Hello, my name is Dr. Steven Porter, and I am running for Congress in Pennsylvania's 3rd CD. For too long we have suffered a Congress which has proven to be irresponsible, incompetent and dishonest. My opponent, incumbent Phil English, is a conservative Republican who is tightly tethered to the Bush administration and former majority leader Tom DeLay. But I believe that in my district and across the country the winds of change are blowing.
Before I tell you more, I'd like you to return with me to the first century BC and follow the story of a poor young man in Jerusalem who begins to preach things which will influence mankind for millennia. Most immediately they will influence another young man who grows up to walk the Galilee.
It is an oppressive time. The Romans have established a world order but are ruthless and hated. The fear, pain, and anger they engender lead many people to this young preacher to find out what to do in this age of danger. The young man is both humble and kind. He says to them, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." And they ask him if they should seize this time to begin a new kind of social order. He says to them, "If not you, then who; if not now, then when?" The young preacher's name is Hillel.
I share this story because, as you well know, we are also in an age of danger where an administration suffering from delusions of grandeur is causing fear and pain and anger.
Pick the issue; the pattern is clear.
* Economically we are in debt, outsourcing our jobs, weakening our middle class, engaged in trade policies which gut our industrial strength.
* Our national security is threatened by a disastrous excursion in Iraq, the inability to deal with natural disasters like Katrina, a porous border, and vulnerable facilities like power plants and mass transit.
* Social Security is under attack and pension plans are being eroded from under the feet of our senior citizens.
* Health care is increasingly unaffordable and non-existent for millions of Americans.
* We have no energy policy to provide clean, efficient, affordable American-produced fuels, and as a result we are dependent upon foreign sources and a major contributor to global warming.
* We have had our faith in those who govern destroyed by scandal and lies.
And yet, there are solutions to our dilemmas.
* We can improve our economy by creating public works projects which partner government and business; by insisting that defense-related spending be done within our borders; by engaging in trade which is equitable.
* We can strengthen our national security by ending our occupation in Iraq; by shoring up our borders; by applying our personnel and resources to our ports and vulnerable facilities; and by planning ahead for inevitable natural disasters.
* We can save Social Security by eliminating the cap on earnings and we can secure pensions by enacting a portable pension law.
* We can provide comprehensive health care for our citizens by passing HR 676, the Physicians National Plan sponsored in the House by Congressman Conyers.
* We can help our planet, our economy, and our energy needs by encouraging alternate fuel production (wind, solar, bio, tidal), by demanding more fuel-efficient automobiles, by researching non-polluting fusion reaction, and by rejoining the world community through participation in the Kyoto Treaty.
* We can restore our trust in government by dismissing those who have abused our system and by enacting real campaign reform such as the public funding formulas in the state of Maine.
The winds of change are beginning to blow across our nation. They are being fanned by the pain, fear, and anger we all feel with the present mindset and policies in Washington. But together we can create a new direction. Candidates like me and citizens like you can be the catalysts that move our nation forward to a brighter future.
I hope you will join me and follow my campaign. Look for my comments here and on my website www.porter4congress2006.com. If you would like to contact me with comments or questions of your own, or if you would like to become personally involved in my race, please email my campaign at campaign@porter4congress2006.
If not us, then who; if not now, then when?
Dr. Steven Porter
PA-3