National Security

Our armed forces are the finest in the world. America should be protected by a military that is prepared and trained, equipped and vigilant, … and second to none; a military that is always ready … and a military that is rarely used.

We need to follow the expertise of military professionals who advocate using our forces strategically to seek out and fight terrorists where they are, such as in Afghanistan and Pakistan, rather than becoming bogged down occupying countries and attempting to resolve centuries-old tribal and religious conflicts.

And, we must renew our commitment to national defense by reforming contracting procedures; restoring benefits for active service members, the Reserve and National Guard, and veterans; and investing in repair and replacement of damaged and obsolete military equipment.

My opponent, Rep. Clifford Stearns, has been in office for 20 years. When he first ran, he vowed to retire after 12 years, by the year 2000. Instead he has clung on to his congressional perks for the last eight years, but has done nothing constructive or innovative.

Stearns’ record on veterans issues demonstrates a lack of true support for those who have served their country. For example, he voted NO on granting a bonus to American service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, including National Guard and Reserve Forces (HR 3289, 2003).

He voted NO on expanding access to the military’s TRICARE health insurance program for thousands of Reservists and National Guard members (HR 1815, 2005).

He voted NO on the new GI Bill before being pressured by me and by members of his own party into changing to an affirmative vote at the last minute.

What Stearns did vote for was to continue awarding contracts to Halliburton despite the Pentagon’s own audit that found millions of dollars of their costs in Iraq were unreasonable (HR 4939, 2006).

Stearns earned a "C" rating from the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America.
He had only a 38% rating from the Viet Nam Veterans of America, and a 7% rating from the Retired Enlisted Association.
And for five years the Disabled American Veterans had given Stearns a 0% rating.

In contrast, here’s just a few policies I propose for service personnel and for veterans:

• Pay and benefits at least equal to the private industry, with every service member of even the lowest rank receiving at least enough pay so that his/her family does not need food stamps to survive.

• Proper protection and armor for all combat personnel, before being deployed to a battle zone.

• Tours of duty in combat zones of reasonable and predictable duration. Rotations back home often enough and long enough to maintain health, morale, and family relationships.

• Immediate universal lifelong healthcare coverage for all veterans, spouses, and dependent children by automatically enrolling them in Medicare, regardless of age, as soon as they are discharged, in addition to all existing VA benefits.

• Expanding the new GI Bill even more and assuring that if a veteran cannot utilize its benefits, particularly if the veteran has been disabled, that his children or spouse be allowed to use the education benefit instead. And that should apply to the surviving spouse and children of military personnel who die while in the service as well.

In years past, I owned and operated a small business that manufactured various instruments and devices for the DoD, and I worked closely with DoD personnel in developing technology for improving the effectiveness of battlefield operations. I understand how to work with government agencies, change “business as usual” in Washington, and get things done efficiently and effectively.