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Term Limits Term Limits is a difficult issue. It weighs the risk of corruption against the value of experience. I believe there is merit in both arguments, for and against term limits. However, I am for term limits and would support legislation, an amendment to the constitution, that limited the terms of Congressmen to six consecutive terms and Senators to two consecutive terms. | Click to Read More
BP Oil Spill The April 22, 2010 British Petroleum (BP) Oil Spill was the result of a series of failures at BP and within the federal regulatory system. The liability and cost associated with this disaster must rest wholly with BP and its partners. They must be held accountable for the deaths of rig workers, stopping the spill, cleaning up the spill, and for the current and future environmental and economic impacts on the people and coastal areas affects. | Click to Read More
Fiscal Responsibility I believe the greatest threat to the future of this nation is the looming fiscal crisis. A rapidly growing national debt and massive spending in Congress weakens our national defense, our diplomatic posture, our economy and it undermines national sovereignty. We must return to fiscal responsibility by returning to balanced budgets. Additionally, we must begin to pay down our national debt, reduce spending, reduce the size of government, and eliminate earmarks. Jobs & the Economy Small businesses are the heart of the U.S. economy. Small businesses employ more than 50% of the U.S. workforce and they create 60-80% of new jobs. If you understand this, it becomes clear the way to create jobs and grow the economy is to provide incentives for small businesses. This includes, lower taxes, tax incentives for hiring and workforce training. Another key to growing the small business sector is to stimulate business lending. Extending the Bush capital gains tax cuts will also help grow the economy by stimulating investment and providing businesses capital to expand. Statistics show that gross federal tax income increases as the capital gains tax decreases, essentially stimulating economic growth while increasing federal tax receipts. BP Oil Spill The April 22, 2010 British Petroleum (BP) Oil Spill was the result of a series of failures at BP and within the federal regulatory system. The liability and cost associated with this disaster must rest wholly with BP and its partners. They must be held accountable for the deaths of rig workers, stopping the spill, cleaning up the spill, and for the current and future environmental and economic impacts on the people and coastal areas affected. Congress and federal regulators failed to protect Americans from the housing industry collapse, the banking industry collapse, and now, in what may be the world’s worst environmental disaster, the BP Oil Spill. I don't believe the U.S. needs more regulation. Instead, we need our current federal regulatory agencies to effectively perform their roles. Their incompetence and failures, with the help of out-of-control federal spending, are effectively leading this nation into financial collapse. . . . _ _ _ . . . On April 22, the Deepwater Horizon rig caught fire and sank. Tragically, the accident killed 11 people and then unleashed a river of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. The accident is likely to stand as the worst environmental disaster in American history. Based on evidence reported in the May 26, Wall Street Journal article, “BP Cites Crucial ‘Mistake’” its easy to determine, this accident could have been avoided had industry regulations and industry best practices been followed. Together, British Petroleum and the Minerals Management Service participated in a catastrophic failure, with devastating consequences. BP failed to follow industry best practices, follow the advice of its contractors and was not prepared for such a catastrophe. They cut corners and failed to comply with federal regulations. Regulators at the MMS failed to perform their duties, violated its own rules, and failed to enforce industry regulations. Had either been diligent in the performance of their duties, this tragedy could have been avoided, preventing the death of 11 men and the spill of what could be as much as 39+ million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This spill will impose a devastating impact on the Louisiana ecology and the economy, affecting life in Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast for many years to come. . . . _ _ _ . . . To achieve an adequate measure of success in the clean-up and restoration of the coastline and coastal industries, there must be a concerted and cooperative effort among the federal government, state and local governments, and BP officials. If we look back upon recent national disasters, they have one thing in common; a lack of cooperation and coordination between local, state and federal agencies charged with responding to the event. We must not make this mistake here. Political interests must be set aside. Yet, a month after the BP Oil Spill, we’ve seen a lethargic federal response, a state effort thwarted by the federal bureaucracy, and what appears to be a belligerent and seemingly inept response and recovery effort by BP. To make matters worse, partisan politics are complicating the recovery effort. Republicans and Democrats are focused on partisan politics, using this tragedy to further define their partisan alliances, and to further divide this nation, instead of focusing on the problem directly to solve it. . . . _ _ _ . . . We must set aside politics and do what’s right, to restore our coastlines, cleanup the mess, help the people affected, and restore important industries within our economies. Doing the right thing means:
. . . _ _ _ . . . It is important to realize, this disaster was not a failure of an industry, but rather the failure of British Petroleum, its partners and the Minerals Management Service. Each were negligent and failed to follow industry regulations and industry best practices. The oil and gas industry is critical to Louisiana’s economy and plays an important economic role in the national economy and national security. Restricting domestic drilling and production is bad for Louisiana and bad for the nation. Healthcare I believe that all Americans should have access to affordable healthcare, and insurance companies must be accountable to provide fair and adequate coverage to their policy holders. However, the healthcare legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by the President earlier this year, is expansive, intrusive and unconstitutional. The establishment of a national healthcare program exceeds the authorities provided to the federal government by the Constitution. It is fiscally unsustainable, especially considering the massive national debt and the cost of the program. Now that it’s passed, we may have to live with a national program. Short of a Constitutional Convention (which I favor), the program is unlikely to be appealed and Congress must make it work, while keeping it from sinking the country. Short of a repeal, the challenge now is to manage the program so that it doesn’t bankrupt the country, so that patients continue to get a high quality of care and outcomes, and that the federal government doesn’t nationalize the entire healthcare industry in the process. I am in favor of a Constitutional Convention to repeal the Healthcare bill and to address other critical issues that threaten the welfare of the United States. Foreign Policy I believe in peace through strength. We must continue to strengthen our military might, and be resolute in defending America from attack both domestically and abroad. Our first line of defense is diplomacy. Diplomacy is a double edged sword. At one edge is our economic might. At the other is military might. The sharper these edges, the more piercing the sword, thus the more effective our diplomatic efforts. Therefore, the strength of our foreign policy position is rooted in the strength of our economy and our military. Currently, our national debt, the deficit, irresponsible spending and a recession have put the United States in a weak economic position. Two wars abroad and homeland security challenges have certainly stretched the capacity of our military and defense. America still has the most powerful military in the world. Yet, a compromised economic position and a military engaged in two wars, the United States is not operating from a diplomatic position of strength. This is evident in our diplomatic efforts to negotiate tough international sanctions against Iran for their nuclear program. Neither Russia nor China will support the tough sanctions the U.S. wants. Generally, I believe the United States must maintain its sovereignty and not submit to any international authority. We must retain our independence and return to a neutral peacekeeping posture, with the primary goal of establishing and maintaining peaceful relations in the world, rather than policing the world. We must avoid entangling alliances, except in war time and then, only as a temporary necessity. In foreign relations and diplomacy, we must rely first upon our integrity as a trustworthy friend that respects the sovereignty of all nations. Peace must be our goal. Our diplomatic strength will spring from our economic and military strength. Still, we must have the will and the means to defend the U.S. when threatened. When provoked, the U.S. response must impose the full weight of our military might, with the goal and to the extent to win such a conflict, convincingly, and in a timely manner. Term Limits Term Limits is a difficult issue. It weighs the risk of corruption against the value of experience. I believe there is merit in both arguments, for and against term limits. However, I am for term limits and would support legislation, an amendment to the constitution, that limited the terms of Congressmen to six consecutive terms and Senators to two consecutive terms. In early America, public servants were thought to be self-limiting. Their service was a sacrifice in most cases, with little benefit to their own fortunes. As most know, George Washington refused to serve more than two terms as the first president of the United States. I believe one of the biggest problems in modern politics is “careerism,” politicians who view public service as an opportunity to build a career, and as a means to increase their own fortunes. While many may start out with a commitment to public service, few have the integrity to continue serving the public interest and devolve into self-serving career politicians. In weighing the value of experience against the dangers of corruption, it is clear...corruption has taken root and ruined the process and the product of our constitution. That makes the argument for “experience” irrelevant. Sadly, I don’t believe the Congress or the Senate will ever pass term limit legislation. This fact, punctuates the rampant self-interest that rules Washington. Therefore, I challenge candidates to do as I have done, to self-impose term limits as part of their campaign pledges. I renew this vow here, pledging to serve no more than two consecutive terms as a U.S. Senator.
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