Letter from Jo
Dear Friends,
I believe the 2012 election is the most important election in our lifetime.
Under President Obama's failed leadership, and with the strong support of liberals like Harry Reid in the Senate and Nancy Pelosi in the House, the America we know and love is at a critical crossroads.
While the president continues to say "we are headed in the right direction," the American people – and certainly the people of South Alabama – know just the opposite is true. In a nutshell, that is why I will be seeking the opportunity to continue fighting for you in the U.S. Congress at this critical time.
- Under Obama, we have added $4 trillion dollars to the federal debt in just over 3 years.
- The president's $830 billion stimulus plan – passed only six weeks after he took office – which promised to "create or save" 3.5 million jobs and keep unemployment below 8 percent, was a colossal failure. Instead, unemployment continues to be at over 8 percent nationally – it is in double digits throughout South Alabama –and has resulted in the loss of an additional 2 million jobs nationwide.
- Long term unemployment is now worse than during the Great Depression.
- And, sadly, poverty in the U.S. is at an all-time high.
But with these challenges, I believe, also come a tremendous opportunity – and indeed a patriotic obligation – to get our country back on the right path.
As chairman of the House Ethics Committee and a member of the all-important Appropriations Committee, I am uniquely positioned to help root out corruption, cut wasteful spending and make sure what we are spending – of your hard-earned tax dollars – is actually accomplishing what it was intended to accomplish.
And, naturally, I am very proud of my strong voting record against President Obama's big government agenda. I have voted against every big government stimulus and bailout President Obama has offered. Moreover, I not only voted against his flawed health care bill, but I voted to repeal ObamaCare earlier this year.
I was also proud to vote against raising the debt ceiling back in August without first guaranteeing meaningful and significant spending cuts, the first ever that was attached to a debt ceiling vote. Moreover, we also secured a vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We recently had that vote in the House, where I voted for the Balanced Budget Amendment but unfortunately it came up a few votes short of the 2/3 needed to pass. We need more Republicans in the House and the Senate.
Some in Washington say the Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) just puts off the problem. I strongly disagree.
Forty-nine states, including Alabama, operate under some type of BBA. And in my view, we need both deep spending cuts and a Balanced Budget Amendment, not just one or the other.
We also need serious tax reform that lowers corporate and personal rates, closes loopholes and does not increase government revenue. You and I both know that government doesn't create real, lasting jobs; only the private sector can do that.
But by lowering taxes, simplifying the code and taking the uncertainty out of our tax code – all 13,458 pages of it – we can once again give companies the confidence to invest and hire again.
The other thing we must do to create jobs is cut unnecessary, over-burdensome government regulation. Sadly, the financial crisis of 2008 has seemingly given our government a license to over-regulate.
While we have put the brakes on any new regulation coming out of Washington since we regained the Majority in the House, our next step must be to start undoing some of the regulations already on the books before we completely choke off job creation.
As I trust you know, I have been a strong supporter of our 2nd Amendment rights and have voted to protect the life of the unborn since my very first day as your Representative. These are core values for me.
I intend to do everything I can to work to insure that America's best days remain in front of us and not in some distant memory.
As we move closer to the 2012 elections, both the primary on March 13 and the general election in November, please know that Janée and I would welcome your help, your support and your suggestions about how, together, we can work to make this election a turning point for America.
With best wishes, I remain
Sincerely,
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