Issues

Our nation is in a crisis. I've spent the past few years studying the issues and having dialogue on how we can take back our country. No one human has all the answers, but we can all agree that we need bold, new leadership with a vision of justice, restoration, compassion and public service as primary goals. The choices we make over the next few years will profoundly impact our lives, and the lives of our grandchildren.. I have no illusions and, as a freshman Congresswoman can make no promises, other than to continue to be a fearless seeker of truth and to be a vigilant defender of our freedoms and liberty. The list below will expand. Please contact me @ 727 734 4192 or samm@sammsimpsonforcongress.com with your questions, suggestions or concerns. Check this page often, as updates and additional issues will be added. This is the people's movement, and I would be honored to be your voice in Congress.

The Role of Congress. The first job of a Congressperson is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic. We must place a tourniquet on the Constitution, our system of justice and our environment. Restoring habeas corpus and our privacy rights, demanding an end to torture and reigning in executive power are paramount. The day of a lobby-driven Congress must cease. I believe in term limits and publicly financed elections. The second job of a Congresswoman is to represent the people of the district. That means all of our citizens, regardless of age, race, sex, creed, religion, gender, medical condition or societal position. It's time for a fresh look at the needs of the people in Pinellas County.

Energy Policy. We must have leadership that stands up to the oil and gas conglomerates dominating our economy and foreign policy. We must begin the transformation from fossil fuels to alternative, sustainable energy supplies - and reinstate strong conservation methods. Using precious farmland for inefficient corn based ethanol is not the answer. I am committed to new methods of energy production - whether solar, wind, hydrogen, hemp, advanced cellulostic ethanol - or other yet undiscovered or revised technologies. It's going to require a change of culture and wise minds to transition our economy, create jobs and protect the planet that gives us all life. I think it can - and must - be done.

Healthcare. There is no question that we need dramatic and fundamental reform. The Government Accounting Office has reported that healthcare costs could bankrupt America (download PDF). 50 million Americans have no health care and millions more have inadequate coverage. Businesses also suffer under the weight of escalating health care costs. Simultaneously, there is a growing American sentiment that believes healthcare is a fundamental right. We need a national conversation to define the basic, preventative and/or essential health care services that everybody needs, as well as how they are delivered. We need to encourage individuals to take better care of themselves. We must find the public/private balance to take care of our citizens, and at the same time, honestly face our enormous debt challenges. We need a systemic approach and should be willing to discuss every possible idea, from free market driven solutions to single payer healthcare, or HR 676,.

The Occupation of Iraq. I agree with Senator Jim Webb (D - Virginia) who states, "There can be no greater guarantee of long-term instability than for the Americans to remain in Iraq." It is time to tell the world we are sorry for our egregious actions in Iraq. I support declaring an end to the Iraq occupation and the measured and reasonable withdrawal of mercenaries, contractors and our military. Some of those billions in war profits should be turned over to an independent agency for the rebuilding of Iraq. Our efforts should go to restoration, diplomacy and reparations to the Iraqi people first, as well as pursuing criminal charges on the individuals in the Bush Administration who formulated this course of action. I've endorsed many of the points in A Responsible Plan to End the War, I've endorsed many of the points in A Responsible Plan to End the War, along with over 50 other Congressional candidates.

The War on Terror. The phrase "war on terror" is propaganda for eternal warfare and for continued occupation of Iraq and beyond. Terror is a psychological state of mind, induced by trauma, shock and fear. This type of war cannot be won on a battle field with guns and bombs. Citizens under occupation are subject to torture, false arrest and prolonged detention as well a lack of food, medicine, electricity, shelter and economic security. Human dignity and the rule of law freedom are denied. Under these conditions, a populous will fight their oppressor using any means necessary. Preventing terrorist acts is best left to intelligence operations that "follow the money", not preemptive strikes on sovereign nations.

Military. We need a strong Department of Defense, not offense. Our National Guard and our Coast Guard should be fortified with a restored commitment to utilization in the United States. We need these valuable resources on our own shores to assist in natural disasters or a terrorist strike. Re-equipping our Armed Forces should be done prudently, with a concentration on human power of intelligence and following monetary transactions, not high tech weaponry or an increased nuclear arsenal with weapons in space (download PDF).

Veterans. Like our foreign policy, our healthcare and the enormous debt obligations, many veterans are in crisis. CBS reported that between 2004 and 2005, eighteen veterans committed suicide each day, which translated into 6526 deaths. The VA worked to conceal these numbers. In Iraq, our armed forces have been pushed to the brink, exposed to depleted uranium, traumatic brain injury, PTSD and other catastrophic disabilities. Some still suffer from Gulf War illnesses or injuries from prior conflicts - experiencing delay and denial. Veterans families struggle under enormous burdens. When our veterans come home, they deserve every possible mental, health and medical treatment available, as well as assistance for their families well-being. I support HR 5470, the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (Download PDF).HR 5470, the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act. We must sacrifice for those who have been willing to sacrifice everything.

Federal Debt. The Federal debt is reported to be $9 trillion dollars. Over the next thirty years, we will see 80 million baby boomers become eligible for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. These unfunded commitments total $55 trillion dollars. According to a report by the GAO, even if we stop the war, end all earmarks, roll back the tax cuts and cut out waste and fraud, that's still not enough to pay off these debts. David Walker, former Comptroller General, says that pushing this debt onto our grandchildren is "immoral." He implores Congress to review all federal programs and assumptions and ask, "What is the proper role of the Federal Government, and how should it be organized, managed, funded and executed"? I agree. It will take honesty, moral courage, sound accounting. The people are ready for truth.

Big Pharma. The drug industry is bent on turning every human behavior or simple ache into a psychological disturbance or serious medical condition. Our culture is satiated with a drug fix for every imaginable thought. The FDA no longer protects citizens from ill-tested drugs. I will push to ban pharmaceutical ads from television and radio. I am also against forced psychological testing of our youth, including allowing schools to demand medications for children "suspected" of having ADHD. Additionally, the Medicare D program should not have a donut hole or forced fines. Not being able to negotiate drug prices is inexcusable. Again, Congress's responsibility is to the people, not the corporation.

Our Health. Our Food. Years of hormones, chemicals, GMOs, food additives, lack of exercise and "too much junk" have contributed to obesity - now the nation's number one illness - and increased rates of heart disease and diabetes. Pharmaceutical companies rule the airwaves with the latest fix in a "pill." I would like to ban these ads - remember cigarettes? Socioeconomic inequalities, lack of access to whole foods and preventative care contribute to lower life expectancy and disease. We should encourage organic foods, seed storage, victory gardens and local food banks. It's time for Congress and the FDA to be attentive to the protection and health of the U.S. population instead of the profits of multi-national agribusiness conglomerates. I support a ban GMO foods (Watch Video). There has never been full scientific testing on the effects of genetically modified foods on humans. Labeling foods that contain GMOs is the least we can do.

Free Trade. Sometimes I wonder if it's become an excuse for squashing the indigenous marketplace, forcing American exports and taking the resources of other lands with thought to labor or environment. Yes, globalization is here, but we need a reasoned and enlightened discussion on the true role of the WTO, NAFTA and the IMF. With the potential for continued climate change and more dangerous weather phenomena, it's time to think more about cooperation and less about competition.

Manufacturing. I'm not an expert in manufacturing-nor do I have a complete grasp of the tax breaks and trade agreements that allow American factories to be sent overseas. But it seems to me that a lot of good, high wage jobs with pensions and protections are gone and they don't seem to be coming back any time soon. But when I get to Congress, I'm going to fight to take back the phrase "American Pride"-currently a bumper sticker, sadly associated with bombs and preemptive strikes-and work to restore our manufacturing base where the designers and engineers of tomorrow-with living wage jobs and benefits to boot-can create products that last for another fifty years. And the true idea of American Pride can be restored.

Predatory Lending and Credit Practices. It's appalling that an American citizen misses a credit card payment and can end up in a never ending spiral of over 30% interest rates, while banks can borrow money at a fed funds rate in single digits. In May, 2008 it was 2.2%. These usury rates must be regulated by Congress, not the Federal Reserve. Millions of Americans are facing foreclosure from sub prime resets. How many of these folks were subject to fraud in the loan documents, the appraisals, the lack of documentation or explanation about "teaser rates"? The power of the "corporate credit complex" and the Federal Reserve, a private banking institution and the "central bank" of the United States since its inception 1913 is enormous. Conversation and education about these issues is critical.

Tort Reform. The Bush Administration is in favor of a "legal shield", where F.D.A. approval "shields" or "preempts" the company from a lawsuit citing damages from the product. I find this deeply disturbing. It leaves little recourse for individuals who have been harmed by products pre approved by an F.D.A. - already compromised from an ideological standpoint - and puts corporate profits at a premium over an individual's right to redress. I agree with David A. Katz of the Federal Court, in the Northern District of Ohio. He said, "Our lawsuits are the ultimate check against the mistake made by the government, or fraud by the companies against the government or just an underfunded bureaucracy stretched thin."

Abortion. There is a profound disconnect in our nation about this topic, with camps touting pro life or pro choice. Since Roe V. Wade was passed in 1973, the number of abortions performed in the United States ranges from 40 - 46 million. That is not a misprint. There is a Hebrew word for womb pronounced raw-kham that means "have compassion on, have, obtain or show mercy." Tragically, we have become numb to the overall effects of these actions on our culture at large. I believe life begins at conception and would never counsel a woman to have an abortion. At the same time I recognize that the majority of Americans say that abortion should remain legal - and utilized in only rare instances. So let's work on making it rare. And that comes from the ground up, not top down. Creating a society where hope and opportunity exist. Where our teens are engaged in civic discourse on how they can serve community and nation. Let's create laws with the effects upon our children as the highest priority. Let's provide sexual education and birth control in schools- not just abstinence. Let's create increased economic and educational opportunities for women. And let's make adoption affordable and viable. Abortion should remain safe, legal and become more and more rare.

LGBT Issues. I oppose a Constitutional Amendment defining marriage. I support civil unions that confer all the rights and responsibilities of marriage. LGBT individuals are human beings entitled to a life of dignity and respect and free from discrimination under the law. I will work to assure that all citizens have their civil liberties restored.

9/11. It took 441 days and four courageous women to demand an investigation about this most terrible attack upon our Republic. Many Americans, including families who lost loved ones, 9/11 responders, architects and engineers, researchers and theologians and physicists are demanding a new independent investigation for those questions that remain unanswered. I concur.

PAID FOR BY THE SAMM SIMPSON FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE.