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| National Defense |
National defense is always the top priority: we fail as a Government protection of our liberties. As a Vietnam Era Veteran, I know that the use of our precious military lives as an instrument of policy is a powerful, yet debatable issue. First off, let me tell you that I think I would have voted against the second invasion of Iraq in 2003. Yes Sadaam Hussein was a dangerous dictator, and, at one time, he did have weapons of mass destruction (remember he used chemical weapons against the Iraqi Kurds and against Iranians).
I don’t think Colin Powell knew he was misleading the United Nations into believing Sadaam Hussein was purchasing nuclear weapon supplies in West Africa, but even if that false hood had been true, and if we had found serious evidence of inspection fraud, I would have doubted the wisdom of our attack. My Army training in Military Government, now called Civil Affairs, makes me extremely skeptical of American ability to imperially control another nation the size of Iraq. I told my Sunday school class that I believe (and I still hope) that we are not cruel enough to dissuade insurgents (particularly since most al-Queda relatives were not even in Iraq).
The Romans had long lines of crucifixions, and the Nazis lined up village men and popped off multiple of the number of German soldiers killed. I could not then be persuaded to go into Iraq then.
Getting out is something totally different, we have successfully built up many democratically-minded relationships with individual Iraqis.
The surge (increased military ground presence to secure the land, not John McCain’s advice alone) was successful in giving the Iraqi government we instituted a decent chance for survival. Yet I do not believe we can be certain Iraqi security. I still have nightmares of desperate Vietnamese friends of America clinging to and falling off of helicopters retreating from our embassy in Saigon. We left a million or more people to die, be tortured or at least be “reeducated” mercilessly. I suggest that we should not be too hasty about leaving while our enemies are still there, lurking. Too many issues divide the Kurds, Sunni and Shiite in Iraq. Lots of fundamental difficult decisions remain before the Maliki Government can be viewed of independent viable of American military support. Of course I encourage the Iraqis to say they want us out as soon as possible – such hutzpah provides them with identity and standing in the non-Israeli Middle Eastern community. However, we should know better, Mr. Chandler does not. He follows his party’s presidential candidate into an extremely risky strategy. And that strategy seems to assume that we can transfer our military assets to the Afghan-Pakistan border area to successfully crush the Taliban and al-Queda there. I have serious doubts about injecting increased non-special force military units into the corrupted and corrupting economy of that unconquered area. Let us be patient with the Iraqis who want democracy and free trade with us. It might take some time and some continued presence before we could proudly announce that we have done a good job.
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| Government Spending |
Throwing good money to big bad corporations is bad government business. In contrast, small and international businesses have been the engines of our economy. We could encourage these types of businesses by reducing tax regulations, encourageing research and investing in infrastructure for their benefit. And, it should be obvious to anyone who observes how low our graduates compare to those of competing States and Countries that investment in this area has the potential to increase our economic advantage.
I sense an unfairness canceroursly reducing the opportunities for college and advanced training, recalling that I had to pay only $90 tuition per semester and later I leaned back in the G.I. Bill for graduate and Law school education.
I will never envy the wealthy for I walk not in their shoes, but it seems that a higher percentage of college educated comes from these families each year, I propose a big reversal engine investment.
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| Taxes |
I cannot, in good conscience, add to the complications of the Internal Revenue Code. The idea of a National sales or fair tax as an alternative to income taxes, as operated by state authorities, has great appeal in the long term to me. The double taxation and tax avoidance planning industries have driven good American business to non-taxpaying of-shore locations.
Yet, in the short run, we must work to purge the code provision which have been protected by lobbyists in Washington. I have not accepted their money and I feel courageously free to attack them for a lack of focus to the general welfare.
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| Immigration |
This year, I made the issue of Comprehensive Immigration Reform to be the hallmark platform of my primary campaign. Even though my associated Presidential Candidate has backed away from his previous commitment, I have not. I know of no other national political candidate who stands up on this issue today. There are perhaps 12 to 27 million aliens in our midst, most in families of hard-working low income employees – mostly Christian Hispanics. It now appears that our overwhelmed immigration bureaucrats have the capacity to detain and deport 30,000 each year. At this rate we could wait 400 to 1000 years to rid ourselves of those people. Or we could do, as I suggest, make these people into taxpayers, who pay for their own automobile and medical insurance and for school taxes – all to our benefit. In return these American-seekers can expect to be identified and registered, in the security that they will be given fair terms for expanded work visas and/or eventual citizenship. Let us encourage their positive contributions to our economy and allow them to return to the countries of their origin without worry that they will be denied re-entry across our borders to maintain their family and job relationships.
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| Education |
In contrast there are two areas which I find increased spending to be proper: Small business and higher educations for the less than wealthy. I believe in capitalism, free trade and internationalism. I would like to think that my graduate education International Business and Finance has prepared me to be missionary for our economy. Yet I object to corporate welfare of the type voted upon by Mr. Chandler for propping up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ask yourselves how many giant corporations can be labeled as “TOO BIG TO FAIL.” Then ask how many of these bailouts can we afford. Who’s next: General Motors, Ford. I hope not, I hope I could say no to Big Losers.
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| Health Care |
I do see that we must deal with our health crisis; the excessive numbers of uncovered persons and rejected types of medical treatments. If given the privilege of representing the citizens of Central Kentucky, I will try to do the best I can to make sure our Government and people get to know how much more they will have to pay for this new entitlement. There are no free lunches. Government has no money of its own, it gets its money from us. Healthy living styles are a first line in the war against rising medical costs (thank God for my senior athletic opportunities.
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| Drug Treatment |
Last year, as a candidate for Kentucky’s chief prosecutor, I proposed reducing jail populations to stop the “hemorrhaging” of county budgets.
Even though we send minor drug abusers into crime schools where they learn criminal skill, where we house mentally ill without adequate treatment, where we keep deadbeat dads away from occupational opportunities and where we expose some innocent youth to violent deviate risks, no one else offered public alternatives. Among the alternatives I suggested then, increased diversions to rehabilitation programs have since been advocated by our new Governor, the Secretary for the State Cabinet of Justice, the editors of the Lexington Herald Leader and Republican State Senator Dan Kelly.
After participating marches for transformation in Mercer County and for addiction recovery in Jessamine County, I have observed that faith-based initiatives which offer more long term hope, present us with better ideas for dealing with our financial and family problems.
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| Drugs |
I suggest we end the war on marijuana in the interest of sanity and reason. At 63 years old I no longer know drug dealers my age, and my interest in physical fitness (several times a Senior Olympian in Basketball and softball, frequent 5K runs, volleyball and tennis) makes me one of the no-pill people. However, my 35 years practicing criminal defense law make me abundantly aware that continuing to classify marijuana as having no medical uses, and as a “schedule I” drug (a higher prohibitive classification than heroin or cocaine) is wrong for even the “non-druggies” (like me) among us.
We have forced minor offenders into “Gateway” alleys by denying any legitimate sources of supply. As a man who raises a teenager, I am angered to see criminals and gangs having easy access to our children. There are lots of things wrong with smoking and almost any drug, but most are better dealt with by medical means rather than legislation. Prohibition did not work for alcohol, and comparative effects of alcohol in aggressive destructive behavior [to marijuana] are not lost by our children who view this as our hypocrisy.
And, along the same lines, I would encourage the legalization of hemp, perhaps as a source of energy, but also for other beneficial reasons. True marijuana growers, with their high potency product these days, would probably avoid cross pollination, so I doubt there would be undue proliferation, even if marijuana were not legalized. Central Kentucky has a long history of hemp among states, and with loss of tobacco our farmers could use increased revenue.
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