LetterstothePresident

Some Things Shouldn't Change!

At the start of the year, it must be nice to see your poll numbers rising. Things are improving so much in Iraq that even the Democrats aren't talking about the war. The surge has caused a surge in your evaluations. As you said in your Saturday address today, you're still working to bring peace and liberty to the Middle East. May God be with you and your team as you work to find a stable plan that can bring real progress to the Israeli/Palestinian challenge. Don't let Israel give away too much for nothing but words and promises. We need real progress. When Arrafat was left with the reality of true peace in the Clinton negotiations, he blinked. He and the Arab allies were not ready for true peace. Israel was too important as an enemy to hate to afford making peace work. I hope that reality has changed.

Now, that Iowa is past history, your successor is one month closer to being chosen. Will it be Clinton, Edwards or Obama facing Romney, Giuliani or Huckabee? I must say, that America seems to be as engaged as ever in a race that has no clear winners. They are all talking about change as the cornerstone of their campaign message. Yes, change is important, but so is sustaining progress and tradition.

There are things you have done that I don't want anyone to change. Let me list them:

• You've planted the seed of liberty into the very heart of the Middle East. We must keep watering and protecting that seedling. We must stay the course-not change!
• You had the resolve to see this war with terrorism through to victory rather than settling for defeat, and now the surge is working. We must stay the course-not change!
• You've provided tax relief that has generated unprecedented growth in our economy and in federal tax receipts. We must stay the course-not change!
• You've brought sanity to the Supreme Court by appointing conservative judges. We must stay the course by appointing more conservative judges-not change this strategy!

I may not agree with everything you have done, but you have made a difference as President. I thank you for your years of service and look forward to your continued leadership in the upcoming months. Keep up the good work!

A Day to Remember-King, Alito, Bernanke and the State of the Union Address (2-1-06, #157)

Good Morning!

I am watching your State of the Union address while writing this. It has been quite a day. We've experienced the loss of Coretta King, the confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito, the transition at the Federal Reserve Bank from Alan Greenspan to Ben Bernanke and your stirring address to the nation. It truly is a day to remember.

Let me start by congratulating you on the lasting judicial legacy you are now leaving future generations with the appointments of Roberts and Alito. When I fought for your re-election in 2004, I was hoping that you would be able to appoint new, young, conservative judges to bring balance to our Supreme Court. You have given the Democrats a defeat in the one area they controlled-the courts where liberal judicial activism had given them the victories they could not sell America. You have changed that. God willing, these young giants will be with us for many years to come.

Your focus on an advanced energy initiative, healthcare and Social Security are all a must. Our dependence on foreign oil acts as a tax supporting our terrorist enemies; we must look to technology and alternative energy. I was particularly excited about your comments on making healthcare more affordable and portable; if you do not take this ground, the Democrats will. As for Social Security, the sarcastic response by Democrats to the defeat of your plan was disappointing. I hope your bipartisan effort will surface new options both sides can accept; the problem is not going away.

You must keep talking about winning in Iraq. The media will continue to look for failure instead of progress; keep coming to the people. You are handing over more and more responsibility to Iraq's own military and security forces. The elections are done and a government will be formed. Winning peace requires your administration's continued work to ensure minority rights and support freedom and opportunity. Hold your ground on your policy of monitoring communications from terrorists.

Let the Democrats focus on hating you while you focus on building a strong and secure vision for this county. Your Competitiveness Initiative will help do that for future generations. We have a lot to do to make 2006 what it can be. May God bless you and our nation! Know that we support your efforts and appreciate all you do in ensuring the future of our great country. Years from now you will be seen for what you truly have been-one of our greatest Presidents!

In Conservative Support…with Renewed Excitement, 

Terry L. Paulson, PhD

Keeping Focus in the Midst of Distractions (11-1-05, #154)

Good Morning!

I know this has been a challenging month. In my own small way as a columnist, I have added to it. I have called for a sane policy to stem illegal immigration and my disappointment over Harriet Miers. To my loyal republican readers who responded most joined in my frustration, even when we strongly support you in so many ways.

The withdrawal of Harriet Miers from consideration is a blessing in disguise. The CIA leak issue has been narrowed down to Lewis Libby's failure to consistently communicate about his sources, not a purposeful attempt to bring a political enemy down. The Katrina Hurricane is over and people are being helped; the governor and mayor are seen in polls as being more responsible than you. Your reaction after the Libby arraignment is right on-You have a job to do, and you will continue to do it!

They are saying you are wounded. They are saying you should lay low. They are saying that your second term is in shambles. Now is the time to take the offensive. In appointing Samuel Alito, an established jurist with a proven track record in the mold of Scalia and Thomas, you have delivered on your promise. This gives America a chance to see the reason for your appointment; I hope this puts an end to stealth candidates. Let's get the issue out into the open-we want Supreme Court jurists who will let elected officials make the laws and let the court uphold the Constitution. You've given us one! Let the harings and discussions begin.

Secondly, take the initiative on the illegal immigration nightmare. I humbly ask you and your team to read my column. You have to have a balanced approach that starts with securing the border for good. Then the guest worker and the national ID card will help bring accountability to the madness. Take the lead and you will have Americans jumping for joy!

As for the gas price madness and the record profits by the oil companies, they have the right to do what they did, but the public has a right to respond. It is time to put major momentum behind an energy policy that makes sense. First, give financial incentives in support of hybrid and alternative energy vehicles. Second, push for more drilling in Alaska and more refineries. Third, let the oil companies know that if they don't invest record profits in developing new refineries, you will support Congressional consideration of w windfall profits tax. These people have a monopoly. The environmentalists have helped create it, but it is a time you take action to bring sanity back to the market. Oil will still be expensive and that will encourage people to consider other options, but you will be seen as taking the offensive against the very industry they say you are controlled by.

Fourth, take the offensive on your"ownership society!" Use your bully pulpit to push house ownership, healthcare savings and insurance ownership, pension ownership and ownership for a portion of your Social Security plan. Corporations are failing as guardians of healthcare and pensions. Sell people on building a national plan that give ownership back to the citizen.

Fifth, be the Republican you promised to be. Hold the line on spending. Veto some spending bill. Call for a rescinding of Congressional pork spending. Take the offense on bringing some hope to those of us who have always held firmly to limited government. Yes, the economy is doing well and your tax cuts are working and appreciated, but we must keep spending in line to avoid record deficits in the future.

Finally, keep your eye on the ball in Iraq. This is your biggest strength! You are winning the war for peace and your resolve is exactly what is needed. We are seeing that the lack of international support seems to have more to do with oil-for-food kickbacks than peace. The Iraq Constitution has been upheld and Sunni's are signing up for the December elections. The Iraqi military and police are taking more and more of the responsibility to maintain security and uphold the peace. You have taken the war to the terrorists, and they are losing. The media hates to see it. The base is behind you on this. There is no question that you must and you will see this through.

Stay the course on Iraq, but if you really want to make a difference, you can. When you are standing still, the knats have a wave hovering and distracting us, but in movement they are not even seen. You've selected a Supreme Court appointment in the mold of Scalia and Thomas. Now is the time to take a strong and balanced position on illegal immigration reform, work for more sane and competitive energy plan, take a stand for spending cutbacks and work to bring Americans into a true ownership society, you will have this nation soaring! The knats of the CIA leak special prosecutor, the Harriet Miers frustration, the FEMA missteps with Katrina, and the Democratic sniping won't even be on the radar scene.

Know we are with you. Take the offensive, and we will fight alongside you to make this the best second term ever!

In Conservative Support, 

Terry L. Paulson, PhD

Looking at Harriet Miers and Your Poll Numbers (10-1-05, #153)

Good Morning!

Harriet Miers may be committed to you personally but I am not sure she is equally committed to the principles conservatives are counting on to reverse the liberal drift of the Supreme Court. At a time when you have a majority in both houses and the mid-term elections in doubt, this is the time for a fight. With so many wonderful conservative women jurists to choose from, you are betting on your ability to read the heart and mind of this woman. Only history will tell whether your reading was right, but there seems no indication from her history that her principles are rock solid. Anyone who could give a donation to Bill Clinton and Al Gore in the 80's is unlikely to be a rock-solid conservative. With the freedom she will have as a Supreme Court judge, will she show the fickle nature she has already shown as so many Republican appointments have shown over the years? We don't need another "Trust me Kennedy and Sutter will be good judges." If Senator Harry Reid's compliments and Chuck Schumer's smiling reaction to your appointment are any indication of where Harriet Miers stands, we are in trouble. I am very disappointed at what they are calling a "mainstream" selection. Clinton had no trouble staying true to his principles in appointing strong liberals with clear track records. Why are you wavering at this critical time?

You may never again get the chance to appoint a conservative and have the power to see that appointment through. Your loyal supporters were ready to fight along with you to right the drift of this all important court. That you have not taken this golden opportunity to fight for a clearly conservative candidate will hurt the party. You are putting a stake in the heart of the very people who fought to secure this right. You campaigned on appointing justices like Thomas and Scalia. Harriet Miers has not evidenced those kinds of credentials. You are going on your personal assessment when the best indicator of principle is behavior under fire. With Miers, you have no judicial behavior to judge from. This is a crap shoot when you could have been playing with loaded dice by picking a judge with a strong conservative judicial track record. 

I know these last few months have been brutal for you and your poll ratings. Liberal Democrats are holding to their strategy of attack anything Bush, and the media is supporting their efforts. If you think this appointment will in any way appease the rabid Democratic attacks on you, you are mistaken. On the contrary, it will show them that their strategy works! Attacks weaken your resolve to fight for your principles! Ronald Reagan had the resolve to see his principles through to the end of his second term. Follow his example not the polls!

If you move to take a stronger stand, your poll numbers will gradually rise. I call on you to show more restraint with the budget. Don't try and buy the hearts and souls of your detractors by over spending in the Gulf States at the expense of the rest of the country, tax payers and the principles of personal responsibility. You cannot appease the entitlement trained citizens and politicians in Louisiana with any amount of money. It is time that we provide a helping hand without trying to give survivors a mansion. Americans are giving like never before to those impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They don't need a blank check from the government that will set a bad precedent for future disasters. Why take responsibility to save or buy your own insurance when the government will give you more when you are not responsible for your own future?

Show the same resolve you have in Iraq on the domestic front! Veto some spending bills, or shall I say, veto at least one! Challenge Congress to eliminate some of the pork spending they have passed. Take a stand on illegal immigration by securing the border and driving a realistic plan to hold employers accountable for who they hire. You are losing power and support by wavering, not by standing for Republican principles.

I respect you, and I'm still proud to have voted for you. I also know the strain that Iraq and the recent disasters have put on you and your administration. When under stress, it is wise to use principles instead of polls as your guide. The rabid attacks will always be there, but I hope you can listen to your strong supporters that are concerned about some of your recent decisions. As my great uncle used to say, "When one person calls you a horse's ass, don't worry about it. But when four people do, go out and buy a saddle!" As president, you may need to add a few zeroes to that number, but there is wisdom to be found in the statement. If people who respect you are consistently calling you to change your direction, maybe it is time to buy a few saddles! At least as a Texan who rides, you would have a use for them. 

To close on a positive note, your handling of Katrina and Rita has been strong. Everyone wants to blame you, but without your actions and follow-up the loss would have been far greater. The governor and mayor dropped the ball badly and the media is by and large giving them a pass. But most Americans know better.

With Conservative Concern, 

Terry L. Paulson, PhD

Roberts Is Great but Illegal Immigration Reform Is Needed (8-4-05, #151)

Good Morning!

I am enclosing a column I have written in support of more civil dialogue in Washington. For once, I didn't get any extreme answers. I think the angels on their shoulders kept their e-mails in check! Civility is hard to find in Washington these days, especially on the Democratic side of the Isle. They have not power; that leaves name-calling, attacks and delay measures. That does not inspire a vision for their constituency other than fueling the anger and hatred that is keeping them from advancing. In short, as long as you are the target, they won't be moving forward. They will also keep losing elections-anger does not a vision make!

I want to compliment you on the Roberts appointment. His conservative commitment seems firm and sincere. He has made himself a small target with few precedents to define him. As with other conservatives, my only concern is that a lack of clear precedent also leaves us vulnerable to a Supreme Court Justice who can change his spots once approved. I hope your conversations with him have given you confidence that he will stay the course in a more strict interpretation of the Constitution. You certainly will have more opportunities to make appointments with the age and health of some of the other justices. This is a chance for you to leave your biggest and most lasting legacy to the country you love. Please choose carefully and rally our congressional forces to move your choices through the gauntlet the Democrats are clearly putting up.

It's clear you want to introduce immigration reform this fall. I am ready to support your guest worker plan, but only if you make a parallel commitment to add resources and your personal resolve to sealing the border first. To add a guest worker program without sealing the border will leave the Republican party wide open for a third candidate in 2008. That candidate will use the illegal immigration issue to take 20% of the Republican vote and 5% of the Democratic vote. That will mean we lose the White House in 2008 no matter who Republicans try to elect! There is tremendous and growing frustration across the land on the illegal immigration issue, and your failure to show the same resolve at the border that you are showing in fighting terrorism abroad is hurting your support from core Republican groups.

A combined program bringing more resources to the border, more accountability to employers hiring illegals, a guest worker program and a way for existing illegals who desire citizenship to work their way to citizenship will be sellable. Most Americans could support and understand a balanced plan. We can't send 14 million people back, but we can't stop this problem without ending the flood of illegals. By combining aspects of the Kyle and McCain legislation with your own, you can craft a viable plan. I want to support you on this, but I can't unless you present a more balanced approach. You don't have to have my approval, but understand most of America is not with you on this. Please give us a plan we can support.

In Appreciation for Your Leadership,

Terry L. Paulson, PhD

Appoint a Supreme Court Judge who Matches Your Promise (7-4-05, #150)

Good Morning!

I am enclosing a number of columns I have written in support of your efforts including the most recent one on the true War of the Worlds that will result over you appointing ANY justice who supports the values you want to bring to the Supreme Court. This morning when my column appeared in the Ventura County Star above it was an image of the Statue of Liberty holding a baby called Iraq in her arms. Thank goodness some are finally getting the message-you are helping America take a stand for freedom in a country that is critical to the future of the Middle East and thus the world. Your speech was right on. They say they want to hear a new plan, but you reaffirmed the difficult but sound plan of transferring sovereignty and then helping this new government build the forces to defend its own freedom. That is a plan. It is a tough and challenging plan that requires course-corrections and updates as time moves on, but it is the right plan and the only one that has hope of working.

As you approach this appointment, I challenge you to read my column and act like the winners we are! This is not a time for trying to appease people who will never be appeased. As history shows, no matter who you appoint, there is no guarantee that they will remain true to the values you will expect them to adhere to in making their decisions. They will have the freedom to make their own way on the court, but it is critical that your election victory result in an appointment that allows America to come back from the liberal activism that has too often resulted.

As I have said in the column, the change in Senate rules is not the "nuclear option;" past presidents have been far more extreme in their reaction to the courts. To appoint a judge that you support is one of the few checks and balances we have to keep the courts from being too extreme. Clinton had no trouble in appointing liberals to the court and Republicans gave him his right to do so. There are many qualified, young conservative judges who are highly respected and have a track record of opinions that should better predict their future. Don't go for an appointment with no track record to go on. True, they may be a smaller target in passing the appointment, but you have less assurance that they will act to limit judicial activism.

As, along with many others, have known that the Supreme Court appointments that were sure to come this term were one of the reasons your supporters worked hard for your re-election. Please act like the winner you are! You have earned the right of appointing responsible judges no matter how hard the left screams. Listen to them. Let them make their point, but when you pick a qualified judge to fill the position, make sure they are conservative enough to make a difference. We are here to support you!

In Appreciation and Support,

Terry L. Paulson, PhD

State of the Party (6-1-05, #149)

Good Morning!

I am enclosing a number of columns I have written in support of your efforts and in honor of those who have given their lives that we might be free. One of them shares a story that Ronald Reagan used in a radio address; there is not better day than today to remember to say 'thank you" to any soldier one meets. I was moved by your comments on Memorial Day at the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier. We went from there to participate in our own memorial service here in California. Too many are shopping; not enough are teaching their children to remember. No sales for our family; we take a day to honor those who have fallen so that we might stand.

Bill Simon was unable to speak to a group of Republican women on Friday. Since I was free on that day, I stepped in to speak to the group. I shared my own state of the party, and it was meant with a strong ovation. I gave you high grades for you continued stand for more conservative judges; too many legislate from the bench at the expense of the will of the people and the laws passed by our elected representatives. With Supreme Court judge appointments pending, you must stay the course and you are! I gave you strong marks for your resolve in the march for Freedom in the Middle East. There will be statues in your honor in Iraq years from now. I gave you high marks for the ownership society-a push for social security changes, maintaining tax relief, and the beginning efforts to get healthcare medical accounts with major medical coverage owned by citizens. Your supply side approach to tax relief is beginning to pay off-with the economy and federal revenues growing, your efforts to begin to control spending is having an impact on the deficit projections. Keep it up.

I gave you less than stellar marks for your stand on illegal immigration. People are frustrated! Californians don't understand why you are not taking a strong position on securing our border while pushing for more changes. A combined program is possible. I call on you to lead by pushing for a four part program: 1) a secure border; 2) a tough but realistic road to citizenship for the illegals already here (11 million); 3) a way for Mexican citizens to secure legal temporary employment with a requirement for insurance coverage; and 4) secure national ID standards. But until we make progress on the secure border issue, we will not have a solution to this problem.

I'm also including my column on the need for Broadband access in America. I know you have spoken to it, but our future depends upon it. It is the highway the world will use to make dreams come alive. We can't be left out. Keep leading and keep moving America forward. Overall, with red states growing and Democrats in disarray and stuck in Bush-bashing, things are looking good. Even with my reservations in some areas, things are looking up for you, our party, our country and our world! Know you are appreciated for the price you and your family pay.

In Appreciation and Support,

Terry L. Paulson, PhD