Bob addressing Veteran's group in Rome, Ga.
U.S. Congressman Bob Barr (GA-7)
Seventh District Values
Securing America's Future
Dear Friends:
Many political candidates prefer to discuss issues in vague terms chosen and carefully crafted by pollsters. I dont. To me, the most important thing is that you understand exactly how I have voted and will continue to vote in the U.S. Congress. That way, you have the opportunity to make an informed decision on how to spend one of the most precious privileges in Seventh District our republic: your vote.
My stand on issues comes from a very simple philosophy. First of all, the most fundamental responsibility of our government is to protect our lives, loved ones, and property by providing a strong national defense and tough criminal law enforcement.
Once this basic responsibility is taken care of, we should be asking ourselves a very simple question about additional government programs. The two questions we should always ask, every time a new program is proposed, are "Is this new program important enough to take money away from American families and individuals in order to pay for it?" and "Is the basis for this program rooted in the Constitution?"
Often, the answer is a resounding no. The fact is, our federal government has become far too large, too powerful, too expensive, unfair, and unaccountable. From the regulatory red tape that restricts the growth of business, to a tax code that unfairly ruins lives, the evidence is everywhere that we need to be asking some hard questions about the role of Washington in our lives.
The following explains in more specific detail how I believe we should approach major national issues. I hope you find them informative and useful.
Sincerely,
BOB BARR
Member of Congress
Protecting our Homes, Neighborhoods and Schools from Crime and Drugs Education: What Works and What Doesnt
Balancing the Budget and Ending the IRS as We
Know It
Protecting Traditional Values
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
Protecting our Homes, Neighborhoods and Schools
from Crime and Drugs
"The most important responsibility of our
government is protecting our lives and property
from enemies outside our borders and from
criminals within our borders. For too long, the
federal government has neglected this
responsibility in order to fund all sorts of
frivolous and wasteful social programs. Its
time to turn this trend around and start
enforcing our laws against crime and drugs, and
making sure we have a strong, smart national
defense."
Mind Altering Drugs: Drug use is rising
exponentially in our nation, especially among
the most vulnerable members of our society; our
children. Recent surveys have shown that drug
use among middle school children has tripled in
some areas. We must make fighting this scourge a
top national priority. The only way well beat
the drug dealers on our streets, and the drug
producers in other countries, is by attacking
both the supply and demand sides of the problem.
On the supply side, we should work to end drug
production in other countries and stop drugs
from entering our country by properly policing
our borders. On the demand side, our national
leaders and role models must set a better
example for our children by establishing a
national "zero tolerance" policy toward drug
use. As long as national leaders especially
those in the White House continue to wink at
mind altering drugs, these substances will
continue to devastate our neighborhoods and
threaten the lives of our children.
Crime: Fighting public corruption, protecting
our citizens from domestic and international
terrorists, and putting a stop to rising
juvenile crime should be among our top
priorities at the federal level. Further, we
must back these laws by making sure that
punishment for crimes, whether by prison terms
or death, is swift and sure. Regarding public
corruption, we have to send a clear message to
all elected officials, from mayors to the
President, that they are not above the law. On
the issue of terrorism, we must make certain our
citizens are protected in ways that dont
restrict our freedom and take our rights away.
Finally, we must send a clear message to violent
juvenile predators that if they commit murders,
rapes, assaults and other serious crimes, they
can expect to suffer the same penalties as adult
criminals.
Protecting Ourselves: The Second Amendment of
the U.S. Constitution guarantees every American
the right to keep and bear arms. Gun-control
advocates in Washington want to take that
fundamental right away from us. We must continue
to fight such efforts and make sure every
citizen has the right to protect themselves from
criminals who would prey on their homes and
loved ones.
National Defense: At the same time our military
is being used in trouble spots around the world
like Haiti, Bosnia, Iraq and Somalia, defense
funding is being slashed by a President who
seems intent on destroying the effectiveness of
our military. Funding for training, equipment,
personnel and veterans benefits is at
dangerously low levels. It is unconscionable to
send our fighting men and women into battle
without proper equipment and training. It is
equally bad to default on the promises made to
our nations veterans who risked their lives to
protect our freedom. We have to turn these
trends around by devoting sufficient resources
to military equipment, personnel, and training,
and by spending whatever funds are required to
uphold the promises made to our veterans.
Illegal Immigration: For too long, our federal
government has not upheld its obligation to
protect our national borders. The result has
been devastating. Our communities are filled
with illegal aliens who dont pay taxes, dont
speak our language, and consume public
resources. Congress has appropriated massive new
funding to attack this problem. We must now
follow up by making sure the President spends
this money in a way that will actually stop the
flow of illegal aliens into our country.
Back to top
Education: What Works and What Doesnt
"Unfortunately, our federal government has
become too involved in restricting parental
choice and establishing unfair educational
policies. We already know how to improve our
educational system. We need smaller classes,
better teachers, and more parental involvement.
The way to make these things happen is to return
as much control and resources as possible to
local school boards and parents, not by
increased federal spending."
The Federal Education Bureaucracy: Bureaucrats
dont teach children. Teachers do. Wasting tax
dollars on a massive bureaucracy in Washington
doesnt do a thing to make our children read,
write, add, or subtract better. We should take a
serious look at eliminating, or drastically
reducing, the federal role in education. That
way, cities, counties, and parents can keep more
of their resources and use them to hire better
teachers, reduce class size, and build new
facilities.
Parental Choice: If parents want to send their
child to a private or parochial school, or teach
them at home, we should encourage them to do so.
Unfortunately, the national education
bureaucracy does everything it can to force
children to attend public schools. This is just
plain wrong. Instead of restricting choices, we
should be opening new options for parents and
children. Establishing tax-exempt educational
savings accounts is an important first step in
that direction.
Making Higher Education Affordable: This
Congress has created major tax exemptions for
students who want to begin or continue their
education after high school. The best way to
encourage learning is to make it accessible.
These tax credits open up countless new
educational options for millions of Americans.
Protecting our Schools: More and more criminals
are beginning to break the law at earlier ages.
Drug use is rising among younger age groups than
ever before. Locking up violent juvenile
predators and keeping drug dealers out of our
schools and neighborhoods will work wonders for
our educational system. If we want safe schools
and better students, we have to start winning
the battle against violence and drugs among our
youth.
Back to top
Balancing the Budget and Ending the IRS as We
Know It
"For the first time in decades, the federal
budget will be in balance. This historic
achievement happened because American workers
have created record economic growth and because
Congress fought with the President for sound
fiscal policies and won. We must preserve this
victory by saying no to new federal spending."
A Balanced Budget: The combination of a
disciplined Congress and record economic growth
have placed us on the verge of a balanced budget
for the first time in decades. In fact, there is
even a possibility we may have a budget surplus.
Washington liberals want to destroy this victory
by returning to the failed tax and spend
policies of previous democrat congresses.
Republicans in Congress must have the courage to
stand up to the President and his allies and
just say no to his new programs. We need to save
Social Security, cut taxes, and reduce the debt
before we start spending money on food stamps,
federal day care programs, educational
bureaucrats, and dozens of other prime examples
of wasteful Washington spending.
Preserving Social Security and Medicare: We must
make preserving Social Security and Medicare a
top national priority. Legislation passed by
Congress preserves, protects, and strengthens
the Medicare system by stopping fraud,
increasing patient choice, making service more
efficient. It is vital that we continue to look
for ways to protect this system for the future.
The practice of hiding debt by stealing from the
Social Security trust fund must be ended.
Long-term reform to save the system must be a
top priority. Taking risky steps to extend the
age limits for Medicare could endanger the
systems survival.
Ending the IRS as We Know It: The time has come
to take a hard look at replacing the current tax
system. Our tax code ruins the lives of
individuals, forces companies to reduce their
workforces, and raises the price we pay for
practically everything. The current system is
intimidating, overly complicated, grossly
unfair, and largely counterproductive. Replacing
it with a simpler and fairer system like a flat
tax or a national sales tax would be a major
step forward. Congress has begun this debate and
will continue it until major reform of a system
gone wild is completed.
Tax Cuts: Americans are overtaxed; and have been
for a long time. As we eliminate government
programs, we need to pass those savings along to
individuals and families by allowing them to
keep more of their money. This Congress has
passed cuts in capital gains, estate, and income
taxes. The result has been record economic
growth. Tax cuts are good for everyone except
Washington bureaucrats who want to spend as much
of your money as they can.
Back to top
Protecting Traditional Values
"Americas greatest strength comes from the set
of values that have nurtured our nation since
its beginnings. These values are under assault
from every direction. We must stand up to people
who think morality doesnt have a place in our
society by upholding the sanctity of life,
protecting the family unit and furthering the
basic values we all share."
Protecting Life: Many in Washington continue to
argue in favor of taking life at its most
vulnerable stages. Pro-abortion activists and
their friends in Congress support one of the
most abhorrent practices in the history of
humanity: the wholesale slaughter of unborn
children. Others argue that our elderly and sick
should be killed by the medical system via
euthanasia policies. Those of us who are
pro-life, and believe in the fundamental
importance of human life, must fight every day
to protect life in whatever form it takes.
Protecting families: Homosexual extremists and
other anti-family forces believe that a marriage
composed of one man and one woman is not the
best way to raise children. Every facet of human
history tells us exactly the opposite. We must
continue to protect marriage and the traditional
family unit from assault by those who would
destroy its basic foundations.
Traditional values: The basic shared values that
make America work are also under assault in
Washington. Many groups devote huge resources to
rewriting American history to conform with their
political agenda. Other groups work to allow
people to desecrate national symbols like our
flag. Enough is enough. The time has come to
protect our flag with a constitutional amendment
against desecrating a symbol that millions of
men and women have given their lives to protect.
The time has also come to stand up to those who
argue that our history should be rewritten or
ignored.
-------------------------------------------------
Back to top
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paid for by Barr - Congress Committee - Charles Black, Treasurer- Political
contributions are not tax deductible.
1999 Barr - Congress
Provided by:
Barr - Congress
P.O. Box 4323
Marietta, GA 30061-4323
Phone: (770) 528-9444, Fax: (770) 528-9555
U.S. Congressman Bob Barr (GA-7)
Seventh District Values
Securing America's Future
Dear Friends:
Many political candidates prefer to discuss issues in vague terms chosen and carefully crafted by pollsters. I dont. To me, the most important thing is that you understand exactly how I have voted and will continue to vote in the U.S. Congress. That way, you have the opportunity to make an informed decision on how to spend one of the most precious privileges in Seventh District our republic: your vote.
My stand on issues comes from a very simple philosophy. First of all, the most fundamental responsibility of our government is to protect our lives, loved ones, and property by providing a strong national defense and tough criminal law enforcement.
Once this basic responsibility is taken care of, we should be asking ourselves a very simple question about additional government programs. The two questions we should always ask, every time a new program is proposed, are "Is this new program important enough to take money away from American families and individuals in order to pay for it?" and "Is the basis for this program rooted in the Constitution?"
Often, the answer is a resounding no. The fact is, our federal government has become far too large, too powerful, too expensive, unfair, and unaccountable. From the regulatory red tape that restricts the growth of business, to a tax code that unfairly ruins lives, the evidence is everywhere that we need to be asking some hard questions about the role of Washington in our lives.
The following explains in more specific detail how I believe we should approach major national issues. I hope you find them informative and useful.
Sincerely,
BOB BARR
Member of Congress
Protecting our Homes, Neighborhoods and Schools from Crime and Drugs Education: What Works and What Doesnt
Balancing the Budget and Ending the IRS as We
Know It
Protecting Traditional Values
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
Protecting our Homes, Neighborhoods and Schools
from Crime and Drugs
"The most important responsibility of our
government is protecting our lives and property
from enemies outside our borders and from
criminals within our borders. For too long, the
federal government has neglected this
responsibility in order to fund all sorts of
frivolous and wasteful social programs. Its
time to turn this trend around and start
enforcing our laws against crime and drugs, and
making sure we have a strong, smart national
defense."
Mind Altering Drugs: Drug use is rising
exponentially in our nation, especially among
the most vulnerable members of our society; our
children. Recent surveys have shown that drug
use among middle school children has tripled in
some areas. We must make fighting this scourge a
top national priority. The only way well beat
the drug dealers on our streets, and the drug
producers in other countries, is by attacking
both the supply and demand sides of the problem.
On the supply side, we should work to end drug
production in other countries and stop drugs
from entering our country by properly policing
our borders. On the demand side, our national
leaders and role models must set a better
example for our children by establishing a
national "zero tolerance" policy toward drug
use. As long as national leaders especially
those in the White House continue to wink at
mind altering drugs, these substances will
continue to devastate our neighborhoods and
threaten the lives of our children.
Crime: Fighting public corruption, protecting
our citizens from domestic and international
terrorists, and putting a stop to rising
juvenile crime should be among our top
priorities at the federal level. Further, we
must back these laws by making sure that
punishment for crimes, whether by prison terms
or death, is swift and sure. Regarding public
corruption, we have to send a clear message to
all elected officials, from mayors to the
President, that they are not above the law. On
the issue of terrorism, we must make certain our
citizens are protected in ways that dont
restrict our freedom and take our rights away.
Finally, we must send a clear message to violent
juvenile predators that if they commit murders,
rapes, assaults and other serious crimes, they
can expect to suffer the same penalties as adult
criminals.
Protecting Ourselves: The Second Amendment of
the U.S. Constitution guarantees every American
the right to keep and bear arms. Gun-control
advocates in Washington want to take that
fundamental right away from us. We must continue
to fight such efforts and make sure every
citizen has the right to protect themselves from
criminals who would prey on their homes and
loved ones.
National Defense: At the same time our military
is being used in trouble spots around the world
like Haiti, Bosnia, Iraq and Somalia, defense
funding is being slashed by a President who
seems intent on destroying the effectiveness of
our military. Funding for training, equipment,
personnel and veterans benefits is at
dangerously low levels. It is unconscionable to
send our fighting men and women into battle
without proper equipment and training. It is
equally bad to default on the promises made to
our nations veterans who risked their lives to
protect our freedom. We have to turn these
trends around by devoting sufficient resources
to military equipment, personnel, and training,
and by spending whatever funds are required to
uphold the promises made to our veterans.
Illegal Immigration: For too long, our federal
government has not upheld its obligation to
protect our national borders. The result has
been devastating. Our communities are filled
with illegal aliens who dont pay taxes, dont
speak our language, and consume public
resources. Congress has appropriated massive new
funding to attack this problem. We must now
follow up by making sure the President spends
this money in a way that will actually stop the
flow of illegal aliens into our country.
Back to top
Education: What Works and What Doesnt
"Unfortunately, our federal government has
become too involved in restricting parental
choice and establishing unfair educational
policies. We already know how to improve our
educational system. We need smaller classes,
better teachers, and more parental involvement.
The way to make these things happen is to return
as much control and resources as possible to
local school boards and parents, not by
increased federal spending."
The Federal Education Bureaucracy: Bureaucrats
dont teach children. Teachers do. Wasting tax
dollars on a massive bureaucracy in Washington
doesnt do a thing to make our children read,
write, add, or subtract better. We should take a
serious look at eliminating, or drastically
reducing, the federal role in education. That
way, cities, counties, and parents can keep more
of their resources and use them to hire better
teachers, reduce class size, and build new
facilities.
Parental Choice: If parents want to send their
child to a private or parochial school, or teach
them at home, we should encourage them to do so.
Unfortunately, the national education
bureaucracy does everything it can to force
children to attend public schools. This is just
plain wrong. Instead of restricting choices, we
should be opening new options for parents and
children. Establishing tax-exempt educational
savings accounts is an important first step in
that direction.
Making Higher Education Affordable: This
Congress has created major tax exemptions for
students who want to begin or continue their
education after high school. The best way to
encourage learning is to make it accessible.
These tax credits open up countless new
educational options for millions of Americans.
Protecting our Schools: More and more criminals
are beginning to break the law at earlier ages.
Drug use is rising among younger age groups than
ever before. Locking up violent juvenile
predators and keeping drug dealers out of our
schools and neighborhoods will work wonders for
our educational system. If we want safe schools
and better students, we have to start winning
the battle against violence and drugs among our
youth.
Back to top
Balancing the Budget and Ending the IRS as We
Know It
"For the first time in decades, the federal
budget will be in balance. This historic
achievement happened because American workers
have created record economic growth and because
Congress fought with the President for sound
fiscal policies and won. We must preserve this
victory by saying no to new federal spending."
A Balanced Budget: The combination of a
disciplined Congress and record economic growth
have placed us on the verge of a balanced budget
for the first time in decades. In fact, there is
even a possibility we may have a budget surplus.
Washington liberals want to destroy this victory
by returning to the failed tax and spend
policies of previous democrat congresses.
Republicans in Congress must have the courage to
stand up to the President and his allies and
just say no to his new programs. We need to save
Social Security, cut taxes, and reduce the debt
before we start spending money on food stamps,
federal day care programs, educational
bureaucrats, and dozens of other prime examples
of wasteful Washington spending.
Preserving Social Security and Medicare: We must
make preserving Social Security and Medicare a
top national priority. Legislation passed by
Congress preserves, protects, and strengthens
the Medicare system by stopping fraud,
increasing patient choice, making service more
efficient. It is vital that we continue to look
for ways to protect this system for the future.
The practice of hiding debt by stealing from the
Social Security trust fund must be ended.
Long-term reform to save the system must be a
top priority. Taking risky steps to extend the
age limits for Medicare could endanger the
systems survival.
Ending the IRS as We Know It: The time has come
to take a hard look at replacing the current tax
system. Our tax code ruins the lives of
individuals, forces companies to reduce their
workforces, and raises the price we pay for
practically everything. The current system is
intimidating, overly complicated, grossly
unfair, and largely counterproductive. Replacing
it with a simpler and fairer system like a flat
tax or a national sales tax would be a major
step forward. Congress has begun this debate and
will continue it until major reform of a system
gone wild is completed.
Tax Cuts: Americans are overtaxed; and have been
for a long time. As we eliminate government
programs, we need to pass those savings along to
individuals and families by allowing them to
keep more of their money. This Congress has
passed cuts in capital gains, estate, and income
taxes. The result has been record economic
growth. Tax cuts are good for everyone except
Washington bureaucrats who want to spend as much
of your money as they can.
Back to top
Protecting Traditional Values
"Americas greatest strength comes from the set
of values that have nurtured our nation since
its beginnings. These values are under assault
from every direction. We must stand up to people
who think morality doesnt have a place in our
society by upholding the sanctity of life,
protecting the family unit and furthering the
basic values we all share."
Protecting Life: Many in Washington continue to
argue in favor of taking life at its most
vulnerable stages. Pro-abortion activists and
their friends in Congress support one of the
most abhorrent practices in the history of
humanity: the wholesale slaughter of unborn
children. Others argue that our elderly and sick
should be killed by the medical system via
euthanasia policies. Those of us who are
pro-life, and believe in the fundamental
importance of human life, must fight every day
to protect life in whatever form it takes.
Protecting families: Homosexual extremists and
other anti-family forces believe that a marriage
composed of one man and one woman is not the
best way to raise children. Every facet of human
history tells us exactly the opposite. We must
continue to protect marriage and the traditional
family unit from assault by those who would
destroy its basic foundations.
Traditional values: The basic shared values that
make America work are also under assault in
Washington. Many groups devote huge resources to
rewriting American history to conform with their
political agenda. Other groups work to allow
people to desecrate national symbols like our
flag. Enough is enough. The time has come to
protect our flag with a constitutional amendment
against desecrating a symbol that millions of
men and women have given their lives to protect.
The time has also come to stand up to those who
argue that our history should be rewritten or
ignored.
-------------------------------------------------
Back to top
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paid for by Barr - Congress Committee - Charles Black, Treasurer- Political
contributions are not tax deductible.
1999 Barr - Congress
Provided by:
Barr - Congress
P.O. Box 4323
Marietta, GA 30061-4323
Phone: (770) 528-9444, Fax: (770) 528-9555
