The Dreaded Question….

So I got an email the other day from a voter. The email with the question every candidate hates to get. Here it is, followed by my reply followed by his response. I removed the names for privacy reasons, but I think this is a subject many people want to know my opinion on….so here you go.
Email:
Brian, like what I see on website. Please forward views on abortion and military spending.
My Reply:
Thank you for the email. Nothing like the abortion issue to be someone’s champion or someone’s failure. Let me first say that I think abortion is disgusting and morally wrong. But it is a complex issue when it comes to the government and the people passionate about the issue. I would like to break down my views into three parts: Legal, Moral, and Financial.
Legal: I am a strong advocate of the Constitution. The Constitution makes no mention of abortion, and there fore it is an issue that should be decided by the states according to the 10th Amendment. The Supreme Court, in my opinion, legislated from the bench when deciding Roe vs. Wade and overstepped its authority. The Supreme Court will not correct this issue anytime soon, especially if we get a liberal leaning justice appointed in the coming months. I would like to point out the House of Representatives is not involved with a Supreme Court nomination. Since the Court’s decision is final, it would take an Amendment to the Constitution which would need to be ratified by a majority of the states. Roe vs. Wade was decided in 1973. That means we have people all the way up to their mid 40’s that have never known a time when they did not have this “right” to an abortion whether or not they have chosen to exercise it. It is difficult to take a “right” away from people no matter how morally wrong the act is. So to get a majority of states to approve an amendment is slim at best.
Moral: The real question should not be whether abortion is legal or illegal. The question should be how can we change the hearts and minds of people so that abortion is not even a consideration. And how can we promote people to make choices that do not result in unplanned pregnancies. This goes back to building strong families and requiring people to take responsibility for their actions. This is truly a moral dilemma that I wish I had a solution for.
Financial: An incredible amount of money is spent every year on this battle. Money is taken from tax payers to promote one groups agenda over another. Then some of that money finds its way back to the campaigns of the people that allocated the resources in the first place. Very convenient for those politicians if you ask me. But there is money flowing to the campaigns of Pro-Life candidates through private funds as well. That is a tremendous amount of money on both sides that is not going to save lives, but to keep feeding the political battle that will never be solved by the politicians. Imagine if all that money went to help educate young people. Letting them know that actions have consequences. I mean in the grand scheme of things, should not both sides be fighting for the same thing? Shouldn’t pro-life and pro-choice advocates ultimately want no abortions? Having the “right” or not, wouldn’t it be best if there were no need? To add to this point, I would like to say I support legislation that ends government funding of non-profits such as Planned Parenthood. It is the citizens job to support charities, not the government and politicians.
I am sorry I can’t give you the definitive, “I will stop abortion!” comment that so many other Republican politicians say while campaigning. I am honest and try to be realistic. I don’t make false promises.
As for the military, spending is on two levels. One is defense. The other is Veterans affairs. Protecting America and its citizens is the primary responsibility of the federal government. While I advocate a balanced budget, we need a military that has the tools necessary to handle conflict in an ever increasing hostile world. Ronald Reagan coined the term, “Peace though Strength.” I am a big proponent of that idea. I do not have a specific budget amount, but know I will make it a priority. As for the Veterans, I am a firm believer that free markets and open competition provide the best services at the lowest prices. Thus I am in favor of using private hospitals and medical facilities to help with the needs of our veterans. Current officials seem to believe the only the VA is capable of caring for our military personnel, There is absolutely no reason why those services could not be contracted though private institutions that are more accountable for their efforts and costs than the government.
Thank you again for your consideration. Like I have stated before, picking a Representative is a very important decision.
Yours truly,
Brian
The Response:
Brian,
Thank you for your quick and clear response to our questions. Several years ago I pledged to write one letter each day to one of our state or national reps. I’ve done pretty well considering age and computer breakdowns. it gets very frustrating reading boilerplate stuff which staff writes and then just picks one paragraph from col A and one from col B. It was wonderful for us to read a clear and concise letter for once. Here’s hoping that you make it to D.C. where it looks like you could make a difference.
We both know that abortion will never be eliminated fully, however I would sure like to not have to pay any of the bill. Our Christian faith tells us that we are created by God in His image and therefore we should not destroy that creation.
Again thank you,