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Bill Gillespie's Top Ten Issues
1. Bring New
Economic Development to South Georgia and America
2. Lower
Taxes for Small Businesses, Families and Individuals
3. Win Peace
in Iraq and Destroy Terrorism Around the World
4. Improve
Veterans’ Benefits and Healthcare
5. Secure Our
National Borders and Reform Immigration
6. Protect
Social Security from Privatization
7. Rebuild
America’s Public Education System
8. Protect
Natural Resources from Pollution and Over-development
9. Reform the
Insurance Industry and make Healthcare Affordable
10. Balance
the Federal Budget and Champion Fiscal Responsibility
My Personal
Pledge: Make sure Congress always puts People First
A Closer Look At Bill
Gillespie On the Issues
(also visit my
BLOG for
policy views and opinions)
1. Bring New
Economic Development to South Georgia and America
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Aggressively recruit new
jobs to South Georgia
I will bring
together the business community and federal, state and local government
officials and agencies from throughout our region to discuss how we can
become better and more coordinated in recruiting business. South Georgia’s
business assets (airports, ports, roads, inexpensive real estate, etc.) and
amenities (weather, culture, beautiful landscape, etc.) make it the perfect
place for corporate headquarters or regional offices. Knowledge-based small
businesses such as architects, designers, lawyers, consultants and many more
are also attracted to our region for the same reasons. I propose expanding
The Creative Coast Initiative to all of
South Georgia, or developing something similar. Let’s not forget about
manufacturing, either. Made in America is still the best. Several industrial
and commercial properties in our region are ready for business, many of them
pre-planned and permitted, including the state-owned ‘megasite’ in Savannah.
I’ll give us the strong leadership we need at the federal level to fill
these properties.
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Grow South
Georgia's economy by securing more federal funds
Every year,
the federal government doles out billions of your hard-earned tax dollars as
part of its budget. Much of where this money goes has been decided long ago,
such as entitlement programs and funding the military and education system.
South Georgia gets a lot of federal funding for our many military
facilities, ports and infrastructure, much of it due to Democrats such as
Congressman Carl Vinson, Senator Richard Russell and Senator Sam Nunn. Our
current Congressman Jack Kingston always boasts about federal funding, as if
he is the only reason South Georgia gets any money. When he’s on the
campaign trail, this is what he touts most. It is important to understand
that HE IS ONLY DOING HIS JOB. What’s more, his track record actually shows
he is not doing as good of a job as he should in securing federal funds,
especially considering how long he has been in Congress. Click here for the
news story. He’s one of the best at tacking on shadowy earmarks to
legislation for his special interest friends and campaign donors.
Click here for news story #1.
Click here for news story #2. But when
it comes to getting money for South Georgians, his efforts have become lazy.
We need new energy that will fight hard to bring back more money to South
Georgia. I will secure funds that invest in our region’s ports, agriculture,
technology, manufacturing, transportation and most importantly education. I
will not rest until there are major increases in federal funding for our
public school systems, technical schools and universities. As far as our
region’s military installations, I have worked and have many friends at
these places and know exactly where funds should go. Not to defense
contractors. Money will go to upgrade facilities, security and the quality
of lives of the soldiers and their families.
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Support South
Georgia’s tourism industry
As your
Congressman, I will be proactive in supporting our region’s tourism
infrastructure, tourism businesses and visitor bureaus. I will support
continued growth of our airports. I will ensure beaches such as Tybee Island
and others get proper beach renourishment. I will do all that I can to
protect Jekyll Island and our other parks from attacks by developers. And I
will also protect our natural resources such as rivers and lakes from
pollution to make sure South Georgia’s water is clean for boaters, fisherman
and all.
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Create the
South Georgia Alternative Energy Alliance
Imagine the
economic opportunities if there was a whole new industry in South Georgia.
Hundreds of new businesses move in. Thousands of new jobs are produced. As
more money and people enter our economy, demand for all services increase.
This is my vision. I want to create the South Georgia Alternative Energy
Alliance, which would make South Georgia the national leader in alternative
energy production and research. The bottom line is this: some part of
America is going to capitalize on our country’s move to alternative energy.
I want this to be South Georgia.
Click here to see Georgia’s alternative energy
potential. The federally-funded “Alliance” would be an
organization made up of public and private partners from the different
counties of South Georgia. This group would recruit and facilitate
alternative energy investment in our region such as research centers,
biofuel plants, wind and solar farms, parts manufacturers and so much more.
RIGHT NOW South Georgia’s farmers are ready to produce biofuels from things
like switchgrass, peanut shells and timber. Not only do biofuels help the
battle against global warming, but the industry as a whole promises to spur
the American economy. Producing 25 percent of America’s energy from biofuels
would generate $700 billion annually, produce 5.1 million jobs, and reduce
carbon dioxide emissions and gasoline consumption. South Georgia CAN GET A
PIECE OF THIS PIE. As your Congressman, I will support the market for
biofuels by providing a federal funding stream to commercialize oil
substitutes made from switchgrass, algae, and bio-butanol, among others.
America is in the midst of a long-term energy crisis. The country’s
addiction to carbon-based fuels, especially imported oil, poses a triple
threat to national security, economic vitality, and environmental health.
Modernizing the country’s energy policies, while not easy, has the potential
to generate immense benefits for the environment and economy alike. To put
it simply, clean energy technology—”cleantech”—could become the next great
engine of the U.S. economy.
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Invest in
technology and infrastructure for a clean energy grid
Creating the
new technology and infrastructure for a ‘clean’ energy grid would generate
billions of dollars in economic activity and put hundreds of thousands of
people to work in new jobs. In addition, our country must motivate business
to wean itself off fossil-fuels, and can receive an economic boon while
doing so. California’s 2006 state law—led by Silicon Valley venture
capitalists—that requires fossil-fuel producers to limit green house gas
emissions added 20,000 jobs and a $60 billion increase in gross state
product.
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Develop a
network of university-based venture capital funds for start-up businesses
New ideas and
innovations are vital to economic growth and job creation. I will seek
legislation that creates a network of regionally focused, university-based
venture capital funds that finance loans for startup companies trying to
commercialize new scientific and technological advancements. The federal
government would provide seed money to be matched by state governments,
universities and the private sector. A federal investment of approximately
$100 million per year could, over time, leverage billions of dollars in
investments from other sources that would help drive economic growth.
Investment in new technologies and innovations will spur economic
development and help create the jobs of the future. America’s
higher-education system, including schools in South Georgia, would benefit
greatly from the new access to capital and researchers this initiative would
generate.
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Cultivate
America’s next generation of scientists and innovators
Currently, a
third of our country’s science and engineering Ph.D.’s were born abroad.
While America should always recruit the best talent, whether homegrown or
international, our country should do a better of job producing our own
innovators. We have always been the leaders of world innovation, and I want
to keep it that way. Congress should fund a national network of 250 science
and technology public charter academies that focus on math, science,
engineering and computing. This would open up a pipeline for homegrown
scientific talent for our colleges and universities. Importantly, I would
ensure equal access would be given to all students in regards to enrollment
in the new charter academies. The top talent would be accepted without
regards to race, gender, ethnicity or economic class.
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Secure
funding to upgrade/expand mass transit in South Georgia
Our bus and
commuter rail system in South Georgia needs significant improvement. In most
places of the First District’s 25 counties, mass transportation does not
even exist. Our current Congressman has done a disservice to our community
by not investing in a proper mass transportation infrastructure in his 14
years in Washington. While many other areas of the nation have grabbed
billions of dollars in federal money for use in mass transportation, our
current Congressman did nothing. I will seek federal funding to upgrade and
expand current bus lines. The First District’s inner-city systems and rural
connectors must be made a public priority, not only for energy conservation
but more importantly to ensure clean, safe, fast, reliable and affordable
transportation for anyone who chooses to take advantage of it. I will also
seek to commission a study to research the impact and cost of developing a
light-commuter rail system for South Georgia, with lines connecting our
centers of trade and education. I envision a “coastal connector” with a line
to Savannah, Richmond Hill, Hinesville, Jesup, Darien, Brunswick and
Kingsland. I also envision a “mid-south connector” with a line extending to
Baxley, Waycross, Douglas and Valdosta. A goal would also be to use commuter
rail to someday interconnect our region with other parts of the state:
Athens, Augusta, Macon and Atlanta. No private property would be taken
through eminent domain. Commuter trains could use current commercial tracks,
or rails could be constructed through interstate medians. The trains would
be clean, safe, fast, reliable and affordable, and would run on bio-fuel,
produced in the First District, or another form of clean, efficient
alternative energy. As your Congressman, I will connect South Georgia.
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Work to open
markets and better enforce trade agreements
The United
States needs to revitalize its efforts to open world markets and enforce
trade agreements. We must focus more on strategic initiatives dealing with
major markets, and we especially need new initiatives with Europe and Japan.
Simultaneously, we must defend American rights in the global trading system
more forcefully, as well as actively address trade abuses.
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Implement a new
economy scholarship program
As more and
more companies send American jobs overseas, hard-working Americans are
finding themselves without a job and with little hope of new, comparative
employment. Laid-off workers must get more help boosting their skills for
other employment. A “New Economy Scholarship” plan would change this by
allowing laid-off workers collecting unemployment insurance to receive up to
$5,000 worth of scholarships to assist in retraining and re-employment.
Americans are the hardest workers in the world. If layoffs happen, let’s
make sure they have the skills to compete in the new economy job market.
2. Lower
Taxes for Small Businesses, Families and Individuals
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Eliminate
capital gains taxes on start-up and small businesses
A primary
goal of the federal government should be to keep taxes low on America’s 26
million small businesses, which are the heart of our economy. Small
businesses, defined as those having fewer than 500 employees, account for 50
percent of America’s nonfarm Gross Domestic Product, and have generated 60
to 80 percent of the nation’s net new jobs over the past decade, according
to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Most of America’s 26 million
firms are very small, with 97.5 percent of small businesses having fewer
than 20 employees. History teaches us that low taxes on small businesses
results in strong economic growth. I support eliminating all capital gains
taxes on start-up and small businesses. This would encourage capital
investment, innovation and job creation.
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Provide small
business owners with a “Making Work Pay” tax credit
As
Congressman, I would join members of both political parties to push
legislation that would provide small business owners with a $1000 “Making
Work Pay” tax credit. Small business owners pay both the employee and the
employer side of the payroll tax, and this measure would reduce the burdens
of this double taxation.
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Promote
scientific research with expanded tax credits
It’s
important that the government work with scientists to help them achieve. I
support expanding the research and experimentation tax credit. I will
sponsor legislation making the current Research and Experimentation Tax
Credit (RETC) permanent and also DOUBLING the tax credit from 20 percent to
40 percent of all Research & Development expenditures.
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Offer a
single $3,000 college tuition tax credit
As the cost
of college has continued to rise, Washington has tried to help families
through tax incentives. However, these often well-intentioned policies have
complicated the tax code making the current tax-based college subsides
confusing and sometimes contradictory. A single $3,000 college tax credit
would replace the Lifetime Learning Credit, the deduction for higher
education expenses, the exclusion of employee-provided education benefits
and the exclusion for qualified tuition reductions. It would cover up to
four years of college and graduate school and would also be eligible for
workers to use for additional education and training.
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Give hurting
homeowners tax relief with a
Universal Mortgage Credit
One of the
best things government can do for families and individuals hurting in an
ailing economy is cut their taxes. Homeowners have been hit particularly
hard in the bad economy, especially in South Georgia. Immediately when I get
to Washington I will work to create a 10 percent universal mortgage credit
to provide homeowners tax relief. This credit will provide an average of
$500 to 10 million homeowners, the majority of whom earn less than $50,000
per year.
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Expand the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit to help victims of foreclosure
I will fight
to expand the First-Time Home Buyers Tax Credit (HBTC) to allow those who
have been victims of the foreclosure crisis to use the credit to purchase
new homes. Home buyers would get a 5 percent credit on new home purchases.
Communities that have high foreclosure rates could apply for HBTC
designation for up to five years and would be judged on their plans to match
the HBTC with tax incentives or other housing programs. Families who lost
homes due to the subprime market collapse and who held one of the dormant
subprime mortgages (228 or 327 ARM products) would also be allowed to take
the HBTC. This policy would have a positive multiplier effect throughout the
housing market, because, as a rule, every new home sale stimulates sales of
four existing homes. The policy would also benefit the overall economy
because building accounts for 15 percent of annual growth in the nation’s
gross domestic product, not to mention that home building accounts for more
than four million jobs.
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Combine
confusing tax credits into a single, family tax credit
Congress has
the ability to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) while also
simplifying the already Byzantine federal tax code by folding the EITC, the
child credit, and the child and dependent care credit into a single,
turbo-charged family tax credit. I also support softening the EITC’s
marriage penalty by raising the qualifying income thresholds for two-earner
couples.
3. Win Peace
in Iraq and Destroy Terrorism Around the World
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Empower the Iraqi people by withdrawing from their country
I served in
Iraq as a Lt. Colonel with the Third Infantry Division, interacting daily
with American and Iraqi government and military leaders, as well as the
Iraqi people. I understand the political and military landscape there. The
United States has trained hundreds of thousands of Iraqi troops. It’s time
for the Iraqi people to stand up for their own liberty, and it’s time for
the U.S. to let them. I call for an honorable, victorious withdrawal from
Iraq, allowing and empowering the Iraqi people to take care of themselves.
American soldiers have done this job for the Iraqi people long enough.
The military defeated Saddam Hussein's regime. Remaining in Iraq is not smart foreign policy. American troops could be out
of Iraq in 18 months with the correct withdrawal plan, and I will push for
that. Plus, transitioning out of Iraq will allow our military time to
re-strengthen, which is now necessary after more than five years of war. It
is dangerous for America to strain its military to the extent we are now.
The situation in Iraq will not be solved with bullets; the country and its
people need independence, economic development and a broad base of
international partners who want Iraq and the Middle East to succeed in the
name of peace and prosperity for the entire World.
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Maintain a military presence in Middle East to ensure stabilization
Unfortunately, the Bush administration has placed America front and center
into the myriad of conflicts among the countries and cultures of the Middle
East. Their mismanagement of the Iraq War is unfortunate for soldiers on the
ground and for all the citizens back home. The region has been pushed to the
brink. Therefore, unfortunately, the U.S. must continue to maintain a
military presence in the Middle East at our bases in other parts of the
region. This display of force is necessary for stability in the region.
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Secure America by overcoming our dependence to foreign energy
A top priority for our nation's security should be to get America off its
dependence to foreign energy. WHY ARE WE PLACING CONTROL OF AMERICA'S ENERGY
NEEDS IN THE HANDS OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES? Why are Americans sending our money
to the Middle East to buy energy? I propose a program designed to fast-track
the development and commercialization of an energy alternative to
fossil-based fuels (i.e., oil, etc.). It would be similar in scope to the
Manhattan Project of W.W. II. with the goal of pushing alternative energy
into the market in a widespread manner as soon as possible.
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Keep the heat up on terrorists worldwide
Federal
agencies and our military must continue to partner to rid the world of
terrorists. Osama Bin Laden must be captured and brought to justice.
Al-Qaeda and other radical organizations with a mission to harm Americans
must be destroyed. The U.S. should use all elements of national power to
achieve this end: diplomatic, economic, legal and military.
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Institute a Federal Terrorism Court
The Bush
administration, Congress and the federal courts have struggled with the many
legal quagmires that arise from modern terrorism. A new approach I support
is the establishment of a specialized Federal Terrorism Court for terrorism
cases. This court would have a dedicated set of federal trial judges working
with an expert bar of federal and military prosecutors and defense
counsel—all with high level security clearances. The court could be
established under the authority of Congress as defined in Article I of the
Constitution, with a 10-year or 14-year appointment for the judges. As
America prosecutes terrorists to the full extent of the law, we should make
sure to live up to our Constitutional duty of upholding Rights. This will
help America spread liberty, the rule of law and representative government
around the world.
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Fix the Department of Homeland Security
The
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), now in its sixth year, is plagued
with problems and chronic mismanagement. It must be reformed to better
protect the American people. I support focusing the department on border and
infrastructure protection and removing functions that do not relate directly
to this task, including spinning off entities such as FEMA. The other
primary duty of the DHS would be acting as the conduit for integrating and
sharing homeland security intelligence with state, local and private-sector
sources. I also support consolidating congressional oversight of DHS into
one committee in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate.
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Protect our nation’s ports, nuclear and chemical plants, and other sensitive
facilities
A big part of
the Department of Homeland Security’s border and infrastructure protection
should be ensuring that our ports, nuclear and chemical plants, and other
sensitive facilities are secured against attack. I support increased funding
for our first responders such as police, firefighters, EMS and local, state
and federal emergency management and security agencies. I also support
increased funding for programs like the Department of Justice’s COPS
program, which promote community-oriented policing. As your Congressman, I
will work to keep our communities safe.
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Attract the nation’s most talented cyber-security personnel to guard America
Our nation
not only must be vigilant against violent terrorist attacks, but also
non-violent attacks, especially through cyberspace. America’s economy could
be crippled with an attack to the Internet or other communication systems. I
support a recruitment program to attract highly-skilled technology
personnel, including raising the pay for federal cyber-security employees.
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Rebuild America’s Reserves
America’s
military reserves face unprecedented strains. These vital components of our
national security—consisting of citizen soldiers who are deployed for crises
ranging from domestic natural disasters to overseas combat—have been misused
and overstretched. As a result, the National Guard and Reserve are
increasingly unable to carry out their core missions. Congress should
rebuild America’s reserves by: restoring the “strategic” reserve role and
moving them out of the “operational” force they have been serving;
addressing the military’s overall lack of sufficient manpower and shoring up
active duty forces; giving volunteers the equipment they need; expanding the
National Guard and Reserve by broadening opportunities for Americans to
volunteer; and ensuring that the nation provides the proper care and
benefits for its veterans.
4. Improve
Veterans’ Benefits and Healthcare
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Increase funding for the U.S. Veterans Administration
Our country
has a duty to honor the sacrifices of our troops, their families and
veterans by making sure we take care of them when they come home. Last year
the Democratic-majority in Congress passed the largest ever funding increase
in the 77-year history of the Veterans’ Administration. It is still not
enough. The toll of the War on Terror on our military has been large. I will
seek even more increases in funding for veterans benefits as Congressman,
particularly for healthcare and education.
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Make certain that Congress funds the new GI Bill
I will keep close watch on Congressional
budgets to make certain everything promised in the new GI Bill is carried
out.
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Ensure new and old VA Clinics in South Georgia have proper funding, staff
and equipment
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Institute a federal healthcare card for veterans
I propose all
veterans get a healthcare card that allows them to seek care outside the VA
system at whatever facility they prefer. This will improve the quality and
timeliness of vet care.
5. Protect Social
Security from Privatization
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Say no to throwing retirement funds into the Stock Market
I will fight hard to prohibit the federal government from throwing
retirement savings into the Stock Market. My opponent has been a leader in
pushing for the privatization of Social Security. It is wrong to gamble with
peoples’ retirement saving. The stock market can go up and down, as we have
seen in recent weeks.
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Start a real discussion on how to preserve Social Security
No doubt action must be
taken to shore up Social Security as the baby-boomer generation retires.
It's time to have a real discussion on alternatives aimed at not just
stabilizing the current system but guaranteeing its future health. Bottom
line: I will never put our seniors financial well-being in risk.
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