Finishing the war in Afghanistan should have been the priority years ago. I am willing to give the military some time for its new strategy to work. Given my background in working to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, my main concern is potential instability in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state. However, the patience of the American people is limited, and the corruption in the Afghan government is very troubling. We should know within the next year whether the new approaches are productive.
The health-care legislation extends coverage to millions of currently uninsured Americans. It provides small businesses with tax cuts so they can provide health coverage for their employees. Americans will be protected against having their insurance revoked when they become ill. Americans favor these provisions. My opponent favors eliminating Medicare prescription drug coverage (Medicare part D). I support reducing its costs through prescription drug price negotiation similar to that conducted by the Veterans Administration and private insurance companies.
The role of a U.S. Representative is to represent the interests of his constituents. I differ with my Republican opponent who has repeatedly stated that he did not believe it was the role of a Congressman to help his district.
Indiana and the 4th district in particular have the manufacturing, academic, research, engineering, agricultural and workforce resources to benefit from the coming transformation of our energy and transportation infrastructure. We are ideally situated to take advantage of the opportunities in local energy generation, including biofuels, and more efficient transportation options. I will advocate for the district to be included in high-speed rail initiatives.
Secure the borders and ports. Enforce existing labor laws to prevent the exploitation of the labor of illegal immigrants.
It is a dishonor for our nation that we have so many homeless veterans. We must meet the commitments we have made by asking our men and women to defend our country. More resources must be placed in mental-health care for individuals serving in the armed forces, veterans, and their families. We must also focus on reintegrating returning troops and helping them find employment. We most also reduce the claims backlog.
More alternative energy sources and conservation must both be pursued. I will work to force the federal government to use its large purchasing power to make the investments in energy efficiency in its own operations that will produce long-term savings, create jobs, and increase our national security.
We must acknowledge the scientific evidence on global warming that my opponent rejects for political reasons not founded in the facts. A good example of why having one more scientist and one fewer lawyer/career politician in Congress would be a positive thing. A scientist starts with the facts and looks for the policies that are consistent with them. A politician looks for the facts that he thinks support his ideology. Indiana and the 4th District in particular have great opportunities in this area through local energy generation by, for example, wind power and emerging biofuel technologies.
David Sanders supports the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article I Section 32 of the Indiana State Constitution. He does not support additional gun legislation.
