Posted anywhere they will let me
It's interesting when you decide to run for office...the high ideals, the enthusiasm, and the master plan. Those things are all great until you start talking to voters. What really translates well then is none of the conventional stuff that politicos try to stuff down your throat but it's if you have concern, conviction and a willingness to learn. My favorite question always begins now with, "Well, what do you think about..." I try to have steady discussions and ask for information in order to learn more and ask my own questions. Frequently, I write about things in order to open a discussion, not because I know all the answers. But this week, I realized I have to do all of those things, and more, because of this and this.
A while ago, I prompted a discussion because I believe wholeheartedly that
immigration is a national security issue. After my opponent received the results of his pre-primary polling, he realized that people were concerned about immigration and national security, even in our neck of the woods. To say I was stunned by what he posted is an understatement.
www.joebarton.com on immigration
Border security is a crucial aspect of the new global war on terror. Right now people in the world who seek to do us harm are trying to exploit our every weakness and challenge the protection of our borders. I support a reasonable immigration policy which allows us to determine who is coming into our country, and for what purpose.
We must remember that our country was founded on the principles of opportunity and freedom; that is, the freedom to create opportunities for a better life. However, those individuals who come here illegally should not be allowed to remain. I do not believe that amnesty in any fashion is an appropriate way to turn the tide of illegal immigration. We must have a system that rewards the legal immigration of those who wish to become productive members of our communities.
Yeah, no kidding, it really says that. As a Representative from a border state, Joe Barton has failed to craft, sponsor or support "reasonable immigration policy." By his own admission, his solution is that we send them all back. My immediate question is that given his concern for fiscal spending, how do we pay for the transportation and law enforcement needed to return any undocumented workers to where they came from? How do we explain separating parents from children that are citizens? Who will do the work of the estimated 11 to 20 million immigrants when they are gone? Even with our rampant unemployment, it would be impossible for us to fill the gap. Another issue not even discussed here is that these workers are contributing to our tax base. Arguments abound on how that is possible or that is only through purchasing goods that they pay sales tax. WRONG. Since 1989, it has been a requirement of our government that employers complete an I-9 form when they hire a new worker. This form requires identification, the easiest of all to forge being a social security card. I have had discussions with former SSA workers who indicate that money goes into a general fund until the worker becomes a citizen and receives a real social security card. They then have to file a claim and the SSA researches it and moves the money from the fake or old social to the new one...so yes, undocumented or not, withholdings are taken from those employees. Only though that make it through the citizenship process and willing to file a claim ever see a dime of it returned to them.
Any idea what the general fund is used for? I would be very interested in knowing what that money is diverted to pay for or what lines in the budget it is used to balance out.
I wish that were the end of it, but no, you guessed it, there is more...
www.joebarton.com on national security
September 11, 2001 changed the way we as Americans look at the world. The attacks thrust national security and the defense of our homeland to the forefront of our minds. As that day slowly becomes part of our national history, it is even more important that we remember the lessons we learned directly after the attacks. I fully supported the President when he came to the Congress and asked for the authority to do everything in his power to protect the American people, and I fully support that decision to this day.
I believe that it is better for us to fight those who wish to do us harm where they live rather than in our own cities and towns. The war in Afghanistan and Iraq is crucial to keeping our enemies on the run. To retreat from either country before the new governments are stable and functioning is not only an irresponsible mistake but is a disgrace to our brave men and women who have sacrificed and put themselves in harms way to protect our way of life. The timelines of war should be made by the commanders on the ground, whose professional careers have centered on making our way of life secure.
Yeah, he really said that too, more than once. Folks, we know that "we will fight them there so we don't have to fight them here" line isn't even working for the Commander in Chief. I guess it's more of a "when in Rome" or "go down with the ship" mentality meant to appeal to his conservative base...
What we need most is to stop pretending we are doing what we should or that we are better off post-9/11; it is simply not true. Virtually none of the recommendations made by the 9/11 commission have been followed in addition to the breeding ground for terrorists groups we have now created in the Middle East. Joe Barton states that "the timelines of war should be made by the commanders on the ground, whose professional careers have centered on making our way of life secure" yet as the Generals will tell you, the commanders on the ground have not made the decisions since before this began and now want Rumsfeld to resign due to his mishandling of the war in Iraq.
If Joe Barton believed that those with professional careers that have centered on making our way of life secure are best able to do so, then I submit to you that I am most qualified to represent TX-06 and its interests in forming a comprehensive homeland security plan that addresses both a border state's immigration concerns as well as protecting our national security interests.
We saw in New Orleans that this Administration is not competent when it comes to keeping us safe, even with advance warning on disaster. They have spent $40 billion and failed to create a homeland security system that can actually respond in crisis. They have failed to protect or borders from terrorists seeking to do us harm if immigrants can continue to flow freely into the country unchecked. They have failed to safeguard the security of our ports. Important reforms in the intelligence community still sit on the shelf. It is mandatory to our security to change the decisions we make right now, we cannot afford to wait for another attack to shock us into action.
SECURE AMERICA, VOTE DEMOCRAT