ELECTIONS ARE COMING: MEET REP. VICKY HARTZLER (R-DISTRICT 4- MISSOURI)
Vicky Hartzler (R) Incumbent –
http://www.vickyhartzler.com/
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Vicky_Hartzler.htm**
http://hartzler.house.gov/
Rated -6 by AAI, indicating a anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
ISSUES
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
A top priority of mine will always be to ensure the safety and security of our great nation, and central to this priority is the recognition that the national security of the United States is directly tied to the strength and security of the State of Israel. The Middle East continues to experience instability with mass demonstrations in numerous countries, Hezbollah pointing rockets at Israel, Hamas controlling Gaza, and the looming threat of Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. security assistance to Israel has never been more important for our own interests. Any strategy less than the full commitment of our nation to the state of Israel would represent a serious and disconcerting change in U.S. policy.
I have expressed my support for Israel publically on the floor of the House of Representatives in order to express disappointment with President Obama’s proposal for Israel to return to its pre-1967 borders. President Obama’s call for Israel to make more sacrifices in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East is unacceptable. The borders that were established in 1967 followed three wars launched against Israel. For Israel, acceptance of the 1967 borders would mean that Israeli sacrifices were for nothing. We all want to see peace in the Middle East. However, it is unrealistic and naive to think that peace will come as a result of Israel – the only democratic state in the region – making more concessions. Restoring the pre-1967 borders would be a victory for Hamas, a terrorist group committed to Israel’s demise. This is not the path to peace and the President should acknowledge this. Peace can only come about through the Palestinians and other Middle Eastern countries accepting Israel’s right to exist. We must stand strong for Israel.
Pushing for Additional Iranian Sanctions: We must continue to highlight the persistent threat of a nuclear Iran. Iran continues its illicit drive for nuclear weapons in defiance of multiple mandatory U.N. Security Council resolutions. As one of the world’s leading state sponsors of terrorism, Iran provides weapons, money, and training to groups, which seek the destruction of both the United States and Israel. Iran has a global terrorist network and actively undermines U.S. peace efforts though its support of groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Stringent economic sanctions remain our only peaceful option by which to persuade Iran to suspend its quest for nuclear weapons. We must work relentlessly to enforce existing U.S. sanctions on foreign companies that work in Iran’s energy sector and on banks that facilitate Iran’s international transactions.
Assisting Taiwan: The United States and Taiwan have a long history of close relations. Taiwan is a stable democracy, a strong ally, and an important trading partner. Congress has played an important role in this relationship by passing the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979 to sustain our close bilateral relationship and to advance the mutual security and commercial interests of the two nations. This has served as a cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan relations, and it has helped preserve peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. I am a proud member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus that works in a bipartisan way to enhance and strengthen U.S.-Taiwan relations and to ensure that Taiwan continues to be a free, democratic country. This membership, along with my membership in the Congressional China Caucus, shows strong support for countering the threat from China. Taiwan lives under a constant military threat from the People’s Republic of China. Taiwan is a fellow democracy facing a very serious threat and at this crucial time in their history, we must stand with our ally.
ENERGY
America should continue to develop its domestic energy sources to keep prices reasonable for consumers at home and at the pump. We have an abundant supply of natural resources in America that we must use to meet our nation’s energy needs, and these resources should be utilized responsibly. However, the current administration has done nothing but increase the cost of doing business and hold up common sense infrastructure improvements like the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Keystone Pipeline would create 15,000 manufacturing jobs and 118,000 spin off jobs that would help put Americans back to work. I have co-sponsored two bills that would remove red tape and streamline the Keystone Pipeline approval process, H.R.3 the Northern Keystone XL Route Approval Act and H.R.334 the Keystone for a Secure Tomorrow Act. When President Obama took office gas prices across the U.S. were around $1.90 a gallon, but his policies have created uncertainty for the market leading to higher energy prices, slower economic recovery, and a severe lack of employment opportunities for the average American.
Recently, President Obama has decided to extend a series of executive orders to increase the cost of producing domestic energy since his legislative agenda has failed to gain support from elected officials in Washington. This top down approach will increase the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to regulate carbon emissions from new and existing coal burning power plants. Public utilities across the U.S. have made significant efforts over the past 10 years to diversify their portfolios and have upgraded systems to decrease emissions and implemented new technologies as they have become available. However, this administration does not understand or does not care about the impacts that these rules will have on ordinary Americans. Such drastic changes will put billion investments at risk of closing down and increase the cost of electricity that will unduly burden the middle and lower class citizens across the U.S. Instead of working with Congress and the power generation industry, this administration is pushing a “Washington knows best” policy that could have detrimental effects on average Americans.
IMMIGRATION
A compassionate solution for the illegal immigrant population living and working in the United States can be accomplished without resorting to amnesty. I cannot support a policy which rewards the criminal behavior of violating America’s immigration laws. Current illegal immigrants should not receive all the rights and privileges they would have been eligible for had they come legally. They should not be eligible for citizenship. To pardon lawbreakers and reward them with the objective of their offence is inappropriate and will accelerate the flow of illegal immigrants.
The opportunity to work in the United States is a valuable one, and those who break our laws should not have the privilege of competing in the same labor market as law-abiding citizens of our great nation. Granting amnesty to those who cross our borders and enter our nation illegally is not the answer to solving the problem of illegal immigration, especially when there are so many people around the globe who wait their turn to apply for visas and pursue legal paths to immigrate to the United States. The following actions represent some of the steps I have taken since assuming office to address illegal immigration:
Border Protection: I have co-sponsored the National Guard Border Enforcement Act. This legislation directs the Secretary of Defense to deploy at least an additional 10,000 members of the National Guard for border control activities along the U.S.-Mexico border until the Secretary of Homeland Security certifies that the federal government has achieved operational control of the border. The border must be secured, and enforcement at the border must be effective. Congress must authorize and routinely fund adequate border enforcement personnel, technology, physical infrastructure, detention facilities, and judicial and prosecutorial resources. There is a direct relationship between border security, national security, illegal immigrations, border violence, contraband smuggling, and illegal drug peddling.
Eliminating the Visa Lottery Program: I have co-sponsored the SAFE for America Act. This bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the diversity immigrant program. This would eliminate the visa lottery system, which rewards 50,000 annual green cards based on “random selection” instead of humanitarian need, family connection, or other economic or cultural value to the United States. We should give preference to those who seek to enter the U.S. for education, humanitarian, or job-specific reasons—not arbitrarily grant visas from a random pool of applicants.
Mandating E-Verify: I will fight to ensure that all employers must verify the legal immigration status of all employees. I have co-sponsored the Jobs Recovery by Ensuring a Legal American Workforce Act of 2011, which would make E-Verify, the basic pilot federal employment verification program, permanent and mandatory for all employees. E-Verify deters the employment of illegal aliens by searching employee information against government records to ensure a person’s identify. The ability of employers to rely on illegal labor must be stopped. In harsh economic times, it is important to make sure illegal aliens are not in the workforce.
HEALTHCARE
In 2012, the Supreme Court handed down its decision on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This page can serve as a resource to keep you updated on issues related to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
I am disappointed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s failure to overturn President Obama’s health care law. The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court allows for the full implementation of the 2010 law, despite its flawed design and questionable constitutional basis. The law still fails to address the issue of adequate funding, and will drive up health care costs, making it harder for small businesses to hire workers. However, while the ruling is cause for dismay, supporters of the free market and individual liberty can take some comfort in the dissenting view that this law violates the U.S. Constitution. My House colleagues and I remain committed to repealing this troublesome law in its entirety. This ruling highlights the critical need for a Congress and White House committed to refocusing attention on health care legislation that provides affordability, cost transparency, choice for senior citizens, and will protect the right of citizens to keep their current insurance policies.
The fundamental flaws of the Affordable Care Act will have grave impacts on the nation for decades to come. Americans will see more than $500 billion in tax increases during a time of economic hardship. It forces Americans to buy into government-approved insurance programs, or else face an extra tax burden. The federal government should not be allowed to force its citizens to buy a private product and then strictly mandate what is in that product. Many of the tax increases will come from businesses and insurance companies themselves, with many taxes based on each company’s share of the market. At a time when Americans are struggling to find work, this law makes it even harder for small businesses to hire workers.
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