SENATOR GRAHAM ON THE ISSUES



August 23, 2011: Tom Sweeney introduced this week’s speaker, Senator Lindsey Graham. Graham was elected to the Senate in 2002 and reelected in 2008. He serves on numerous committees, including Appropriations (which oversees expenditures of the Federal Treasury), Armed Services (which is responsible for all areas of national defense), Budget (which establishes the blueprint for total government revenues and spending), and Judiciary (which covers issues ranging from the Constitution to criminal justice to intellectual property law). Graham addressed issues relating to the role of the U.S. military in the Middle East, job creation in South Carolina and the U.S., and the debt debate.

The U.S. response to September 11, according to Graham, has been and continues to be of vital importance to the defense of the nation. Our involvement in regions of the Middle East (Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt, Libya) and the battle against terrorism is a priority. The good news is that “what we have to offer –they want the same thing for their children.” The message from the U.S.—”if you embrace representative government, then we’ll stand by you.” The investm-nts we are making now in this region of the world are “smart investments. We pay now or pay later.” Even though we’re broke, he said, he hasn’t taken his eye of this ball. Our investments in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and Egypt will result in a level of safety for America that is “beyond our wildest dreams.”

On the issue of jobs, Graham argued that tax certainty has to be achieved before businesses will start hiring again. He said there will be a bipartisan effort to clean up the tax bill based around a plan that shrinks the tax code from six brackets to three and eliminates all deductions and subsidies except primary home mortgage interest and charitable giving.

Graham linked the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) complaint against Boeing to jobs and the economy. Boeing contracted with South Carolina because they knew it was a great place to do business. If efforts like those of NLRB stand, “it will be the end of expansion in America.” The complaint would allow unions to hold a virtual ‘veto’ over business decisions, thus having the effect of dampening business expansion and job growth. Graham supports changing policies and introducing legislation aimed at putting an end to the NLRB threat.

Graham also pointed to the deepening of the Port of Charleston as critical to job creation in South Carolina. “The Port is the economic engine of this state…one out of every five jobs in South Carolina is tied directly or indirectly to the operation of the Port.”

Clean air and water should be part of the agenda of both parties. But the new EPA mandates threaten to destroy jobs. According to Graham, we need a sensible rational policy that will balance environmental protection with the needs of business.

Graham voted against the compromise debt-limit agreement negotiated between congressional leaders and Obama. “The agreement still adds over $7 trillion in new debt over the next decade and only makes a small reduction in future spending.” The missing link, Graham argued, was a balanced budget amendment, and he will continue to work for its passage. As part of that effort, the future growth of entitlements, a major contributor of future budgetary problems, needs to be addressed. For example, the social security age could be adjusted and a means test created where those with an upper income would pay more of the cost of Medicare.

In closing, Graham noted that the debt limit debate points to fact that “kicking the can down the road is no longer an acceptable choice.” It’s time to bring discipline to the way Congress spends and to do things that are “smart and sensible.” We are in jeopardy of losing the American Dream, defined by Graham as “where children are able to do better than their parents.”

Submitted by Loretta Wilson, Keyway Committee