Question:
Nancy from Johnson County asked several questions, all of which I address below. The questions are in bold.

Answer:

A second "Ask Patricia" question comes from Nancy of Johnson County. Her first question deals with our borders and whether I support closing them except for certain immigration points so we know who is entering our country.

I believe that the first line of defense in our national security is to know who is entering our country and why. I fully support the border fence, security cameras and all other measures we can reasonably deploy to keep illegal immigrants from entering into our country without proper documentation. The United States is also at a point economically, and has been headed there for a while, where we can no longer sustain an illegal population that has been draining our educational and health care systems. But above all, we need to account for all immigrants who are entering our country so that we may ensure the safety of our citizens. It boils down to whether we will respect the rule of law and also the fundamental concept of fairness for those who do respect our laws and enter America through legal means.

The second question deals with whether I would be for drilling within our own borders or if I am more interested in the protection of any certain critters.

Again this question is one of national security. Our failure to drill and access the known oil deposits within our own borders has resulted in our dependence on foreign oil from countries who we will never be able to fully trust. This has left the U.S. not only dependent on foreign countries but has left us vulnerable in war. Additionally, the monies we send overseas in buying other countries' oil has enriched the foreign countries while taking wealth away from our own country. I fully support drilling in the Arctic, off our shores and in the states of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming where the oil shale is estimated to contain as much as a trillion barrels of oil.

The third question asks if I think we must follow the Constitution which would mean eliminating dozens of Federal Departments.

Yes, I do believe that the Constitution must be followed, but the big question is how do we get rid of any part of government once it has been created? It is often very difficult to reverse big government and that is why we need people in Congress who will fight to make that happen -- who are unafraid to point out when a certain department is either duplicative or unnecessary to begin with. As such, I would work to co-sponsor bills that achieve this aim -- both in terms of eliminating or consolidating certain federal agencies and/or departments and I would also certainly oppose the creation of any new departments as well, such as the legislation to create a Federal Insurance Department.

Finally, Nancy asks if it was it wrong to increase the financial burden on citizens at a time when we are already broke and would you oppose any and all tax increases?

The passage this year of the stimulus bill at almost $800 billion, the 2010 $3.5 trillion budget bill, and the bailout bills came at an enormous cost to this country at a time when businesses and families are struggling in a down economy. Dennis Moore voted for all of these bills (and more), votes that clearly show where he stands on the issue of prosperity and economic and tax policy. Even in a good economy these votes are wrong because it is not the government's job to spend money it doesn't have or to bail out the private sector.

In the end, the taxpayer will foot the bill for all this spending and the citizens will pay with the higher inflation which is sure to follow. I would oppose ALL tax increases that would be proposed including those that are hidden in bills such as Cap and Trade. I support a limited federal government that lives within its means and an economic philosophy that believes money belongs in the hands of the people.