Important Issues

I agree with you that the anti-gay marriage initiatives are not the magic bullet to save the party this time because there are other issues that are motivating people to go to the polls. The national issues that are moving voters appear to be the budget and immgration. Others will vote a ticket based on state or local issues. For example, in Illinois we will vote GOP because we want to straighten out the state budget, which is in as bad of disrepair as the federal budget.

I am also not so sure that flag burning is going to get many people moving. I wish we could put these issues, or non-issues, aside and work on what really matters.

For me the top issueis the budget, which we need to balance. I ask you to support paygo rules because I think that will assist in the legislature being more responsible. I understand it will effect the tax cuts also, however, at this time we need to assess everything with regard to budget policy, including process. Earmarks are a large part of the problem. They should be greatly reduced. When we journey through the budget we also need to look for wasteful spending in the defense budget which noone touches becaue they fear being called weak on defense. I think that it makes us far weaker if we are wasting money on earmarks and unneeded items than if we cut it out of the budget and used the money else where, which could be either in the defense budget on personnel or in another part of the budget. We have controlled social program spending to the point it barely grows. We have increased student loan interest rates, as of 1 June.

Let’s reassess the entire budget and get the waste and earmarks out of all areas of the budget. Let’s reform the process so that provisions cannot be slipped in after conference or even in conference. Nothing that wasn’t in the bill when it was voted on by the entire Senate or House should be in a conference report that cannot be amended. Earmarks need to be publicly defended by the lawmaker requesting the earmark.

Please consider making these changes. Thank you.