million in penalties from the individual mandate, and the 2010 budget for the state's plan was $880 million. In an Iowa debate, he called Obamacare "bad law," an unconstitutional violation of the Constitution's Tenth Amendment. He added, "The right answer for every state is to determine what's right for those states and not to impose Obamacare on the nation. That's why I'll repeal it."

2012: Romney's campaign website calls for making "health care more like a market." He would like to expand health savings acounts (HSAs), for example, to allow their use to pay for premiums. He wants to give states block-grants for Medicaid and funds for care of the "chronically ill." He would allow small businesses and individuals to form pools to purchase insurance and allow health policy purchasers to cross state lines. Tort reform is part of his plan because "the current medical liability system encourages defensive medicine and drives up health care costs."

Sources:
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/whitepapers/?subsec=137&id=905 viewed 1/21/2012
http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Governor/Massachusetts/Mitt_Romney/views/Health_Care/ viewed 1/22/2012
http://www.issues2000.org/Mitt_Romney.htm#Health_Care viewed 1/22/2012

On the Confederate Flag

2007: Romney stated, "That flag frankly, is divisive and shouldn't be shown. Right now with the kinds of issues we've got in this country, I'm not going to get involved with a flag like that. The people of our country have decided not to fly that flag. I think that's the right thing."

2008: In a CNN/YouTube debate, Romney again proclaimed his opposition to the Confederate flag's display, a hot issue in South Carolina. He said, "That flag shouldn’t be flown," and "that’s not a flag I recognize.”

2011/2012: The presidential candidates have largely avoided the Confederate flag issue that was so hot in South Carolina in the 2007/2008 election cycle.

Sources:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jan/18/mccain-romney-hit-over-confederate-flag/?page=all viewed 1/20/2012
http://confederatewave.org/wave/southern-heritage.phtml viewed 1/20/2012
http://www.newser.com/tag/21118/1/confederate-flag.html viewed 1/20/2012
http://standrews.patch.com/topics/Confederate+Flag viewed 1/20/2012
http://scvcamp.org/barnesvilleblues/index.php?Page=26 viewed 11/29/2007

Chicago-Style Immigration Reform

Whose aunt was caught as an illegal alien? Whose aunt was denied asylum and ordered deported in 2004 by a federal immigration judge? Whose aunt defied this order and stayed in the U.S., living in H.U.D.-financed housing in Boston? When caught a second time, whose aunt was allowed to repetition for asylum instead of being deported in 2009? Whose aunt found another federal judge who voided the previous deportation order and granted her political asylum on May 17, 2010?


If you answered President Barack Obama, you should get a prize. He is the nephew of Zeituni Onyango, a native of Kenya. She entered the country originally on a visitor's visa, which she overstayed. What made the difference between the outcome of her case in 2004 and 2010? Could it possibly be that having your nephew elected President of the United States gave her special privileges and status not enjoyed by other illegals? Is this what we can expect from immigration reform under Obama? For a Chicago politician, it would be business as usual.

2010 Census Burning Taxpayers’ Money

My experience this week with the 2010 Census made me livid. Let me go back a few weeks, first.

So far, I have received one letter and two postcards informing me that the census form was coming and to please fill it out promptly. One of the postcards came AFTER I received and returned the completed census form. I have seen and continue to see numerous television and newspaper ads urging cooperation with the census. I have read about the cross-country tour of 2010 Census promoters; Jacksonville was visited this week.

So, when my census form arrived approximately three weeks ago, I filled it out the evening I received it and mailed it back the next day. Although it asks for more information than required by the Constitution, I was relieved to see it was far simpler and less intrusive that the last several I have filled out.

This Wednesday, April 7th, there was an announcement here where I live that a Census worker was in the building to help residents fill out their forms and to please let her in if she knocks. Okay, no problem. She did not stop by my apartment since I had mailed my form back, or so I thought.

We have lunch weekdays in our dining room downstairs at noon, and I went down a few minutes before. As soon as I wheeled into the dining room, this census woman, who it turned out is from Columbia and speaks barely passable English, accosted me. She told me she needed to fill out a census form for me. When I told her I had already done so and mailed it back, she informed me, “Oh, that doesn’t matter.” I gave her my birth date when she asked, and then wheeled around, announcing, “I need a drink.”

Returning to my seat with my lemonade, she told me she had filled out the form and had all the information she needed on me. I asked her pointedly, “Does this mean I will be counted twice?” She told me, “Oh, don’t worry about it.”

Excuse me, but I am going to worry about it. The Census is constitutionally mandated for one reason and one reason only: to determine how many U.S. representatives each State should have. Numbers matter. Duplications in the Census would result in a state having more representatives than it should.

All through lunch, I scolded about the utter waste of taxpayers’ money this Census is costing us. This woman was here most of the day. The job ads for Census workers here state the wages are $11.25 - $16.50/hour. At an average hourly rate of $13.87, her visit cost around $100.

Late that night, I was reading the news online. One of the articles from The Associated Press on yahoo! news was about the Census: “Census Bureau concerned about head count problems” http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100408/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_census_debacle_scenarios . The Census Bureau, according to it, has a number of concerns regarding their efforts, including “mass identity theft.” It reported that census field workers would not be going out until May. They would wait until the mailed-in forms could be tabulated and lists created of those who had not returned them. Makes sense to me to do it that way.

That article really raised my suspicions. Who was this woman? Was she really from the Census Bureau? She had an I.D. badge hanging around her neck, but I did not look at it closely enough to verify it was a Census Bureau tag. I will ask Representative Ander Crenshaw, and Senators Bill Nelson and George LeMieux to investigate.

This whole Census boondoggle has given me yet another reason to participate in the Tea Party on Thursday, April 15th at the Jacksonville Landing. I want to tell the federal government to just stop it: stop wasting our money.

We American citizens are not stupid. Just send the census form and the vast majority will fill it out as requested. Then, go out and find those who do not or cannot do it by themselves. And, while you are at it, if you find illegals, do not count them. Call I.C.E. to round them up and have them deported. But that is a rant for another day.

Email Response to Senator Bill Nelson

Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) sent an email entitled "Taking Action on Health Care Reform." Before his senate career, Nelson was Florida's Insurance Commissioner; he was fiercely protective of consumers. He brings a great deal of knowledge of the economic realities of and experience working with the insurance industry. He is a moderate Democrat for whom I have voted in the past. Nelson invited constituents to respond with their concerns regarding health care reform. Below is mine:

Dear Sen. Nelson:

Thank you for the email regarding your position on health care reform. I am happy you are on the Senate Finance Committee because I know you will bring your experience as Florida's Insurance Commissioner to this issue.

My biggest concerns are:

1. Adding enforcement procedures to bar illegal aliens from receiving benefits. Without those, the law forbidding it will be a toothless tiger.

2. Assuring that taxpayer funding of abortions will never be allowed under this legislation. Again, without explicit language regarding this, the legislation might be used to undermine or overturn current restrictions.

3. Reliance on Medicare "savings" to fund a large portion of insurance coverage for the uninsured. Even the CBO, along with many other health insurance experts, doubts there is enough "fraud and abuse" in Medicare to add up to the savings estimates. Even if all fraud and abuse in Medicare is eliminated, the reality is Medicare costs will escalate in the next decade. It is unrealistic to expect "cuts" in these expenditures at the same time enrollments will grow by 30% as more baby boomers become eligible. The result can only mean a reduction in benefits or rationing of care or long delays in services. All of these are unacceptable.

Thank you for your continued work on this issue. Please reach across the aisle and help our country solve the problems in our healthcare system without destroying it.

Sincerely,
Susan M. Lamb

You Rock, Rep. Joe Wilson

Here's the text of an email I just sent to South Carolina's Representative Joe Wilson:

RE: HR 3200.
Dear Rep. Wilson,

Although I am not a constituent, I just want to let you know I support your efforts to get the truth told about the proposed health care reform legislation, especially H.R. 3200. I have read all of it.

The other night when President Obama proclaimed that illegal aliens would not get health care under it, I was shouting at the T.V., "That's a lie." Ditto when he said it wouldn't cover abortion, wouldn't result in benefit cuts in Medicare, and wouldn't increase the deficit.

You apologized to President Obama for shouting out, "You lie." It may have been rude, but you told the truth. Now, I am waiting for the President's apology for lying to you, your colleagues, and the American people.

Best wishes,
Susan M. Lamb

Hot off the British Press: Obama’s Illegal Alien Aunt Living in Boston Public Housing

Barack Hussein Obama has an aunt living in Boston public housing who is in the United States illegally, according to an Associated Press story published by British papers, The Guardian and The Times. Her name is Zeituni Onyango; she is the half-sister of Obama’s father. She entered the United States on a tourist visa about nine years ago, then sought asylum when it expired. An immigration judge denied her request and ordered her to leave the country four years ago. She never did. She attended Obama’s installation as a U.S. Senator in 2004. Instead, Zeituni “lives in a disabled-access flat on a rundown public housing estate in South Boston.” She received a weekly stipend from the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) as a “volunteer resident health advocate between December 2007 and August this year.” She illegally donated $260 to Obama’s presidential campaign, using the BHA office’s mailing address. (James Bone, ET .al, “ Found in a rundown Boston estate: Barack Obama’s aunt Zeituni Onyango, “ The London Times, October 30, 2008 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5042571.ece)

In Obama’s book Dreams from My Father, he calls her "Auntie Zeituni" and describes her as "a proud woman" with a steady job as a computer programmer in Nairobi, Kenya. However, he acknowledged that Kenya had “no government safety net. There was only family, next of kin; people burdened by similar hardship.” Obama went on to say, “Now I was family, I reminded myself; now I had responsibilities.” (Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, Three Rivers Press, New York, NY, 1995, p. 329) Zeituni explained to Obama many of his father’s complicated family relationships.

Zeituni took Obama to visit another aunt [Sarah] in the rapidly expanding shantytown at Mathare in Kenya. He described it as “miles and miles of corrugated rooftops.” They walk down an unpaved road where there were “on either side rows of small hovels, their walls a patchwork of wattle, mud, pieces of cardboard, and scavenged plywood.” Zeituni leads him to a concrete building where Sarah lives in “a small room, ten feet by twelve.” (Ibid. p. 331-2) Sarah chastises Obama for taking so long to visit her. She admonishes him, “Look how I live. Why don’t you help us, instead of these others?” (Ibid. p. 333) Before leaving, he gives her the equivalent of $30 in shillings. Zeituni explains, after they leave, “This is what happens to old women who have no husbands.” (Ibid. p. 334)

Zeituni went on to warn Obama to learn from his father’s life. “If you have something, then everyone will want a piece of it. So you have to draw the line somewhere. If everyone is family, no one is family.” (Ibid. p. 337) Evidently, Obama took his Auntie Zeituni’s advice to heart.

Publication of this case “led to an unusual nationwide directive within Immigrations and Customs Enforcement requiring that any deportations before Tuesday's election be approved at least at the level of the agency's regional directors,” according to an AP report. Boston'S Mayor was mystified as to how Zeituni could have been allowed to rent in public housing under a deportation order. When confronted with the facts, William McGonagle, deputy director of the BHA, imitated Colonel Klink of Hogan’s Heroes, protesting “I know nothing about it and I've got no comment.” (Nedra Pickler, "Obama says he didn't know aunt's illegal status," The Guardian, Nov. 1, 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7972198) Later, McGonagle acknowledged that Zeituni had been a public housing tenant for five years. “She has been an exemplary resident,” McGonagle said. (Jessica Fargen, "Campaign confirms Obama aunt in South Boston," The Boston Herald, Oct. 30, 2008, http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/2008/view/2008_10_30_Barack_Obama_s_aunt_living_in_South_Boston_housing_project)

Is this not typical of leftwing liberals? Obama wants to spread your wealth around to take care of people like his aunt. Yet, he fails to spread his own wealth around to help her or his half-brother George who lives on $1 a day in a Kenyan hovel. So much for liberal compassion.

Give a Man Enough Rope & He'll Hang Himself

It is not often that a politician produces his own noose to hang himself. Obama is the exception. The real Barack Hussein Obama is coming out slowly but surely.

It is no surprise to me to find out he is an arrogant liberal elitist. It is very much a surprise that a liberal elitist blog, The Huffington Post, is the one that outed him. They quoted him speaking about the economic malaise of the middle class,

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Clearly, Obama is clueless about people like myself, a disabled American middle class worker. My values do not change with the times. I am a Life Member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). I am pro-gun rights in good times and bad. The Second Amendment makes gun ownership a fundamental right under the Constitution. Likewise, I cling to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ regardless of my economic circumstances. I have opposed open borders, illegal immigration, and free trade for years, during times of prosperity and times of recession. I believe in the sovereignty of the United States at all times. Our Founding Fathers understood that a strong country protected its borders and its manufacturing base. Thus, they wisely forbade the income tax, preferring to raise the Federal government's operating funds through tariffs and duties on imports.

Obama's campaign is trying to repair the damage caused by his remarks at the San Francisco campaign fundraiser for the wealthy. At a Pennsylvania rally, he tried to fix it by saying:

"Lately there has been a little typical sort of political flare up because I said something that everybody knows is true, which is that there are a whole bunch of folks in small towns in Pennsylvania, in towns right here in Indiana, in my hometown in Illinois who are bitter. They are angry. They feel like they have been left behind. They feel like nobody is paying attention to what they're going through.

"So I said, well you know, when you're bitter you turn to what you can count on. So people, they vote about guns, or they take comfort from their faith and their family and their community. And they get mad about illegal immigrants who are coming over to this country.

"The truth is that these traditions that are passed on from generation to generation, those are important. That's what sustains us. But what is absolutely true is that people don't feel like they are being listened to.

"And so they pray and they count on each other and they count on their families. You know this in your own lives, and what we need is a government that is actually paying attention. Government that is fighting for working people day in and day out making sure that we are trying to allow them to live out the American dream."

Hillary Rodham Clinton was correct to call his original remarks "demeaning." She said:

"I was raised with Midwestern values and an unshakable faith in America and its policies. Now, Americans who believe in the Second Amendment believe it's a matter of constitutional right. Americans who believe in God believe it's a matter of personal faith. I grew up in a church-going family, a family that believed in the importance of living out and expressing our faith. The people of faith I know don't 'cling' to religion because they're bitter. People embrace faith not because they are materially poor, but because they are spiritually rich. Our faith is the faith of our parents and our grandparents. It is a fundamental expression of who we are and what we believe. People don't need a president who looks down on them. They need a president who stands up for them."

Of course, Republicans cheered the gift of Obama's remarks. It is fantastic fodder for the Fall campaign ads if Obama is the Democratic nominee. John McCain wasted no time in exploiting Obama's self-imposed error. McCain adviser Steve Schmidt shot the first volley:

"It shows an elitism and condescension towards hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking. It is hard to imagine someone running for president who is more out of touch with average Americans."

Republican Presidential Candidates on the Confederate Flag or Why Mike Huckabee Gets My Vote

Mitt Romney

"That flag frankly, is divisive and shouldn't be shown. Right now with the kinds of issues we've got in this country, I'm not going to get involved with a flag like that."
"That's not a flag that I would recognize so that I would hold it up in my room."
"The people of our country have decided not to fly that flag. I think that's the right thing."

Mike Huckabee

"You don't like people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do with your flag," In fact, if somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell 'em what to do with the pole, that's what we'd do."
"It is not an issue the president of the United States needs to weigh in on."
"I know what would happen if somebody comes to my state in Arkansas and tells us what to do, it doesn't matter what it is, tell us how to run our schools, tell us how to raise our kids, tell us what to do with our flag — you want to come tell us what to do with the flag, we'd tell them what to do with the pole."

Fred Thompson

"For a great many Americans, it’s a symbol of racism."
"As far as a public place is concerned, I am glad that people have made the decision not to display it as a prominent flag, symbolic of something, at a state capital."
"As a part of a group of flags or something of that nature, you know, honoring various service people at different times in different parts of the country, I think that's different."

John McCain

"My answer, sir, is that I could not be more proud that the overwhelming majority of the people of this state joined together taking that flag off the top of the...." (end of comment drowned out by cheers of McCain's supporters)
"a symbol of racism"
"a symbol of heritage"
"I really don't think it's a good idea to fly the confederate Flag."
"I said it was strictly a state issue and clearly knowing it wasn't. I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles."
"My answer to that is I can’t be more proud of the overwhelming majority of the people of this state who came together in taking that flag off the top of the Capitol."

Rudy Giuliani

"One of the great beauties of the kind of government we have, which is a national/federal government, is that we can make - on a broad range of issues - we can make different decisions in different parts of the country. We have different sensitivities, and at different times we are going to come to different decisions, and I think that is best left up to the states."
"That's a good thing to be left on a state-by-state basis."

Ron Paul

I could find no direct quotes by Ron Paul on the subject of the Confederate flag, despite extensive research online. However, given his strong defense of states' rights against federal coercion, it is reasonable to presume that he would not object to a state choosing to honor the Confederate flag. If anyone can cite any direct quotes on the subject by Ron Paul, please forward the URLs.

As a Florida voter, I’ve been fluctuating between voting for Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee. They are the candidates that most closely match my own positions on the issues. I cannot give either my unqualified endorsement. I have concerns about Huckabee's positions and past history in dealing with illegal immigrants. I like the fact that the Republican establishment opposes him since I do not like the neo-cons or economic conservatives/social liberals that currently control our party. Romney's support from them raises red flags as does his past support for abortion rights. One thing that does not cause me any hesitation is Romney's Mormonism. A Mormon approach to social welfare would be a great plus in the White House.

When I read what Mitt Romney said about the Confederate flag, I was sickened. Then, I heard Mike Huckabee say how Arkansans would tell outsiders (carpetbaggers) what to do with the flag pole if they came to take down their flag. Hallelujah! He won my vote. I get to vote for a real, authentic Southerner who understands states’ rights and Southern heritage. Yes!

If Huckabee does not win the Republican presidential nomination, who will I support in November? That is an easy answer for me. I can support any of the other Republican candidates except Rudy Giuliani. I have severe doubts on a couple (Paul on foreign policy and McCain on immigration), but I would prefer them to any the Democrats will nominate.

Rudy Giuliani, however, is nothing but a Democrat-in-drag. He will never get my vote because he is wrong on all the issues that matter most to me. He is wrong on abortion, the Second Amendment, and illegal immigration. Worse, he has the morals of a tomcat. Any candidate who cannot be faithful to his marriage vows to his wife cannot be trusted to be faithful to his inaugural vows to the people. Giuliani is a non-starter for me. If the Republican party makes the mistake of nominating him for President, then I will vote third party in protest even if it means the election of a Democrat.

Don't Count 'em; Deport 'em!

The U.S. Census Bureau stepped in it big time when it suggested they might ask that enforcement efforts against illegal immigrants be suspended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) during the 2010 census count. This was reported by U.S.A. Today and others on Thursday, August 16, 2007.

"We're supposed to count every resident. If you go out and ask, 'Are you here illegally?' they are going to run," said Kenneth Prewitt, who directed the Census Bureau during the 2000 census. According to Deputy Director Preston Jay Waite, deportations were suspended during the 2000 count.

The reaction to this trial balloon was swift. Anti-illegal immigration activists were outraged that one government agency would ask another to violate the law. To quell the furor, I.C.E. spokesperson Kelly Nantel said on Friday, August 17th, "I don't want there to be any question in the American people's mind as to whether or not ICE would suspend enforcement efforts. The answer to that is emphatically no."

The Census Bureau backpedaled on Saturday, August 18th with a press release. In it, Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon claimed media reports regarding interagency coordination were inaccurate. Her statement was:

"The Census Bureau has not requested that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency refrain from enforcing immigration laws. While previous Administrations sought to have law enforcement raids curtailed somewhat to help obtain greater accuracy, we respect ICE's statement that they will not suspend raids even if a decision were made to ask them to do so. The Census Bureau fully recognizes that times have changed, with new challenges facing immigration authorities, and Census will change with those times."

"For the Census Bureau to be successful in getting an accurate count of all residents (as mandated by Article I, Section 2, of the Constitution), the Census Bureau will rely heavily on trusted individuals and organizations within hard to count populations to partner with us to increase public awareness that it’s important and safe to participate in the 2010 Census."

"The Census Bureau will complete its mission to count everyone and regrets any misimpression we left."

Isn't that special? Although activists like Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, would be horrified, I think it would be a wonderful idea if the census takers were accompanied by I.C.E. officials. It would satisfy constitutional requirements if illegal aliens were arrested and deported before they could be counted.

It's About Time: Chertoff Announces Tighter Enforcement of Laws that Prohibit Employing Illegal Aliens

Friday, August 10th, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced that his department would ramp up enforcement of laws that forbid employers from hiring illegal aliens. It is about time. "The changes, which would stiffen work-site enforcement, add border agents and increase penalties for rogue employers, could cause havoc in immigrant-dependent industries like agriculture, hospitality and healthcare, Chertoff acknowledged. 'There will be some unhappy consequences for the economy out of doing this,' he said in an interview with The [Los Angeles] Times." (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immig11aug11,1,3189676.story?track=rss )

Does this mean that President Bush and his administration have had a change of heart regarding comprehensive immigration reform? Don't bet on it. In fact, the above article in the Los Angeles Times hints that this new enforcement crackdown may be a deliberate attempt to punish and threaten those who opposed the recently defeated immigration reform legislation. Bush may be hoping that the Congress will be pressured to reconsider his comprehensive immigration reform, including a "pathway" to citizenship for the 12-20 million illegal aliens already here by causing serious damage to the economy.

Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez remarked, "We do not have the workers our economy needs to keep growing each year. The demographics simply are not on our side. Ultimately, Congress will have to pass comprehensive immigration reform." He echoed Chertoff who said, "I'm not a lawmaker, but I presume, at some point, somebody's going to take a look and say, 'We've got to find a way to address this problem,' and that's probably going to require some legal changes."

Will this new enforcement effort cause economic hardships? Most likely, it will in the short-term. Industries and businesses who have become hooked on employing cheap illegal alien labor will have to adjust their employment practices. They may struggle to find enough new hires to replace their illegal employees. They will have training expenses that will impact productivity. They may have to increase wages to find qualified legal workers, which would require adjusting their prices or cutting their profit margins.

Consumers are equally addicted to the cheap prices that accompany the use of illegal aliens as employees. U.S. consumers may need to accept that prices will increase if they want to rid this country of illegal aliens. Stricter enforcement of these anti-illegal immigrant employment laws may result in some increase in the rate of inflation. However, this tendency will be modified by the laws of supply-and-demand if more illegal aliens self-deport, a trend that is increasing according to ALIPAC. It should be obvious that the presence of 12-20 million illegal aliens puts pressure on the supply of goods and services and that means pressure on prices, too.

However, the long-term impact on the economy and the country as a whole will be nothing but positive. The evidence is overwhelming that illegal immigration is costing us far more than it benefits us. I agree with Rep. Brian P. Bilbray (R-Solano Beach) who said, "If there's some pain, it's not because we didn't have amnesty. It's because we didn't enforce the law 20 years ago when we should have."

Those of us who oppose this administration's amnesty scams for illegal aliens must keep very vigilant. We need to closely watch that Congress does not waffle when unions, businesses and illegal immigrant supporters pressure them. The first thing to be on the alert for would be efforts to increase the number of temporary agricultural workers or skilled IT workers. Those need to be blocked by quick lobbying responses from those of us who want illegal immigration to stop.

Conversion on the Road to Des Moines: McCain Sponsors Border Security Only Bill

According to the Associated Press, Sen. McCain has converted. He is sponsoring new legislation that provides stronger border security without any path to citizenship for illegal aliens. The bill also includes "an electronic system for employers to check workers' citizenship status and requires illegal immigrants who commit a crime to be held in jail until they are deported."

Obviously, this is a political move on the part of Senator McCain. After years of sponsoring bills that included various amnesty schemes for illegals, no Republican should be fooled by McCain's sudden conversion on the road to Iowa's straw poll. Most anti-illegal immigration groups are dismissing it. I certainly hope no Iowa Republicans will switch their vote to McCain because of this.

However, as an opponent to illegal immigration, I urge all of us to get behind this bill. It contains the kind of provisions that are needed for our country to stop the invasion of illegal aliens. Yes, throw McCain overboard as far as his presidential aspirations, but keep this legislation.

Solving the Illegal Immigration Problem: A Start

City by city, state by state, citizens are taking action to stop illegal immigration. They know that the solution is not any type of amnesty. Rather, we must make it untenable to remain in this country illegally. If we do this with consistency, those who are here illegally will decide to voluntarily return to their home countries.

How can we do this? Cities and states across this country are passing legislation that does things like:

• Allow police to check on legal status during routine stops and arrest those they find who are here illegally.
• Require legal status to register students in schools
• Require proof of legal status to apply or enroll in universities and colleges
• Check legal status at admission to hospitals. (Give service in true emergencies but notify law enforcement for arrest upon discharge.)
• Require proof of legal status before receiving any social services.
• Require legal status to receive any form of official identification, including driver's licenses.
• Refuse to grant city or state contracts to employers who do not do background checks that include proof of legal status of their employees.
• Establish laws that allow landlords to refuse to rent to illegal aliens.
• Require proof of legal status to buy a house, apply for a mortgage, buy insurance, or open bank accounts.
  

These are just some of the things that cities like Jacksonville and states like Florida can and should be doing. It should be done at the federal level, but until then, local entities can and should do it. Our immigration laws must be enforced. We must make it so difficult or impossible for illegal aliens to live here that they will choose to return or not come here in the first place.

What Should the Republican Party Do to Win in 2008?

The GOP sent an e-mail to me, asking me to share my ideas as to what they should do to win in 2008. Here's what I wrote them at :
http://www.GOP.com/YourIdeas

"The number one issue that could destroy the Republican coalition and drive conservative Democrats away from us is illegal immigration. If we want to win in 2008, we will stand firmly for border control and against any form of amnesty for illegals already here, such as President Bush's proposed citizenship track, etc. Republican lawmakers at both State and federal levels need to sponsor and pass legislation that will make illegal immigrants want to return voluntarily to their homelands. This would include barring them from healthcare, education, housing, employment, driver's licenses, social security, welfare, etc. There should be absolutely no rewards for breaking our immigration laws.

"Additionally, we must adhere to our conservative principles: low taxes, fiscal responsibility (balanced budget), line-item veto, anti-abortion, and limited federal government."

Feel free to go to the website above and share your ideas with them. Place a copy of what you send on the comments here, if you like.