http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/011008/opl_234501018.shtml Rudy Giuliani makes his case for the presidency
By Special to the Times-Union Note to readers: In December, the editorial page contacted the campaigns of all the major presidential candidates and offered them space to make their cases. Their columns will be run in the order they are received till Wednesday, Jan. 23. The Florida presidential primary is Tuesday, Jan. 29. Early voting begins Monday, Jan. 14. Columns from candidates that are received too late to run in print will be posted on our Web site, www.jacksonville.com. Securing America's Future I'm running for president because our nation needs strong, determined, and optimistic leadership for the future. Current events have shown that this is no time for on-the-job training. >From the terrorists' war on us to our porous borders and economic uncertainty at home, America's security must be the No. 1 priority for the next president. And I am the candidate with the experience to improve America's national security, border security and economic security. National Security The greatest responsibility of our generation is to win the terrorists' war on us. Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., want Americans to believe that terrorism is no longer a threat. Last week's assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto - a respected world leader - is a sad reminder that terrorists will stop at nothing to kill friends of freedom and defenders of democracy. To protect our nation, we must stay on offense against the terrorists - both at home and abroad. America and its allies cannot afford to go back to playing defense, with inconsistent responses to terrorist attacks. Weakness only encourages aggression. This means America and our allies must detect, disrupt and dismantle al-Qaida, whether it is in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, America or elsewhere. We must contain and pressure regimes that sponsor terrorism. And under no circumstance can we allow sponsors of terror to acquire nuclear weapons. To strengthen our forces in the war, we will build a stronger intelligence community and expand our military, creating 10 new combat-ready brigades for the U.S. Army. Border Security Border security is now a matter of national security. When I spoke to this paper recently, I said we can end illegal immigration, and the process has to begin at the border. It will not be easy to do, but it is not impossible. We will secure our borders with a physical and high-tech fence. We need at least a 20,000-agent Border Patrol with continued logistical support from the National Guard. And to increase their effectiveness, we will institute BorderStat, a data-driven system of intelligence gathering that provides the real-time information needed to deploy resources in the right place at the right time. The Florida Legislature proposed several bills in 2006 to address the problem of illegal immigration. These suggested bills join more than 1,500 others that have been proposed in state legislatures nationwide this year. The problem of illegal immigration is being felt nationwide, but this volume of legislative proposals illustrates how starkly Washington has failed to find solutions. We must have a zero-tolerance policy for non-citizen criminals. In recent years, we've heard more and more accounts of illegal immigrants who kill somebody while driving drunk or are part of a violent drug cartel. Currently, we deport approximately 14 percent of the roughly 300,000 deportable noncitizen criminals in our prisons. This is unacceptably low. If you come to our country and commit a crime, you will be prosecuted. You will serve your sentence. And then we will meet you at the prison gate with a one-way ticket out of our country. But we cannot ignore the fact that America is a nation of immigrants and that it is necessary to protect and expand legal immigration. We also need to reconnect immigration with Americanization. If immigrants want to stay here and earn citizenship, they must learn to read, write, and speak English. They need to learn the basics of U.S. civics and American history. America's proud legacy of legal immigration has been essential to our success in the past and it will continue to be a source of strength in the future - but we need to end illegal immigration once and for all. Economic Security The keys to economic security are strong economic growth, innovation and job creation. And with so many Americans concerned about the economy, now is not the time for Washington to shrink your paycheck by increasing taxes. Americans are working harder than ever, but they're facing higher health care costs, higher energy costs and higher costs for education. The Democratic candidates for president promise Americans a $3 trillion tax increase over the next 10 years, eliminating the marriage penalty relief and the child tax credit. I have a different vision for America's future. I will open new markets for American businesses. I will cut taxes and control spending. And I understand how pro-growth economic policies are the foundation of a growth society. For many Americans, economic security means job security. I will reduce corporate tax rates so companies can compete globally and create more and better jobs here at home. We can also help American companies by securing free trade agreements, opening new markets and new customers. Since China and India have entered the global marketplace, more than 2 billion people have joined the global economy. Democrats see those people as a threat to American jobs. I see opportunity. I see them as customers in need of American products, which will lead to more opportunity and more jobs for Americans. But even now in Congress, Democrats are trying to kill free-trade agreements. Only a free trade agreement with Peru was approved so far, but if all of them are approved, it would mean American businesses would have access to 126 million new customers. Of course, free trade cannot mean a free ride. We have to enforce the rules of our agreements. That's why I was glad to see the recent complaint we brought against China worked. The Chinese government has now agreed to terminate illegal subsidies to Chinese exporters. We have to be vigilant when it comes to enforcing trade deals. But Democratic-style protectionism will only hurt American businesses, cost us jobs at home and sideline us in the world economy. Americans need tax relief as well, which is why I will eliminate the death tax, index the Alternative Minimum Tax to inflation and target it for elimination. I will simplify the tax code to an optional one-page form. I will also expand tax-free health savings accounts as part of a larger proposal to make health care more affordable. I believe one of the reasons Republicans lost control of Congress in 2006 was because of excessive spending in the years leading up to that election. Over the last decade, nondefense spending has increased 72 percent, and this year Washington spent nearly $24,000 for every household in America. Controlling spending must be a chief executive's priority. Over the course of the next two terms, 42 percent of the federal civilian workforce is due to retire. We'll only replace half of them, taking the opportunity to right-size government by taking advantage of technology like the private sector has done in recent years, and ultimately save taxpayers $21 billion annually. To get Congress on board with fiscally conservative spending policies, I will eliminate the anonymous pork projects that define Washington's spending culture. Bridge-to-Nowhere spending habits aren't simply a problem; they are the product of a culture that believes there is nothing wrong with sneaking pet projects into spending bills. We must reform that culture. But more can be done. We can eliminate wasteful spending by convening a Government Waste Commission, similar to the commission that was convened to handle the politically volatile issue of closing military bases. This Government Waste Commission will identify programs to be eliminated, such as some of the 3 percent of programs already rated "ineffective" by the federal government. Congress will then be required to vote - up or down - on the whole package of suggested spending cuts. >From the economy to our borders and the terrorists' war on us, my commitment to the American people will secure a brighter future for us all. These are difficult challenges, but they are not impossible. Like every great challenge, hard work and leadership are required to achieve real results. But I welcome those challenges. I've been tested in crisis. I'm ready to lead. And the time is now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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