PIMA GOP BLOG

Remember a few weeks ago when Obama wanted to downsize the Marine Corps and Army to save money? Well, now the US is scrambling to find Marines for possible operations in Libya because the USMC is already stretched thin by Afghan operations. Mr. President, do you think downsizing is such a good idea?

American lives are threatened in Libya and Obama is more worried about "The Assault on Unions.” Italian and British C 130's (American made military aircraft) are evacuating their people. Greek and Turkish ships are evacuating 1,000s of their citizens. The US, meanwhile, hires a ferry that can’t set sail because the seas are too rough.

If Ronald Reagan or George Bush were president, there would be a carrier task force off Libya’s coast evacuating our citizens. I guess those 168 American citizens were not union members so The President of the United States can't be bothered?

Border security is about protecting Americans from the civil war taking place in Mexico. A couple of days ago two Americans - federal agents were gunned down in Mexico City by drug lords. Yesterday Fox News reported on the Mexican military conducting car searches on U.S. soil. Meanwhile, Sheriff Babeu is fielding fully armed SWAT team officers to stop drug cartel members. Yet, what has Homeland Security boss Janet Napolitano done? NOTHING! I suggest she do her job first before running for senator.

And, what is Obama doing - cancelling the Marines’ Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (a modern combination of tank and amphibious vehicle) and cutting back on the number of modern tanks in our inventory. Meanwhile, Egypt has one of the biggest tank forces in the Middle East and their main battle tank is the M1 Abrams – the same one the US Army uses. We may not be able stop the unrest in Egypt, but we must be prepared to defend our interests and the security of Israel if the worse occurs.

How do we "out build the world" with onerous EPA regulations? He attacks banks and oil companies, but says he is pro jobs. He says "we are behind on education" but he doesn’t want to hold teachers accountable. He wants energy independence but makes it harder to drill for oil. He wants to cut spending, but he talks about spending more on “investments.” If he is serious about cuts, start by disbanding the EPA. We need actions, not words!

I wrote the other day about the proposal to cut defense spending and troop levels. I said we should cut U.N. funding before we took $1 away from our military. Now Republican U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs committee, is seeking cuts and has introduced a bill intended to pressure the United Nations to change the way it operates. Call your representative and tell them to cut U.N. funding and leave defense spending alone!

The last two days have been great. The AZ GOP Chairman’s Award Dinner and the AZ GOP Elections were energized. Congratulations to Bruce Ash for winning the Barry Goldwater Award and Tom Morrissey for winning the AZ GOP Chairman and Paul Babeu for winning National Sheriff of the Year. The leadership has been decided, we know the mission, check your ego at the door and get over what ever feelings you may have and “Focus on 2012” starting TODAY!