America is a great country, but career
politicians have brought us dangerously close to the abyss that
threatens the American Dream for future generations, not to
mention threatening our God-given right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness. To be sure, the Constitution never
guaranteed happiness to any individual, group or class; only the
right of individuals to pursue it as long as they don’t
infringe on the rights of others. In effect, elected officials
and unelected bureaucrats have established themselves as the
protected political class, feeding off the hard work, creativity
and initiative of others. I am running for Congress to remove
that burden and restore a government of the people, by the
people and for the people, but I need your help.
Public
corruption
A good friend and mentor once characterized The Golden Rule of
Politics as, “He Who has the Gold Makes the Rules.” From my
experience as a volunteer investigative reporter, I’ve added a
corollary to The Golden Rule of Politics, which reads, “He Who
has the Gold Enforces the Rules. To put it bluntly, with few
exceptions, we cannot count on law enforcement or the courts to
reign in the ambitions of career politicians. The fastest and
surest way to accomplish that is to vote them out of office at
the earliest opportunity.
“Mitch fighting corruption in Greene County, Ohio”
Term limits
Term limits was one of ten promises in the 1994 Republican
Contract With America. The GOP used the Contract to gain
majority control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Unfortunately, most of those who promised self-imposed term
limits backed away, putting their own self-interest above
service to the people. Gen. Bill Creech, who many consider the
father of the modern Air Force, believed training new leaders
was critical to keeping our military strong. Surely you’d get
another story from career politicians, whose last agenda item is
even thinking about their replacement. If elected, I would take
Gen. Creech’s approach, and from day one reach out to
potential Constitution-minded candidates who would then compete
to serve as District 7’s next Representative to the U.S.
Congress. I would serve no longer than four years from when I
begin my first term in January, 2011. “Citizens
for Term Limits”
Tax reform
Tax reform is another promise broken after the 1994 Contract
With America. As U.S. Senator Sam Brownback often said, “we
need to take the income tax code behind the shed, kill it with a
dull ax, and bury it.” It’s time for a new tax code that
rewards, not punishes saving, initiative and productivity. And
the FairTax will do much more – it will return jobs and
investment to the U.S. lost by NAFTA and other one-sided trade
deals; it will make Social Security and Medicare solvent
forever; and it will be an engine of small business job
creation, to name just a few outcomes. FairTax
Balancing the budget
I will never consider voting for a budget deficit unless it
follows a declaration of war by the U.S. Congress. National
defense against a declared enemy is the only justification to
even think about a budget deficit, period, and that decision
should be made only after drastic cuts to both discretionary and
non-discretionary spending. If declared war is chosen as an
instrument of foreign policy, each and every American is a
stakeholder and each and every American has to sacrifice
something. Debt
to the Penny
Economy
By any measure, Ohio’s economy has been decimated by
self-interested Democrats and Republicans. We have lost five
U.S. House seats since 1980, and will lose two more after the
2010 Census. While elected officials, appointed bureaucrats and
their special interest sponsors have flourished, Main Street
Ohioans are struggling to get by. It’s time to pay much more
attention to free market practices, not those centrally managed
in Columbus and Washington. The federal government has no
business involving itself with economic development other than
to coin money, protect our borders, enforce criminal law and
legal contracts, regulate interstate trade and negotiate
international trade treaties that advance win-win strategies for
America and our trading partners.
Cap and trade
Cap and trade equates to E-check on steroids. Remember the
emissions testing program here in Ohio where individuals paid
$19.50 to test their vehicles? Steve Austria did the right thing
to oppose “Cap and Trade,” but that’s a flip flop from his
position on E-Check. Mr. Austria was first elected to the Ohio
General Assembly in 1998, three years into the program; then sat
on his hands for seven years until the 10-year E-check contract
died a natural death here in south-central Ohio. However, the
program is still alive in northern Ohio, and every Ohioan pays
the bill to purchase “carbon credits” that are then sold,
traded or given to polluters so they can continue to pollute.
National defense
I believe in a strong national defense, but a strong national
defense depends on a balanced, efficient investment strategy.
Over-investing in the private sector can leave our military
undercapitalized. Conversely, wasteful military spending robs
capital investment from the private sector which undermines the
tax base necessary to fund national defense. For decades
Congress and the Executive Branch have been tinkering with
defense acquisition reform at the margins. From my experience in
defense acquisition, I have learned that our most serious
problems are prioritizing defense requirements, and then
reprioritizing when requirements change. We have also
over-extended the U.S. military as a world police force. For
example, in 2004 the U.S. defense budget was $522 billion, by
far the highest of any country on the planet. Number two was
China at about $63 billion. China plus numbers 3 – 28 equaled
the defense spending of the U.S, and 26 of those top 28
countries in defense spending are our allies. This makes it
clear that Americans are doing much more than our share, not to
mention the blood, sweat, and tears shed by our best and
brightest. We are mortgaging our future to finance weapon
systems we don’t need, and in many cases weapon systems the
Pentagon does not want or ask for. It’s time we bring leaders
to Congress who understand the problem and how to fix it, and
then have the courage not to cave in to the self-serving agendas
of the Military-Industrial-Congressional complex.
Don’t ask, don’t tell
On the issue of gays in the military, as a U.S. Congressman my
primary focus will be on the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
The UCMJ prohibits gays in the military, openly disclosed or
otherwise. It also prohibits adultery, openly disclosed or
otherwise. Even before Bill Clinton signed “Don’t ask,
don’t tell” in 1993, it was widely practiced in regard to
both homosexuals and adulterers. With that in mind, consider
Commander-in-Chief Bill Clinton’s extramarital affair,
reportedly conducted in the Oval Office. What a disappointing
message that sent to the troops – the Commander-in-Chief
violates the UCMJ and argues his case based on what the meaning
of the word “is” is. Who can argue that officers or enlisted
troops having extramarital affairs with coworkers or
subordinates are not detrimental to morale and good order in the
military? The simple truth is, the military has practiced and
will continue to practice a de facto “don’t ask, don’t
tell” policy whether or not the current policy is reversed.
Immigration
For decades we ignored immigration law enforcement which is why
we're in the fix we're in today. For example, back in the
mid-90's one of Congressman Dave Hobson's millionaire campaign
donors from Springfield copped a plea for aiding and abetting
the illegal entry into the US for more than a dozen teenage boys
from a country in the South Pacific. Although the maximum
penalty for this crime is a $250,000 fine and five years in
prison, this individual’s plea bargain included a $1500 fine
with no probation. If all along we had been holding
corporations, business owners and boards of directors
accountable for breaking the law, we wouldn't have the crisis we
have today. And if we started enforcing those laws, we may want
to reconsider completing the border fence, as that would
forestall the exodus of illegal immigrants who will leave of
their own free will when they can't find legal employment. It
would be worth your time to watch Immigration by the numbers, a
14-minute video that offers an eye-opening projection of what
will happen in America if we don’t address the immigration
issue ASAP. Immigration
by the numbers
Education
Education is the fuel to power the engine to achieve economic
recovery. However, other than for broad policy guidance, the
federal government has no place in public education. For each
dollar in taxes we send to the US Department of Education, only
25 cents gets back to the classroom. In the Beavercreek School
District, the federal government provides about 7 percent of
public education funding, but federal mandates account for more
than 25 percent of the district's budget, which drives property
taxes higher. The more control local school districts and
caring, responsible parents have in determining how and where
their education dollars are spent, the better off we will be.
Veterans
Almost a decade of war has taken a horrific toll on the U.S.
military and their families, especially our deployed enlisted
troops who serve for wages that often qualify for food stamps.
Thousands of military families are close to the breaking point
due to frequent and extended deployments. Suicide rates in the
Army are at all-time highs. About 40 percent of the homeless are
veterans. Congress can’t prioritize between equipment
modernization and morale, readiness and welfare for the troops,
so they bust the budget to do both with the understanding they
won’t be around when the bills come due. It’s time to put
more veterans in Congress that understand there is more to
managing the defense budget than putting future generations of
Americans in hock to communist China and other creditor nations.
All law abiding citizens should have the right to protect
themselves and their families from criminals who do not and will
not respect the rights of others, let alone gun control laws. We
have made progress in Ohio in returning rights to firearm
owners, but we must remain vigilant as there are those who are
as strongly committed to taking gun rights as we are to
preserving them.
“If guns cause crime, pencils are responsible for
misspelled words.”
Abortion
I believe the Constitution protects individual human life from conception to natural death. However, I understand that others do not. I will never give in to the pro-abortion argument because it is a false argument. It’s also unlikely abortion advocates will change their view unless we confront them with the unvarnished truth – abortion is not a healthy choice for the mother, and of course not for the innocent unborn. Unfortunately both sides use abortion as a wedge issue to divide the voters when they can’t differentiate themselves on issues like taxes, jobs, health care, energy, foreign policy, etc., that we all agree need to be addressed before America falls over the cliff. Let’s lead by truthfully addressing the dire consequences of abortion, but move forward where we can find common ground on other important issues rather than arguing about set-in-stone ideologies.
The war on terrorism
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest thing. Even worse are
those who enjoy the benefits of a free, secure society, and who
are able, but not willing to offer up even a minimum sacrifice
in a just cause to sustain freedom and liberty. And even worse
are those that exploit war and the sacrifice of others for
personal gain. The talking heads seem to agree that everything
changed after 9/11. They certainly have changed for our
soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, but not for America as a
whole. America is at the mall and our defense contractors and
their respective lobbyists are at war with each other, fighting
for the biggest slice of the defense appropriation pie. It's
time to significantly reduce the 250,000 troops deployed in over
100 countries around the world, bring them home to defend our
borders, and reconstitute the force to prepare for more
dangerous threats to the American way of life, not the least of
which is Chinese economic and military adventurism.
Property rights
Property rights go well beyond defending land and real estate
seized by the government through eminent domain. When you
consider the hundreds of taxes and fees added by local, state
and federal governments that didn’t exist less than 100 years
ago and taxes embedded in the products we buy from the private
sector, most Americans pay more for government than they have
left to support their families. We need to end the mindset that
our hard-earned income belongs to the government first and our
families second. It’s time to reduce the size of government
and then force it to live on a budget just as Main Street
Americans have to live on a budget.
Energy and environment
Some of you may remember the "Blackout of August
2005," which occurred about five years after utility
deregulation in Ohio. More than 50 million people lost power in
the upper Midwest and Northeastern parts of the U.S. It's widely
accepted that First Energy and American Electric Power grids
were most responsible for the blackout. Both company's PACs and
employees donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to
politicians, including Steve Austria in Ohio's 7th Congressional
District. This is public knowledge, but most folks would be
outraged if they followed the money and learned the rest of the
story. Not only did American Electric Power write off their
capital investment in a joint venture with China, they were
subsidized by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).
In effect, US taxpayers were nicked twice to finance a 250
megawatt coal fired power plant in China's Hainan Province.
While our power grid here in the US deteriorates, the US
Congress sends tax dollars to China to modernize their
electrical power infrastructure.
Free Trade
So called “free trade” deals and world governmental
organizations like the International Criminal Court (ICC),
NAFTA, GATT, WTO, and CAFTA are a threat to our independence.
They transfer power from our government to unelected foreign
elites. The ICC wants to try our soldiers as war criminals. If
we let them, these international organizations would force
Americans to get a doctor’s prescription to take herbs and
vitamins. Alternative treatments could be banned. The WTO has
forced Congress to change our laws, yet we still face trade
wars. France threatens to have U.S. goods taxed throughout
Europe. If anything, the WTO makes trade relations worse by
giving foreign competitors a new way to attack U.S. jobs.
NAFTA’s superhighway is just one part of a plan to erase the
borders between the U.S. and Mexico, called the North American
Union. Forget about controlling immigration under this scheme. A
free America, with limited, constitutional government, would be
gone forever. Let’s not forget the UN which wants to impose a
direct tax on us. We must withdraw from any organizations and
trade deals that infringe upon the freedom and independence of
the United States of America.
Privacy and individual freedom
The Privacy Act of 1974 mandates that each US Government Agency
have in place an administrative and physical security system to
prevent the unauthorized release of personal information. We
should extend that protection to require local and state
agencies, as well as the private sector to protect our private
information. In 2005, the Beavercreek (Ohio) City Manager
released to a private developer the names and addresses of over
2,000 citizens who signed a ballot initiative petition. That’s
outrageous enough, but at the same time, the City Manager
withheld on a technicality those petitions from being validated
by the Greene County Board of Elections. I asked Steve Austria
to intervene on the side of his constituents, but he refused;
instead standing on the sidelines to give his special interest
campaign contributors a clear path to $14.8 million in taxpayer
funds for a private development in Greene County.
Healthcare
Obama’s plan for universal healthcare is not the solution, but neither is the current system. Government should focus its attention on enforcing legal contracts between patient’s and their healthcare providers, insurance companies and HMOs, not simply acting as single payer. The only single payer should be the patient or his or her family who should be able to choose from whom and when they purchase healthcare products and services. Expanded Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSAs) would go a long way to give control back to the patients, and as long as we have an income tax, individuals should be able to deduct 100 percent of their healthcare expenses and insurance premiums just as corporations do for their employees. So the bottom line: we must return control of healthcare decisions to patients, their families and their doctors.
Legal reform
We hear a lot about “tort reform,” but we really need wholesale legal reform. A long-time friend and Wright State professor accomplished an in-depth study of what drove the outcome in legal proceedings; the truth as it pertained to the law or resources expended on the case. Tragically, his analysis revealed that overall financial resources spent on litigation have more of an impact on the outcome of a legal dispute than the facts and how they apply to the law. Unfortunately the American legal system has lost touch with due process and the rule of law. In March 2009, I sued the Greene County Commission to force them to release public records in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code. The Greene County Common pleas court dismissed my case on a technicality, then less than 24 hours later released 26 boxes of records to the FBI. Although justice was served in the end, it’s tragic that the FBI has to step in before the average citizen can capture accountability for their elected public servants.
**
Paid
for by Americans for John Mitchel 2010
3955 Maple Grove Lane, Beavercreek, Ohio 45440
John Mitchel is a Lt. Colonel, U.S.A.F. (Ret.) Use of his
military rank, title and photograph in uniform does not imply
endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or the Department
of Defense.
