Iraqi War

Iraq is stabilizing due to the American Armed Forces, and our ally’s efforts. The Surge has been successful. I would insist that we begin to encourage the Iraqi government to strongly govern itself and then we begin to pull out and bring our troops home. I would ask other members of Congress to help closely and continuously monitor with me the ongoing efforts and set up a plan to decrease our troop numbers there. Although I have not yet served in the 111th Congress, my plans are to give magnanimous credit to our Armed Forces and those who serve our Country. I am hoping for a pull out of our troops as soon as there is a stabilization of the new Iraqi Government.

Abortion

As a Patriot I believe that the first right according to the Constitution of the United States is that of LIFE. My opponent Keith Ellison does not and votes for the notion that the killing of babies should not be discussed by script from a physician to a mother as to what was going to happen to her and her baby. As recent as July 23, 2008 concerning the 8th District Court of Appeal’s ruling he states, "This Court's ruling is outrageous in its demand that doctors recite an "Orwellian" script designed to intimidate and humiliate women exercising their reproductive rights. This obtuse ruling is an indication of this Court's ignorance of, and insensitivity to, both the fundamental right to an abortion, as well as the process whereby a woman arrives at such a personal decision," Ellison stated. The idea of choosing whether or not a baby lives or dies has become a major issue of convenience instead of medical necessity when it was once a based on the critical concerns over a mother's life. Our life-honoring and liberty-loving society must approach an issue of such magnitude and sensitivity as abortion with great care. Conservatives do not wish to monitor the bedroom, nor inject government into the doctor/patient relationship. However, conservatives are equally sensitive to the history of agenda driven special interest groups, such as the eugenicist Margaret Sanger. Launched in 1939, Miss Sanger’s Negro Project was an effort to eliminate the black race through programs of overt population control. The definition of life and of the worth of the individual is not the State’s plebiscite (nor lemming) It is a valuable Life and Life in it’s truest definition is Purpose not inane.

Rather, the protection of life and of individual liberties is the Constitution’s duty to the governed. The will of the people, expressed in law and executed by constitutional mechanisms is the surest form of protection of life. Roe v. Wade does not pass this constitutional test and ought to be overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States; the issue should then be returned to the states and their electorates.

Since Roe v. Wade passed in 1973 we have chosen to kill more children than the populations of Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Houston, San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, St. Louis, New York, and Washington DC combined or a baby dies in its mother’s womb once every 22 seconds. I would contend that the Black Population is in the stages of complete Genocide. Life is not being protected.

Immigration

I believe that people are precious and those who come to our Country legally and ready to assimilate into our culture agree with our laws and immigration statutes. Illegal immigrants are foreign-born people who are in this country without the proper authorization. They don’t have a valid visa or other necessary documentation to be here legally. Some of the other terms used to refer to illegal immigrants include: “undocumented immigrants,” “undocumented migrants,” “undocumented aliens,” and “illegal aliens.” There are hosts of Sanctuary Cities that are seeing crime and economic upheaval daily. We are facing insurmountable challenges and costs in trying to receive people here into our State and Nation who contribute very little in return.

Challenges on the U.S.-Mexico border include economic, immigration, and security challenges for both countries. The Mexican government must be forced to take the painful but necessary steps to boost economic growth and create jobs. Immigration reform needs outside-the-box thinking based upon the principles of the free market. The U.S.-Mexico Mérida Initiative can be a very important tool to combat transnational terrorists, who are increasing their operations in Latin America.

Veterans

The most common usage is for former armed services personnel. A veteran is one who has served in the armed forces, but usually not someone who had a dishonorable discharge. It is especially applied to those who served for an entire career, usually of 20 years or more, but may be applied for someone who has only served one tour of duty. A common misconception is that one had to have either been in combat and/or has retired from active duty to be called a military veteran. Because of this widely held misconception, women have sometime excluded themselves from veterans groups or benefits, despite military service. Abraham Lincoln, in his second inaugural address, in 1865 towards the end of the US Civil War, famously called for good treatment of veterans: "to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan". The American Civil War produced veteran’s organizations, such as the Grand Army of the Republic. I agree with President Lincoln. As Americans across the land pay tribute to our men and women in uniform today, our courts are systematically dismantling many of the rights that thousands have died on lonely battlefields to protect. America must never forget that Rome fell not at the hands of her enemies, but from within.

Education

Every year, millions of children pass through America's schools without receiving a quality education that prepares them to succeed in life, to compete in the increasingly competitive global economy, and to maintain the blessings and responsibilities of a free society. Among African American and Hispanic students, for example, only 56 and 52 percent of students graduate from high school. This widespread failure imposes unquantifiable costs on individual lives and our communities. As a country, it imperils our national security. For years, policymakers have sought to improve American schools by increasing government control. But decades of increased spending and increased federal control have yielded little improvement in student performance.

The Heritage Foundation believes that every child in America should have an opportunity to receive a high-quality education. An average student entering kindergarten today will have more than $100,000 spent on his or her behalf by taxpayers before finishing high school. We believe that families should have greater control over this investment: specifically, the power to choose a safe and effective school for their child. Giving families this power will encourage innovation and improvement that American education needs for the twenty-first century. For these reasons, we support policies that move educational control out of Washington, D.C., to families and local communities.

Environment

Individually we know that demand is increasing faster than supplies while much of the world's oil is delivered in a restrictive market dominated by unstable or hostile nations. Meanwhile, many Americans harbor misunderstandings and myths about energy, the environment, and market forces. My opponent, Keith Ellison, does not believe what Minnesotans in the 5th believe. The people want low prices and plentiful supply, but Congress resists steps that must be taken to achieve these goals. They want to protect the environment but most plans have huge costs and questionable benefits. This confusion leads Congress to enact conflicting policies that harm the nation's ability to meet its energy needs. Sound policies must enable America to obtain supplies from a wide range of sources in a way that is best for the economy and also addresses homeland and national security considerations. I want to be a part of changing these policies.

U.S. energy policy should be based on the creativity of free enterprise. Congress and the Administration should rely on the private sector's research and development capabilities to deliver traditional supplies and viable new energy sources rather than mandates, regulations, subsidies, and directed research. All sources of domestic energy should be made available and artificial constraints on infrastructure, including costly environmental regulations, removed. Such steps will unshackle delivery of supplies and allow key sources like nuclear energy to achieve their potential. Efforts to reduce dependence on foreign oil or carbon altogether must be grounded in policies that are best for the economy by limiting or removing regulatory and tax barriers that impede private-sector innovation. Internationally, U.S. policy should advance free energy markets by sustaining access to the global marketplace using all instruments of national power.

The premise that in the United States of America we are so imperiled by “green house gas” is a myth. Our air has never been cleaner in the United States of America, and there are already government guidelines and restrictions on burning in factories and fuels. The “Global Warming” issue needs a real and honest debate since there is actual proof that our climate is actually cooling in North America. (This is clearly documented through metrological records especially from 1998 through this present time).

Thank you!

Barb Davis White

P.S. Please take a moment today and make out your check to Barb Davis White for Congress.