By Phil Hare
I'm proud to be an American, and of the response our country and military have had since 9/11. The 17th Congressional District understands what it means to serve. We have a rich history of distinguished military service by men and women, young and old, from our community.
We've lost some of our best to this war and others. I served in the United States Army as a Reservist alongside our most committed citizens. I know what it means to wear this nation's uniform. I've always put my country before my political party. I pray every day for our troops and for their families and I will always honor their service.
I'm proud to have the endorsement of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). I'm also proud to have endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police and the Firefighters, our frontline heroes. They know I'll always put homeland security first.
Winning the war on terror is a national priority. It belongs to no party. I'll work across party lines to address it. While the war is being fought courageously by our finest personnel, our nation is not yet as safe as it needs to be. This is a failure by President Bush and the Republican Congress, not our soldiers. One doesn't need to be an expert to recognize we need a new direction in the war on terror to make our country truly safe and that we must do more for our troops.
Here are the main problems, as I see them:
-- The 9/11 Commission's recommendations have been largely ignored.
-- The war in Iraq is not going well because there was no plan by the Administration and our troops have been asked to do too much with too little.
-- Osama Bin Laden is still at large.
-- Afghanistan, where 9/11 was planned, is still not secure and our troops there have not been given enough resources to finish the job.
-- Officials inside the Bush administration reported that violence has increased in Iraq and that the Iraq war is fueling the global terrorist movement.
-- The Iraq war has reduced our ability to combat and prevent terror elsewhere and has taken resources from homeland security.
-- Our soldiers and their families have been asked to bear enormous burdens. The President and Congress sent our soldiers to war without the gear they needed.
-- Our Guard and Reservists have endured additional, extended deployments, beyond reasonable expectations.
-- Companies like Halliburton overcharged the United States for war-time services. Their employees earn more than our troops.
-- The President refuses to give the troops or the people any sort of plan for victory in Iraq. The Republican Congress voted against asking the President to submit a plan for success in Iraq.
-- My opponent seems content with a completely open-ended deployment in Iraq. I'm not.
-- In Illinois, our ports, airlines, rails, chemical/nuclear plants, and communities are not secure enough.
-- Our borders are insecure, there is not enough enforcement of our laws, and our immigration system is broken.
-- The administration and Republicans have pushed tax cuts for millionaires, rather than more resources for public safety or for our troops to help them in Iraq.
These aren't just my thoughts on the issues; they are what our top military commanders are saying.
I'm disappointed that congressional Republicans haven't taken on these tough problems or done enough for our soldiers.
We need to do much more to support our armed forces, truly secure our country, and win the war on terror.
If I am elected, I will work on:
-- Bipartisan efforts to make real progress on homeland security. We need more resources to secure Illinois.
-- Immediately implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission to screen ALL bags and passengers on flights, help law enforcement and all first responders, screen ALL cargo coming into our ports, secure Illinois' nuclear, chemical and rail facilities.
-- Safeguarding our schools from terrorists and other criminals.
-- Improved terrorist tracking. My opponent thinks security means racial profiling. That's over-simplistic at best. I want a real strategy, not a guessing game.
-- Expanding our Special Forces and regular Army, with better pay and benefits, so we can win the war.
-- More for local/regional public safety.
-- Improved handling of Iraq to make funds and resources available to secure the homeland and for our troops/veterans.
Over five years after 9/11, Congress and the President have not addressed these basic needs or fixed the problems. I'll work to change that.
We need a new direction, a renewed commitment to homeland security and to our troops and veterans, and we need an honest conversation on the war on terror. I'll work for tough national strategies to combat threats. I will always put homeland security and our soldiers first.
Phil Hare of Rock Island, former district director for U.S. Rep. Lane Evans, is the Democrat candidate for Congress in the 17th District.
