Defend Our Freedoms Supports:
Build a Strong Military
After years of the Clinton Administration slashing our Armed Forces through budget cuts and troop reductions, Defend Our Freedoms supports resources necessary to rebuild our military into the strongest and most effective fighting force in the world.
Support the U.S. Military Men and Women
Our best national security asset is the U.S. soldier. Through their patriotism, dedication and sacrifice, America is more secure. We must continue to ensure their access to superior training and resources so they can meet the challenges before them.
Field a National Missile Defense
With Iran and North Korea blatantly ignoring international pressure to stop their efforts to build and field nuclear weapons, we must aggressively pursue a missile defense system that will protect our communities and families from the whims of rogue nations.
Target Terrorists
Our national intelligence and defense communities must be given the tools necessary to identify, track, stop and prosecute terrorists before they have a chance to strike. At the same time, we must maintain our commitment to the protection of civil rights.
Building the Fence
Homeland security begins at our nation’s borders. Knowing who and what are entering our country is critical to our efforts to secure our communities and protect our families. Building fences in strategic locations along our international borders is a proven method of keeping America safe.
Providing for Border Enforcement
We must have a Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement corp with sufficient strength to secure our borders and provide for interior enforcement throughout the country.
Increasing the Number of Cargo Inspections
We must field the manpower and technology at our national ports of entry to allow all cargo coming into the United States to be screened and inspected in a thorough and efficient manner.
Jobs
Keeping American Industry and Jobs in the U.S.
American workers are the most productive and innovative labor force in the world. Unfortunately, they are asked to compete in an unfair environment against other workers who make only a fraction of a living wage and employed by companies that face few, if any, responsibilities to the environment or the long-term prospects of their employees. In addition, our domestic manufacturers are forced to compete against foreign companies that benefit from their country’s currency and/or regulatory regimes. International trade has the ability to lead to global prosperity, but it cannot come at the expense of the American worker or and their families.
Reducing the Tax Burden
Our small businesses and families face a significant tax burden that hinders their ability to plan, prepare and invest in their future. Reducing that burden will spur economic activity and enable families to have a secure future.
Family Values
Honoring the Sanctity of Life
The life of the unborn child deserves the same rights and protections as any citizen of the United States.
Protecting Our Children from Predators
Our children must be protected from those who would seek to do them harm. We need to implement stronger protections against: inappropriate on-line contacts with minors; pornographic materials that target children; and predators who avoid jail and strike again.
Defending the Institution of Marriage
Marriage should be clearly defined as the unity of one man with one woman.
Preserving Religious Symbols
Religious symbols, like the Mt. Soledad Memorial in San Diego, CA, that are historically significant and honor those who came before us should be protected for future generations. They are an important part of our history and targeting their removal dishonors us all.
Excellent!
Focus. Attention. Discussion. These are them items that the debate has to be centered on. By doing so the chances of conservatives being returned to positions of greater influence increase significantly. In other words, conservatives will win elections.
"Attention where it is due and needed."
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Focus on the issues won't even work without the voter fraud getting fixed.
Many states were under federal orders back in 2006 not to have elections until they came into compliance with the HAVA Act (Help America Vote Act). Audited states were found to have multiple violations such as phantom votes, names listed with multiple variations, people on the registrar books that long moved away; yet, many states held federal elections without coming into compliance.
Now, even the Justice Department is rejecting HAVA requirements of using Social Security numbers and driver’s license data to check whether prospective voters are citizens. Our own government is literally schizophrenic.
Doesn't matter how great our song and dances are with issues with our own voting systems compromised.
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"Focus on the issues won't even work without the voter fraud getting fixed." (DOF)
With all due respect, I beg to differ.
The mindset is pessimistic. That has to change. Instead of (always) pointing towards what is wrong or what could be wrong, start pointing towards what is right and what could be better. The word 'attractiveness' comes to mind.
"Voter registration fraud" - The issue is insignificant. Why? Because it won't help win the next election. Believe me when I say that liberals have smiles on their faces when the topic of discussion centers the attention on them and not upon conservatives. They love it!
"Build a Strong Military". Start talking about that. What will happen? They'll try and change the subject. They'll attempt to redirect the attention back upon themselves. They will invite you to discuss items that do not assist conservatives in making any headway.... like voter registration fraud.
So let's start the real discussion.....
"Build a Strong Military". Why?
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I understand your point about voter fraud and a pessimistic mindset. I am not trying to encourage voter appathy. But the states can't be allowed to ignore election laws either.
>>>"Build a Strong Military". Why?<<<
For the last 60 years, we have brought freedom to large parts of the world. This country has freed 100s of millions of people since WW2. And sometimes you have to be strong to free them. It wasn’t peace marches that brought down the Soviet Union. It was military strength. Peace through Strength brought down that massive empire that oppressed 100s of millions of people and you have free nations today. You ask Poland, who brought them freedom. It is the United States.
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I was shocked to see the "disliked" vote percentage....The author has correctly covered the points of what we are all about.
God Bless America.
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I would like to add one more item to the list -
Live Within Our Means.
Does that fit into the agenda?
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"Live Within Our Means."
Like pay as you go?
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Like what the state of California is getting ready to do.
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The entire system should be switched over to a national sales tax with the Internal Revenue Service dissolved. That would be a huge step taken to living within our means.
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"The entire system should be switched over to a national sales tax with the Internal Revenue Service dissolved. That would be a huge step taken to living within our means."
A national sales tax changes the way taxes are collected; it has nothing to do with spending.
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I didn't mean change the tax collection instead of cutting spending. Cutting gov needs to be done simultaneously. When departments like the IRS, are being cut, spending is reduced.
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"That would be a huge step taken to living within our means." (DOF)
"A national sales tax changes the way taxes are collected; it has nothing to do with spending." (Bozo)
California has a state sales tax. How has that worked for them?
It does have everything to do with how the money is spent as opposed to how it is collected. The bottom line is you can't fund everything that you want if you do not have money enough to spread around.
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"California has a state sales tax. How has that worked for them?"
California also has a state income tax - so what's your point?
"The bottom line is you can't fund everything that you want if you do not have money enough to spread around."
Of course you can, just ask George W.
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"California also has a state income tax - so what's your point?" (Bozo)
The point is simple. Either the spending habits change by choice, or they change without choice.
From the looks of things, the time may come soon where there will be no choice on a national level.
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"From the looks of things, the time may come soon where there will be no choice on a national level."
Agreed, however that has nothing to do with the method of tax collection.
Last night I heard an interview with Tom Campbell. He announced his intention to run for governor, and surprisingly, he said as it turns out Gray Davis was right about the car tax.
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By all means.........Yes...When you get it added with come comments, I'd like to share it....with proper credit to you, of course...
Bill
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So here's the question - if we spend more money on....
1. Building a strong military
2. Supporting the members of our armed forces
3. Fielding a national missile defense
4. Targeting terrorist
5. Building a border fence
6. Providing for border enforcement
7. Increasing cargo inspection
8. Keeping industry and jobs in America
....would we be able to live within our means? (Not a trick question.)
Take item #1 for instance. We spend over half a trillion dollars anually to maintain our military. Is it being suggested that that number is insufficient?
We have priorities A through Z. We have X amount of dollars. We start at the top and fund our way down. If we run out of money by the time we get to item M, then should all of the remaining items be scratched? Or, should we trim some here and trim some there to ensure funding through the letter item Z?
Give me reasonable plan. I'll listen.
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Trim some here and there, yes. For example, cut the DOE. The DOE is a huge boondoggle of expenses.
I agree with living within our means. I'm just adding departments that create expensives. IRS, states can collect the proposed National Sales Tax. DOE, a few of the functions that are worthy can be tranferred to other departments; but other than that, they are mostly an expense. An expense with a huge budget.
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"IRS, states can collect the proposed National Sales Tax."
Wouldn't that open the door to further intrusion of the federal government into the states?
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Can 'reducing and eventually eliminating the national debt' fit into the agenda also?
When you think about it, that would require paying the interest on the debt as well as paying something towards the principle in order to get that number down. In order to accomplish that, would we have to be able to generate budget surpluses?
Are we prepared to go that far? Are we willing to go that far? Or, do we pass the burden to the next generation!?!?
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"When you think about it, that would require paying the interest on the debt as well as paying something towards the principle in order to get that number down. In order to accomplish that, would we have to be able to generate budget surpluses?"
The last time we had a budget surplus and had actually taken baby steps towards paying down the debt, Limbaugh said the budget surplus meant we were paying too much in taxes.
With logic like that, debt retirement could never happen.
That's when I decided Rush wasn't really Conservative and stopped listening to him.
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The subject may be the new "third rail" of politics. It would require a rare quality to address - honesty.
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