nChrist
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« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2010, 05:22:22 PM » |
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Pence Remarks at Values Voter Summit in Washington - 2 of 2
"And a vision for a better America does mean putting our fiscal house in order, reigning in the growth of government with new limits based on our history and the principles enshrined in the Constitution.
"We need a conservative majority in Congress that will do the hard work of fiscal discipline and reform, put our pathway toward a balanced budget and end the era of deficits, debts and bailouts once and for all.
"While we have to end the era of runaway spending, fiscal discipline alone is not enough. Today's headlines tell the tale. 'The economic policies of this administration have failed.' 'The US poverty rate rose to a 16 year high.' As we continue to hear the class warfare rhetoric that the 'rich get richer,' now we know their strategy. Under their policies the poor get poorer.
"A vision for a better America means preserving and promoting the kind of tax relief that has always and will always get this economy moving. By allowing the American people and small business to keep more of what they earn, we can renew incentive in America, the incentive to create, to build, to achieve and excel.
"But you know, that's not the president's approach. While the president talked about tax cuts in Cleveland, he also renewed his call for a tax increase on job creators in January of next year.
"Mr. President, higher taxes won't get people hired. Raising taxes on job creators won't create jobs.
"In the worst economy in 25 years, Congress must ensure that no American sees a tax increase in 2011, not one single American.
"When I look at the failed economic policies of the past two years, I think most Americans realize (to paraphrase a hero)…a recession is when your neighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose your job, and a recovery is when Nancy Pelosi loses her job.
"Finally, a vision for a better America must recognize that our present crisis is not merely economic and political, but moral in nature. At the root of these times should be the realization that people in positions of authority have walked away from the timeless truths of honesty, integrity, an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay and the simple notion that you ought to treat the other guy the way you want to be treated. We will not restore this nation with public policy alone. It will require public virtue, and that emanates from the traditional institutions of our nation - life, family and religion.
"Now I know some say that Republicans should stay away from such issues this year…that the American people are focused on jobs and spending and our movement would do well to stand aside, bank the win and return to fight after this fiscal and economic crisis has passed.
"But we do not live in a world where an American leader can just focus on our financial ledger. A political party that would govern this great nation must be able to handle more than one issue at a time. We must focus on our fiscal crisis and support our troops. We must work to create jobs and protect innocent human life, defend traditional marriage and secure religious liberty.
"To those who say that marriage is not relevant to our budget crisis, I say, 'you would not be able to print enough money in a thousand years to pay for the government you would need if the traditional family continues to collapse.'
"To those who say we should focus on cutting spending, I say 'Ok, let’s start by denying all federal funding for abortion at home and abroad! Stop funding research that destroys human embryos in the name of science, and let's deny any and all funding to Planned Parenthood of America.'
"We must not remain silent when great moral battles are being waged. Those who would have us ignore the battle being fought over life, marriage and religious liberty, have forgotten the lessons of history. As in the days of a House divided, America's darkest moments have come when economic arguments trumped moral principles.
"Men and women, we must demand, here and now, that the leaders of the Republican Party stand for life, traditional marriage and religious liberty without apology!
"Thomas Jefferson said, 'When the heart is right, the feet are swift.' We are at our strongest when our movement is grounded in what matters most. Victory comes when we stand together, fighting arm in arm for fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense and traditional moral values.
"You have come to our nation's capital at a historic moment in the life of this still-young republic. If we do not succeed in November, all that once was good and great about this country could someday be gone.
"So this is the moment. Now is the time. It's time for us to do all that we can to preserve what makes this country great.
"The Bible says, 'If you owe debts, pay debts. If honor, then honor. If respect, then respect.' We owe a debt to history, but not just our nation's storied history, but to our own personal history. To those who have gone before, and on whose shoulders we stand.
"I buried my father 22 years ago. He was an ordinary man who grew up on the south side of Chicago. He married the daughter of Irish immigrants and followed his dream. When the time came, he put on the uniform. Even though he was a gentle soul, he went into battle in Korea. He came back never to speak of it again, and the medals stayed in the drawer.
"He built a family and he built a business. My dad said two things more than any others. He reminded myself, my three brothers and my two sisters that, 'not my will but Thine be done.' And then he would look at us and say, 'climb your own mountain.'
"Men and women of the Values Voter Summit, we have a mountain to climb. Those who have gone before in your life climbed their mountain. They stood for freedom in harm's way. They demanded a government as good as our people. Now it's our turn.
"The time has come to take our stand. We must not be afraid and we must fight for what has always been the source of American greatness: our faith in God and our freedom.
"And if we hold that banner high, I believe with all my heart the good and great people of this land will rally to our cause. We will win this Congress back in 2010, and we will win this country back in 2012, so help us God."
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