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Burgess Backs Leppert

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:12:00 GMT

REP. MICHAEL C. BURGESS (R-TX): "Tom Is The Candidate With Real Ideas To Turn Our Country Around And The Tenacity To Fight For Bold Proposals, Like Fundamental Tax Reform, That Our Country Needs To Grow The Economy And Put Americans Back To Work."

DALLAS, Texas – Texans for Tom Leppert announced today that Republican Congressman Michael C. Burgess has given his endorsement to Tom's candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

"As a Texan and a fellow Washington outsider, I know Tom will be a fresh face and bring a new perspective to the U.S. Senate so we can get our economy turned around and balance our budget," said U.S. Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX). "In Congress, I have been a vocal proponent of creating a simpler, flatter, fairer tax system, and I know Tom would be a vital ally in the Senate as we work together to make this a reality. Tom is the candidate with real ideas to turn our country around and the tenacity to fight for bold proposals, like fundamental tax reform, that our country needs to grow the economy and put Americans back to work."

Congressman Burgess, a former obstetrician, was first elected to Congress in 2002, representing Texas' 26th Congressional District, which includes most of Denton County and parts of Tarrant, Cooke, and Dallas Counties.

Rep. Burgess has been an outspoken advocate for fundamental tax reform and has sponsored H.R. 1040, the 'Freedom Flat Tax Act.' Rep. Burgess is also one of the foremost experts on health care policy in Washington and is the Chairman and Founder of the Congressional Health Care Caucus.

"I am very pleased to receive Congressman Burgess' endorsement," said Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Leppert. "I'm looking forward to working closely with Congressman Burgess so we can change the way Washington does business and pass the reforms needed to get this country back on track."

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Tom Leppert Statement On Dewhurst Campaign Announcement

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:41:00 GMT

"At A Time When Families Are Struggling And Washington Continues Down The Wrong Path And Ignores The Tough Calls, Texans Will Choose A New Senator To Represent Them. They Will Have Three Clear Choices -- A Career Politician, A Lawyer, Or A Businessman Who Brings A Unique Conservative Approach To Government. Someone Who's Signed Both Sides Of A Paycheck, Grown A Business, And Cut Wasteful Spending In Both The Public And Private Sector. Who Understands Firsthand How Decisions Made In Washington Affect The Economy. Only One Candidate In The Race For Senate Has Created Thousands Of Jobs And Made The Hard Calls That Are So Lacking In Washington Right Now."

DALLAS, Texas – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Leppert today welcomed David Dewhurst into the U.S. Senate race in Texas:

"It comes as little surprise to me that David Dewhurst has thrown his hat into the ring. Like other career politicians, he has long expressed his interest in a host of higher offices, and I'm glad he has finally settled on the job he wants next.

"As my Twitter followers know, I have been asking David where he stands on a number of important issues. Now that he's a candidate he should be ready to tell us whether he will support Congressman Paul Ryan's budget, fight the NLRB's attacks on Right to Work, call for an end to Obama's offshore drilling moratorium and sign the Cut Cap Balance Pledge.

"This election is about which candidate knows how to spur job growth and restore fiscal responsibility to Washington. The career politicians and lawyers have had their chance, and they've failed. It's time to send a real-life job creator to the U.S. Senate. I've signed both sides of a paycheck, and I've made the tough choices in both the private sector and as Mayor of Dallas to cut spending and balance budgets.

"At a time when families are struggling and Washington continues down the wrong path and ignores the tough calls, Texans will choose a new Senator to represent them. They will have three clear choices—a career politician, a lawyer, or a businessman who brings a unique conservative approach to government. Someone who's signed both sides of a paycheck, grown a business, and cut wasteful spending in both the public and private sector. Who understands firsthand how decisions made in Washington affect the economy. Only one candidate in the race for Senate has created thousands of jobs and made the hard calls that are so lacking in Washington right now."

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Tom Leppert Statement On Rising Unemployment

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:41:00 GMT

While Washington has been telling us our economy is on an upswing, today's jobs report shows that nothing could be further from the truth, with unemployment rising back to 9.1% and momentum carrying us in the wrong direction. Gas prices have skyrocketed as Barack Obama has crippled domestic energy production and small businesses have been hit by costly regulations and the threat of tax hikes.

These are tough times for Texans, and Washington is only making things worse. Congress must act to end the growing debt burden by refusing to raise the debt ceiling without a plan to balance the budget. Just last week, the Senate could have led our country to avert fiscal calamity and begin creating jobs by passing Paul Ryan's Path to Prosperity. The Senate failed to pass this bold plan as Democrats chose false political attacks instead of offering any budget proposal.

Texas must choose a Senator who understands how to create jobs and make the hard calls necessary to reduce our debt. I've created thousands of jobs in the private sector and led Dallas as our region topped the nation in job growth. This success required tough choices in business and as mayor to cut spending and institute pro-growth policies. We can put Texas back to work, but we need to elect a Senator who understands how to build a business and expand the economy.

Bold Reform Needed When Senate Votes On Budget

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 05:24:00 GMT

Proud to Support Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Pat Toomey's Budget Proposals

America is facing a dire fiscal situation we can only escape by electing leaders with experience making the tough calls. I'm proud to be the candidate in this race who has spoken out fully in support of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's 'Path to Prosperity,' which takes on issues others deem too heated to discuss in Washington or confront on the campaign trail. We will not achieve solvency for entitlements, let alone our country, until elected officials show the courage to put their political careers on the line to reach a balanced budget and preserve entitlements. Paul Ryan's plan looks toward the future and is the answer for our country's long-term fiscal health. I would vote for it.

In the short-term, however, I believe we must confront realities that will require us to tighten our belts faster. The fate of American prosperity will be determined over the course of the next ten years. Either we continue on our current path and doom future generations to foot a bill that will leave them with a debt too high to surmount and resources too few to prosper, or we say enough is enough, get America back on track, and continue on as not only the greatest nation the world has ever known but also a beacon to the rest of the world. Conservatives will ultimately pass a Balanced Budget Amendment and Paul Ryan's budget, and right now, I believe we also must pass Senator Pat Toomey's plan to balance the budget within ten years without raising taxes.

Senator Toomey returns non-defense discretionary spending to 2006 levels. His plan also promotes economic growth by lowering marginal tax rates and simplifying the tax code while eliminating special-interest tax loopholes. Obamacare's spending, taxes, and entitlements will be repealed by this budget, and it will implement a Medicaid block grant program to the states, reform medical malpractice, and permanantly reform the sustainable growth rate to Medicare, preventing devastating cuts to doctors.

While Senate Democrats refuse to propose any budget at all, Republicans have now offered two bold plans to move our country forward. I give my support to both. There is, of course, far more that must be done to turn our country around, and we must continue working for more reforms moving forward. But these plans are the cornerstones for saving the American Dream and returning our country to prosperity for generations to come.

Will you stand with me in supporting Congressman Ryan and Senator Toomey today?

Battling Over Boeing

Sun, 22 May 2011 21:39:00 GMT

Jobs in Texas threatened by effort to block company's plant relocation

The Obama administration has launched a battle in South Carolina that is both a strike at Texas and an attack upon America's free enterprise system.

Airplane manufacturer Boeing would like to expand its operations and create jobs with a new facility in North Charleston, but the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has taken legal action against the company because South Carolina, like Texas, is a right-to-work state. The NLRB says Boeing can't expand into South Carolina. It must instead keep all its workers in Washington, where it already has facilities and faces a toxic business climate. Washington is a state with forced unionization, and Boeing has regularly confronted work stoppages by the unions.

If the Obama administration succeeds in this attempt to tell businesses where they're allowed to set up shop and decide where workers can be employed, then it is not just South Carolina jobs that are in danger. Texas jobs are at stake as well, and the NLRB could soon be issuing rulings that companies cannot create jobs here in Texas. And, even further, this will have the unintended consequence of encouraging companies to locate facilities overseas just to be competitive in today's global economy.

Right to work empowers workers and it has fueled Texas' and the nation's economic growth. Rather than forcing anyone to join a union to obtain a job, it gives people the liberty to decide if that's the choice for them. Texas and 21 other states guarantee this right, and studies show these states have all seen stronger job growth, income growth and population growth than states that force workers to join unions as a prerequisite for employment. One economist found that 4.8 million people left their forced unionization states in favor of right-to-work states between 2000 and 2008. Right-to-work states also have better-educated workforces, and even as health care coverage in other states dropped by 5.7 percent between 1999-2009, coverage in right-to-work states increased.

With all the advantages right to work has over forced unionization, it's not surprising that Big Labor and its surrogates on the NLRB are doing whatever they can to stop Boeing from creating jobs in South Carolina.

Since becoming president, Barack Obama has stacked the NLRB with pro-union political appointees. The Senate rejected the appointment of Craig Becker to the NLRB, but Obama made a recess appointment, circumventing the Senate's constitutional authority to approve nominations. And while NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon has yet to even face a vote in the Senate, he is the chief proponent of this dubious legal action against Boeing.

These unelected Obama appointees to the NLRB are telling a private company it's not allowed to relocate and create new jobs. This affront goes to the very heart of what we believe in America. If we're going to turn this country around and revive the American Dream, we must remember where our strength lies. Our free enterprise system is what built this country and led us to prosperity. We are in decline because our own government has taken a turn against the values that made us the greatest nation the world has ever known.

I spent my career in the private sector, growing businesses and creating thousands of jobs in the process. Witnessing this overreach by the NLRB, as well as other attacks on business like Obamacare and Washington's vast regulatory expansion, I can tell you businesses are confronted with a difficult decision over whether to maintain their operations here in the United States. If we don't roll back these government encroachments, American jobs will soon be shipped to China and India at an even faster pace.

Action must be taken to save jobs in Texas and around the country. Barack Obama should withdraw his nominations to the NLRB. If he refuses, the Senate can reject confirmation. This, however, is only a temporary fix. It is Congress' fault that the NLRB has gone unchecked. The board should face broad congressional oversight and funding should be stripped before it puts American jobs at even greater peril.

This originally appeared as an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle. -Team Leppert

Putting National Security Ahead Of Political Security

Fri, 20 May 2011 15:30:00 GMT

Washington is doing everything it can to avoid the hard calls that must be made. Senator Tom Coburn, one of the few leaders who has been actively campaigning for real structural change, questioned this week whether any agreement could be reached to set our country on the path back to sustainability. His op-ed in yesterday's Washington Post makes it clear that the Senate has no intention of pursuing the difficult decisions necessary to avoid fiscal calamity:

The lack of leadership and initiative in the Senate is appalling. As of this week, the Senate has held just 72 roll call votes this year, about one per legislative day on mostly noncontroversial and inconsequential matters. By this time last year, we had taken more than twice that number of votes (152). By this time in 2009, we had taken 192 votes. If we continue to avoid tough choices, we will lose control of our economic destiny and go down in history as the Senate that lost America. Our epitaph will read: Never before in the field of legislating was so much ignored by so many for so long.

[...]

As the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid bears special responsibility for failing to direct attention to the central challenges of our time. His floor strategy seems to be focused on saving Democrats more than democracy. I would relish a debate on tax earmarks, spending cuts and competing budgets (if there were competing budgets), yet the votes he seems most interested in scheduling—such as tax breaks for big oil companies—are designed for short-term political gain rather than long-term deficit reduction.

Senate leadership is stonewalling. They would rather risk our country falling apart than cut wasteful spending and find commonsense entitlement reforms that will prevent our country from going bankrupt.

I did not run for Senate so I could go to Washington and toe the line. I'm the candidate who has made tough choices in both the private and public sectors, and I'm determined to do the same in the U.S. Senate. I know how to bring both sides to the table, and I understand the urgency of meaningful action. As Senator Coburn explains:

History has not been kind to republics that pretend they can borrow and spend beyond their means indefinitely. We can cheat history, but only if we act quickly. If senators put our national security ahead of our political security, the American people will see there is no problem we cannot solve. Let the debate begin.

He's exactly right. Reining in our debt is no doubt a matter of national security, and we need leaders who will "put our national security ahead of our political security." We must act now.

The IMF Is Ushering America Into Bankruptcy

Mon, 16 May 2011 19:13:00 GMT

Imagine the following scenario: Your irresponsible teenage son has spent far beyond his monthly allowance. As a result, he's overdrafted his bank account and incurred a nasty bank fee. Now, as a parent struggling to pay your own bills, which of the following two reactions would you choose? Would you be inclined to discipline your child and make him pay his debt? Or would you think it better to increase his future allowance in the hope he stays on budget next time? Any responsible parent knows the answer to this simple question. Only in Washington could this sort of common-sense, kitchen-table logic be puzzling.

American taxpayers are the single largest contributors to the International Monetary Fund, an organization that claims to promote economic development by stabilizing currency exchange rates. But over the past several years, while families and businesses have trimmed budgets to address the financial hardships they've faced, the amount of our money that has been made available to the IMF has more than doubled. Few Americans yet know about the tab coming due. But with the IMF making ever-bigger, ever-riskier loans to seemingly any nation with its hands outstretched, America will soon be stuck with yet another bill we and our children will have to pay.

Since Barack Obama's election, IMF intervention has reached fever pitch with the administration giving its support to bailout after bailout. Proponents of these foreign bailouts assert they are nothing more than prudent and temporary loans that will stabilize markets, serve everyone's interests and ultimately be repaid. But the people making these dubious claims are not the average U.S. taxpayer—they're multinational organizations; they're big-dollar bankers with a lot on the line; most frequently, they're the debtors themselves.

If all this sounds familiar, it's because these worn-out arguments have been used time and again to promote taxpayer bailouts of U.S. banks and industries. Now, big government wants taxpayers to prop up European welfare states that have already proven their obsolescence. The inaccuracy of their claim—that this is indeed a wise investment—is revealed by the facts:

In May 2010, Greece's Socialist government received a massive $150 billion joint EU/IMF bailout. Greece had huge debt outstanding and galling deficits. The three-year bailout package was supposed to give Greece time to reorganize its finances, but deficits have since gapped much wider than projected. The country is further from solvency than before the bailout and is likely headed for a default.

Similar stories abound. November 2010 saw a $113 billion bailout provided to "shore up" Ireland's finances. Ireland, too, had an exploding national debt and yawning deficits. We were told the exact same story: this bailout would be a crucial step in resolving Ireland's financial woes. Six months later, a former high-ranking IMF official predicted Ireland will need another bailout in 2013, when the present rescue package expires.

Earlier this month, Portugal performed the same song and dance. The IMF again extended America's checkbook, financing that country's $116 billion bailout. Don't hold your breath waiting for your "investment" to be returned there, either.

Our domestic bailouts were bad enough—banks, auto companies and the like—this notion that we will extend handout after handout to welfare states abroad without any indication that we will be repaid is beyond any basic standard of financial prudence. In fact, there is little indication that these countries will make the real spending cuts necessary to balance their budgets.

On Obama's watch, Washington has expanded our financial obligation to the IMF, and Obama has even fought to disregard U.S. law that would require the Treasury to report on the bailouts it gives to foreign countries. While the U.S. has veto power over the IMF's bailouts, Obama continues to dig the U.S. deeper into debt by bailing out countries that no one seriously believes will be able to pay us back, and at a time when our own financial condition continues to deteriorate. The U.S. must begin exercising its veto, putting the IMF on a tight leash and calling for substantial reforms. Without these changes, Europe and America can expect to ride the road to fiscal ruin together—like cash-strapped parents giving an ever-larger allowance to their irresponsible child.

This originally appeared as an op-ed in the Daily Caller. -Team Leppert

Tom Leppert Statement On Obama Immigration Speech

Tue, 10 May 2011 22:17:00 GMT

DALLAS, Texas—Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Leppert issued the following statement today in response to President Barack Obama's immigration speech in Texas:

"Washington has failed to secure our border, and violence continues here in Texas. Barack Obama visited the Lone Star State today claiming he has cracked down on the border, and he is pushing legislation that would give amnesty to many who broke the law and entered our country illegally.

"In Texas, we know Washington's failed policies will only encourage illegal immigration and make it more difficult to enforce the law. It is disappointing the Obama Administration has decreased the enforcement of our country's immigration laws and cancelled initiatives for new border protection technology.

"Texans support immigration—legal immigration. Immigration has bestowed vast benefits on America in commerce, business and trade. But illegal immigration is a crisis for Texas and other border states, and Washington has refused to act. As President, Barack Obama has an obligation to enforce our nation's laws and keep us safe. Here on the southern border, we're still waiting for action."

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Statement On The Death Of Osama bin Laden

Mon, 02 May 2011 17:44:00 GMT

We all remember where we were on September 11, 2001, when we saw the Twin Towers fall, witnessed the devastation at the Pentagon, and heard the story of the heroes who gave their lives in a Pennsylvania field. Now, we will all remember where we were when we learned the man responsible for those attacks was brought to justice by the brave men and women of our armed forces. The families of those murdered on September 11th and of the soldiers who gave their lives in the War on Terror have waited far too long for this day, but it is truly a victory for them, for all of our troops, and for the United States of America.

We must remain vigilant and remember this fight is far from over. The rest of the al Qaeda network must be destroyed, and justice must still be served on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who planned the attacks on our country, and other terrorists. We cannot rest until we have a final victory over radical Islam.

Washington's Newest Bailout: European Welfare States

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 14:53:00 GMT

Once more, our taxpayer money is about to be spent on yet another bailout.

You didn't know?

Unfortunately, Congress mistakenly bailed out failed banks and the auto industry, but did you know our money has also been handed over to fund public pensions in Greece and bank bailouts in Ireland? Now Portugal is expected to request a bailout worth more than $100 billion from the European Union and International Monetary Fund. Spain and Italy will probably be asking for a bailout soon.

And who is the single largest contributor to the IMF? – YOU.

The truth is that the federal government has left us on the hook to foreign governments and other foreign entities. Under Barack Obama, Washington has greatly increased our financial obligations to the IMF. The sovereign debt crisis in Europe is going to take the United States even deeper into debt, and Obama has even stated he would disregard U.S. law that would require the Treasury to report on the funding it gives to the IMF. And this at a time when our deficits and debt continue to spiral out of control and our ability to fund our own priorities in the future is more and more in doubt.

Washington has our country charging over a cliff. Rather than trying to get us turned around, they latched onto a rope that will pull us off the edge right along with the European welfare states.

Enough is enough. Congress must act to stop borrowing even more from China just so we can pay for the mistakes of Europe. We have decades worth of our own mistakes to pay for already.

Real Reform Or Bust

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:19:00 GMT

Jim DeMint, one of the Senate's strongest conservative voices, was spot-on Wednesday on the Laura Ingraham Show. Last year, Senator DeMint correctly predicted that Obamacare would be Barack Obama's Waterloo. Republicans were successful in the last election because conservative leaders like DeMint took a stand for the free market and limited government when Obamacare came to vote. Asked Wednesday whether the debt ceiling could be conservatives' Waterloo, DeMint responded: "If it is, then let it be."

Unfortunately, Democrats have been working hard to frighten voters into believing the spending cuts our country must make are unnecessary and un-American That's what Obama tried to tell us in his speech this week. Nothing could be further from the truth. Unless we take actions to put our fiscal house in order, our ability as a nation to address any situation will be significantly limited.

Obama simultaneously called for a job-killing tax hike. His logic is deeply flawed. A tax hike would shrink the economy and sink us deeper into debt. I believe voters are smart enough to see through Obama's campaign trail rhetoric. But if a well-written speech and teleprompter win the day, then conservatives must still be willing to do what's right, even if that means putting political careers on the line.

We cannot go along with liberals' push to raise the debt, continue spending without restraint, and raise taxes on small businesses. Like Senator DeMint, I would not vote to raise the debt ceiling unless we first pass substantial structural changes, including a Balanced Budget Amendment, to get our country back on the right track.

ICYMI: Leppert Continues Charge In Senate Race

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:22:00 GMT

The fun part of commenting on politics when you aren't supporting a specific candidate is that you get to watch all of the candidates with a sort of, kind of, unbiased eye. No one is truly unbiased of course, which is why I qualified that but in the race to replace retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, the only bias I think I have is that I know some of the candidates better than I do others. And when you don't know much about a candidate, it is easy to get fooled by all of the "operatives" from either side pushing information. And let me tell you, the "operatives" are in high gear in spreading negative information about former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert -- if you don't believe me just follow the Twitter hashtag of #txsen for a few days and you'll see what I'm talking about. Be careful though -- you could drown in that sea of muck.

The thing is, most of the time when I look into one of these negatives, I find out that it isn't exactly the truth, if you know what I mean. For instance, one guy on Twitter keeps insisting that Leppert has a liberal record on taxes as mayor. Really? Well, in a word, no, he doesn't. In 2007, his first year, Dallas City Council did raise taxes but over the objections of the new mayor. Then, in 2008 and 2009, they listened to him and rejected increases. In 2010, he lost the fight again, with the City Council approving a 6.5% tax increase. If I were Politi-Farce, I'd say this charge was False, in the vein of Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire.

Or they take the fact that he participated in a gay pride parade as proof that he supports gay marriage or civil unions. Forget that he hasn't endorsed this position and in fact has stated the opposite, he was photographed wearing a rainbow ribbon in a parade! You know what this reminds me of? The time someone found out that I had started attending a church in Houston called Ecclesia, which is located in the heart of Montrose. Why, there are homosexuals that attend that church!, they said. Yeah, says I, just as there are also cheaters, liars, swindlers, thieves, and gossips in your church. Your point?

My point is that we need to learn, as Republicans, that our conservative ideas should be spread far and wide, to every social group, not just people that agree with us 100%. Just as Ecclesia Pastor Chris Seay has decided to show the Montrose community the love of Christ rather than be the moral police of the community. As mayor of Dallas, was it not Leppert's duty to be responsive to all citizens, even if he didn't agree with them on every issue?

Of course, not every charge is false. Leppert did in fact donate $1,000 to Democrat Ron Kirk in 2002 when Kirk was running for Senate. He also has given to Jim DeMint, Jeb Hensarling, David Vitter, George W. Bush, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Daniel Inouye -- in other words, a whole lotta Republicans over a whole lotta years. You'll have to decide if his contribution to a Democrat automatically excludes him from your vote.

Enough of that -- this isn't an endorsement, it is only an attempt to get you to look beyond the rhetoric of political "operatives". You should do that for all candidates in all races. Right, I know, time is limited. All I can say is that doing it this way is the only way you can find the truth about a candidate -- you either take voting seriously or you don't.

Now, finally to the headline! Yeah! The Tom Leppert for Senate campaign released yet another great video today. Say what you want about the candidate, his team is easily producing the best campaign videos. Not even close for the other guys and gal. Check it out:

Once again, straight and to the point. And I love the fact that he looks at the budget problems as "opportunities" to right this ship: the glass is half-full! I'm tired of pessimism!

I think the case for or against Tom Leppert will eventually boil down to this question: is the City of Dallas better off today because he was Mayor? If it is, and his team can get that message to voters, he has a shot at pulling a rabbit out of the hat. If Dallas is not better off, no amount of slickly produced ads will help him.

Leppert continues Charge In Senate Race
David Jennings, Houston Chronicle's Big Jolly Politics Blog, April 14, 2011

Leppert Raises $1.1 Million During First Month Of Senate Campaign

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:52:00 GMT

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Leppert announced today that he raised $1.1 million in the first quarter of 2011. While his opponents entered the race well before him, Leppert announced his candidacy in late February, giving him only one month to fundraise during the quarter. Along with a personal investment of $1.6 million in his campaign, Leppert now has $2.6 million cash on hand. This significant early fundraising indicates the base of support Leppert needs to continue expanding his campaign.

"Thank you to all the supporters who have invested in my campaign to elect a real Texas conservative to the U.S. Senate. I announced my candidacy just over one month ago, and I am gratified by the support I've already received," said Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Leppert. "As I've talked to Texans, small businessmen and women, and the Republican grassroots, it's been clear they're looking to elect a real Texas conservative to the U.S. Senate who understands how to tackle the fiscal and economic issues facing our nation. We've got great momentum behind our campaign, and I'm looking forward to continuing to grow our support across Texas."

Serious Leadership

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:27:00 GMT

We can change politics as we know it. We have an opportunity to begin addressing the fiscal mess in Washington.

Liberals are already on the attack because we're bringing an end to Barack Obama's reckless spending and spiraling debt. With deficits over $1.5 trillion and debt of $14-plus trillion, roughly the size of our entire economy, we can no longer "kick the can down the road."

It's time that our country make some tough choices. This is our moment of truth. It won't be easy, but we will never get our country back on track unless we confront this fiscal crisis head-on.

Many Republicans will be afraid do what's right, but this is no time to back down. We need leaders willing to stand on principle, regardless of the consequences.

I will always fight for what I know is right. That's what it means to be a serious leader. I'm not a career politician and I didn't expect to be in this position. I'm a businessman. I didn't run for U.S. Senate so I could toe the line. I ran because it's time for a leader who understands the fiscal and economic challenges facing us, knows how to make the tough decisions and has made those tough choices both in the private and public sectors.

Rhetoric is not the answer. Solutions that move our country forward are the answers we need.

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan this morning released his "Path to Prosperity" plan, which will cut $6.2 trillion from Obama's budget over the next 10 years. This plan takes on the issues that others deem too heated to discuss in Washington or confront on the campaign trail.

What will this plan do? First and foremost, it drastically reduces spending. It reforms welfare, including corporate welfare, and it ends "too big to fail" for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The tax code will be reformed by eliminating burdensome loopholes, while at the same time assuming top individual and corporate tax rates of 25%, which will boost job growth. Congressman Ryan doesn't back away from the so-called "third rail of politics," entitlement reform. He takes a sensible approach to getting spending under control while preserving Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security for all who rely on them, as well as future generations.

The Heritage Foundation estimates these reforms would cut unemployment to 4% by 2015 and raise the average family's income by $1,000 each year.

With any plan so bold, there are parts that we agree with more than others, and there are some elements that still need to be added. All these issues will be addressed, but right now, we need to welcome the Path to Prosperity for its visionary approach.

Will you stand with me and Congressman Ryan today? Sign our petition supporting the Path to Prosperity and get 10 of your friends to sign also.

We need to show the big-spenders in Washington that we're serious about making the hard calls.

New Study Shows Even Higher Costs Of ObamaCare

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:19:00 GMT

Obamacare is now over a year old, and every day we learn more about just how bad this law is. Today, Senators John Cornyn and Orrin Hatch released the results of an analysis they commissioned last fall from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Office of the Actuary (OACT). It paints an even bleaker picture of what this law will cost taxpayers, and it shines more light on Obama's false claims that Americans could keep the health coverage they already have.

From the OACT Analysis:

When combined with the new Medicaid spending, OACT found that the total costs of the new health law could reach $1.56 trillion just through 2021.

Additionally, OACT's sensitivity analysis found that:

If just 50 percent of employers drop coverage, an additional 13.9 million Americans would lose their employer sponsored insurance, despite the President's repeated promises that Americans could "keep what they have."

Under OACT's original estimates, taxpayers would spend $45 billion for benefits that employers were already providing on their own.

Additionally, OACT found Medicaid spending will be far higher than initially estimated: $410.3 billion (2010-2019) to $725.3 billion (2010-2021).

I signed the Club for Growth's Repeal It pledge because we can't afford this job-killing health care bill.

Stand with me in fighting this law, which is raising insurance premiums, hiking taxes, adding to our debt, and reducing our quality of care.

Sign our petition today to tell Washington we want to repeal Obamacare and pass real reform that will reduce health care costs and stop abusive lawsuit practices.