RUTHFULLY YOURS

The President skipped a few world events in his big foreign policy speech.

The speech President Obama delivered Wednesday at West Point was intended to be a robust defense of his foreign policy, about which even our liberal friends are starting to entertain doubts. But as we listened to the President chart his course between the false-choice alternatives of “American isolationism” and “invading every country that harbors terrorist networks,” we got to thinking of everything that wasn’t in his speech.

No mention of the Reset. “The reset button has worked,” Mr. Obama avowed in a 2009 meeting with Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s figurehead president. That was the same year Mr. Obama announced in Moscow that, “The days when empires could treat sovereign states as pieces on a chessboard are over.”

No mention of the Pivot or “rebalance” to Asia. This was billed by Hillary Clinton in 2011 as “among the most important diplomatic efforts of our time” and meant as proof that America’s withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan wasn’t simply a retreat from the world. But as assistant secretary of defense Katrina McFarland admitted in March, following the latest round of Pentagon cuts, “Right now, the pivot is being looked at again, because candidly it can’t happen.”

No mention of Mr. Obama’s Red Line in Syria against the use of chemical weapons. No mention, either, of the ostensible success of using diplomacy to disarm Bashar Assad. The President was fond of boasting of this achievement until recently, when it emerged that Assad continues to use chlorine bombs to kill his enemies. Somehow that also didn’t make it into the speech.

No mention of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which occupied the bulk of John Kerry’s first year as Secretary of State and which has now collapsed as Mahmoud Abbas patches up his differences with the terrorists of Hamas.

Exactly one century ago, the renowned British writer G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), called by his admirers the greatest writer and thinker of the twentieth century, published a curious novel titled The Flying Inn. On the cusp of World War I, he imagined the Ottoman Empire conquering Great Britain and imposing Shari’a law.

Chesterton rides this implausible scenario as a vehicle to ridicule progressivism – that same arrogant, “scientific,” top-down, and leftist approach to government that characterizes the age of Obama. “The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes” Chesterton rightly explained, and The Flying Inn mordantly exposes their failings. Along the way, his vision of an Islamized sceptered isle has arresting features deserving celebration on its centenary.

Chesterton tells of a war in which “the greatest of the Turkish warriors, the terrifying Oman Pasha, equally famous for his courage in war and his cruelty in peace” wins a famous victory over British forces, leading to the occupation of England, to Turks taking over the constabulary, and the growing influence of an “eminent Turkish mystic,” one Misysra Ammon, who argues for such Islamic customs as not eating pork, prohibiting representative images, taking one’s shoes off at the front door, and practicing polygyny.

But the most prominent Islamic custom, and the one around which The Flying Inn revolves, is Oman Pasha’s decree for the destruction of vineyards and the banishment of alcohol. Lord Philip Ivywood, an eager, progressive dhimmi adept of Ammon, passed in 1909 a prohibition of alcohol which allowed only minor exceptions: buildings with inn signs outside them (pending their universal disappearance) and two famous watering holes for (of course) members of parliament, Claridge’s Hotel and the Criterion Bar. Otherwise, pubs served lemonade, tea and other of what Chesterton dubs “Saracen drinks.”Taking advantage of the former loophole, a valiant Irish sailor and an English publican roll through the countryside carrying with them the sign of “The Old Ship” pub, a giant keg of rum, and a great drum of cheddar cheese. Their bacchanalian exploits, and Lord Ivywood’s growing fury, make up the bulk of this fantasy novel, culminating in an English revolt against Ivywood, against Londonistan, against the fez-wearing Turkish police force, and their teetotaler ways. Hating “the fact of being crushed by the weapons of men brown and yellow … had made the English what they had not been for centuries.” Their heroic insurgency leaves Oman Pasha dead “with his face toward Mecca” and pubs reopening.

Terrorists terrorize because they take an authentically great delight in meting out executions to “others.”
Investigators recreate the Hezbollah Bulgaria bus bombing last July which targeted Israeli tourists
Photo by: REUTERS

“I learn a science from the soul’s aggressions.”- Saint-John Perse

In an age that correctly celebrates science as the very best method of reaching conclusions – and such a method is plainly what science represents – deeper human meanings are sometimes lost. Our most acclaimed academic studies of terrorism, for example, appropriately scientific, are refined and dispassionate. Increasingly, such scientific studies subordinate all immeasurable and intangible issues to more handily verifiable “data.”

Generally, this subordination is as it should be. Still, there are corollary costs. Above all, they include the lamentable disappearance of more palpably personal kinds of understanding. Left unexcluded, these kinds of understanding could have had very pertinent government policy implications.

Sigmund Freud, who often wrote about the “soul” (Seele, in German) urged that psychological analysis never neglect private feelings. To be sure, nowhere in his writings does he offer any actual definition of “soul.” But this absence was not merely an omission by oversight. Rather, Freud saw in his core term’s imprecision a certain referential richness, an illuminating mirror image of the “soul’s” own inexactitude. Ironically, to have granted the term any more of a precise definition would have been to rob it of its most significant value.

More than anything else, Freud had wanted the architecture of psychoanalysis to be constructed upon the “odor of humanity.” This expressly humanistic or “unscientific” view can now be applied productively to present-day investigations of terror-violence.

Having outdone the major opposition party—UMP—and trounced the governing Socialists in last week’s European elections, Marine Le Pen went off to Brussels today, looking for allies. If she can form a block of at least 25 deputies representing seven different countries, she will drastically improve her chances to influence EU policy while sharing in the perks: funding, chauffeur-driven cars, offices, legislative privileges, etc. The Front National itself has 24 Eurodeputies; the problem is finding the 7 nations. More or less assured of her alliance with Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party, the Austrian FPO, Belgium’s Vlams Blang, she is hard put to find the missing allies. Both UKIP and the Danish People’s Party have ruled out any alliance with the FN. On the other hand, Marine Le Pen can’t risk alliances with blatantly anti-Semitic antidemocratic parties like Golden Dawn, Jobbik, and other minor parties of similar persuasion.

What do committed and potential allies know about the Front National? Apparently not much. Marine Le Pen has pursued a forceful normalization strategy to rid the Front National of the sleazy image shaped by her father Jean-Marie Le Pen and upheld by party leaders and rank & file over the past 40 years since its founding. For some mysterious reason this window dressing has been respected by French media and gone unnoticed, with rare exceptions, in international media.

One of these exceptions, Gatestone Institute, links to Marine Le Pen’s foreign January 22nd foreign policy press conference, where she presents a superficially reasonable foreign policy and a seemingly brilliant advisor, Aymeric Chauprade, political scientist, author, professor, advisor, world traveler, and more. You don’t have to understand French to see how professional it looks. But you have to listen very carefully to Mme. Le Pen’s presentation to recognize the underlying values, affinities, logic, passion, and motives. (summarized in the Gatestone article http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4160/marine-le-pen-chauprade)

Does it have anything to do with the anti-jihad hopes pinned on the Front Natinal by well-informed thinkers with no hateful undertones? Does it have anything remotely concerned with the hopes of Europeans for relief from Eurabian oppression?

In April 1904 Scottish geographer Halford Mackinder gave a lecture at the Royal Geographical Society. His paper, The Geographical Pivot of History, caused a sensation and marked the birth of geopolitics as an autonomous discipline. According to Mackinder, control over the Eurasian “World-Island” is the key to global hegemony. At its core is the “pivot area,” the Heartland, which extends from the Volga to the Yangtze and from the Himalayas to the Arctic. “My concern is with the general physical control, rather than the causes of universal history,” Mackinder declared.
Fourteen years later, at the end of the Great War, profoundly concerned with what he saw as the need for an effective barrier of nations between Germany and Russia, Mackinder summarized his theory as follows:
Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland;
Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island;
Who rules the World-Island controls the world.
This dictum helps explain the essence of the Ukrainian crisis, as well as the motivation behind the continuing ambition of some U.S. policymakers to expand NATO eastwards.

The model has undergone several modifications since Mackinder. In his 1942 book America’s Strategy in World Politics, Nicholas Spykman sought to “develop a grand strategy for both war and peace based on the implications of its geographic location in the world.” In the nineteenth century, he wrote, Russian pressure from the “heartland” was countered by British naval power in the “great game,” and it was America’s destiny to take over that role once the Second World War was over. Six months before the Battle of Stalingrad he wrote that a “Russian state from the Urals to the North Sea can be no great improvement over a German state from the North Sea to the Urals.” For Spykman the key region of world politics was the coastal region bordering the “Heartland” which he called the “rimland.” He changed Mackinder’s formula accordingly: “Who controls the rimland rules Eurasia; who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world.”

Spykman died in 1943, but his ideas were reflected four years later in Harry Truman’s strategy of containment. Holding on to the rimland, from Norway across central Europe to Greece and Turkey, was the mainstay of America’s Cold War strategy and the rationale behind the creation of NATO in 1949. Containment swiftly turned into a massive rollback, however, as soon as the Soviet Union disintegrated. In 1996 Bill Clinton violated clear commitment against NATO’s expansion made by his predecessor, and the Alliance reached Russia’s Czarist borders. In 2004 it expanded almost to the suburbs of St. Petersburg, with the inclusion of the three Baltic republics. All along Ukraine had remained the glittering prize, however, the key to limiting Russia’s access to the Black Sea, and a potential geostrategic knife in southern Russia’s soft underbelly.

Amazingly, the last biography of Vladimir Jabotinsky in English appeared close to 20 years ago: “Lone Wolf,” a two-volume doorstop by Shmuel Katz (1996), which at almost 2,000 pages, deserves its reputation as “compendious.”

Now, in this new biography, Hillel Halkin has done the impossible. He has gracefully condensed the story of this complex tragic figure into a page-turner that is at once concise and a rattling good read.

Jabotinsky, known principally as Zionism’s most polarizing and bellicose crusader, was also a cultured, indeed aristocratic, polymath — multilingual, a prolific journalist, lawyer, translator of Poe and Dante, playwright, poet, and author. (His 1926 novel “Samson the Nazarite” was later made into a Cecil B. DeMille movie with Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature.) That he may also have been a lover of women seems probable, given his early bohemian life in Rome and elsewhere, and his lifetime of traveling so much without his wife. Not that he embodied le beau ideal; indeed, though a fastidious dresser, he was small and rather “froggy” around the eyes, in Halkin’s words.

How a protean genius of Jabotinsky’s talents and superhuman energy arises among “normal” people is always a mystery, but Halkin suggests that the place of his childhood — Odessa, “carefree, contented Odessa,” Jabotinsky called it — may provide some clues. Born there in 1880, he left for the bohemian life abroad when he was only 17, and “said a last goodbye to it before World War I,” but “a part of him always remained there,” the intoxicating, cosmopolitan city where he studied, worked as a young journalist, and played the rascal as a boy.

Odessa, Halkin writes, was the only large Russian city from which Jews were not barred. A city with no established Jewish institutions, the thousands of Jews who flocked there were thus “less traditional and less subject to rabbinical influence” than other Jewish communities. A sophisticated, international city, Odessa’s lingua franca was for a time Italian before yielding to Russian. It was in Russian that Jabotinsky was raised, and his widowed mother kept a minimally observant home, perhaps engendering his lifelong laxity in Jewish ritual and his dedicated secularism.

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/indiana-2014-candidates-for-congress-where-they-stand

PRIMARY TOOK PLACE MAY 6TH, 2014

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
Dan Coats (R) Next Election in 2016.
Joe Donnelly (D) Next Election in 2018.

U.S. CONGRESS

District 1
Peter Visclosky (D)Incumbent

http://visclosky.house.gov/ http://www.ontheissues.org/In/Peter_Visclosky.htm **

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY Pete believes that reducing our nation’s dependence on carbon-intensive fuels is important to both our national defense and our environment. In order to transition from a carbon based economy, it is necessary to have a comprehensive approach to energy policy that emphasizes conservation first and encourages the most efficient use of a broad range of fuels. That is why Pete is committed to investing in a matrix of alternative fuels – including those derived from biomass, solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear sources – considering the environmental impact of each fuel source and those that offer the greatest energy output per dollar spent with the least amount of energy input.

Supports Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments.

HEALTHCARE That is why Pete supported P.L. 111-148, also known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Pete believes that it will fundamentally and positively change lives. P.L. 111-148 provides access for an additional 32 million Americans to quality and affordable health insurance coverage and enacts reforms to protect those who have health insurance now.
Mark Leyva (R) Challenger

http://www.markleyva.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE The Democratic Party and President Obama love the name. They even branded the Affordable Care act with it – OBAMACARE. They own it! Now they are trying to distract you from it. Obamacare is the biggest failure in United States history. Millions of people will lose their coverage. The quality of care will decrease. You have already heard all of this before, but you are now feeling it. So what do we do about it? Well what do you do when you have an employee that does such a horrible job that cost your company millions? Well- you FIRE them. It is time you put them in the unemployment line. They already voted themselves to be exempt from the law because they knew how bad it was. However, even knowing it was bad, they still mandated it to the American people. This is arrogance. The supporters of Obamacare view the American people as inferior- servants to them. We must stop it completely to save our country economically and financially. The only ones that want Obamacare to succeed are the ones that are exempt from it.

IMMIGRATION The United States has become the country without borders. Imagine you are watched more closely by the TSA at O’Hare than you would on our country’s border. Securing the borders is about National Security. It is not, like some on the left would like you believe, about race. Moreover, our neighbor to the south, Mexico, will never end all the corruption within their government if we continue to allow people in need of a better life to come here illegally. The large amount of illegal immigration across our border helps the corrupt factions of the Mexican government by; giving them another revenue stream for the transportation of illegal immigrants, allowing the continued transportation of narcotics which is another revenue stream, reducing a population that would eventually stand up against the corrupt elites in Mexico, and eliminating their responsibility to these Mexican citizens by transferring their entitlement program to help the needy to the American taxpayer. It is time for Mexico to have more responsibility and accountability. Border security will facilitate this political change.

District 2
Jackie Walorski (R) Incumbent

http://www.jackiewalorski.com/ http://walorski.house.gov/

http://www.ontheissues.org/In/Jackie_Walorski.htm **

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY AND REGULATIONS I believe Congress needs to work together to move America towards energy independence. This will require safely and efficiently utilizing a wide variety of energy sources, including oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, and renewable fuels. While Congress and the Administration delay, jobs and revenue are being driven overseas and American citizens are forced to rely on foreign oil. Congress should repeal unnecessary regulations that drive up the cost of energy while doing nothing to actually protect the environment. Hoosiers want energy policies that will bring down costs, protect our environment, and promote our national security and independence. I will support comprehensive plans that put the needs of Americans-not foreign companies-first.

Supports Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments.

HEALTHCARE The President spent his first term in office pushing through an overly burdensome and job-killing health law. I was not a member of Congress when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) passed, but, now, as your elected official, I will actively fight to repeal this government takeover of our health system because I believe government has no business interfering with our private healthcare decisions. Not only will this law kill jobs and get in between patients and their doctors, PPACA will stifle medical innovation and places addition taxes on American families. As Hoosiers, we are proud to be a leader in the medical device industry, with over 300 medical device manufacturers calling our state home. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes a provision that imposes a new 2.3% sales tax on medical devices. This debilitating tax will make it harder to companies to hire people in our community and potentially make it harder for our seniors and veterans to access to life-saving medical devices. This is why I have supported the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2013 (H.R. 523) to repeal this excise tax.

Walorski Statement On Obamacare’s Employer Mandate Delay – Feb 10, 2014 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Jackie Walorski released the following statement after the Administration’s announcement that the employer mandate in Obamacare will be delayed for a second year, meaning employers with less than 100 employees will not have to provide health insurance in 2015:

“The Administration’s decision to delay the employer mandate-for the second time in less than a year-proves the fundamental provisions of this law are bad policies for American families and businesses.
Joe Bock (D) Challenger

http://www.bockforcongress.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY Improving energy efficiency – Affordable energy keeps our economy running smoothly. It’s important that we keep energy costs low for Indiana families and businesses of all sizes. But we must do so responsibly and carefully weigh economic costs with environmental concerns. I am committed to lowering our dependence on foreign oil by growing American sources of energy. From responsibly pursuing our own domestic oil sources to expanding alternative energy opportunities, it’s in our national interest to make sure more of our energy comes from right here at home. I will support efforts to update our national energy grid. Updating it will help create jobs and provide a more efficient way for states to trade excess energy when there is higher energy demand in another state.

SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE We made a promise to our seniors that, if they paid into the system, they will have Social Security and Medicare benefits when they retire. We have to keep that promise. I will fight against attempts to privatize Social Security, unlike Congresswoman Walorski who has said she wants to open the door to privatization. I am concerned that privatization is a gamble, putting Social Security onto the Wall Street roller coaster. I oppose any changes to Social Security and Medicare that would hurt the middle-class. I favor finding ways to stabilize these programs.

District 3
Marlin Stutzman (R) Incumbent

http://www.marlinstutzman.com/ http://stutzman.house.gov/

http://www.ontheissues.org/In/Marlin_Stutzman.htm **

Rated -4 by AAI, indicating anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY America faces some significant challenges with respect to energy policy. In the future, our demand for oil, natural gas, and electricity will increase. At the same time, our nation’s energy infrastructure is in need of improvement with the electric transmission grid, oil and gas pipelines, refineries, and generation facilities in need of modernization. Meeting these challenges in a safe, reliable, environmentally-friendly, and cost effective manner will demand the best efforts of policy makers, industry experts, and concerned citizens. I believe that striking a balance in energy policy should be our guiding principle. Additionally, I believe that America needs a balanced and diverse portfolio of energy sources so that we are not overly-dependent upon any one single source or foreign entities who are not always our friends.

Stutzman Leads Hoosier Letter to Administration on Keystone XL Pipeline March 7, 2014 – Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Marlin Stutzman led a letter on behalf of members of Indiana’s congressional delegation, urging the Obama Administration to rule that construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline is in the national interest. “Russia’s vast energy resources have allowed Vladimir Putin to exploit the West’s energy insecurity and tighten his grip on neighboring countries,” said Congressman Stutzman. “The Obama Administration should respond to Russian aggression in Ukraine by taking bold steps to promote American energy security, expand natural gas production, unlock offshore resources, and immediately approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. Lowering the price of energy undermines a key component of Putin’s strategy and promotes prosperity here at home.”

In the letter, members write: “The state of Indiana and the country will benefit greatly from the full construction of this $7 billion, 1,700 mile pipeline. From manufacturing and transportation to utilities and agriculture, this project will create jobs and lower costs for hard-working Hoosiers. . . In light of this project’s impact on energy security, job creation, and environmental protections, the Keystone XL Pipeline is undeniably in the national interest to complete. There can be no further delay.” Environment and Regulations: In approaching issues of environmental policy, I believe we should pursue an achievable balance between environmental regulation and economic growth. A majority of the job creators I speak to in the 3rd District share concerns over the Environmental Protection Agency and its potential overreach. I want to leave my two sons with air that is cleaner and water that is more drinkable. At the same time, I know that government regulations can reach a critical mass and overwhelm the people and businesses that drive our economy.

One regulatory threat that our economy faces is the promulgation of a cap and trade system. My concern with these potential new regulations is that they will begin to regulate anthropogenic (man-made) climate change problems that the science community has not officially determined to exist.

IMMIGRATION It is increasingly difficult for our police officers and agents to enforce an immigration code which lacks clarity and consistency. We will not see a strong immigration policy again until we can enforce our immigration laws. I believe we must remove certain public welfare incentives that illegal immigrants take advantage while American taxpayers bear the burden. Everyone who comes to American gets the privilege of our rule of law, but I simply cannot support a welfare system for illegal immigrants. These services and benefits are reserved for millions of citizens and immigrants who legitimately come to America and become citizens. Unfortunately, many illegal immigrants exploit America’s “natural born citizen” law and take advantage of the compassion Americans have for our children.

HEALTHCARE Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: I strongly oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and feel it would create a new government-run health plan. While I was not a member of Congress when this legislation passed the House, I believe it creates nothing more than a step toward a single payer system of government-controlled health care. A government-run health plan would compete with the private market on an uneven playing field and would result in millions of Americans losing the private coverage that they have today while imposing higher costs on individuals and families that are able to maintain their private insurance. This legislation is a prime example of big government interfering in our private lives.
Justin Kuhnle (D) Challenger

http://www.kuhnleforcongress.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

WOMEN’S RIGHTS Women for far too long have been subjected to substandard care when it relates to wages, benefits, and job advancement. In 2012, the median annual earnings for full-time employed women workers was $37,791 versus men’s full-time wages of $49,398 according to the US Census Bureau. This wage gap disparity is hotly disputed but one underlying reality remains: No matter the advancements we make as a society, the respect we give to our women is not the same as the respect we give men. In today’s society, women are a growing percentage of breadwinners in our families, and as such, we need to focus on income inequality. If women are indeed equal, as our society states, then we need to put an emphasis on closing this economic discrimination. Women deserve respect and this can be shown by holding corporations accountable for not paying equal wages for equal work. There needs to be continued enforcement of insurance company practices in which they have shown a history of premium discrimination by charging more to women.

HEALTHCARE Affordable Healthcare – Most bankruptcies prior to 2009 were the result of medical bills. Over half of these individuals had health insurance when they filed. Families and individuals should not have to decide on having medical procedures done and the possibility of having to file for bankruptcy. Healthcare has many problems associated with it. I worked with children where the insurance company changed their policy without informing the families. The insurance companies would continue to accept the higher premiums and reduced the benefits that were paid out. We need a healthcare system which focuses on preventative healthcare and not the reactive healthcare where you treat the symptoms and not the problems. Healthcare should not be a person going to the emergency room and treating the ER as the primary care provider. This places the potential for taxpayers to cover the cost of the medical bills. The 2 primary problems with healthcare are the funding formulas for insurance payments to healthcare providers, and the lack of experienced jobs in healthcare. To help with costs, we can begin by offering incentives that reduce premium payments for individuals taking part in healthy lifestyle changes. These can be through gym memberships, annual evaluations, maintaining healthy weight, non-smoker or smoker cessation, etc. Prices can also be decreased with streamlining procedures, offering individualized treatment options, optimizing referrals to specialists, and decreasing wait times for follow-up procedures by focusing on job growth in healthcare. We can establish more in-network providers along with satellite providers that will remove increased costs that are found out-of-network. There needs to be collaboration between healthcare providers and mental health providers that can offer dual treatment options. This will provide a greater availability of services provided for preventative healthcare. In addition, reform laws associated with medical malpractice and tort that leads to greater safety of individuals.

District 4

Todd Rokita (R) Incumbent

http://rokita.house.gov/ http://www.ontheissues.org/IN/Todd_Rokita.htm **

Rated -2 by AAI, indicating a anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY The previous Congress considered legislation that gave little, if any, consideration to the economic needs of the nation. It began with an unproven assumption that there exists a link between the mandates in the legislation and the supposed positive impact to the environment. Neither the assumed link nor the supposed benefits are objectively verifiable. Additionally, the Act inaccurately claimed to employ a method of “Cap and Trade,” when, in fact, the method used in the Act is more analogous to a “Cap, Tax, and Auction” method. The latter method violates basic principles of free market economics and will stunt, if not reverse, economic growth. Environmental policy must be grounded in sound science, economic realities, and discussed in a spirit of mutual respect. I am committed to ensuring the environment is protected and the economy is strong. There is every reason to believe both goals can be accomplished.

Supports Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments.

HEALTHCARE I strongly oppose the irresponsible legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama. It expands government control over health care and unreasonably restricts free market mechanisms. Once fully implemented, this bill will cost over $2 trillion and still leave millions of Americans uninsured. To pay for this massive amount of new spending, the law cut over $500 billion from the Medicare program, which will impact Medicare beneficiaries’ ability to receive the services they need. Additionally, the bill increases taxes by over $500 billion, which will affect Americans at all income levels. Furthermore, this bill will lead to increased costs for Americans that have private insurance.

This catastrophic legislation needs to be repealed immediately. Health care reform needs to focus on ways to increase competition, empower consumers, expand access to insurance, and reduce burdensome legal and regulatory costs. We can do this by allowing businesses to band together to buy insurance, allow individuals to purchase insurance across state lines, and medical malpractice reform. If implemented in full, these practices will not only act to empower consumers, but will drive down costs by preserving the ability to innovate and drive healthy competition. From these savings, society and the market could afford to insure more Americans and truly bring health coverage within the reach of nearly every American.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS Rokita: “We Must Continue to Show our Unwavering Support for Israel.” Rep. Todd Rokita – Mar 5, 2014 Issues: Defense and National Security – Washington, DC – Rep. Todd Rokita released the following statement following the passage of a bill he cosponsored, the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act, H.R. 938. “The United States must continue to show our unwavering support for our ally Israel. Today’s legislation reaffirms our commitment to partner with the Israeli people to prevent and deter threats to their national security,” said Rokita. This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to establish several cooperative research programs with Israel. These programs would be aimed at enhancing Israel’s ability to detect explosives, provide emergency services, and maintain border, maritime, and aviation security.
John Dale (D) Challenger

https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Dale/649186618466567

District 5
Susan Brooks (R) Incumbent

http://www.susanbrooksforcongress.com/ http://www.ontheissues.org/IN/Susan_Brooks.htm **

http://susanwbrooks.house.gov/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY Our nation needs an American energy policy that will reduce our reliance on foreign oil and lower energy costs. In Congress, I will fight for common sense solutions to meet our future energy needs. A balanced approach that expands energy exploration can help fuel our economic engine, and opportunities to utilize alternative and renewable energy sources reflect the reality that we need to continue American prosperity with cutting edge technology and environmental advances. Using our American energy resources will create jobs at home in Indiana and reduce energy costs.

Brooks: It’s Time to Build the Keystone XL Pipeline May 23, 2013 – Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks (R-IN) released the following statement today after voting in favor of House Resolution 3 – The Northern Route Approval Act – which approves the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline: “The Keystone XL pipeline will create thousands of jobs and pump billions of dollars into our economy. The initial Keystone application was submitted in 2008. After 1706 days of stonewalling, the President simply has no excuse for continuing to stall the completion of this vital project.

HEALTHCARE Brooks Takes to House Floor in Support of the FAIR Act – Feb 26, 2014 Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks (R-IN5) took to the House Floor recently in support of the FAIR Act, a bill that provides individuals the same relief from the Affordable Care Act that President Obama has already offered to businesses. The legislation retroactively suspends Obamacare’s individual mandate penalties until 2016, as has been done to the employer mandate most recently on February 10, 2014. It was introduced by Congresswoman Brooks and Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise (R-LA1) last week.

Brooks: Obamacare Lacks Transparency and Accountability Jan 10, 2014 – Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks (R-IN5) released the following statement after voting in favor of the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act: “Sadly, the implementation of Obamacare lacks both transparency and accountability. Hoosiers have a right to know if the government has failed to keep their personal information safe and secure. Today’s vote seeks to protect the rights of Americans who’ve provided the Administration personal data with the expectation they will be shielded from identity theft. Senator Reid should allow his colleagues to vote on this bill.”

IMMIGRATION There is broad consensus in Washington that our immigration system is broken, and that we desperately need to come to an agreement that respects both the rule of law and our values. Our top priorities in immigration reform should be securing our southern and northern borders and ports, enforcing the laws that already exist, and safeguarding our workforce through effective verification systems. Additionally, it is essential that our immigration system be reflective of our national interests and I look forward to a full debate on how we can achieve this goal. In discussions of immigration reform, we must not, however, group legal immigrants in to the discussion of undocumented immigrants. We need to reform our legal immigration system. Legal immigrants make huge contributions to our country and Indiana in particular. We must respect those who have entered America legally and contribute to our economy and communities.
Shawn Denney (D) Challenger

https://www.facebook.com/DenneyforCongress

District 6
Luke Messer (R) Incumbent

http://messer.house.gov/ http://www.ontheissues.org/In/Luke_Messer.htm **

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY Congressman Luke Messer Votes to Build the Keystone XL Pipeline – May 23, 2013 – (Washington, D.C.) Wednesday night, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act. Congressman Luke Messer gave the following statement: “It is long past the time to begin building the Keystone pipeline. It is vital to our national security that our country becomes energy independent. To do that, we need an all of the above energy policy and the Keystone XL pipeline is important piece of the puzzle.”

FOREIGN POLICY More on Foreign Affairs – Messer Applauds House Action to Support Ukraine – Mar 6, 2014 – WASHINGTON–Congressman Luke Messer, who serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement today regarding House actions taken to support Ukraine: Peace through Strength – Dec 10, 2013 – Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. As we continue negotiations with Iran on its nuclear weapons program, this time honored wisdom should guide us. Seventy-five years ago, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich Pact, handing portions of Czechoslovakia to Adolf Hitler’s Germany. With the hindsight of history, we now know that Chamberlain’s efforts to appease Hitler and find “peace for our time” actually led to the last world war. History teaches that we cannot appease evil.

HEALTHCARE – Jan 10, 2014 – Editorial – As most know by now, I fought to repeal, delay and change the Affordable Care Act. I worked to shield Hoosiers from some of its harshest fines and penalties, but Republican efforts in the House were pushed aside by the Democrat controlled Senate. It is now the law of the land. In this column I do not intend to debate the merits of the President’s health care law. As your representative in Congress, it is my responsibility to make sure you have the information you need to comply with the law and avoid its fines and penalties. In that spirit, below is a list of the commonly-asked questions I have received about the Affordable Care Act. When is the deadline to enroll in a health insurance plan and avoid penalties? The enrollment period started on Oct. 1, 2013, and ends on March 31, 2014. If you fail to enroll in qualified health care coverage by March 31, 2014, you could face fines and penalties. If you are uninsured for more than 90 days in a calendar year, you are subject to a fine of $95 or 1% of your 2014 taxable income. That fine will be assessed in 2015. The penalties and fines increase over the next two years.

IMMIGRATION I support comprehensive immigration reform. For too long, sensible proposals have been tied in a political knot in Washington. Fortunately, a bipartisan solution is now starting to take shape in Congress. I support that effort because the system is broken and fixing it is important to our security, economy and millions of families. Our diversity is one of our great strengths. Immigrants contribute to our culture, arts and the American way of life.

There are more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living in America, and roughly 110,000 of them live here in Indiana. The majority of them are serving in our workforce, contributing to our economies and paying taxes. Deportation of 11 million people is neither economically or practically feasible. Instead, we need a path forward. I support providing law enforcement the best technology available to secure our borders. I will work with businesses and community leaders to advance reform. We should have a tough but fair path to citizenship for deserving immigrants. We need to hold undocumented immigrants accountable by passing criminal background checks and requiring payment of taxes.
Susan Hall Heitzman (D) Challenger

No Website

2014 Democratic candidate seeking election to the U.S. House to represent the 6th Congressional District of Indiana.[1] She was a 2012 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 6th Congressional District of Indiana. She lost in the Democratic primary.

District 7

Andre Carson (D) Incumbent

Carson, who represents Indianapolis, is the second Muslim to ever serve in Congress. He has been in office since 2008 and took the seat that was held by his late grandmother – Democratic Rep. Julia Carson. Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/62396.html#ixzz2vOUxCAr2

http://carson.house.gov/ http://www.ontheissues.org/in/andre_carson.htm **•Rated +5 by AAI, indicating pro-Arab pro-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY AND REGULATIONS Tackling our nation’s energy crisis will require a broad and comprehensive strategy that includes pursuing all forms of energy including wind, solar, nuclear, biofuels and coal. I will continue to strongly support the development of renewable energy sources that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create new, innovative green jobs for Hoosiers. Since coming to Congress, I have had an opportunity to vote on a wide range of progressive energy bills that seek to create jobs, increase domestic energy production and protect our environment. We need to eliminate redundant and overly burdensome regulation. But reasonable, scientifically developed regulation is critical to protecting lives, the environment and the American economy. Regulations ensure that unreasonable risks are not being taken and that energy is being produced as responsibly and cleanly as possible. Unfortunately, many in Congress have decided to focus on eliminating many of the most important EPA and Clean Air Act regulations that protect the American public. I have and will continue to oppose legislation that puts my constituents at risk.

Opposes Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments.

HEALTHCARE As Congress continues to debate our spending priorities for the coming years, Americans are very concerned about the impact our decisions will have on their health care options. I will continue to advocate for access to affordable, quality care for all Americans and protection of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries from drastic cuts. In March of 2010, I voted to pass the Affordable Care Act, historic legislation overhauling our nation’s broken health-care system. Beginning on January 1, 2014, with commencement of the health care marketplace, 40 million Americans will have access to coverage they could not previously afford, and up to 129 million Americans with pre-existing health conditions will no longer be denied coverage by insurers.

NATIONAL DEFENSE From terrorist cells to rogue states to piracy on the high seas, threats to our national security cannot be ignored. As a Member of the House Committee on Armed Services, I know full well the need for a strong, well trained and well equipped military that is capable of addressing any crisis that arises. Yet, despite our military strength, we have a responsibility to avoid engaging our forces in conflicts abroad unless it is absolutely necessary for protecting the security of the American people. As a Member of Congress, supporting the brave men and women serving in our Armed Forces and securing our national defense are some of my highest priorities.
Catherine Ping (R) Challenger

http://www.catping.com/

Army veteran Catherine Ping is seeking election to the U.S. House to represent the 7th Congressional District of Indiana.[1] She was a 2012 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 7th Congressional District of Indiana. She lost in the Republican primary.

District 8
Larry Bucshon M.D. (R) Incumbent

http://www.bucshonforcongress.com/ http://bucshon.house.gov/

http://www.ontheissues.org/In/Larry_Bucshon.htm **

Rated -3 by AAI, indicating a anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

http://bucshon.house.gov/issues

ENERGY MY 23, 2013 Representative Bucshon (IN-08) released the following statement: “Last week, in a speech to a small business, the President said that many projects ‘take too long to get off the ground’ because of the amount of ‘permits’ and ‘red tape’ that get in the way. Well Mr. President, the Keystone pipeline is a perfect example of this. “In fact, today marks 1,706 days since the initial permits were filed for the Keystone XL project and the State Department has now issued over 15,000 pages of review. This project is the most studied pipeline in history, yet it remains in limbo. “The Keystone pipeline will undoubtedly create thousands of American jobs, ease energy prices, and help secure our nation’s energy portfolio. Instead of moving forward, this administration continues to delay construction for purely partisan political reasons, putting radical environmentalists before hard working middle class Americans. This project simply makes sense and I am proud to vote, yet again, to start construction.”

The 8th District of Indiana is rich in its supplies of natural resources. All of Indiana’s coal mines are located within the District as well as the majority of Indiana’s oil wells, an oil refinery, and an abundance of natural gas wells. I think it is important to responsibly manage these resources, which is why I joined both the Congressional Coal Caucus and the Congressional Natural Gas Caucus. The EPA and Obama administration are over-reaching with regulations that do not have the backing of scientific fact. Specifically, onerous CO2 emission regulation which would triple the cost of electricity in Indiana, cost thousands of jobs, and make our businesses less competitive with foreign competitors.

HEALTHCARE While I believe our healthcare system cannot remain at the status quo, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that passed in 2010 will not make our healthcare system better and will, in fact, increase costs and lead to rationing of care. Because of this legislation, we have already seen employers reduce employee hours from full time to part time to avoid providing insurance. The dangerous Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) will soon be formed and will make drastic cuts to Medicare, which will undoubtedly result in cuts to patient care and be detrimental to seniors’ access to the healthcare system. As a part of the Doctors Caucus, we are also taking a meaningful look at tort reform. I think we should pursue expanded Health Savings Account eligibility, expanded choices of providers, and greater transparency on insurance price disclosure. And as a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, I will work on expanding employee pooling to create larger, more competitive buying groups to reduce the costs of insurance and care to the consumer.

IMMIGRATION First and foremost, I believe we must secure the borders of the United States and strictly enforce our current laws, and do not support amnesty. Also, eliminating incentives for illegal aliens to cross our borders and break our laws is absolutely necessary and we must hold employers accountable that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. It is time for commonsense immigration reform.
Tom Spangle (D) Challenger

http://spanglerforcongress.com/

District 9
Todd Young (R) Incumbent

http://www.toddyoungforcongress.com/ http://toddyoung.house.gov/#dialog

http://www.ontheissues.org/In/Todd_Young.htm **

Rated -2 by AAI, indicating a anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE Make no mistake: Obamacare is akin to a government takeover of your healthcare. Todd supports a repeal of Obamacare and wants to replace it with common-sense health care reform that keeps your health care decisions between you and your doctor – not between you and the government. Hoosiers deserve better than Obamacare, and Todd’s working to replace it with something that works for all Hoosiers. He knows that our free enterprise system helps drives down the cost of other goods and services, and it will work for health care, too. That’s why he supports proposals to allow insurance to be purchased across state lines, and to reform government health programs like Medicare to give patients the ability to choose coverage that suits their needs.

NATIONAL DEFENSE One of the most important duties of the government is providing for the public safety and national defense. As a former Marine Corps intelligence officer and a previous member of the House Armed Services Committee, Todd takes this duty very seriously.

He is committed to ensuring that the men and women in uniform have all the tools necessary to do their jobs at home and overseas. While Todd is dedicated to responsibly finding cost-savings within the Department of Defense, he knows that these savings should never come at the expense of making America less safe, or making our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines less equipped and less prepared to carry out their missions. And finally, Todd believes that we should ensure — as we deal with situations around the globe — that we are relying on all the instruments of national power at our disposal, and not just on our military might.

ENERGY The energy sector is crucial to our economic growth, and high energy costs have a major impact on job creation. We have an abundant supply of natural resources in America that we must use to meet our nation’s energy needs. Too many of American’s vast natural resources remain locked behind bureaucratic barriers and red tape. We should support policies that allow us to harness our own resources, develop new sources of energy, and create jobs here at home. Where I stand on energy

We should oppose Washington policies and remove red tape regulations that drive up gas prices: Since 2009, gas prices have doubled and regulations have extracted almost $2 trillion per year from the economy-including $281 billion for environmental regulations imposed on small businesses. In other areas, such as the debate over the new Keystone pipeline, the executive branch has simply blocked action that would result in more jobs and lower energy prices for Americans. Furthermore, the administration has invested billions in new loan guarantees for questionable renewable energy projects like the notorious solar start-up Solyndra.
We must bolster our abilities to tap into and utilize our domestic energy sources: In the 112th Congress, we have voted dozens of time to limit moratoriums on safe and environmentally responsible energy exploration in the U.S.; to speed up the permitting process that allows us to explore for new energy sources; to open up unused federal lands for energy exploration and production; and to increase domestic production. All of this would help lower costs, create jobs, and reduce dependence on foreign oil by tapping into our own natural resources.
A cap-and-trade energy scheme would be bad for our economy: Whether through legislative action or bureaucratic fiat, I oppose the implementation of a cap-and-trade energy scheme. Under such a plan, companies could buy and sell credits on a national exchange, in an attempt to regulate emissions. Not only does it add unnecessary costs to businesses, it would also cause energy rates to skyrocket-particularly in places like Indiana, where we rely heavily on our own coal-generated electric power.

Voted for the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments.
Bill Bailey (D) Challenger

http://billbaileyforcongress.com/

On May 7, the Obama administration boasted that ObamaCare was improving health-care quality for seniors, and it pulled out a bag of statistical tricks to prove it. But a closer look shows that it’s not improving care. It’s skimping on it, socking seniors with unexpected bills for “observation care” and likely shortening their lives.

President Obama’s Health and Human Services department announced that fewer seniors discharged from the hospital are returning for additional care within a month’s time. HHS claims that this drop in “readmissions,” from 18.5 percent in 2012 to 17.5 percent in 2013, signals quality improvement.

Nonsense. The 50 best hospitals according to US News & World Report’s Best Hospitals annual rankings have above-average readmission rates.

Nationwide, readmissions are dropping because Section 3025 of ObamaCare punishes hospitals if a senior returns within 30 days.

What happens to the senior treated for a heart attack who rushes to the hospital a week later feeling faint, possibly because of arrhythmia?

To dodge the penalty, hospitals put the patient under “observation.” It’s just a word on the chart. The patient may get the same tests and be put in the same room as if he had been admitted.

But unless he stays at least two nights, the hospital won’t bill Medicare for a stay, and the patient gets clobbered with the cost. Many seniors don’t even know they were under observation until they get the bill.

So much for HHS boasting about the drop in readmissions. HHS officials fail to mention that this coincides with a rise in elderly patients placed under “observation status.” It’s a hospital billing trick, and a dirty one for seniors.

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/the-community-organizer-commander?f=puball

Soldiers and veterans interest me because I’ve never been one, and because many are regular readers of this column. When they allow it, I like to pick their brains. They’ve had experiences I’ve never had and never will have. I almost joined up after high school, but didn’t, and I’ve often regretted that. Even if they haven’t been in combat, soldiers have worked and lived closely with others who have, and it changed them in some fundamental way. My sense is that for most the change has been a net positive -especially for Marines and soldiers with elite training such as Special Forces and Seals. I’m curious how they feel about changes taking place in the government of the country they’ve offered their lives to defend. They are, or have been, instruments of that government, yet many I’ve talked to lately express profound dissatisfaction with it even before the VA scandal broke.

Washington has deep misgivings about veterans too. In 2012 the Department of Homeland Security under Janet Napolitano profiled what sort of people are potential terrorists and the list included Iraq veterans. Also mentioned were “extreme right-wing” organizations, people who “believe that one’s personal and/or national ‘way of life’ is under attack,” or people who are “suspicious of centralized federal authority” and “reverent of individual liberty.” People of Janet Napolitano’s ilk consider the Tea Party an “extreme right-wing organization,” consequently this writer and many readers fit the profile.

So do virtually all conservative Republicans and Libertarians. Surviving veterans, many of whom offered their lives in service to these individual liberties, are indeed suspicious of an increasingly centralized federal authority so disdainful of them as to consider them potential terrorists. The irony here is that 95% of terrorists worldwide are Muslims, and over the last thirteen years thousands of American soldiers have died and more than a hundred thousand others have been wounded while fighting them. Yet, while the Obama Administration forbids profiling Muslim terrorists as terrorists, it has no problem profiling American veterans of the Iraq War as potential terrorists.Now consider that the VA gives “top notch medical treatment” to Muslim terrorists imprisoned at Gitmo – far better than it provides to our veterans. According to information a Pentagon insider provided to Judicial Watch:

MORE COMMON SENSE FROM THE “GIFTED MIND” OF THE HERO OF “GIFTED HANDS”- SEE THE MOVIE”GIFTED HANDS” ABOUT THE LIFE AND INCREDIBLE SUCCESS OF DOCTOR BEN CARSON…..RSK

More discussion on the topic of pragmatism and politics is critical. If conservatives decide to take their marbles and go home rather than fight to the bitter end because they feel their principles have been compromised, they will needlessly subject future generations to untold misery.

Voting for someone who agrees with you 90 percent of the time is far superior to voting for someone who disagrees with you 100 percent of the time. The latter is exactly what will happen if people refuse to exercise their civic duty and boycott elections because they feel betrayed. Personally, I am not supportive of abortion at all, but I can support people who feel differently if, in the gigantic scheme of things, they can help put an end to the murder of innocent babies. This is especially true of those who are personally inclined to save and protect life.

Perhaps an illustration is in order: Two armies are engaged in a war. Let’s call the good army that is trying to defend an entire society the red army and the bad army that is trying to invade and pillage society the blue army. The blue army occupies a superior strategic position and is composed of slightly more troops, putting the red army at a distinct disadvantage. Some in the red army feel that they are right and, therefore, should simply march directly into battle with the blue army because right always wins.

Fortunately, some members of the red army are wise and have a better plan. They send a battalion of troops to the base of the mountain occupied by the blue army to distract them while the vast majority of red troops approach the mountain from the back. They descend upon the blue army by surprise, completely vanquishing them and winning the war. The decoy red battalion may have sustained some casualties, but in the long run, the war was won, and the entire society was saved.

I hope this illustration is useful in helping some to understand that achieving a critical mass of conservatives and so-called RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) in office will ensure that we can get non-activist Supreme Court justices and federal judges in place who respect the U.S. Constitution. It is essential to achieve a critical mass of individuals in the U.S. House and Senate who can join with a president in upholding the Constitution. These representatives must believe in personal responsibility and creating a business-friendly environment, understand the balance between abundant fossil-fuel development and environmental safety, and yearn to elevate the government-dependent 47 percent rather than make them more dependent. They also must be totally pro-life and believe that the rule of law can undo a host of damaging regulations and restore the value system that made this nation great.