On The Right

I would like to thank Mrs. Morton for taking the time to answer these questions and I wish her luck in the 5th District Republican primary. You can visit her campaign website here, here facebook group here, and her twitter here.

1. Do you believe that we should increase defense spending and concentrate more of it on 21st century weapons systems and on irregular warfare capabilities, so that we can be more prepared to counter terrorist threats?

FM: Our military is assigned the duty of protecting our liberties and is an instrument of global freedom. A strong military strengthens international relationships and maintains our role as a stabilizer for peace.

Yes we need to increase defense spending to at least 4 percent of the GDP and be prepared for a variety of threats or needs that the military may be called upon to do. We need to be prepared in the air, on the sea, space, counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. Funding for the military is an investment in peace at home and abroad. Down sizing by Clinton and 8 years of wear and tear demands that we upgrade so that our men and woman can be properly equipped to carry out their orders in a timely and safe fashion.

2. Do you support going to war with a country that harbors terrorist that attack the United States or harbor terrorist groups that threaten American interest? Do you support pre-emptive wars against these group?

FM: The war is on terrorism. which is an entity unto itself. The fact terrorists reside in and use certain countries for their bases may or may not be a matter to go to war over. Negotiations with countries to gain their support, help and agreement to fight the terrorists together seems to be a much more effective means of defeating the real problem.

If attacked as in 9/11 and to that degree of destruction, pre-emptive measures may be necessary, but only if we know who our enemy is, we have a plan for getting in, taking care of the problem and getting out in a reasonable amount of time. I lived through Vietnam and never want to see our soldiers put in that type of war again. I have 3 sons at Virginia Tech in the Army ROTC program and they will be serving our country. I would want to know that when their lives are put at risk it is for a justifiable reason and not for some political gain or statement. Right now our soldiers need more back up support and equipment in Afghanistan. If you are going to send them in to do a job, give them what they need to do it and let them do it and then come home. I think Israel usually does it right. Warn and then attack back and attack back hard enough to defeat the problem. I never want to fight a war on American soil.

3. How would you punish countries that harbor terrorist groups that attack the U.S. or U.S. interests overseas?

FM: If a country like Pakistan continues to support the Taliban, remove military support and help. We don’t want weapons and equipment getting into the wrong hands, if a country is playing both sides against the middle.

Countries like North Korea and an uncooperative Pakistan or Iran would need punitive sanctions against them from the U. N. Attention needs to be given to both ends of the proliferation problem and the U S needs to stand firm that principles of compliance, conditionality, reciprocity, and verification are carried out.

We must have a rigorous and intrusive verification mechanism. Dangerous countries must have required inspections to see that they are following policies dictated by the United Nations and/or the United States of America.

International support to help apply sanctions and to build support in the U.N. against aggressors is necessary. We must use our strength in the world to hold the people and the countries accountable so that they will help fight against the terrorists.

4. How do you feel the detainees at GITMO should be handled and are they entitled to Constitutional rights?

FM: If they cannot be tried and are unsafe to be let go, they must be detained. They are enemies of the country and have no American rights under our Constitution. GITMO cannot be closed until a viable alternative exists. Judges cannot order the release of these combatants into the United States. We are at war and must view how we deal with combatants under the laws of armed conflict rather than criminal law.

5. What ways would you support in deterring Iran from obtaining nuclear arms?

FM:America needs to pull together a coalition of nations who would be in harms way if Iran were to get nuclear capability. The Persian Gulf area would need a strong American military presence in the air and at sea. Intelligence forces as well as military and other security entities should cooperate with Iraq, Israel, Turkey and other countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Strength in numbers would better prepare the area for knowledge of an attack from Iran. The unpredictability of Iran’s leadership makes united efforts necessary to better contain and control Iran’s behavior.

We also need to point out the human rights abuses as well in Iran to their people and that America stands with the Iranian people.

Along with the nations above, America should seek to have the strongest possible sanctions imposed on Iran and then be sure that the citizens of Iran are aware of the impact their nuclear weapon’s program is having on their economy and nation

We need to prevent needed materials from getting to Iran to finish their weapons. Strengthen proliferation security initiatives and have permission ahead of time to board ships sailing under other country’s flag.

We need enhanced missile defense systems to counter Iranian ballistic missiles. This would mean to join with and help protect states threatened by Iran in Europe and the Middle East, particularly Israel.

Finally, continue to build democracy in Iraq and stand firm there to keep Iran at bay.

6. Since the U.S. spends 4.6% of its GDP on education, this equates to over $10,000 per student per year, but test scores have been flat since the 1970′s. Would you support legislation that gives parents a choice in schools, such as tax credits for private school tuition, charter school programs, public school choice, or virtual learning programs?

FM: As an educator and mother of 5, I have experienced educational choice. I strongly support the right of parents to be able to choose the best form of education for their children that they deem appropriate. I have taught in public education for 17 years, home schooled my children for 9 years and taught in a private Christian school for 8 years. My children have been taught at home, in private school and in public schools as well. Tax credits or vouchers would have been a blessing to us, as I had to give up my teaching career and the income to be home with my children. Parents truly want what is best for their children and our public schools have not stepped up to the plate in the past 40 years. My experience is that the curriculum has been weakened and expectations of children are not high enough. Competition is the best thing that can happen to public education along with strong reforms which show real improvement in students test scores indicating proficiency with core knowledge. Florida is making some real head way with minorities. In Virginia, Standards of Learning have been good to initially help focus on specific groups of children who were slipping between the cracks.

7. Since nuclear energy provides clean energy, would you support legislation that would streamline the permitting process for new nuclear power plants or new reactors at current nuclear facilities?

FM: Yes, most definitely. I have been a supporter of clean, efficient, carbon free, always available, job creating nuclear power. Shortening the permit process from 4 to 2 years for companies who have already proven themselves capable of meeting the construction standards and safety standards needs to move forward to get more reactors on line to help reduce the cost of energy for all Americans.

8. Bob McDonnell championed offshore drilling off the Virginia coast, as well as nuclear power and other types of energy exploration in Virginia, will you support this from a federal standpoint and will you support legislation that makes all sources of energy in the U.S. accessible?

FM: Yes, we are hamstringing our country by not using the available resources we have. There is no need to risk our economic well being or national security when we have what we need right here at home.

9. The U.S. is more and more becoming a welfare state, since the 1930′s there have been over 70 different types of “means tested” welfare programs created, how can people on these programs be empowered out of them?

FM: Programs need to be evaluated for effectiveness, reformed or de-funded. There are two many programs that are never held accountable and stay in place competing for and demanding continued funding while wasting our tax dollars.

These programs are set up to be self perpetuating because they are based on household income which deters marriage or employment. States also get more federal dollars the more welfare recipients they have. So no brainer that it is going to expand and grow as people and states figure out how to butcher the fatted calf.

Interestingly though one program was reformed significantly. Aid to Families for Dependent Children increased dramatically from 1965 to 1995 from 1 to 5 million dollars and was replaced with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

The states were given a flat amount of money and were allowed to keep money they saved by getting people trained and out on their own off the rolls. Half of the recipients had to be working or in training for work to become employed. There was also support for marriage to strengthen the family. 75% of single moms would be out of poverty if they married the father of their child. This is good for the child and good for society as a whole.

In 10 years the number of case loads dropped by 60% and the number of children in poverty dropped by 1.6 million with the greatest impact showing up in black children with the poverty rate dropping the lowest it had been in the national history in 2001.

Unfortunately, Obama took $5 billion of the stimulus money and put the old process back in place increasing the number people back on the welfare rolls.

10. In the last year the federal government has wasted $13 billion on earmarks, $25 billion on unused federal property, $60 billion in cooperate welfare, and $55 billion in annual program over-payments, how do you propose to end these forms of waste of the taxpayers’ money?

FM: The government needs to stay out of the private sector. There is no constitutional authority for the government to take billions of our tax dollars and bail out inept businesses and banks. This cooperate welfare is wrong.

Earmarks are a national travesty. There were almost 10,000 earmarks in 09. I will not vote for earmarks and will support legislation to prevent earmarks from being attached to bills. I support a one bill one vote policy so that we can have real transparency and understanding of what it is that we are voting into law.

Unused federal land and property needs to be sold. The federal government has accumulated too much property and needs to sell off that which is costing the taxpayer unnecessarily.

There is also a great need to have government reform and a complete review of all the government programs on the books to determine effectiveness or simply that they are no longer needed and get them and the funding for them off the books.

The money saved from these cuts needs to go against the deficit to save interest rates and to reduce the interest cost on the national debt which will quintuple over the next 10 years if spending is not cut.

11. Do you feel terrorism should be treated as a criminal matter, where terrorist are indicted by a grand jury, captured, then tried and sentenced in American courts or as a military matter where they are found and eliminated or tried by military tribunals?

FM: Military matter. We are in a war and dealing with very dangerous people who want to kill us and destroy our country. They don’t have any constitutional rights.

12. At least 26 terror plots have been broken up since 9/11, some due to the use of “enhanced interrogation”, what is your stance on “enhanced interrogation” of terror detainees?

FM: We are at war with these dangerous combatants who seek to kill and destroy Americans and our way of life. Let the military, CIA, FBI all do the job they were trained to do.

Congress needs to carefully craft the procedures, legalities and framework for military detention that is properly put in place to protect our national security.

Our government must retain the ability to protect certain sensitive documents related to the means of intelligence collecting from being released to the public. Nancy Pelosi’s treatment of our soldiers and CIA was deplorable. She is a disgrace to America.

13. NAFTA and other free trade agreements have increased competition and job creation and spurred economic growth or recovery; do you support more free trade agreements?

FM:Free trade is good. It increases competition, provides more products and jobs. There are some countries we can expand agreements with. I do have concerns when we are buying more than we are selling and our trade deficit is growing daily with China, who is holding billions of dollars of our debt.

I am also concerned about unhealthy and dangerous products being sent into our country that do not meet our standards. Countries or businesses who are doing this need to be fined and held accountable for faulty products.

I would like to see more industries and manufacturing enticed back into American by making it more business friendly by reducing taxes and regulations, particularly the capital gains tax and corporate taxes. The United States has the second highest corporate tax rate in the world and is the only developed country that taxes the foreign profits of its businesses.

14. The U.S. pays $5 billion to the United Nations a year, while the U.N. goes against the U.S.’s interest in the world at times and is controlled by corrupt nations; how could this relationship, where we are the single-largest contributor to the U.N., be reformed?

FM: As the largest financier of the United Nations, the United States should use its influence to press for reform. Congress should withhold funds if the United Nations does not work toward reform of multiple issues dealing with corruption, waste, sexual abuse and incorrect peace intervention into world issues like Rwanda and Darfur where it caused more harm than good.

We must push the U.N. for the following things

1. Stand up for human rights and freedoms

2. Oppose the Defamation of Religions resolution

3. Reform of the Human Rights Council, actually has members from abusive nations on its council.

4. Stand up aggressively against terrorism

5. Peace keeping reform to prevent corruption, fraud, sexual abuse and general mismanagement.

If countries within the U.N. do not comply the United States needs to be willing to pursue alternatives with other countries outside of the U.N. to get to the solution of the problem We cannot allow corrupt nations to use their votes to control and direct policy that is detrimental to America.

15. Employee health benefits are not taxed, but those who buy insurance not through an employer have to use after-tax wages, how do you feel this issue can be fixed and do you think employee health benefits should be taxed?

FM: There should be a level playing field so that all Americans can have access to health care. The current system provides over 200 billion dollars of tax subsidies to those who are more able to afford health and provides no tax breaks for the many uninsured and lower income Americans who are paying premiums with after tax dollars.

It seems to me that we should be helping those who need it most and do away with the subsidy through employer programs and give out tax credits or a tax deduction to help those who need help with health care

Part of the rational is that with the cheaper easier health care we tend to over use it and are less price sensitive which drives up cost. That is a major concern today, so if we can reduce cost and help more of the lower income be able to afford health insurance then that would be a good thing for all Americans.

16. You support the fair tax plan, but the chance of that being signed into law any time soon is slim to none, what other ways could be used to reduce American’s tax burden? Do you support abolishment of the death tax? Do you support cutting taxes on international businesses who locate in the U.S.?

FM: I agree that getting the Fair Tax in which is at the top of my list as an alternatives to our current tax code is very slim.

I totally support abolishing the Death Tax. It is a detriment to business. It does not encourage saving or investing in the future. 1.5 million jobs can be created by abolishing the Death Tax. Let Americans keep what they have earned and pass it on to the next generation to grow and prosper and create more jobs. We must have wealth to create business and jobs.

I also support cutting taxes on international businesses which I addressed earlier.

Taxes on social security needs to go as well. This is totally unfair to those who have worked their whole lives and live on fixed incomes to have to pay taxes on what they get.

17. Do you support Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s proposal to create the Consumer Financial Protection Agency and why or why not?

FM: Absolutely not. This piece of legislation is just more of Geithner’s big government micromanaging and will raise cost to consumers, reduce the number and kind of products available and cause a lot of confusion between states over consumer laws.

18. With groups such as ACORN and other groups being involved in voter fraud and voter registration fraud, do you support a law requiring all voters in federal elections to provide a state, federal, or local government ID in order to vote?

FM: Yes, we have to be willing to do whatever it takes to protect our right to vote and that it is not compromised by fraud. This is how we control who is in power over us. We can’t continue to let the ACORNS in the world mess up the best system of government in the world.

19. In Virginia, there have been issues with voter registrars not sending absentee ballots out to military personnel until a week or two before an election; would you support a federal measure that requires absentee ballots to be sent out 45 days or more before an election, so that they can be returned in time?

FM: I support seeing that our military personnel get absentee ballots in time to vote and that we have an extended time to accept late ballots. I do believe there may be a problem with the timeframe that is being suggested as the ballots have to be printed and available so that there is time for the ballots to actually be prepared for mailing and out on time. Some study may need to go into this with the Electoral Boards at the local level to be sure that 45 days is possible to implement under the current system.

Filed under: News