Making Sense, by Michael Reagan

Anyone that knows my politics understands that I consider myself pro-life; however, as I have written often, I also recognize that millions of Americans feel differently than I do and that we must continue to respect each other as Americans even though we share this fundamental difference of opinion.

Cartoon by Mike Lester - Rome News Tribune (click to purchase)

But today I am deeply concerned about the use of tax dollars to fund elective abortions.

Earlier this week, the House Budget Committee narrowly defeated the inclusion of language from the Stupak-Pitts amendment in the health care reconciliation bill. That language, drafted by Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak of Michigan, would have effectively prevented any use of federal funds for abortion in the package of “fixes” being considered for the Senate bill.

In November 2009, pro-life members of both parties were able to defeat the misleading Capps amendment to the final House bill, which would have allowed federal funding of elective abortions through a loophole regarding direct funds. This was yet another progressive, Liberal trick to use our hard-earned tax dollars to support elective abortions and more federal mandates on an issue that pro-choice folks ironically say is a matter of private reflection rather than government control.

The Stupak-Pitts amendment replaced the Capps amendment, but the language of the Senate bill — the bill House members are being asked to accept through the ambiguous “reconciliation” process — undoes many of the strides made by Bart Stupak. It, in fact, offers little more protection than the Hyde amendment, a temporary law attached to the budget which could be thrown out during any year and which too many insurers and pro-choice legislators have already figured out how to dance nimbly around.

Thankfully, the Stupak-Pitts amendment may get the attention of the full House of Representatives later this week, and it is imperative that Americans from across the nation let their representatives know that regardless of their position on the issue of life versus choice, it is entirely inappropriate for our tax dollars to be used to pay for these procedures.

We’ve had decades of debate over abortion, and we are likely to see decades more. In our courtrooms and legislative chambers, this heated issue has far to go, and we must see that debate through.

But what we cannot, must not, debate or tolerate for one single moment is the spending of our federal tax dollars to subsidize purely elective abortions. In that, the question is no longer a matter of an individual’s choice but about the full involvement of society. I am not alone in my staunch objection. In fact, the overwhelming majority of Americans clearly support this position.

A recent poll taken by Quinnipiac University showed that voters oppose public money in the health care bill to pay for abortions by 67 percent to 27 percent. Other polls have consistently shown a majority of Americans opposing federal health care dollars for elective abortions. These Americans, all 67 percent of them, need to have their voices heard now or it will be too late.

While I do see this as a matter of life and death, I also see it is a matter of an increasingly intrusive federal government that is forcing a nation that is divided on the issue of abortion to use our collective monies to pay for them.

This is no small matter, and no small majority. Given the opposition Democrats are already facing from the American public with their attempt to ram this health care legislation down our throats, I find it even more amazing that they seem content to move forward with elements that would expand health coverage to women seeking elective abortions.

This is stupid politics. This is bad governance. This is immoral.

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Mike Reagan, the elder son of the late President Ronald Reagan, is spokesperson for The Reagan Nation and chairman and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation (www.reaganlegacyfoundation.org). Look for Mike’s books and other information at www.Reagan.com. E-mail comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com.

Making Sense, by Michael Reagan

Today, Washington is so focused on expanding the size and influence of our federal government at the expense of taxpayers that they are overlooking one of the greatest security risks facing our nation — our failing education system.

Cartoon by Taylor Jones - PoliticalCartoons.com (click to purchase)

Our broken education system is failing America’s children while countries around the world, our own global competitors, are making dramatic strides in educating their future work forces.

The consequences to this failure cannot be underestimated. A 2007 study from Columbia University revealed the scope of the consequences of simply failing to earn a high school diploma.

High school graduates are healthier and more productive. They are far less likely to be dependent on government social services. In tax dollars alone, a high school diploma translates into upwards of $150,000 in the lifetime contribution of one person. High school dropouts make up over 50 percent of state prison populations.

Across the board, the benefits from a well educated population are tangible and undeniable, and yet nearly three out of 10 American students now fail to graduate from high school.

Looking at the results coming out of our current education system, I cannot help but be deeply alarmed. As detailed in The New York Times, Congress heard testimony this week from education experts on the state, national, and international level as part of the culmination of a year-long effort by state leaders to establish new academic standards.

Andreas Schleicher, of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Directorate for Education, testified that, “Among OECD countries, only New Zealand, Spain, Turkey and Mexico now have lower high school completion rates than the U.S.”

He went on to say that, “If the U.S. would raise the performance of schools by a similar amount, that could translate into a long-term economic value of over 40 trillion dollars.”

The personal and economic benefits from a strong education system are clear. Moreover, in a global market, American students must compete in an increasingly educated, productive world. The moment we can no longer keep up, we will have surrendered our national prosperity and security.

In light of this, our country now faces a decision regarding the proposed standards, which encompass achievement goals in English and math from kindergarten through 12th grade. I am pleased that governors and local educators took the lead on his project, but it is my conviction that we must walk a careful line as we move forward in establishing protocols for our education.

Mr. Schleicher’s testimony also revealed that most other successful countries, while utilizing national standards, give local schools a greater degree of freedom from regulation than the American system currently does.

So long as federal taxpayer money goes to schools across the country, the government is right to demand accountability and a return on the investment. But when federal control threatens to stifle the creativity and productivity of our local schools, we must step back and return power to our communities.

Our children’s future, our country’s future, must never be a political pawn in the government’s all-too-familiar gambit for more control. We must equip our schools, our teachers and our children with all the resources they need to lead academically the way we know we can, the way we have done in the past. We must equip local school districts not only with financial resources but with an investment of trust and authority, so that our schools can focus on the business of education, not bureaucracy.

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Mike Reagan, the elder son of the late President Ronald Reagan, is spokesperson for The Reagan Nation and chairman and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation (www.reaganlegacyfoundation.org). Look for Mike’s books and other information at www.Reagan.com. E-mail comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com.

©2010 Mike Reagan. If you’re not a paying subscriber to our service, you must contact us to print or Web post this column. Mike’s column is distributed exclusively by: Cagle Cartoons, Inc., newspaper syndicate. For info contact Cari Dawson Bartley. E-mail Cari@cagle.com, (800) 696-7561.

Making Sense, by Michael Reagan

Well, the not-so-surprising news of the week out of Washington is that President Obama is now calling on Congress to schedule a straight vote on the Democrats’ health care reform measure.

The new twist is that Democrats now recognize that their flawed plan, which has been met with stiff resistance from congressional Republicans and the American people, can only be passed on a pure party-line vote. So after a one-day, photo-op summit, President Obama has decided the time for negotiation has passed.

Cartoon by Eric Allie - Cagle Cartoons (click to purchase)

Now, to the majority of Americans who make their living outside of Washington, this idea of having a straight “up and down vote” sounds straightforward, but in reality it means that Congress will use the controversial “reconciliation” procedure to pass the Senate bill through the House for the Senate to “fix” later, ignoring the wide differences between the two bills which have currently passed. In short, it’s a loophole, and it’s all the president has left.

Today, an amazingly low percentage of Americans actually support passage of these reforms. The RealClearPolitics health care poll average shows a full 50.3 percent of Americans against it, with just 40.8 percent in favor. A Quinnipiac poll says a mere 35 percent endorse the plan.

These numbers would make a reasonable person think that the administration would not want to ram-through a bill with such great significance to our nation by merely relying on a procedural opening. But it again appears that Democrats think they know better than the vast majority of American people. What’s new?

And what will most assuredly haunt the president over the course of this year and leading into the 2012 election is the fact that this effort is in direct contradiction to the president’s previous campaign promises.

While running for office, Barack Obama repeatedly said that on the “big ticket” issues, such as health care, it was vital that policy be made on a consensus basis with at least a 60 percent majority rather than settling for partisan voting blocks. Having lost his “60 percent” majority of liberal senators, it did not take the president long to change tunes.

Mr. President, do you recall saying back in 2007 that “Maybe you eke out a victory of fifty plus one, but then you can’t govern”? Well, I guess you are now admitting what many of us feared all along. You are not prepared to govern!

In President Obama’s prepared remarks, he tries to paint himself and members of his party as heroes who push through this “long and wrenching debate” and don’t “give up because the politics are hard.”

Listening to him, you might actually be fooled into thinking that he’s the outsider pushing against the machine rather than the president pushing against the increasingly vocal — and obvious — voice of the people. And the people are shouting, “Stop!”

His remarks also read, “At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem. The American people want to know if it’s still possible for Washington to look out for their interests and their future.”

He’s got it half right. That is what the American people want to know. But the president cannot show us he is looking out for our interests and our future by forcing a quick, partisan vote on an issue that will impact not only this time but generations to come. This is especially true since he was so adamant in his opposition to using this very parliamentary measure in governance during his campaign.

And he cannot show us that he is listening when polls show that only 35-40 percent of Americans support this bill.

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Mike Reagan, the elder son of the late President Ronald Reagan, is spokesperson for The Reagan Nation and chairman and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation (www.reaganlegacyfoundation.org). Look for Mike’s books and other information at www.Reagan.com. E-mail comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com.

©2010 Mike Reagan. If you’re not a paying subscriber to our service, you must contact us to print or Web post this column. Mike’s column is distributed exclusively by: Cagle Cartoons, Inc., newspaper syndicate. For info contact Cari Dawson Bartley. E-mail Cari@cagle.com, (800) 696-7561.

Making Sense, by Michael Reagan

Today, many grassroots Republicans, Independents and Tea Party members across the country are beginning to feel a hint of buyer’s remorse over the most recent addition to United States Senate — Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts.

Cartoon by Taylor Jones - PoliticalCartoons.com (click to purchase)

Earlier this week, Sen. Brown voted in support of a procedural measure on Harry Reid’s so-called “Jobs Bill,” generating understandable ire. It certainly didn’t help matters that Majority Leader Reid gleefully acknowledged Brown’s support on the floor of the Senate after receiving word of the bipartisan support. And just yesterday, Brown and twelve other Republicans helped Democrats pass the bill with a comfortable majority.

Now, I am by no means in support of this particular piece of legislation, and I can understand why people are up in arms. In fact, I am quite certain that the best way for Washington to create jobs is to recognize that doing so is quite simply not their place and instead release business owners to create these jobs themselves.

American history has shown that our economic progress comes not from political pressure, but from an innovative and productive workforce left free to grow and prosper. Government-funded projects may be able to put someone to work for a few months, but only organic market growth can lead to a true, stable prosperity for our nation.

But today Democrats continue to cast undue regulatory burdens on many businesses, enact policies that limit credit to our small business community, tax small businesses out of business, and refuse to address the need for federal tort-reform measures. We can only marvel at their blindness as they wonder why jobs are not returning and try to shoehorn even more barriers in place as their “solution.”

But back to Sen. Brown and his vote. As many of my regular readers know, I subscribe fully to my father’s 80/20 rule. As long as a Republican elected official or candidate is likely to support the party and its core principles and philosophies 80 percent of the time, I can live with their 20 percent cross-over, especially when compared to the alternative — a Democrat with whom I will disagree 80 percent of the time!

There is no better application of this sound political rule than the case at hand. Remember, Scott Brown is a Republican in one of the bluest of blue states in the nation, and he is brand new to the job. He simply cannot attack Democrat-initiated measures which will be applauded by so many of his constituents, and we should fairly acknowledge that there were Republican ideas in this bill as well.

Explaining his vote, Sen. Brown said, “We need to put partisanship aside to put people back to work. This jobs bill is far from perfect, and ideally would include deeper and broader tax cuts. I supported this measure because it does contain some tax relief that will help Massachusetts businesses put people back to work.”

I can respect his desire to prove himself to his constituents and his willingness to know which battles to pick. He is right to emphasize job creation and putting people back to work in these difficult times. Because of this, while Scott Brown may still have much to learn, I am proud that Reagan PAC contributed to the Senator during his campaign, and we will support him still.

We should all be comforted by the fact that while he may have supported this undesirable piece of legislation, we still know we can count on Sen. Brown’s support to help defeat Democratic attempts to revive the federal healthcare legislation. Who would have thought six months ago that we could count on a United States Senator from Massachusetts to stand as our ally in this fight?

Let’s all give Sen. Brown the room he needs to ensure that he remains politically viable for years to come, so that we have him around when it comes time to debate the types of bills that will have a lasting impact on our nation. In Scott Brown, I see the type of 80 percent ally my father would have been proud to call a fellow Republican.

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Mike Reagan, the elder son of the late President Ronald Reagan, is spokesperson for The Reagan Nation and chairman and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation (www.reaganlegacyfoundation.org). Look for Mike’s books and other information at www.Reagan.com. E-mail comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com.

©2010 Mike Reagan. If you’re not a paying subscriber to our service, you must contact us to print or Web post this column. Mike’s column is distributed exclusively by: Cagle Cartoons, Inc., newspaper syndicate. For info contact Cari Dawson Bartley. E-mail Cari@cagle.com, (800) 696-7561.

Making Sense, by Michael Reagan

This past week I’ve been making the rounds to talk about something which was very important to my father, and which is very important to me: the strength and power of a grassroots movement of ordinary citizens.

Cartoon by Nate Beeler - Washington Examiner (click to purchase)

In the past year, we have seen — again and again — the power of the people to upset the political establishment and steer our country back on course. From town hall meetings to elections, from marches on Washington to shifts among independent voters, the American people have demonstrated their power in our democracy.

I have no doubt that, were my father still alive, he would deeply support this grassroots up-swell. Foremost among Ronald Reagan’s principles were his core belief in individual freedom and his opposition to government intrusion into the lives of private citizens. The Tea Party movement and others echo these sentiments powerfully.

When my father decided to run a second time for the presidency in 1980, I remember how he brought our family together to talk about his decision. He talked about the bellmen and the chambermaids of the hotels he would visit who wanted him to try it again. For my father, it was never about the noticeably powerful. Instead, his presidency was about embracing and encouraging the empowerment of every citizen of this great country.

Campaigning with my father in 1976 and 1980, I worked firsthand with the voters and activists who are the linchpins of our political system. One of the greatest things about our system is that no one person can speak for everyone. In every movement, there are people who disagree, people who want to plow another path. And in every election, we are faced with imperfect candidates who will never manage to represent us quite the way we would represent ourselves.

Too many have blindly condemned the Tea Party movement because they heard one speech, or read one article, with which they took issue. Those people have chosen to dismiss the truth and integrity of the ideals of freedom, responsibility and constitutional limits simply because they didn’t like the look or sound of those who practiced them. My father would never have done this.

Inside the Tea Party, too many have quickly dismissed elected officials and potential candidates because they failed to meet up to every possible expectation. If we are to accomplish our goals, we must remember that while our elected officials are imperfect, they must also be our allies. Moreover, if Republicans wish to have more influence in Congress, we must support the nominated candidate even when he or she was not our first choice.

After all, even my father would have failed many of today’s litmus tests. As governor of California, Ronald Reagan raised taxes. Though he was pro-life, he signed an abortion bill. I often tell people that had my father had to run for the Republican nomination in 2008, he might not have been elected.

As 2012 approaches, and in the critical mid-term elections coming this very year, we need to make sure that we’re not looking so hard for the next idealized “Ronald Reagan” that we miss the real person who has the potential to lead this country in the direction of strength and prosperity.

It is time to turn the vital power and promise of the conservative grassroots movement to bear on putting people into office who will be our allies for the future, and strengthening the allies we already have. As my own contribution to the effort, I have organized Reagan PAC, which will seek out and support those candidates who share the principles of my father and are willing to work for their realization. I ask you to join me as we strive for a better tomorrow.

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Mike Reagan, the elder son of the late President Ronald Reagan, is spokesperson for The Reagan Nation and chairman and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation (www.reaganlegacyfoundation.org). Look for Mike’s books and other information at www.Reagan.com. E-mail comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com.

©2010 Mike Reagan. If you’re not a paying subscriber to our service, you must contact us to print or Web post this column. Mike’s column is distributed exclusively by: Cagle Cartoons, Inc., newspaper syndicate. For info contact Cari Dawson Bartley. E-mail Cari@cagle.com, (800) 696-7561.

Making Sense, by Michael Reagan

This Thursday, February 11, mark the 31st anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution. Iranian leaders, including the state’s religious leader Ayatollah Khamenei, have decided to “festively” commemorate this anniversary by vowing to deliver a powerful punch to the West.

Cartoon by Cam Cardow - Ottawa Citizen (click to purchase)

Just over 30 years ago, with the support of the then-new Islamic regime, radical Islamic students in Tehran carried the banner of their revolution right up through an attack on the United States embassy compound, where they took 53 Americans hostage. Revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini saw the hostages as more than bargaining chip as he built his new regime — they were tokens of power and prestige that became increasingly powerful as each painful month of their detainment passed.

The months did drag on until we saw the magical images of the hostages’ release after 444 days in confinement, coupled with my father’s inspiring inauguration. This marked the start of an era of a bold and innovative America-first approach to foreign policy, when Americans again started to believe that their nation would pursue policies and take actions necessary to protect her people from the dangers of the world, whether in Tehran, Moscow or Tripoli. Sadly, we seem to have lost our way on that front.

It is of great concern that despite a year of allegedly aggressive negotiations with our “allies” in an effort to find a diplomatic solution to Iran’s pursuit of nuclear capabilities, the only tangible results appear to have been increasing nuclear progress and arrogance from the caretakers of the old Islamic Revolution.

These bold and boisterous proclamations on the part of Iranian leadership, in open defiance of the West, are undoubtedly an attempt to keep the focus of the international community and even many Iranian eyes off of their simmering internal rebellion. Iranian leadership does not want anyone to look too closely at the prospects of a new wave of protest by Iranians who are seeking more individual liberties and demanding that they have a say in their individual and national future. Iranian leadership particularly wants to keep anyone from looking too closely at the violent rebuttals issued by Iran’s military, police and intelligence networks.

The Obama administration and their Democratic enablers in Congress have previously failed to recognize that our strongest allies in the important fight against Iran’s nuclear ambitions and international terror efforts are not members of the United Nations Security Council such as Russia and China — rather it is the unlikely duo of our friends in Israel and the millions of Iranians who have followed opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi into the streets. While I am pleased to hear that President Obama is set to announce unilateral sanctions against Iran, and that it now appears Russia is moving closer to support of international sanctions, this is simply not enough.

If he were alive today, my father would likely be mystified by this administration’s unwillingness to embrace the millions of people who are seeking freedom in a nation that has the United States and Israel as targets 1 and 1A. Undoubtedly, my father would have recognized that support of Iranians who are peacefully pursuing individual freedoms is not only the right thing to do — it is also the smart diplomatic play.

By continuing to abide by its ineffective brand of diplomacy, this administration is setting us up for a risk much greater than the trouble of undertaking unilateral sanctions or using other forceful means to resolve the burgeoning conflict. It is time for our nation to send a strong, powerful message of support to freedom-loving Iranians. It is also time to send a message to Iran’s revolutionary leadership that the days of appeasement are behind us.

Today, Americans once again find themselves asking whether the United States and her allies are going to continue on a foreign policy course that encourages dangerous behavior by Iranian radicals while turning a blind eye toward freedom-loving Iranians, or instead takes a stronger, bolder approach that forces these dangerous elements to put an end to their pursuit of nuclear capabilities.

I for one support a policy that severely weakens Iran’s leadership to the point where they can easily find themselves on the wrong side of a new Iranian Revolution. And should our friends, the Israelis, decide to take military action on their own in an effort to protect the security of their homeland, our nation should unequivocally support them.

How is that for a powerful punch, Ayatollah?

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Mike Reagan, the elder son of the late President Ronald Reagan, is spokesperson for The Reagan Nation and chairman and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation (www.reaganlegacyfoundation.org). Look for Mike’s books and other information at www.Reagan.com. E-mail comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com.

©2010 Mike Reagan. If you’re not a paying subscriber to our service, you must contact us to print or Web post this column. Mike’s column is distributed exclusively by: Cagle Cartoons, Inc., newspaper syndicate. For info contact Cari Dawson Bartley. E-mail Cari@cagle.com, (800) 696-7561.