The ruling of the New Jersey Supreme Court awarded the proponents of same-sex marriage everything but the name “marriage” itself. Ordering the legislature to choose what name to assign the relationship was not an exercise of judicial restraint, as the court claimed, but instead evidence of its overreaching.

In holding that same-sex lovers are similarly situated to heterosexual married couples, the court exceeded the bounds of its authority to merely declare what the law is and entered the realm of policy-making. It thus violated the separation of powers by encroaching upon the authority of the legislature. The decision underscores the need both for the federal marriage protection amendment and for legislative measures to rein in the judicial branch. Rule by the judiciary is inconsistent with the fundamental principles of the American legal system.

As a 26 1/2 year veteran of the United States Border Patrol and a Member of Congress representing a border district, I am astounded that the President and the Republican leadership stood today before the American people with their ’signature achievement’ on homeland security, declaring that our nation would be safer because the President had signed a bill to construct 700 miles of fence on the 2,000-mile US/Mexico border.

The Republican House leadership spent the entire month of August holding media events and hearings on the border, and the message from those who work on the border every day is that we don’t need 700 miles of new fence.  We need a comprehensive plan that addresses the three main priorities of the Border Patrol: manpower, technology, and infrastructure.

I am also deeply disturbed by Speaker Hastert’s continued attacks on the Democratic record on border security and his false claim that Leader Pelosi has never visited the border. Read the rest of this entry »

When asked about the controversial Kelo v. New London Supreme Court decision Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Fran) stated that she would do nothing to challenge the decision because when a court speaks it “is almost as if God has spoken.” While Representative Pelosi might give deistic powers to the courts, jurists are actually mere mortals, and as in the case of New Jersey, subject to getting things horribly wrong. Within the New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision is the statement: “The State does not argue that limiting marriage to the union of a man and a woman is needed to encourage procreation or to create the optimal living environment for children.” These arguments were the basis of our friend of the court brief and precisely the arguments that were successful in New York and Washington. That New Jersey did not even offer them suggests to me that the Attorney General or whoever argued the case for the State failed miserably in his duties. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re a nation at war against an enemy who has vowed to exploit every weakness we have.

It is a shame that a majority of Democrats opposed the construction of a border fence. House Republicans, however, remain committed to strengthening our border, stemming the tide of illegal immigration, and protecting the American people.

We can all agree that our nation’s immigration system is fundamentally flawed. Yet it is Republicans who believe that securing the border must be our first priority to keep our homeland safe. Nancy Pelosi and a majority of House Democrats have rejected attempts to secure the border first and have supported amnesty for illegal aliens.

Republicans have a record of results on border security. Without Republican leadership in Congress, the president wouldn’t have the Secure Fence Act to sign into law today, and the National Guard wouldn’t have the funds they are currently using to construct additional fencing along the border. This new law reinforces our border, keeping our homeland safe — because border security is national security.

Like most Americans, I was appalled by Rush Limbaugh’s heartless attack on Michael J. Fox.  Attacking someone suffering from Parkinson’s disease is a new low, even for Rush Limbaugh.

Anyone who has ever had a family member who has suffered from this tragic disease knows that Michael J. Fox was not faking.  Parkinson’s is a severely debilitating disease that robs it’s victims of their motor functions.  Embryonic stem cell research could hold the key to curing this and other life threatening diseases.  Michael J. Fox should be applauded for speaking out on this important and life saving research not ridiculed by the likes of Rush Limbaugh.

Rush Limbaugh should start his show today by begging the forgiveness of Michael J. Fox and the millions of Americans and their families who suffer with this disease every day.

Last week, all six of Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Representatives wrote National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President John Engler.  We asked a simple question: Why are you putting your Republican agenda ahead of the American manufacturers you say you represent?

On September 28, NAM’s Board of Directors decided to withhold its support of H.R. 1498, a bill that would have expanded the ability of domestic manufacturers to take action against China due to currency manipulation. The board’s decision contradicted the recommendation of the group’s economic policy committee and has since created a wide rift in the trade group as member companies have publicly questioned Engler’s decision to refuse to stand up for a top priority of many domestic manufacturers.

NAM has previously acknowledged undervaluation of the Chinese yuan and its effects on American manufacturing, but refuses to call for meaningful action from the Bush Administration or Congress. Read the rest of this entry »

This past Sunday I attended a debate in Olympia at Sylvester Park. I debated an anti-war write in candidate on the issue of Iraq. Reportedly, the “WAR� is the issue uppermost in minds of the voters. Olympia is the site of more demonstrations than most other communities, and recently believed to be a hot bed of activists both against the war and in Support of the Troops. So it came to a surprise the low turnout for what is supposed to be the number one issue in the minds of voters according to national polls. Once again, the individuality of Southwest Washington bucked a national trend, and dispelled the claims by Democrats and media-hyped surveys. It also shows that we cannot let national polls convince us that there is no reason to vote. All one must do is look back to polling done over the 2002 and 2004 elections. In 2002 the National Polls had said that Republicans would loose the majority in both the House and the Senate, yet we picked up seats in both. Then in 2004 who could forget how the exit polls were all but claiming a John Kerry victory when in reality President Bush one by a larger margin over John Kerry than he did in 2000 over Al Gore. Remember that your vote does matter and that the polls are not the actual elections results. Make sure you vote and see my website and “see for yourself� where I stand, and how my opponent voted, on the issues that are really the most important to you.

I believe that America has lost confidence in its leadership.  Americans are frustrated and tell me that they want a change in leadership in the Congress.  I am committed to bringing solutions, not complaints to Washington and representing every American, not just a few.

$110 billion dollars is slated for the Iraq war over the next fiscal year. What could we do with $2 billion dollars a week?

We could start by restoring the cuts in education made by the Republican Congress over the last six years. The much-heralded No Child Left Behind Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in 2002, is an unfunded mandate. States are cash-strapped because of the weakened economy. They often don’t have the dollars to pay their teachers decently, to keep classrooms from becoming crowded, and to keep schools from being closed. They do not have the money to pay for additional testing, more and better teachers, summer school, after-school classes and tutoring — the mandates of No Child Left Behind. If the states do not comply with the law because they cannot afford to, they run the risk of losing Federal dollars. Read the rest of this entry »

I began the day with a radio interview. We highlighted my differences with Sen. Hutchison on Iraq, but the emphasis was on key Texas issues: drought and water management, the Agriculture Relief bill - mired in Committee - with no effort from the state’s US senate leadership to bring it out as farmers wait for two years of relief for production years 2005-06. We discussed the upcoming Farm Bill and the inadequacy of sole reliance on an unaffordable insurance based system from 2002’s bill, and inadequate relief which profits the insurance companies, but provides insufficient protection for our aging farmers, as a younger generation seeks profitable work elsewhere.

We concluded with a spirited discussion of horse slaughter. I emphasized the need for the banning of horse slaughter for human consumption. It’s encouraging horse theft with ready market for slaughter and contrary to our western values. My opponent won’t lift a finger on the issue. Read the rest of this entry »