RUTHFULLY YOURS

Forget charging up a hill. Armies charge up the slippery slope of the moral high ground and they don’t try to capture it from the enemy, because that would be the surest way to lose the moral high ground, instead they claim the moral high ground by refusing to try and capture it, to establish their moral claim to the moral high ground, which they can’t have because they refuse to fight for it.

Israel has been engaged in a long drawn out struggle for the moral high ground. The moral high ground is to the modern Israel what the land of Israel was to their pioneer ancestors who drained swamps, built roads and shot bandits; some of whom were later discovered to be the oppressed peoples of the region, fresh from Syria or Jordan, and protesting the settlements built on that stretch of swamp that had been set aside in their revisionist history as belonging to their great-grandparents, complete with oversized house keys to some of the choicer logs in the swamp.

Sadly the only way to win the moral high ground is by losing. Just look at the massive Arab armies who repeatedly invaded Israel, did their best to overwhelm it with the best Soviet iron that the frozen factories of the Ural could turn out, and lost the bid to drive the Jews into the sea, but won the moral high ground. Then their terrorist catspaws spent decades winning the moral high ground by hijacking airplanes full of civilians, murdering Olympic athletes and pushing old men in wheelchairs from the decks of cruise ships.

All these killing sprees accomplished absolutely nothing useful, aside from the killing of Jews, which to a certain sort of mind is a useful thing in and of itself, but that failure won the terrorist catspaws the moral high ground. Their failure to win a war by hijacking buses full of women and taking the children of a school hostage conclusively established their moral superiority and nobility of spirit.

The world was deeply moved when Arafat waddled up to the UN podium, with his gun, wearing a mismatched cotton rag on his head that would decades hence become the modish apparel of every third hipster standing in line with a can of 20 dollar fair trade Lima beans at Whole Foods, because his commitment to killing people in a failed cause that even he didn’t believe in exchange for money from his backers in the Muslim world showed his deep commitment to the moral high ground.

In the seventies, after Israel had ton a few too many wars, Henry “Woodcutter” Kissinger, suggested that it lose a war to gain the sympathy of the world. Golda wasn’t too enthusiastic about the idea, but with the old woodcutter in charge of handing out the axes, there wasn’t much choice about it. Israel came close to being destroyed in ’73, but just when it might have won the sympathy of the world, its armies of young men dashing from synagogues into overcrowded taxis to get to the front lines, turned the tide. Israel won. The woodcutter of Washington lost and Israeli scrapyards filled up with piles of Soviet steel, which was good news for the big sweaty guys who ran them, but bad news for those pining for the lofty fjords of the moral high ground.

By now it’s perfectly clear that President Obama is not going to do anything to stop the flood of illegal aliens across our southern border.

Though Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told “Meet the Press” two weeks ago that our borders aren’t open to illegal immigration, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday that the border is secure, their credibility is precisely zero.

Paul Babeu is the sheriff of Pinal County, Ariz., which sits about 50 miles from the Mexican border. Guest-hosting for Roger Hedgecock on his radio show July 9, I asked Babeu whether the border is at all secure and whether the flood of illegal immigrants is a public health risk.

Babeu said there is no enforcement of the immigration laws on our southern border. In short, the border is wide open. His deputies routinely arrest illegal immigrants who have previously been deported five, 10 or even 15 times. The border isn’t secure: It’s a revolving door.

Babeu also said the drug cartels are running across the border almost at will. They are stationing lookouts on hills and mountaintops to help drug smugglers evade sheriffs’ patrols. According to Border Patrol Union spokesman Hector Garza, drugs and criminals are coming across the border undetected because Border Patrol agents are being taken off their posts to babysit illegal children and teenagers.

I asked Babeu about the many reports that the illegal immigrant children are carrying infectious diseases and parasites. He couldn’t say whether they were, because no one except federal officials are allowed entry to the camps and military bases where the illegals are being held.

Immigrants are being shuttled around the country and temporarily kept wherever the Department of Homeland Security can warehouse them. States as far as Massachusetts are unwitting hosts. Most troubling is that there is no apparent recognition of severe danger to public health they may pose.

A doctor who is a public health expert working for the National Institute of Health told me:

“These thousands of children have traveled long distances and have been exposed to a variety of physical and infectious hardships at home or during their journey. Their immune systems are stressed. They are reportedly carrying lice, scabies and probably other parasites. Some illegals are reportedly carrying deadly diseases such as antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis. Without proper screening and treatment of these children and others with them, there could be new outbreaks of diseases that historically occur with crowding: meningitis, flu, diarrhea, cholera, polio and others.”

On August 23, 2011, I wrote an article titled:

“The Philadelphi Corridor: Take it Back, Israel, and Soon.”

Almost three years have passed since that article was published and enormous quantities of Iranian, Syrian and homemade missiles – all lethal – have flooded into Gaza through the smuggling tunnels under the Philadelphi Corridor.

With the possibility of yet another ceasefire coming into effect at this time of writing, the same dreary and perilous situation will likely apply again.

The first Egyptian brokered ceasefire on July 14th was accepted by Israel but immediately broken by Hamas, which launched salvos of missiles against Israeli towns and villages. Rumors abound that now Hamas seeks a 10 year hudna – another bogus ceasefire – complete with outrageous demands and conditions.

But as surely as night follows day, Hamas will attack again and again and again when it deems the moment is favorable to it.

This rumored ceasefire is based on the ten-year treaty of Hudaibiya which was ratified between Muhammad and his Quraish opponents in Mecca (628). Ten years is the maximum amount of time Muslims can be at peace with infidels and is based on Muhammad’s example of breaking the treaty after only two years. The sole function of the “peace-treaty” (hudna) is to buy weakened Muslims time to regroup for a renewed offensive.

Muhammad is quoted in the Hadith saying: “If I take an oath and later find something else better, I do what is better and break my oath.” Let us hope that Israel will not fall for this duplicitous Muslim ploy.

It is helpful to be aware of relatively recent history to better understand what is going on now. Ever since Egypt invaded and occupied Gaza in the 1948 Arab-Israel War, the area has been a perilous finger of death pointing into the very heart of the Jewish state.

In subsequent years, Arab terrorists (fedayeen) from Gaza infiltrated as far north as Rehovot and beyond, murdering hundreds of Israeli civilians including children.

Contrary to what most people think, this Administration is open and transparent. You just have to see what it is open and transparent about. It is not open about legislation and ruling. It is open about the way it wishes to transform America.

The President Obama not incompetent, lazy, disinterested or naïve. He is doing what he wants to do and has been very successful at it. Opposition has been almost totally ineffective.

Obama has numerous underlings and compatriots willing to do his bidding no matter what it is. He decides what he wants whether it be Obamacare (Affordable Health Care Act) or shutting down the coal industry. Then Congress passes some legislation to that effect. It doesn’t matter what the law says because he will issue an executive order or his underlings will create a rule. Whether what he wants complies with the law, the Constitution or what the people want is of no matter: it is what he wants.

A Congress that does nothing fits in perfectly. If Congress won’t pass what he wants, he will just issue an executive order. All the Democrats applauded that in that State of the Union message. Have you ever heard of a group of people cheering at their loss of power to someone else? Speaker of the House Harry Reid is doing just fine for Obama. He blocks anything from the Republican House of Representatives rather than have a conference to try and work out differences. That guarantees a deadlocked Congress and gives justification to Obama to rule by Executive Fiat.

Various departments of the government are being used for Obama’s general agenda and for his personal agenda. He is using the EPA to force people into his idea of a “green” economy. He uses the IRS for his own, personal political gain. Most people who are reading this know all the details. Those that don’t should try a few Google searches:

Obama scandal 78,300,000 results
Obama IRS 38,600,000
Obama Benghazi 21,400,000

What we have is a Monarch-wanna-be. He tells his administration what he wants and they get it for him. If he wants to change it he does.

The Palestinian refugee issue has been around since 1948. UNRWA, the United Nations institution dedicated to their preservation, has been in existence since 1950.

With the recent re-approval of UNRWA’s mandate for more than three years, it is worth asking: how long have Western policy makers understood that UNRWA was a tool for Palestinians and Arab states to perpetuate the “refugee crisis” and that Palestinians would never accept anything except repatriation to Israel, an attitude that guarantees hostilities in perpetuity? The answer is, since the beginning. That is why after more than sixty years, British diplomatic documents on UNRWA and the Palestinians are still classified by the Foreign Office.

UNRWA was established to “carry out in collaboration with local governments the direct relief and works programmes as recommended by the Economic Survey Mission.” This mission, under the leadership of former Tennessee Valley Authority administrator Gordon Clapp, had recommended vocational training and regional development as the means to facilitate “reintegration” of Palestinian refugees, either through repatriation to Israel or resettlement in surrounding countries. Arab states clamored for regional development aid, hinted repeatedly that they would accept Palestinians, and throughout the 1950s, billions were poured into aid schemes that improved their infrastructure. But no Palestinians were ever resettled.

The game was apparent early on. In May 1952, the Foreign Office received a remarkable report forwarded by British diplomat Sir Edwin Chapman-Andrews that noted “Everything has been sacrificed to [UNRWA director John Blandford’s] lone effort to “sell” the three-year plan to the Arab states—and SYRIA in particular—while measures which might influence the success of the negotiations are left undone.”

The report lamented UNRWA’s lack of educational and vocational training programs, the lack of a public-relations effort, or any successful agricultural programs in Jordan. Refugee relief was well-organized, but anything related to reintegration was subject to “stagnation, waste and misuse of money and manpower.”

How would an unedited State of the Union address sound if Obama said what he really meant?

From day one in his first term of office, President Barack Obama has given America his middle finger. I’m surprised so many people haven’t noticed it. Here’s a State of the Union address he’d never dare make, but I’m sure he would like to, just to let his hair down. It would probably be written by his good pal Bill Ayers, or his proxy mom, Valerie Jarrett. Or by the fired press secretary Jay Carney, on a consultation basis for a handsome fee.

“Folks of America, my pals in Congress and the Supreme Court, and my pals overseas and across the border:

“As you all well know, I’m going to transform this country, whether or not Americans like it. If Congress and the states won’t help me, I’ll do it myself with my executive powers. Americans are just going to have to eat it. Do I intend to turn this country into a third-rate country like Mexico? Yes. It’s about time it was knocked down to size.

“How am I going to do this? I will further bankrupt it with more TARP-like financial boondoggles, industry bailouts, costly subsidies to companies not likely to succeed, increasing the powers of government surveillance on ordinary Americans, recruiting the EPA to enforce rules guaranteed to drive coal and oil out of business, imposing a healthcare insurance scheme on the country that will really hurt Americans in the pocketbook, and forcing everyone to kowtow to the government and its programs whether or not they like it. Oh, there are so many ways to screw this country!

“Don’t like it? Tough. Eat it. Your senators and representatives – generations of them – voted government those powers and now we’re going to use them like there’s no tomorrow. After all, it’s doubtful I’ll have a third term. It’s our hope that that harridan, Hillary, will pick up where we leave off, if she’s nominated and runs for election. We can fix that election, too. She’s for what I’m for, although she’s not as good a dissimulator as I am. Dissimulator? Me?? Using a five-syllable word! Shame on me! Sounds like a thing that processes nuclear fuel in Iran!

“You know Michelle and I really hate this country. It isn’t black or brown enough. So I’ve reached an understanding with Mexico and several Central American governments to send their diseased and pliable mosquitoes north across the border. Trainloads of them. This is necessary because it’s assumed that these otherwise useless people will express their gratitude by voting Democrat in every future election, local, state and national.

Spare us the pieties and righteous indignation of Europe. The final solution turned out to be Israel and they can’t handle it.
urope is in an uproar. Frankfurt, Germany is rioting, along with France, the UK and in other places where it’s Springtime for Hitler all over again.

But even over here in America the streets are filling up with hateful marches and slogans against the Jewish State.

Much of this is triggered by Muslims who arrive here with a grudge and stay with a grudge. But also…television termite Jon Stewart sleeps comfortably in his own bed but can find no heart for a million Jewish children who must spend half their lives running for cover as rockets keep raining down from Gaza.

Thousands of Israeli children have been so traumatized over the years from relentless bombardment that they’re afraid to leave their bomb shelters – ever.

Television imbecile Geraldo Rivera has likewise been heard from – a self-proclaimed “passionate Zionist” so long as the Jewish State refrains from defending herself.

Over there in Europe once again it’s Kristallnacht. It is a safer world when that continent goes bonkers over soccer, a game where nothing happens for 90 minutes and people think it’s exciting. Yes, it’s Springtime for Germany for winning the World Cup, and it’s Springtime for Europe whose multitudes are back on the streets howling bitterly because this time around, unlike the 1930s and 1940s, the Jews are fighting back.

OMG – they have a country!

Mia Love (R) Challenger

http://love4utah.com/

ISSUES

HEALTH CARE Incentivize shared decision making between patients and health care providers
Eliminate barriers to purchasing health care coverage that best suits an individual’s or family’s personal needs by allowing people to purchase the insurance of their choice across state lines
Align incentives for health care providers with the outcomes they provide
Provide for the portability of individual health care plans (e.g., allow people to carry plans from employer to employer)

Support tax-free savings for health needs
Cut out fraud and bureaucratic waste, and protect benefits for those who qualify
Support tax incentives aimed at extending private insurance coverage
Improve individual control over health care decisions by supporting consumer-directed health care options, health reimbursement arrangements, health savings accounts, and other free market options
Oppose taxpayer-funded abortions
Support the ability for states to develop consumer-based health care models that allow for customized solutions to their citizens’ health care needs
Repeal Obamacare because more government, greater bureaucracy, and higher taxes are not the answers to our health care problems. If there is ever a chance to repeal Obamacare, you can count on my vote to do so.

IMMIGRATION

Secure the border – and not just for the purpose of preventing illegal immigration, but also to stop the flow of illegal drugs, illegal weapons, and possible terrorism from coming into our country
Support meaningful immigration reform and rules of naturalization that result in clear, straightforward, fair, and thorough rules that will allow immigrants to participate in the American Dream while protecting the best interests of American citizens
Incentivize good behavior and our ability to track who enters and who leaves our borders by charging a fee (perhaps of a few thousand dollars) to people who come to America on visas, and then refund that money when they leave
Support the SKILLS Act, which will help the American economy by incentivizing highly skilled foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges with advanced degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to work and remain in America by making it easier for employers to grant them green cards and H-1B visas

TAXES

Vote against all net tax increases
Support a simpler tax system that reduces the tax burden for working Americans
Eliminate the federal death tax (also known as the estate tax)

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/utah-2014-candidates-for-congress-where-they-stand?f=puball

To see the actual voting records of all incumbents on other issues such as Foreign Policy, Second Amendment Issues, Homeland Security, and other issues as well as their rankings by special interest groups please use the links followed by two stars (**).

U.S. Senate

Orrin Hatch (R)Next Election in 2018.
Mike Lee (R) Next Election in 2016.

Primary: June 24, 2014

District 1
Rob Bishop (R) Incumbent

http://www.votebishop.com/ http://robbishop.house.gov/

http://www.ontheissues.org/house/rob_bishop.htm**

Rated -1 by AAI, indicating a mixed Arab/Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY Voted for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments.

Rob believes we can protect our environment while allowing for wise stewardship and multiple uses. Stewardship means respecting and enhancing the land and its natural resources. The prudent development of our natural resources and energy not only adds to our energy independence but also greatly impacts job growth and economic recovery. As the Chair of the Western Caucus, he was the lead sponsor of an all-you-can-create energy bill and has led the fight against the Obama Administration’s anti-energy agenda.

BORDER SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION We need to secure the borders and better enforce the laws already on the books, and that’s the way Rob votes. He is the lead sponsor of HR 1505, legislation ensuring border security takes priority over environmental land regulations. The bill has drawn national attention and is viewed by many as the first critical step in real immigration reform. We must do first things first – and securing our border is that first thing.

HEALTH CARE As a state lawmaker and as a Congressman, Rob has pushed back against an ever-encroaching federal government. He voted against ObamaCare and has voted to repeal it. As the leader of the 10th Amendment Task Force, he continues to champion returning more power, authority and money back to states and individuals.

NATURAL RESOURCES AND PUBLIC LANDS As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, Rob has a strong knowledge of and concern for the use of our lands. He believes in wise management of our lands, which entails protecting private property rights and the Western way of life Utah enjoys as well as using the resources on those lands. With roughly 2/3rds of Utah’s lands controlled by the federal government, the right of our state to control its own destiny, be energy rich, create jobs, and properly fund our education system will always be hampered by the heavy hand of the federal government. Rob is the Chairman of the Public Lands Subcommittee and has consistently fought for our rights and our lands. He helped kill the Wild Lands proposal from Secretary Salazar and called out the Interior Department on their plans to lock up even more land by creating new national monuments using the Antiquities Act. He has been the primary sponsor of the APPLE Initiative and continues to spread the message that Utah needs and deserves more its own land back.
Donna McAleer (D) Challenger

http://www.dmcaleer.com/

A West Point graduate and president of her class, Donna McAleer served her country honorably as an Army officer overseas at the end of the Cold War before going on to work in both the public and private sectors. During her years in uniform, Donna was stationed in Wurzburg, Germany and served as a platoon leader, company executive officer, and deputy public affairs officer with various units in the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and 7th Corps. In 1991, Donna left the service to pursue an MBA at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. In 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta appointed Donna to serve on the Defense Advisory Council for Women in the Service. In 2012, Donna was the Democratic candidate for Utah’s 1st Congressional District.

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE Regardless of where one stands on the spectrum of opinion about healthcare reform, just about everyone can agree that health care costs in the United States are out of control. We have many of the best treatments and services in the world, but also the most expensive. The US spends more on health care than any other industrialized country. More than 16% of Americans (approximately 50 million people) and 14% of Utahns (392,000 people, of which nearly 20% are children) do not have any kind of health insurance. For those that do have health insurance, premiums are expected to reach 24%, nearly a quarter of median family income by 2020!

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change is another threat to American security. The Department of Defense calls climate change a threat multiplier, meaning it makes bad conditions worse. Droughts, floods, rising tides, extreme heat and other severe weather phenomena of climate change, and the starvation and massive tides of desperate refugees these conditions cause, lead to abject misery and destabilization around the world They also allow anti-American extremists to gain footholds in nations overwhelmed with disruption caused by massive climate fluctuations. We saw this in the floods of Pakistan in 2011, when al Qaeda took advantage of the chaos to recruit new followers.

Experts may differ on the best formula for reducing carbon emissions, but they all agree that a steady, orderly, planned transition towards a greater mix of traditional and renewable energies is the smartest way to get there. Whether you believe climate change is of human origin or not, reducing carbon emissions can mitigate the trend toward extreme weather. Pretending our actions do not impact the climate fluctuations leading to temperature extremes and violent storms plaguing the United States is irresponsible. We deserve elected officials who care about the lives of our children and our children’s children, and who believe in investments to make our energy economy cleaner, sustainable and more balanced.

Solutions exist to address economic, environmental and security issues associated with energy but such solutions requires a strong and independent person to bring together the stakeholders and agree on these solutions. Job growth, economic development, environmental health and national security are all critical items to the next decade in Utah and the west . Without responsible leadership, these energy issues will be driven by special interest groups seeking their own agendas as opposed to the benefit of all Utahns.

IMMIGRATION The subject of immigration reform over the past several years has produced much rhetoric–and a shocking symbol of our failure as a nation founded by immigrants to rationally address the issue and modernize our system: the border walls along the U.S./Mexican border. There is an equally important practical reason for immigration reform: our economic health. More than ever, in today’s integrated global economy a nation’s best and strongest asset is its people. Immigration reform will strengthen the U.S., attracting the best and the brightest to our country and ensuring we have enough workers in all sectors of the economy to remain competitive and sustain our economy now and for the future. Our immigration laws were last overhauled in 1986. Immigration is a federal issue and I support comprehensive reform. If we want to compete in the 21st century global economy, we need to pass 21st century immigration reform. The stonewalling on immigration exemplifies the political dysfunction and grandstanding in Washington. The current immigration system is complex. Many legislators advocate for simplification and in June 2013, the U.S. Senate passed S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, a comprehensive bill reforming the immigration system, including providing a pathway to citizenship for more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in our country. The bill passed 68 to 32 (Sen. Hatch supported it, Sen. Lee did not). While the bill has good and bad points, it is a step in the right direction. But House Republicans are holding up the process refusing to allow that bill to come to the House floor for debate. Instead many House legislators are calling for piecemeal solutions to immigration reform, including a push for increased border enforcement, instead of passing the comprehensive Senate version. This despite the fact that a coalition group of religious leaders unprecedented in scope–it includes Southern Baptists, conservative Catholics, and religious progressives–is calling for immigration reform.

Most undocumented workers are hard workers who contribute to our economy. They are here for the most noble of reasons: to seek a better quality of life for their families. Their path to residence and citizenship should be simple, straightforward and direct. It is time to bring undocumented workers and immigrants out of the shadows, and offer an opportunity to obtain legal status, even citizenship, if they are willing to pursue it.

District 2

Chris Stewart (R) Incumbent

Elected in 2012
http://www.stewartforutah.com/ http://stewart.house.gov/

http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Chris_Stewart.htm**

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY Energy independence is vital to national security. In order to become less dependent on foreign energy, we must be able to pursue responsible development within our own borders. Maintaining a diverse energy portfolio will protect our current and future interests, while creating jobs at home. Utahns, and particularly those within our district, are dependent on energy-related jobs. These jobs are increasingly threatened by poor land management strategies and over-regulation from bureaucrats.

I support the responsible development of oil, natural gas, clean coal, and a variety economically viable renewable energy options. We are fortunate to live in a district full of scenic and natural resources. Multiple use land policies enable their responsible use, while protecting their integrity. I am committed to protecting environmental integrity while also supporting energy development to bring in needed revenue, jobs, and overall security.

Stewart: New EPA Regulations are Pure Fantasy – Jun 2, 2014 Press Release – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced new carbon regulations, requiring power plants to cut their carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Following this announcement, Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), former chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Environment, released the following statement:

Rep. Stewart Votes to Move Forward with the Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline

May 22, 2013 Press Release – Today, Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) voted in favor of the Northern Route Approval Act, which allows Congress to authorize the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, bypassing the need for approval from the White House Administration. The Pipeline would bring crude oil from the Tar Sands of Alberta, Canada to refineries of the gulf coast in the United States. Stewart released the following statement after the passage of the bill:

HEALTHCARE Our health care and insurance systems need reform. In 2010, Congress enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as ObamaCare. The Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that the penalty assessed to individuals who fail to purchase insurance is a tax. This makes ObamaCare the largest tax increase on the American people. As your Congressman, I will work to defund, repeal and replace Obamacare. To learn more about what I have specifically done to defund and repeal Obamacare, click here. More on Health Issues

Stewart, Bishop, Chaffetz Vote to Defund Obamacare and Keep the Government Open – Sep 20, 2013 Press Release – After voting to support the Continuing Resolution to fund the government and defund Obamacare, Reps. Rob Bishop (UT-01), Chris Stewart (UT-02) and Jason Chaffetz (UT-03) released the following statement:

Rep. Stewart Votes to Repeal Obamacare – May 17, 2013 Press Release – Today, Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) issued the following statement after the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act:
Luz Robles (D) Challenger

http://www.roblesforcongress.com/

District 3

Jason Chaffetz (R) Incumbent

http://www.jasonforcongress.com/ http://chaffetz.house.gov/

http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Jason_Chaffetz.htm**

Rated -6 by AAI, indicating anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT Voted for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments. Utah’s energy and environmental future is perpetually connected to federal land management agencies and their policies. The federal government owns 69% of the land within the state of Utah. These 37 million acres are primarily managed by three federal agencies – the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, and the National Park Service. The lands managed by these agencies have the potential to generate economic activity in the form of energy and mineral development, agricultural use, recreation, and tourism. Federal decisions must be guided by logic and commonsense. Federal policies that restrict access, limit uses, or delay progress harm local economic activity, job creation, and public education. Misguided decisions are generally made because Washington DC bureaucrats often wield more power than those on the ground. Local and state leaders should not be trumped by out-of-state officials.

Federal decisions guided by logic and local support can positively impact public lands states. In FY2010, BLM lands contributed $112 billion in economic activity to the national economy. The multiple-use nature of BLM lands is largely responsible for this contribution. BLM lands provided $814 million worth of timber-related economic activity in 2010; $540 million in grazing-related benefits; recreational visits generated $7.4 billion in economic activity; and amazingly, BLM lands generated $40 billion worth of energy and mineral activity. Federal policies should be enacted that allow for the continued development of energy resources while also preserving lands worthy of protection. Achieving these two goals is not mutually exclusive. Through collaboration and open communication, public lands in Utah can be accessed and enjoyed by all.

IMMIGRATION I have long believed that solving illegal immigration starts with fixing legal immigration. Our immigration system is completely broken and in desperate need of reform. The borders are not secure. We do not have a functioning entry-exit system. We have an inept guest worker program, no national e-verify system, and we educate extremely smart and talented high-skilled people only to send them back to their home countries instead of allowing them here to contribute to our economy. Each of these issues needs to be addressed on its own merits. I am very hesitant to pass one massive comprehensive bill. “Comprehensive” is slowly becoming a code word for amnesty. History has shown that massive legislation tends to collapse under its own weight because inevitably it contains something for everyone to disagree with. For that reason I prefer a step-by-step, incremental, one-issue-at-a-time approach. Listed below is incremental, commonsense legislation that I support that advances the mission of fixing legal immigration:

The Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act (Original Sponsor)
In the 112th Congress I introduced The Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act. This bill would eliminate the per country numerical limitation for employment-based visas and adjusts the limitations on family visas without increasing the total number of available visas.We need to continue allowing highly skilled and educated immigrants to contribute to this country.
The language in the bill is included in Rep. Issa’s Skills Act (see below), and in the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” immigration bill.
HR 2278, Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act (Cosponsor)
The SAFE Act improves the interior enforcement of our immigration laws by granting states and localities the authority to enforce federal immigration laws.The bill strengthens national security by increasing border security, making it more difficult for foreign nationals who pose a national security risk to enter and remain in the U.S., improving visa security in high risk countries, and protecting American communities from dangerous criminal aliens.

Brian Wonnacott (D) Challenger

No website

District 4

Jim Matheson (D) Retiring in 2014.
Doug Owens (D) Challenger

http://votedougowens.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

IMMIGRATION America’s immigration system is broken.

Achieving meaningful immigration reform in Congress is a key priority of Doug’s campaign and legislative agenda. When elected, Owens pledges to take immediate action to fix America’s broken immigration system. Business, community, and religious leaders are standing together, calling for action. It’s time for Congress to set aside party politics and work together to pass real reform to our Nation’s antiquated, ineffective immigration laws. Doug supports a common-sense approach to immigration reform that will:

Strengthen the security of our borders
Uphold the law and require everyone to play by the same rules
Keep Utah families together
Protect the well-being of our children
Respect the rights and dignity of those who contribute so much to our economy
Provide a way for undocumented immigrants to square themselves with the law and continue contributing to our economy and communities
Include a potential, non-amnesty path to American citizenship, when appropriate and once fines and penalties are paid in full. Those who emigrate legally in the first place should always take precedence.

JOBS AND ECONOMY Creating good jobs and strengthening our economy is central to restoring the American Dream and fortifying the middle class. Income and wages have been stagnant for three decades. In the last six years alone, one in ten Americans has fallen out of the ranks of the middle class. This is not a political issue; it is a serious problem that impacts all of us. We cannot let the American Dream fall victim to partisan politics. Federal tax law is unfair, unnecessarily complicated, and in dire need of reform. We need to lower taxes on hardworking Utahns. Small businesses are the engines that drive job creation. Now more than ever, we should help aspiring entrepreneurs follow their dreams and create jobs. We need to cut taxes and enhance access to credit for small businesses. We need to reform the tax code and eliminate barriers that hinder small businesses from growing and hiring. To strengthen our economy today and ensure it remains strong tomorrow, we must invest in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. It’s time to put Utahns back to work, repairing and upgrading our highways, bridges, airports and mass transit systems.

To create jobs and strengthen the economy, Doug will support measures that:

Ensure Utah children receive a world-class education that prepares them for tomorrow’s jobs
Reform the Federal tax code and reduce taxes on hardworking Utahns
Reduce corporate taxes by 33%
Eliminate barriers that prevent small businesses from growing and hiring
Enhance access to credit for small businesses
Invest in our nation’s infrastructure

Mia Love (R) Challenger

http://love4utah.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTH CARE Incentivize shared decision making between patients and health care providers
Eliminate barriers to purchasing health care coverage that best suits an individual’s or family’s personal needs by allowing people to purchase the insurance of their choice across state lines
Align incentives for health care providers with the outcomes they provide
Provide for the portability of individual health care plans (e.g., allow people to carry plans from employer to employer)

Support tax-free savings for health needs
Cut out fraud and bureaucratic waste, and protect benefits for those who qualify
Support tax incentives aimed at extending private insurance coverage
Improve individual control over health care decisions by supporting consumer-directed health care options, health reimbursement arrangements, health savings accounts, and other free market options
Oppose taxpayer-funded abortions
Support the ability for states to develop consumer-based health care models that allow for customized solutions to their citizens’ health care needs
Repeal Obamacare because more government, greater bureaucracy, and higher taxes are not the answers to our health care problems. If there is ever a chance to repeal Obamacare, you can count on my vote to do so.

IMMIGRATION

Secure the border – and not just for the purpose of preventing illegal immigration, but also to stop the flow of illegal drugs, illegal weapons, and possible terrorism from coming into our country
Support meaningful immigration reform and rules of naturalization that result in clear, straightforward, fair, and thorough rules that will allow immigrants to participate in the American Dream while protecting the best interests of American citizens
Incentivize good behavior and our ability to track who enters and who leaves our borders by charging a fee (perhaps of a few thousand dollars) to people who come to America on visas, and then refund that money when they leave
Support the SKILLS Act, which will help the American economy by incentivizing highly skilled foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges with advanced degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to work and remain in America by making it easier for employers to grant them green cards and H-1B visas

TAXES

Vote against all net tax increases
Support a simpler tax system that reduces the tax burden for working Americans
Eliminate the federal death tax (also known as the estate tax)

Read more: Family Security Matters http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/utah-2014-candidates-for-congress-where-they-stand?f=puball#ixzz37io4sVCt
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/obama-as-chauncey-gardner?f=puball

The Obama created invasion on the southern border, refusal to do anything about it and moving the illegals around the country against the wishes of nearly everyone as caused nearly unprecedented bewilderment.

The events of bordergate are causing Obama’s Democrat politician support and voter popularity to plummet. This is substantially increasing the chance for a big Republican congressional pick-up. If Republicans win a senate majority, both houses can strategically pass legislation supported by their base and independents. Obama will veto, using his pen of course. This can damage the Democrat brand for 2016. A combination of a big Republican 2016 turnout to vent anger at Obama and depressed black turnout gives the Republicans a very good chance of winning the presidency. Why is Obama pursuing this border fiasco?

I believe there are three possibilities. One that is probable, another that is interesting and a third hold on to your seat explanation. The probable reason is that in the end Obama turns out to be just a narcissistic light weight with far more self-confidence than intellect. That he has made it this far is due to the MSM that has traits. As Rush and Mark Levin have repeatedly stated, without the MSM being co-conspirators, Obama would never have been elected in the first place, or at the very least re-elected. The only benefit to his presidency in this light is for Jimmy Carter moving up from the bottom of the heap.

The interesting explanation is Machiavellian. Obama / Democrats are playing a long game by taking the heat now of seeding America with many more Latino voters (amnesty / citizenship for those in the shadows and increasing the numbers by the illegal invasion). The border debacle will substantially increase the chances of their losing the 2016 presidential election. But with the Mr. Magoo RINOs’ assistance, immigration reform will pass resulting in a large increase in Latino voters heavily favoring Democrats (who knew). Democrats will climb out of political purgatory starting in 2018, take the presidency in 2020, ignore the RINO favored portions of immigration reform and not lose another election for “fill-in-the-blank” years.