HOW YOU CAN HELP

We live in a dangerous world, with threats from terrorism, nuclear proliferation and rogue states enriched by western petrodollars.  The United States has the best-led and equipped fighting force in the world today – but it needs the support of a forward-looking Congress to meet tomorrow's challenges. 

More importantly, it needs a Congress that knows how and when to use it – in a manner consistent with the Constitution. Interventionist diplomacy and undeclared wars violate Constitutional principles and Congress’s responsibility for the federal budget and as a check to executive power.

The long war in Iraq and America's growing national debt today means greater budget pressures on the military tomorrow, which is why Congress needs to adopt fiscally responsible measures now.  Recently General Colin Powell expressed concerns that the military is stretched too thin. This means the war in Iraq must be brought to a responsible but rapid conclusion – a prospect made more likely by the Iraqi Prime Minister’s recent suggestion that the Iraqi Parliament may ask for a withdrawal timetable.

We also need an energy policy that complements our foreign policy.  Each dollar that we send to Saudi Arabia or Venezuela generates challenges abroad – from terrorists in Iraq to South American regimes undermined by Hugo Chavez.  We need to end our dependence on foreign oil, because $145/barrel oil often finances forces hostile to our interests.

Jim is committed to making sure that the men and women in our armed forces are equipped to meet these challenges, and that America's fighting force remains the envy of the world. He also believes those serving in our armed forces deserve a GI Bill that rewards them for their service and sacrifice. 

And Jim believes that Americans owe it to our veterans to care for those who sacrificed for our freedom.  That means quality health care comparable to that received by federal employees. 

Congress plays a vital role in American national security by providing responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars today so the funds will be there to face tomorrow's threats to our great nation's freedom.

Jim believes, in the tradition of legendary Republican Senator Arthur Vandenberg (MI, 1884-1951), that politics must stop "at the water's edge."  Republicans and Democrats in Congress have an obligation to work together on matters of national security, to put country over party, and to honor sacred promise to defend the Constitution.