Strengthen America

IRAQ

The greatest obstacle preventing our country from achieving greater national security is our continued occupation of Iraq. Few Americans today doubt the disastrous consequences of our ill-advised and mismanaged invasion of that hapless country.

Over the past seven years, the economic status of the United States has deteriorated significantly due to the economic policies implemented by President Bush and his Congressional allies during the first six years of his administration.

Over seven years have passed since the September 11 attacks and our country still lacks a comprehensive energy policy designed to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to end our dependency on foreign oil. The President said that Americans are "addicted" to oil. Worse, we are hostages to oil - Middle Eastern oil in particular.

It's no mystery to the American people. Our current healthcare system is ill.

Employment-based coverage is under siege, with both employers and employees confronting spiraling premium costs, higher co-pays, and reduced coverage. Meanwhile, literally millions of hard-working, employed Americans are underinsured or have no access to healthcare at all.

Strengthening our borders is a national security issue. While it is true that the vast majority of foreigners who enter the United States illegally are hard-working, otherwise law-abiding people, it is also true that our porous borders may be providing access to terrorists determined to harm our country and its people (see Strengthen our National Security).

Our Congressional District encompasses a geographical area that is among the fastest growing in the state of Pennsylvania. We need a Congressman who will fight to ensure that our district receives from the national government the resources commensurate with that growth:

• to build new bridges, highways, and roads,
• to repair and maintain our existing infrastructure,
• to revitalize our older neighborhoods,
• to help build our schools,
• to assist worth community organizations,