Major Issues Position
by
Jack Rooney (I), United States Senate Candidate, Indiana.
Indianapolis . Tuesday, April 10, 2012 5:00 PM
Q: Do you support the war in Afghanistan?
A. I support the United States military, but not the political decisions that
sent our soldiers to Afghanistan in the first place.
Q: Do you support Arizona.s immigration law?
A. Yes. Not because I believe American immigration policy is just and fair
regarding the Native Americans of the Southwest region (it is not), but because
the Constitution of the United States gives the border states the right to
defend their own borders between foreign nations in the face of Federal
inaction. Article I, Section 10 explicitly provides states the right to act on
their own behalf when they are being invaded: "No State shall, without the
Consent of Congress, engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such
imminent Danger as will not admit of delay." The Border States can defend
their borders against foreign invasion regardless of Federal action or
inaction. If criminals and hostiles are pouring across the borders, the States
do not have to sit around and wait for the Federal troops to arrive. They can
take immediate action to secure their own borders from invasion to protect and
defend their property and lives. However, once Federal forces arrive on the
scene and secure the area, the States must comply with Constitutional law. But
this is what Arizona is claiming the Federal Immigration Service is not doing,
protecting and securing the borders, so Arizona is correct in defending itself
until the Federal Immigration Service gets the situation under control. Having
said that, I have issues with the way the Southwest territories were acquired
by the US government in the first place; white interlopers went in and
trespassed on the ancestral homeland of the Native Americans of the region and
squatted on their land. Of course, this was after the Spaniards had already
devastated the people of the region through Genocide, and the white northern
European settlers (Americans) did the same thing. Two wrongs don't make a
right. There is no statute of limitations on Genocide, so the case is not
closed, and I would like to see this issue addressed.
Q: Do you support
offshore drilling?
A. Only if it can be done safely without environmental threat. Based on current
events, the guarantee of safety does not seem such a sure thing anymore.
Q: Do you believe the
wealthy are paying their fair share of taxes?
A. Those who reap the greatest benefit from society should carry the greatest
share of responsibility for maintaining the security, stability, and welfare of
the system that enriches them.
Q: How would you change
Washington?
A. By encouraging more qualified Independent and third-party candidates to run
for elected office at the federal level to bust up the Democrat/Republican
bipolar disorder in Washington. My top priorities are fixing the economy and
putting Americans back to work by reducing wasteful and excessive government
spending and then putting the savings to work in education spending to retrain
workers for the 21st century, to promote industrial growth and create jobs,
which will in turn spur innovation and business investment and increase
commerce and trade. I would save money by streamlining or eliminating many of
the redundant layers of government bureaucracy in Washington that clog up the
system and stifle progress. The business of the people needs balanced between
the interest of workers and the profits of industry. The old ways of doing
business are long overdue for an upgrade.
Q: What is your plan to
encourage economic growth?
A. Repair the dysfunctional Federal Reserve banking system and Wall Street, fix
the dollar to a measure of gold or silver as the Constitution requires to
restore sound money to the market, upgrade and rebuild the industrial base to
modern technological standards, educate and retrain workers to run it, produce
goods and services to meet world demand, and export the output to the world.
Repair, restore, rebuild, educate, produce, and export. That is the essence of
it. The total solution package rests in the details I want to submit to
Congress.
Q: How should the health
care bill be paid for?
A. By repealing it and starting over with a better approach to the whole
problem. I respect the Democrat stab at the issue, but it's not a regulatory or
control issue, it.s an education issue tied to a simple supply and demand
economics problem. The quality and cost of medical services can be reduced by
graduating more doctors and nurses from the medical schools. More doctors would
mean more competition in the medical profession which would increase the
quality of service and lower cost. Every year thousands of medical school
applicants who would make great doctors are turned away from the medical
schools in the United States because the schools do not have seats for them
all. The graduation rate for doctors from American medical schools has remained
almost constant for more than 40 years, and it is not keeping up with the
demand. We need more doctors and nurses and medical professionals, men and women
of science, not more government regulation. It's an education spending and
access to quality education issue, not an insurance regulatory issue.
Q: In light of the
Supreme Court's ruling on Chicago's gun ban, what is your position on gun
ownership?
A. The right to bear arms is an individual right of every adult American
citizen of good character to carry arms for personal protection on their person
at home or in public or in their car without restriction. Some reasonable
restrictions, like carrying a loaded handgun on a commercial aircraft, might
apply, but otherwise not.
Q: How do we best
address the federal budget deficit, now more than $15 trillion dollars?
A. Stop spending more than we make.
Q: What is your plan for
immigration reform?
A. I have no plans for immigration reform until all able-bodied Americans who
want jobs are gainfully employed. Enforce current law. I might someday try to
close the loophole that grants the illegal immigrant.s child born in America
automatic citizenship. This is not to suggest immigrants do not make a valuable
contribution to America. The nation was built by immigrants. We need a legal
immigrant work force to meet the needs of agriculture and other labor-intensive
industries. We can brain drain our foreign competitors in the world market to
fill the needs of American industry in science and technology, mathematics, and
medicine, in areas where American output in the universities and schools is
falling behind and not meeting demand. But we have too many illegal immigrants gaming
the system now, entering the country illegally, and dropping off their kids on
our doorstep. This problem needs to be addressed in a humane way by balancing
the interests of the nation with the needs of the oppressed and economically
disadvantaged people of the world. I want to encourage the immigration of
highly educated labor and allow a limited number of low-skill workers to meet
demand of agriculture and industry. This can favor American business and
strengthen our nation. But I will always consider and promote the needs of
American workers first.
Q: What else should we
be doing to protect America from terrorism?
A. Stop sticking our nose into the business of other countries and foreign
groups in ways that make them mad enough to want to kill Americans. We cannot
continue playing Big Brother to the world. Let's try minding our own business
for awhile.
Q: Do you support a
pullout deadline from Afghanistan? Explain.
A. Yes, but I would not announce it to the Taliban.
Q: What would victory in
Iraq look like?
A. A secure democratic Nation returned to government by the Iraq people.
Q: How do we best deal
with North Korea?
A. through China, by convincing North Korea it is in their best economic
interest to join the world community and live in peace. Start trading with
them. Once they are economically dependent on the resources of other nations
and the quality of life for their people begins to improve, they will abandon
the war mentality as contrary to their economic best interests. This is the
opposite of the Kissinger strategy that advocates economic sanctions against
nations with whom we disagree (which does not work - it just makes them more
hostile); I advocate economic involvement with North Korea as the only way to
win. Radical fanaticism can only be eliminated by grooming it out of them (same
for Iran and Afghanistan). Once they get a little taste of the good life, the
people will never want to go back, and positive social and political change in
North Korea will occur from within. Beowulf overcame the monster Grendel by
feeding it milk and honey cakes; few in Washington today understand how this
strategy works.
Q: Where do you stand on
the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"?
A. I think this issue is now a matter of established case law based on recent
rulings from the courts, unless the Supreme Court changes things, which is not
likely.
Q: How do we best deal
with Iran's nuclear program?
A. Remove all nuclear weapons from the European continent and shut down our
silos and then insist that Iran do the same. Nations that do not have nuclear
weapons will never stop trying to acquire them as long as they are surrounded
by Nations that have Nukes. The solution to the problem of nuclear
proliferation is world nuclear disarmament. It is going to be a tuff sell in the
United Nations, but it is the only way.
Q: Why should voters
believe you can make a difference?
A. I care more about the future of our children than about stuffing my pockets
with corporate and special interest money. I dislike politics in Washington, but
I dislike the direction our country has taken a lot more. Sometimes you just
have to do what you have to do. The solutions I propose are posted for the
world to see at my website www.jackrooney.net.
I have published my positions on the major issues. Voters can read and judge
for themselves. Writing and submitting a proposed Act of Congress to the Senate
that works toward constructive change is the easy part. Convincing a majority
of the Senate and House and then getting the President to sign the Act is
another matter entirely. Forming consensus among diverse viewpoints is always
problematical, but people can be reasonable when offered reasonable solutions
that will serve their constituents well. I can do that.
Q: What is your solution
for the energy crisis?
A. Solar, geothermal, wind and other green technologies combined with
controlled dynamic induction. We can remove ourselves from our oil addiction
within a decade if we apply current technology and promote and support more new
breakthrough technologies through research and development.
Q: Who is responsible
for job growth in the United States?
A. Private business and industry and individual entrepreneurs, but they can
create jobs only in an environment conducive to growth and expansion,
production, and export. The mass exodus of jobs from the United States is a
result of government overregulation, an inflexible labor force, and a changing
world marketplace. This does not mean we should have no rules. It means the
rules need to be balanced between promoting the best interest of the people
with the reality of the world markets, which are now all interconnected.
Current business regulations and trade treaties are outdated, written during a
time when America had little competition from foreign markets and was the major
supplier of goods to the world. The situation has changed, so the rules must
also change. We need to fix the regulatory environment toward American small
business, which account for 60 percent of the jobs, before job growth can
occur. Big government needs to back off the control-freak mentality strangling
the life out of small business. Big business, giant corporations, particularly
large multinational corporations, must be strictly regulated and anti-trust law
enforced to make sure they do not monopolize, distort, and endanger the market
with their size and power, as they are doing today.
Q: Given the choice
between raising taxes and cutting spending, which would you do? Please explain.
A. Cut spending. We could do a lot better job to reduce the cost of government
by streamlining the regulatory structure with modern technology, computers, and
high-technology communication systems within government. We are already headed
on that path to some extent, but we need to accelerate the process to improve
productivity and efficiency in government. Scale down the size of the
government work force through attrition; let the current GS force retire and
hire no more new workers as the old guard leaves government service. We already
have too many bureaucrats in government; we do not need more government
workers. We need a more efficient government system. Modernizing and improving
the military (which now consumes 30 percent of our tax dollars) with state-of-the-art
technology would also improve efficiency and security, reduce costs, and save
the lives of American soldiers in the field.
Q: Should any additional
restrictions be placed on abortion?
A. All abortion is tragic. But I understand there are certain conditions where
the morality of it is not so clear cut, such as in cases involving rape or
incest. We should revisit the issue of late-term abortions, however, as there
seems to be legitimate concern in that area. Otherwise, we should obey current
law. To outlaw all abortion would once again relegate it to the back alleys,
which is equally tragic. The problem of unwanted pregnancies stems from
shortcomings of human nature and the abortion issue itself from attitudes
toward personal responsibility and morality, problems that cannot be fixed
easily with legal code or regulation or Acts of Congress. When society shrinks
back from its role in promoting positive moral values in citizens, it should
not be too surprised if it gets undesirable results.
Q: How long should those
who lose their jobs be able to collect unemployment benefits?
A. Until the employer-matched unemployment benefits expire. Then unemployed
workers should enter education and retraining programs to change or upgrade
their job skills to make them more employable, paid for by an assessment
against the major industries that laid off the workers in the first place,
corporations now recording record profits and sitting on 4 trillion dollars in
cash in their bank accounts. Continuing education should be a necessary
condition to receiving continued unemployment benefits. Benefits should
continue until the worker obtains employment or leaves school.
Q: What are your
thoughts on Patriot Act/NDAA, Internet censorship, and H.R 347?
A. The people are outraged at the major political parties running our nation
into the ground, and NDAA, HR 347, Net Censorship, etc, are all
attempts by the establishment to silence the voices of the People speaking out
against these desperate and outrageous Acts of Career politicians who have just
about wrecked our country. I do not believe any of it is Constitutional, and I
would work to undo it, amend it, suspend it, repeal it, stop it before it goes
any farther and we all wake up in a police state ruled over with an Iron Fist. Congress
can pass any Act it wants, and the President can sign it into law, but that
does not mean every Act of Congress is Constitutional, legal. The Supreme Court
of the United States has overturned unconstitutional Acts of the Legislative
and Executive bodies many times. But when you have a Supreme Court stacked with
Republicans and Democrats, members of the same parties doing all the damage to
the Nation, it's hard to get a fair hearing of the matter when the
Republocrats/Demo publicans overstep their authority. The Supreme Court
justices have an inherent bias toward maintaining the status quo of the system
that placed them on the bench and pays their salaries. It's called
"selective adjudication" -- the court hears cases that advance the
causes of the corrupt system of which they are a part and dismiss perfectly
legitimate and valid causes that might work to change it. We have problems that
go way beyond a corrupt political system struggling to keep itself alive, and
as an Independent candidate with no political party controlling what I do or
what I say, I intend to go to the heart of the matter...
Q: What are your
thoughts on Gay marriage?
A. The Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, Section
1, says, "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the
privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor deny to any
person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." The
preamble of the Declaration of Independence says that one of the unalienable Rights
of all people is "the pursuit of happiness." The term
"unalienable" means it cannot be taken away, not even by government
without just cause. People have these Rights by virtue of the fact that they
are human beings; they are sometimes called "human rights." These
rights are not "granted" by government. So I do not believe, on
Constitutional grounds, the Federal or State governments have the authority to
legislate the matter of same sex marriage one way or another or to discriminate
against any partnership agreement between consenting adults. It is not a matter
for government to decide; it.s up to the individuals involved, not big brother.
And discriminating against a partnership between two people on the grounds that
they are the same sex is illegal, unconstitutional, because such discrimination
would serve to take away or diminish human rights no government has authority
to regulate.
Q: Who are your largest
donors and how much did they contribute?
A. See www.FEC.gov >
Indiana > US Senate. The Internet is a real game changer. Weak political
positions often need lots of money to prop them up and make them seem more
viable than they really are.
Jack Rooney (I)
United States Senate Candidate, Indiana 2012
www.jackrooney.net
Communication paid for and authorized by Jack Rooney for United States Senate
Committee, 926 River Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 46221 Phone 317-634-9440
JackRooney@att.net www.JackRooney.net