Winning the Global War on Terrorism Preserving America’s freedom and way of life is not just a campaign talking point. For almost twenty years, I have worked under an Oath to “Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution” and those words instill a deep sense of responsibility in me.
As a former Navy pilot and action officer to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I know first hand that we still live in a dangerous world where countries and state-sponsored terrorist organizations are focused on destroying America and harming innocent civilians. This is a war we did not ask for, did not provoke, but one we must win.
The brave men and women who serve on the front lines in our Armed Forces and their families back home are true American heroes. I am committed to making sure they have the resources they need, the manpower necessary to win, and a Congressman who will stand up to support their mission to kill or capture terrorists wherever they may be hiding, training, or plotting attacks.
While many in Congress support a retreat from Iraq and cutting off funding for our troops, I believe Iraq is the central front of this global war and it is a front we cannot abandon. I strongly support the surge of troops to Iraq and General Petraeus’ strategy to engage the enemy throughout Iraq in order to hold territory and allow the Iraqi’s to establish security and police forces capable of maintaining order.
As Congressman, I will be steadfast in my promise to take the fight to the enemy before the enemy has a chance to take the fight to American shores.
Strengthening National Security One of the biggest lessons from the September 11th attacks is that our country can never be too vigilant and never be too cautious in how we protect America. It is a lesson Democrats in Congress seem to have forgotten.
Having handled defense and intelligence related issues for Senators Gramm and Cornyn, I will work tirelessly to strengthen and protect our ability to defend America from future attacks. This defense begins with good intelligence and surveillance – we must use every tactic available to intercept terrorist communications, disrupt their funding, infiltrate their ranks, and keep them from carrying out their dreams of destruction on American soil.
Because of our trade, commerce, petrochemical facilities, and population size the Houston/Galveston region is a major target for terrorists. I believe we must invest more in Port security and funding for first responders. We cannot afford to take the safety and security of our region lightly.
Stopping Illegal Immigration If we don’t know who is coming into our country, how will we know they don’t want to harm us?
I believe in strengthening our borders with fences, increased surveillance, increased man power, detention facilities, and an increased commitment to FULLY enforce our laws – no excuses, no delays, and no second chances for those who break our laws. Amnesty is not an option.
Unlike our current Congressman, I won’t support new benefits for illegal immigrants – that only entices more people to come to our country illegally. It’s wrong, it makes no sense, and it is a policy that Texans reject.
We must also step up enforcement in the vast interior portion of our country. Houston has already seen the violence that can be brought to our streets by human smugglers, drug traffickers, and illegal immigrant gangs. We shouldn’t have gun battles in our neighborhoods between these gangs and police officers being shot by criminal illegal immigrants.
I will work to help our local law enforcement get the funding and training necessary to help in our national fight against criminal illegal immigrants.
And I will support our border patrol and border sheriffs. It makes little sense to have good men under criminal prosecution for trying to protect us from human smugglers and drug traffickers while the criminals remain free. Agents Ramos and Compean should have their sentences commuted and be returned to their families.
Tax Policies that Respect Families Many politicians talk about family values, but few of them actually create policies that value families.
We all agree the tax code is broken and should be completely replaced. Until we get this achieved, the next best thing is to restructure the tax code to provide maximum benefits to families.
Our middle class families are the backbone of this country, our economy, and our future. It’s time Congress fully recognized the sacrifices they make raising children, working to pay the bills, and helping our country grow. I am committed to writing and passing tax policies that greatly increase child tax credits and provide tax breaks for stay at home parents – we want to encourage families to grow and make sure they have the resources necessary to create opportunities for their children.
Another idea I support is the creation of a stay at home parent GI Bill, where stay-at-home parents earn credits to be used for continuing education once their children are grown or enrolled in school. This will allow a parent to learn new skills, gain experience, and get back in the workforce at a level deserving of the time they spent caring for our next generation of American leaders.
Expanding Health Care Opportunities Small businesses are America’s job engine. Yet, many of these businesses simply cannot afford to purchase health care plans for their employees – Congress needs to help alleviate this problem.
While Texas’ economy is doing well, many of the people supporting our economy are unnecessarily living without health care coverage. Changing this situation will be one of my top priorities as I work to help protect families and small businesses.
With a simple alteration to the tax code, small businesses can be allowed to band together in order to purchase quality, affordable plans for their employees at the same discounts enjoyed by big businesses and labor unions. This is a critical need for Texas families and I intend to make sure it is met.
Reducing the Size of Government I doubt our Founding Fathers ever intended the federal government to have grown into the behemoth it is today. Our country’s national debt stands at $8.8 trillion dollars because Washington refuses to make tough choices to live within a budget.
Too many people in Washington have forgotten that government does not get better just because it gets bigger.
Not surprisingly, I think Washington can learn something from Texans. Like we do in Austin, I will support new laws which will require every federal agency to prove its value or be eliminated. If an agency is not serving the people, we send it off into the sunset.
Of course, the Democrats in Congress are passing new taxes to pay for new programs. Their continuing mission is to take more of what you earn because they obviously know how to spend it better than you or your family.
You can count on me to fight for a smaller government that costs less. I look forward to joining with other Budget Hawks to fight excessive spending, excessive earmarking, and excessive taxation being heaped on families in order to pay for new programs.
NASA The JSC and NASA are not just local treasures but national assets. Growing up in Clear Lake, I dreamed of one day becoming an astronaut and marveled at the accomplishments of our Space Program as we reached higher into the Heavens.
America must maintain our rightful place as the international leader in space exploration. Unfortunately, NASA is facing a budget shortfall that endangers the ability to develop and launch a new Crew Exploration Vehicle to take the place of the Space Shuttle. The multi-year gap between when the new CEV will be ready and the Shuttle is retired will put our missions in jeopardy and force us to rely on foreign space programs. It is not in the best interest of our country for this situation to exist.
I will be a vigorous champion for NASA and unlike the current Congressman, I will not promise to protect NASA funding while voting to cut its critical resources. I will fight for nothing less than full funding of NASA and its programs.
Respecting the Sanctity of Life and Marriage I am pro-life and pro-traditional marriage.
I believe that life begins at conception and every life has a soul. Abortion as a means of birth control horrifies every fiber of my being. Our country should work to protect innocent life and I will vote that way in Congress. In the case of a mother’s life being in danger I would understand abortion being necessary.
I am also devoutly pro-traditional marriage. As Senator John Cornyn’s Chief of Staff, I helped him lead the fight to pass a Federal Marriage Amendment that would define marriage as being between one man and one woman. In Congress, I would again work to make sure this legislation is passed and traditional marriage is upheld as the law of our country.
Protecting the Second Amendment The right to bear arms is a vital element of our Constitution. As a gun owner and a member of the National Rifle Association, I will always vote to protect our Second Amendment rights.
