On the Issues

Iraq

We are in our fifth year of the Iraq war with no strategy to win the peace and bring our brave soldiers home.  There have been over 4,000 American lives lost, more than a trillion dollars spent, with no end in sight.  While I support our troops, I oppose an open-ended commitment to the war in Iraq.

I will work toward a responsible plan to bring our brave men and women home with honor. 

We must focus on training the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own security soon, set benchmarks for the Iraqi military, and give more emphasis to diplomatic strategies.  

The war in Iraq has had a serious impact on our military, and our brave men and women are stretched thin by extended deployments. In Congress, I will work to strengthen America’s national security and refocus on the terrorist threats around the globe that are currently ignored.

Our troops have performed magnificently, and bring great honor to our country through their selfless acts of courage and sacrifice. We must honor them by making sure they have the resources they need to execute their mission as safely as possible, and a realistic plan to complete their mission and come home.

National Security

The first responsibility of Congress is to keep the American people safe. 

I support enacting the 9-11 Commission recommendations, and taking necessary steps to increase the security of our borders, rails, chemical plants and ports.

Education

My husband Nick and I are both products of the public school system. Both of our daughters, currently enrolled at WVU, have also attended public schools because we believe America’s public education system should be the cornerstone of a vibrant economy and a thriving democracy.

Problems occur when we do not make sufficient investment in our public education system. President Bush pushed the idea of No Child Left Behind, but refused to pay the bill for it. Life is not a one-size-fits-all test, and we don’t serve our students well by teaching to a test.

We must lift up our primary and secondary education schools through modernization, technology, teacher recruiting and pay. We should also expand on early education programs like Head Start, to prepare children to enter school ready to learn and succeed.

We can also do more to help working families send their children to college, including cutting interest rates on student loans, increasing the value of Pell Grants, and restoring Perkins Loans for vocational students.

The Department of Education needs to be steered back to its basic principles.  Instead of policing West Virginia’s school systems, we should enhance the agency’s mission to provide aid to schools through teacher mentoring and professional development programs to ensure that our children continue to receive the highest level of education.

Under President Bush’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget, almost 21,000 West Virginia children will be denied Title I services.  This is unacceptable.  West Virginia’s children must have access to appropriate services through full Title I funding.

Health Care

With the skyrocketing costs of health care coverage, working West Virginians are finding it harder to get the health care they need, and we are approaching a crisis point in our country. I believe that every American deserves access to affordable health care.

Our health care system has become so bureaucratic and complex that the health care industry itself has gained advantages over doctors and patients.

Health insurance companies should not be allowed to exclude people who have a pre-existing illness, or drop people from coverage simply because they are ill.

We must also make sure every child has the health care they need, making stronger investments in the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

We must take care of our seniors, requiring Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for the lowest possible drug prices, and creating a Prescription Drug Program that works for our seniors.

We must strengthen rural health and the community-based health care model in West Virginia.

I oppose the deep cuts in Medicare and Medicaid proposed in the Bush budget. Cutting Medicare and Medicaid will mean fewer West Virginians will be able to see their doctor, and our already cash-strapped rural hospitals will have a harder time recruiting and keeping physicians.  

Jobs and the Economy

Right now, our country is in record debt, wages are at a stand-still, and every working family is working harder and finding it more difficult to make ends meet with the rising costs of gas, groceries and health care.

In Congress, I will fight for working families. I will work to balance our budget and restore fiscal sanity to our government – because we simply can’t afford the path we’re on.

We must return our attention to our needs here at home. Like my mentor, Senator Robert C. Byrd, I believe in building. Our roads, bridges, water and sewer systems are crumbling from neglect. Repairing our infrastructure creates good jobs, stimulates local economies, and opens the door for regional commerce.

I also want to see real tax relief for middle-class families. I support ending tax cuts for the wealthiest that shift more of the tax burden onto the middle class. We must stop rewarding companies that send our jobs overseas with tax breaks. Let’s shut down loopholes that allow billionaires to pay fewer taxes than their workers.

I support refocusing tax breaks on middle-class families, beginning with larger child tax credits and credits for college tuition.

Budget and Tax Fairness

I support pay-as-you-go rules requiring that new tax cuts be offset by spending cuts. The economic philosophy of the current Administration is to simply pass fiscal problems on to the next generation.

No one enjoys paying taxes. Republican leadership has done a masterful job in recent years of manipulating that sentiment to pass huge news tax cuts every year, even while the country is at war and plunging further into record debt.

In fact, while Bush Republicans have been betting that enriching the wealthy will help our economy, global corporations and investors have been betting against the dollar and moving jobs and wealth overseas.

Our domestic infrastructure needs, like highways, bridges, water and sewer have been allowed to decay. Republican leadership is in Washington is also working hard to see the Bush Tax Cuts made permanent, which would bust a $3 trillion hole in the budget over the next 10 years.

I support ending tax cuts for the wealthiest that shift more of the tax burden onto the working class. We must stop rewarding companies that send our jobs overseas with tax breaks. Let’s shut down the loophole that allows billionaires to pay fewer taxes than their secretaries.

I support refocusing tax breaks on middle-income families, beginning with larger child tax credits and credits for college tuition.

Energy

Coal is a major engine of West Virginia's economy, and will be for the foreseeable future. With gasoline prices on the rise, everyone sees the need for America to be energy independent.

America cannot meet its growing energy needs without a focus on new energy alternatives. Any legitimate national energy policy must include significant funding for cleaner coal research and technologies.

The best way to protect coal mining jobs is to begin strict enforcement of the safety and environmental regulations that are already on the books, while making appropriate investments in new coal technologies.

Good mining, reclamation and use technologies are good for coal, good for West Virginia, and good for America.

I will fight for significant investments in clean coal technology as part of our nation's overall energy policy. The people of the 2nd Congressional District need an advocate that will bring money and jobs back to West Virginia, while making our country cleaner and more secure.

Veterans

Our nation’s budget should reflect our nation’s values. The veterans who put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms are the bedrock of our republic. We owe it to them to keep the promises made to them upon their return.

We are struggling to meet the demands of the new generation of soldiers and National Guard returning from theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have injuries and needs that are unique to the wars they are fighting, and we must commit every resource necessary to see that we able to respond to their needs effectively.

2nd Amendment

I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment and will make certain we preserve the rights to keep and bear arms that we enjoy now. It is a traditional part of our culture as West Virginians, and always will be.