The America we live in today is at a crossroads. We have the largest federal budget in history — more than triple what it was when Ronald Reagan ended his first term as president. We have an American military whose human and intelligence resources are being stretched as it serves us around the globe. We have inadequate control of our borders. We have a federal government that regulates nearly every aspect of our lives. And we have a Congress — and an incumbent congressman — that lacks the focus and ability to come up with the solutions we need.

What’s missing in Congress today is courage — the courage to engage with the American people, to remain focused on our priorities, and to stay true to the principles that made this country the unparalleled success that it is. One thing should be clear from my willingness to take on an incumbent who has been entrenched in Washington for 22 years: I have the courage — and the commitment — to be the kind of representative we deserve. With your vote this June, I will make a difference in Congress by returning to our core principles of:

Real Fiscal Responsibility

Inviolable National Security — Including a rational, effective immigration policy

Limited Federal Government

A Note about “Negative Campaigning” as Compared to Fair Comment on an Elected Lawmaker’s Voting Record  [Click here to read]

No one likes “negative campaigning,” and at no point during my campaign will I engage in the kind of personal attacks that have turned so many Americans away from participating in the political process.  Instead, I want us to have an honest discussion of the challenges we face —and an informed debate about how best to solve them.  That will necessarily involve contrasting my principles with the incumbent’s legislative record.  In doing so, I will uphold the pledge that both the incumbent and I made when each of us signed the Code of Fair Campaign Practices:

"I shall conduct my campaign openly and publicly, discussing the issues as I see them, presenting my record and policies with sincerity and frankness, and criticizing without fear or favor the record and policies of my opponents or political parties which merit such criticism."

Our democracy depends on an open discussion of the issues of our day and of the legislative records and policies of the people who seek to represent us.

REAL FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
I will fight to reduce runaway federal spending and will refuse to engage in the kind of pork-barrel politics that undermines our economic security.  As the Heritage Foundation recently observed, "The current trend in federal spending is unsustainable . . . .  The longer lawmakers duck their responsibility to confront out-of-control spending, the more painful the remedy will be."  Career politicians in Washington like to tell you that they oppose government waste, but their votes for billions of dollars in earmarks tell a different story.  We deserve better. I have helped America's businesses ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies operate more efficiently. As our new voice in Congress, I will uphold the traditional Republican value of fiscal responsibility.

Click here to learn the difference between Michael and the incumbent on this issue.

People want to think that when it comes to reckless federal spending, while Congress as a whole is off track, at least their representative is doing his job. The reality is quite different however, and you don’t have to take my word for it. Look at the ratings that Congressman Gallegly “earned” from three of the leading watchdogs of federal spending: 

On its most recent scorecard (based on 44 votes), Citizens Against Government Waste gives Gallegly an embarrassing 24% (which it deems “unfriendly).
 
For his most recent term in Congress (based on 199 votes), the National Taxpayers Union gives Gallegly a 54% rating
 
And on its RePORK card for 2007 (based on 50 votes), the Club for Growth gives Gallegly a grade of just 26%

Our democracy depends on an open discussion of the issues of our day and of the legislative records and policies of the people who seek to represent us.

Those are failing grades.  In fact, if you think about it, even flipping a coin on each vote would have brought us a lower level of government spending.  

Gallegly is likewise responsible for voting in favor of the infamous $223 million "Bridge to Nowhere" and for his own wasteful earmarks, like the millions of federal tax dollars he appropriated for planting flowers on the Ronald Reagan Freeway, which brought national embarrassment to our district. And to pay for all this pork, Gallegly voted last term to increase the statutory limit on the public debt to $9 trillion (H.J. Res 47).  That works out to nearly $90,000 of government debt for every American household.
 
As any fiscal conservative should agree, it’s time for a new Republican voice in Congress.

Click here to learn the difference between Michael and the incumbent on this issue.

Being effective in Congress requires focusing on our district’s priorities.  Given the number of challenges we face — from radical regimes to terrorist sleeper cells — Washington is no place for a lightweight.  Yet, those who believe that the federal government’s first priority is to protect us will surley recognize that Congressman Gallegly’s priorities are out of whack:

Gallegly’s first bill from last term is a perfect example. On February 15, 2005, — Mohamed El-Baradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency made the incredible claim that "there is no [uranium] enrichment in Iran, and this is quite satisfactory.” The next day, Gallegly introduced his first bill for the term, and what was it? A resolution to commemorate the life of the late Zurab Zhvania, the former prime minister of the Republic of Georgia.  (H. Res. 108) 
 
Moreover, Gallegly completely failed to vote for a House bill "condemning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's threats against Israel" and similarly failed to vote for another bill "condemning in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in London, England, on July 7, 2005." (In fact, Gallegly missed the roll call votes on over 200 pieces of legislation in his last two terms — a worse record than 92% of his colleagues and a sure sign that his retirement is long overdue.)
 
Since his election in 2006, the only bill Congressman Gallegly has managed to pass is one that makes it a federal felony to transport roosters or sharp instruments across state lines for cockfighting.

As anyone who shares my concern for national security should agree, it’s time for a new Republican voice in Congress.

Click here to learn the difference between Michael and the incumbent on this issue.

Congressman Gallegly calls himself a “leader” on the issue of illegal immigration, so it’s only fair to ask, “Has the problem of illegal immigration gotten better or worse during his 22 years in Congress?”

One of the main differences in our views of the immigration issue is that I believe the border is a major problem; Gallegly doesn’t.  In fact, Gallegly even told the Ventura County Star’s editorial board as much, stating, “I have said from the get-to — the border is not our problem — the border isn’t the problem.”  (Click here to hear him say it in his own words.)
 
Moreover, while Gallegly has sent out plenty of mailers on the issue, all you need to do is actually look at some of the proposed legislation he’s authored to realize how misguided it is. For example, among the 11 bills he introduced this term — when Republicans were no longer in the majority to do anything about them — is a bill to address the problem of criminal aliens who have been ordered to leave the country or who fail to appear at a deportation hearing.  Instead of ensuring that they leave as ordered, Gallegly’s bill would put them in our federal prisons (at $45,000/year) for up to 10 years. 
 
We need a more intelligent approach to the immigration issue. As those of us who see past the empty rhetoric and glossy mailers should agree, it’s time for a new Republican voice in Congress.

Click here to learn the difference between Michael and the incumbent on this issue.

Perhaps not surprisingly, after 22 years in Washington, the incumbent evidently sees Congress as the place to express his personal preferences about how far the federal government should reach into people's lives. If it weren’t such a sad waste of his time and our tax dollars, this sample of federal legislation of which Congressman Gallegly is an original sponsor or co-sponsor would almost be funny:

For example, Gallegly is the cosponsor of bills
 
- To designate May as “National Asparagus Month” (H.J. Res. 137)
 
- To make the square dance the official American folk dance of the United States (H.R.2067)
 
- To "expand research regarding inflammatory bowel disease" (H.R. 290)
 
- To commend the visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba (H. Res. 362)
 
- To designate the week of July 13, 1987, as “Snow White Week” (H.J. Res. 122)
 
- To change the name of a Brentwood post office to "Karl Malden Station" (H.R. 3667)

- To rename the Ellis Island Library (at Ellis Island) as the “Bob Hope Memorial Library”
 
- To honor the U.C. Irvine men’s volleyball team (H. Res. 511)
 
And the list goes on . . .

This makes a mockery of Republican values.  As our new voice in Congress, I will focus on American’s real priorities and uphold the traditional Republican principle of limited federal government.