George Allen’s Commitment to Virginia Families
“The family is the backbone of our society. Virginia families are under stress as never before in our history, due to a declining economy, falling home values, rising prices and government overreach. Also, wrenching social changes are weakening the foundation that the family is to America’s vitality and promise.
“We must adhere to the foundational principles of freedom, opportunity for all, and personal responsibility for ourselves and our families, rather than accept dictates, redistribution and dependency on government.
“We need to take control of our own American destiny. We are vulnerable to outside forces dues to our dangerous levels of debt and counterproductive energy policies. The good news is that there are proven solutions and achievable reforms to reinvigorate the entrepreneurial spirit of America.
“That’s why I want to offer my commitment to you, Virginia’s families: to work to reverse the overexpansion of government, reduce the tremendous debt levied against our children, protect innocent life, preserve property rights, and stand for families on a range of other crucial issues.”
– George Allen
Click to jump to an issue:
Judges
Life
Marriage
Property Rights and Foreign Treaties
Education
10th Amendment and Federalism
2nd Amendment Rights
Economic Freedoms
Judges
“We must put an end to judicial activism by nominating and confirming judges who apply the law, not invent the law.”
– George Allen
The confirmation of judicial appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts is one of the most crucial decisions made by our United States Senator, and one that will have a long-lasting impact on Virginia families, individuals and businesses. In recent years, we have seen activist judges act as if they were legislators by striking down Parental Notification and Partial Birth abortion laws, declaring that the Pledge of Allegiance violates the Constitution because of the phrase, “one nation, under God”, and undermining our private property rights by allowing eminent domain to be used for the purpose of deriving more tax revenues. In the near future, we are likely to see cases involving same-sex marriage and attempts to invalidate Marriage Amendments approved by the States.
In addition, our Senator will recommend potential appointees for District Court judgeships when the President is of the same political party.
As your Senator, George Allen pledges to:
- vote to confirm and recommend only judges who are committed to the rule of law and understand the proper, restrained role of a judge in a representative democracy, which is that judges ought to apply the law and the Constitution, not invent the law or amend the Constitution by judicial decree.
- vote against confirmation of nominees who believe in deciding domestic cases based upon international laws or other laws not enacted by Americans in our States or the U.S. Congress.
- Introduce legislation to have federal judges and Justices serve for terms, subject to reconfirmation, rather than lifetime appointments.
Life
“My commitment to protecting innocent human life is firm. I believe that life begins at conception and support legislation declaring the personhood of every individual life. I oppose abortion except in the rare cases where the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, and when necessary to save the life of the mother.”
– George Allen
George Allen’s record on life issues is strong. As our Governor, he signed Parental Notification of Minors for Abortions into law after vetoing a weaker version, and issued an order that ended 25 years of taxpayer-funded abortions by changing the State employee health benefits plan to prohibit coverage of elective abortions.
As our Senator, his record earned him a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee. He worked hard for and voted for legislation to ban partial-birth abortions and to prohibit federal funding of elective abortions. He sponsored legislation to prohibit taking a minor across State lines in order to evade parental notification laws, and supported efforts to ensure that abortion clinics do not circumvent notification laws nor encourage the misuse of any exceptions.
George Allen also co-sponsored the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act in 2005, so that mothers seeking an abortion of an unborn child at 20 weeks or more after conception would be given information that the child in the womb could feel severe and extreme pain during the procedure. And, he supported federal funding only of stem-cell research involving adult cells or that does not destroy a human embryo.
George Allen will continue this record after his election to the Senate in 2012. Specifically, he pledges to:
- support the re-instatement of the Mexico City policy prohibiting American taxpayers’ dollars from funding any U.N. or international program that encourages or performs abortions.
- vote to prohibit any federal funding from going to organizations that operate Abortion clinics (not bona fide hospitals) such as Planned Parenthood.
- oppose the use or importation of any drug that is for the purpose of causing abortions, such as RU-486.
- work to reverse the current Administration’s funding of Embryonic Stem Cell research outside of the current lines approved under the Bush Administration in 2001, as well as continue to oppose human cloning.
Marriage
“My stand on marriage is clear: I believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman.”
– George Allen
For that reason, George Allen believes in upholding the Defense of Marriage Act. However, he recognizes that law does not fully protect the institution of marriage. Therefore, he supports not only State constitutional amendments to enshrine marriage as between one man and one woman – like the Virginia Marriage Amendment that he supported in Virginia in 2006 – but also a Federal Marriage Amendment establishing that definition in the U.S. Constitution.
In the Senate, George Allen co-sponsored a Federal Marriage Amendment in 2005.
He does not support same-sex couples adopting children and has called upon Navy officials to abandon a planned policy to allow chaplains to marry same-sex couples on military installations.
George Allen voted against legislation to add sexual orientation to federal hate crimes laws in 2005 after such legislation in Pennsylvania was used as the basis for restricting Constitutional rights to free speech and religious expression.
As our U.S. Senator, George Allen pledges to:
- sponsor or co-sponsor again a Federal Marriage Amendment, which says “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.”
- vote against adding sexual orientation to federal hate crimes statutes, as he did in 2005
Property Rights and Foreign Treaties
“I have always sought to strengthen your Fifth Amendment rights as property owners, not diminish them. I oppose U.N. Agenda 21 and its push to make private property rights secondary to other concerns. I have long supported common sense measures to require government to consider the impact of its regulations on individuals, families, businesses and private property.”
– George Allen
George Allen has a long record as a champion of private property rights and the sovereignty of the United States of America.
He opposed the outrageous Kelo decision that upheld the forcing of people out of their homes, the very definition of the American dream, in the name of expanded government tax revenue, which is not a public purpose. As a Senator, he co-sponsored S. 1313, the Protection of Homes, Small Businesses and Private Property Act of 2005. This legislation would protect homes, small businesses and other private property rights by limiting the power of eminent domain.
George Allen opposes U.N. Agenda 21 and its push to make private property rights secondary to other concerns. He applauds Albemarle County and other Virginia localities that are taking a second look at U.N. Agenda 21 and believes the answers to having a balance between development and stewardship of our natural resources can best be found by listening to the people in their localities
George Allen has actively worked against foreign treaties that jeopardize our sovereignty, such as the Kyoto Treaty, Law of the Sea Treaty, and CEDAW that would attempt to make international laws and treaties superior to the laws of our nation and States. Foreign treaties that jeopardize or abrogate the sovereignty of the United States or commit this nation to unilateral action that will harm individuals and families, put our businesses at a competitive disadvantage with other countries, or that violate our Constitution and laws must be actively opposed.
In the Senate, he fought against CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination. Parts of CEDAW called for legalized prostitution, would undermine laws that protect families, such as Parental Notification laws, and other policies that conflict with the laws of our own land. George Allen also does not support U.S. funding and involvement in the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and does support a Parental Rights Amendment.
As your Senator, George Allen pledges to continue these strong stands against infringements on your rights as property owners and on the sovereignty of our nation’s laws.
Education & Homeschooling Issues
“As the father of three children, I know how important a quality education is to the future success of our children … deciding how to provide for a child’s education is one of the most important responsibilities parents have. Whether they choose public, private, or home education, parents should always be the ones to decide what is best for their children.
“Susan and I appreciate the commitment of parents who are willing to invest the time and effort to ensure that their children receive a quality education through public, private or home instruction. It is important that our government enhances educational options for parents and not act as a barrier to choosing the method of learning which is best for their family.”
– George Allen
Public Education
Public education in America has for too long has been hindered by a federal government that believes Washington bureaucrats know better than parents and local and State school boards how our children should be educated.
George Allen believes that education policy should be decided and implemented at the State and local level, where it can be most responsive and accountable to parents and schoolchildren. As Governor, he fought federal intrusion into Virginia education and worked with parents, teachers, administrators and legislators to reform Virginia public education, raise academic standards and make our schools accountable to parents, students and taxpayers.
In the Senate, George Allen introduced the “Flexibility for Champion Schools Act” to ensure that unnecessary federal intrusion does not cause States, such as Virginia, with successful accountability programs in education to have to dumb down their higher academic standards to comply with the one-size-fits-all standards of federal bureaucrats.
Where public education works well, we should leave it alone. But, where it is failing our students we should look for alternative methods, choices and solutions. Clearly, parents know better what is best for their children than distant federal bureaucracies.
School Choice
Governor Allen has been a proponent and remains very supportive of School Choice Initiatives such as in the District of Columbia, where the federal Government has purview. School Choice has shown very positive results in both the quality and cost of education, especially in urban areas.
- If elected to the U.S. Senate, George Allen will again be an advocate for School Choice/Vouchers for parents and schoolchildren in the District of Columbia and other areas where the federal Government has educational jurisdiction.
- George Allen will continue to support flexibility for the States to have school choice or charter schools as the people in that State deem best.
Homeschooling
Ever since George Allen was elected to Thomas Jefferson’s seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, he has maintained that parents have the right to educate their children in accordance with their values and beliefs – and that the government should not arbitrarily interfere with a parent’s wishes for their children.
A parent’s choice to homeschool their child is a decision that must be respected and must be legally protected.
In 1995, as Governor, George Allen created “Virginia Home Education Week,” and was the first Governor of Virginia to select homeschooled students as Pages and Governor’s Fellows. As Senator, he nominated homeschooled students to various Military Service Academies.
In the U.S. Senate, George Allen was the main, original cosponsor of the “Homeschool Non-Discrimination Act” (HONDA) in 2003 – and again cosponsored the legislation in the following Congress.
HONDA sought to clarify federal laws that overlook or unfairly impact homeschool students. The bill would have ensured that home educators have access to Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), which allow parents to save $2,000 a year in tax-free accounts for a child’s educational expenses.
- George Allen also introduced the “Education Opportunity Tax Credit Act” to allow families a $1,000 per child refundable tax credit for educational expenses, such as tutoring, computers, and computer software.
If elected to the U.S. Senate, George Allen will
- continue to oppose the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child
- support the Parental Rights Amendment.
- work to ensure that the federal government never harasses homeschoolers all federal agencies (such as the military) treat them fairly.
10th Amendment & Federalism
“In the last two centuries as a self-governing nation, we have witnessed a steady expansion of national government power at the expense of the powers of the States and localities. Americans have awakened to the loss of liberty that comes from the erosion of local control and the taking of that control, and community-based decision –making, by the federal government.”
– George Allen
George Allen is no newcomer to the debate over how to rein in an over-reaching federal government.
As Governor of Virginia, he
- led a national effort with other governors to re-establish the balance of power between the States and the federal government pursuant to the 10th Amendment, which reserves to people and the States all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government, and
- issued an Executive Order, “Federal Interference Assessment,” whereby each State agency documented the impact of federal interference so that a strategy could be developed to reduce or end the federal intrusion.
- proposed a Repeal Amendment, without a Constitutional Convention, as far back as 1995, whereby a ¾ super-majority of the States could repeal laws enacted by the Congress.
- proposed a States Initiative Amendment, whereby the legislatures of ¾ of the States could propose and ratify an amendment to the Constitution without congressional approval or having to call a Constitutional Convention.
As Representative for the 7th District, George Allen sponsored a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution in 1992 and worked with his conservative colleagues to successfully bring it to a vote on the floor of the House, even though Democrats had a majority at the time. In the Senate, he again introduced and fought for a Balanced Budget Amendment with taxpayer protection and the Line Item-Veto authority to rein in Washington’s overspending and its encroachment on State power.
George Allen strongly supports the efforts of Virginia and other States to push back against the government overreach involved in Obamacare, cap and trade legislation and EPA regulation of CO2, NLRB regulation of movement of business investment and jobs to Right-to-Work States, and FCC regulation of the Internet, all with the extraordinary costs they will inflict on Virginia families.
For more information, click here to read his 1995 speech to the American Legislative Exchange Council entitled “State Sovereignty: The Next American Revolution.”
As our Senator, George Allen pledges to:
- continue his fight to restore the constitutional balance of power between the people in the States and a too-powerful federal government
- introduce a Repeal Amendment to the Constitution
- introduce a Balanced Budget Amendment, with taxpayer protection and a Line-Item Veto, to limit federal overspending
- work to repeal Obamacare and replace it with personal, affordable health care opportunities
- oppose “cap and trade energy tax” schemes and EPA carbon regulations.
2nd Amendment Rights
“I have a long and consistent record of supporting the right of Virginians and Americans to protect their families and themselves, and I am committed to protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding American citizens.”
– George Allen
George Allen has been a leader for more than three decades in defending our Second Amendment rights, earning an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association. As Governor of Virginia and as U.S. Senator, he strongly supported the rights of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families, which includes their Constitutional right to own and carry firearms.
As our Governor in 1995, he worked for and signed “Right to Carry” concealed weapons legislation entitling any citizen 21 or older with no criminal record to a concealed carry permit.
As Senator, George Allen:
- voted against the renewal of the “Assault Weapons Ban.”
- was the original sponsor of S. 1082, the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act to repeal the unconstitutional D.C. gun ban.
- supported the amendment to the FY 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations bill to prohibit the confiscation of guns from law-abiding citizens during a natural disaster or emergency
- was a cosponsor of the “Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2003,” which allows law enforcement officers, including retired officers, to be able to exercise their State residency right-to-carry permits outside their home State.
- participated in efforts to rein in the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco for abuses similar to those that recently took place in Mexico.
- introduced legislation to allow concealed carry in National Parks
Today, he continues to support keeping federal lands open to use by sportsmen and to permit the possession of carrying of firearms in units of the National Park System.
George Allen believes we need to crack down on criminals, not law abiding citizens. Virginia’s laws, when compared to D.C. and Maryland, prove that focusing on criminals – not disarming citizens – reduces crime.
As our Senator, George Allen pledges to continue to play a leadership role in fighting against encroachment of any kind on our Second Amendment freedoms.
Economic Freedoms
“Virginia families are hurting in this economy. Many of our friends, relatives and neighbors are out of work or working harder for less take-home pay. Many have lost their homes and most have seen home values plummet. Soaring costs for gasoline and electricity seem to have no end in sight. With you on my team we will work for achievable solutions that will rein in our overreaching government, make America more competitive for job creation and unleash our American energy resources for America jobs and our national security.”
– George Allen
Americans are the most productive, innovative and hardworking people in the world. It is not the quality of the American people who are holding back our economic growth – the federal government is taxing and regulating America out of the competition. And it is American workers and consumers who are paying the price
At 35% America has the second highest tax on job creating small, medium and large businesses in the world. 25% is the average – George Allen strongly believes that America should be better than average!
As our Senator, George Allen pledges to:
- work to reduce the tax on small, medium and large job creators to 20%, which would add over 500,000 private sector jobs a year – that’s over 5 million new jobs for Americans in the next 10 years. This will provide America with an advantage, rather than a disadvantage, in competitiveness.
- introduce legislation to create the “Freedom to Choose” Flat Tax for individuals. Let the American people decide for themselves whether to stay with the current code or go with a flat-tax alternative so simple that the entire federal tax return can be reduced to a single page.
- work for passage of legislation to require an analysis of the impact on jobs and families of all new proposed regulations before they go into effect, and require Congressional approval for any regulation with an economic impact greater than $100 million (REINS Act).
- repeal and replace Obamacare with personal, affordable health care opportunities including health savings accounts and more competition and choice
- unleash our American energy resources. America is blessed with the most plentiful energy resources in the world and it is time we stop treating them as a curse. By removing the self-imposed barriers from producing energy – from Alaska to the Gulf to Virginia, including Virginia coal, coal bed methane, and offshore oil and natural gas – we have the potential to create over 1.2 million jobs and generate $2.1 trillion in new revenue without raising taxes. If we are serious about saving families money, jobs, national security and reducing our dependency on foreign oil, we need to unleash our American energy resources and creativity.
Click here to read more of George Allen’s Blueprint for America’s Comeback
