JOBS/ THE ECONOMY/TAXES
Businesses are failing at an alarming rate, and millions of people have lost their jobs nationwide. Government regulations, taxes, fees, and trade agreements that hurt U.S. businesses are destroying the private sector.
Stephanie Bell supports cutting taxes, fair trade for our district’s interests, and economic freedom for businesses and families who are taxed and regulated to death. She opposes cap and trade and other job-killing government regulations, government bailouts, and government takeover of the private sector. We must get rid of policies that encourage businesses to leave our district and move to other countries. Government does not create jobs. The genius of American free enterprise creates jobs. Stephanie supports a simplified tax code. She also supports lower taxes that will allow you to keep more of your hard-earned dollars. The Bush tax cuts will expire after 2010 unless Congress acts. Stephanie supports permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts, including elimination of the death tax. Reduce government control and taxes, and we will experience real economic recovery and job growth.
MILITARY/VETERANS
The Obama budget underfunds essential parts of our national defense, including weapons procurement and research and development which are vital to our national security.
Stephanie Bell knows national security must be our top priority as we work to protect our Republic. We must strengthen and bolster the military. We must preserve Fort Rucker and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base and provide for our veterans. Terrorist threats are very real. We must ensure that our military forces have the resources to fight the battles away from American soil. We must not hold civilian trials in U.S. Courts for those who want to kill Americans. They should face justice before a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay. Military families and veterans deserve our support.
AGRICULTURE
Government trade policies, regulations, and taxation are putting our
farmers and ranchers out-of-business!
Stephanie Bell understands the importance of agriculture in the District. Promoting policies that will enhance the success of the family farmer will be a top priority. As someone who has received the support of farmers over the last 16 years, she understands the challenges they face and will continue to listen to their concerns.
HEALTH CARE
We have the best health care and medical research in the world, but we must make it more affordable and accessible. “Obama-care” is not the answer.
Stephanie Bell opposes the government-run option which would lead to rationed care, less freedom, and higher costs. She supports market-based reforms that create more competition, better services, and lower costs. Health insurance policy portability and interstate health insurance company competition are also part of the solution.
EDUCATION
Federal mandates and regulations are costly and confusing for state and local
school officials. Teachers must deal with constant policy changes, increased
paperwork, and less money to comply with those mandates and new regulations.
Teachers and school leaders find it more difficult to deal with unruly
students. Illegal immigrants are not required to report their illegal status
when enrolling their children in public schools creating additional costs to
provide expensive, specialized remedial programs. Specifications for federal
grant requests change daily, making it more difficult to compete for the tax
dollars we send to Washington. Attempts are made to implement national
standards and politically-correct agendas through our public schools.
Stephanie Bell believes every child in Alabama –
regardless of background – should have the opportunity to receive the best
education possible in a safe environment. A quality education provides the
tools for each child to have the freedom to determine their own future. As a
graduate of an Alabama public high school and university, she is committed to
making our system of education the best in the nation. She knows, firsthand,
what can be done to strengthen local control and provide more resources for the
classroom. She has been a successful advocate for reading (phonics), higher
academic standards, quality teacher education programs, teacher testing, and
transparency in how school systems spend money by requiring them to post check
registers online. She also wrote the first biology textbook insert which makes
it clear that evolution is a theory, not a fact. Stephanie supports voluntary
prayer in public schools. Parents must be provided options to choose how their
children will be educated. She has voted to support charter schools. As a
parent and as someone who worked to pay for her college education, Stephanie is
concerned about the rising costs of higher education. She understands the need
for two-year colleges and workforce training. While others talk about their
plans for education, Stephanie has been working successfully for 15 years to
improve education.
ENERGY
Americans face rising energy prices. Government regulations have increased costs and depleted supplies. We have become dependent on foreign energy sources which imperils our economy and national defense.
Stephanie Bell takes an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy independence, recognizing the need for domestic oil and nuclear energy production. France gets 80% of its energy from clean, safe nuclear energy; yet, the U.S. has not built a new reactor in 30 years. She supports nuclear power, limited oil drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), access shale on federal lands, offshore drilling, and coal. We must continue to explore alternatives such as bio-fuels, geo-thermal, wind, and solar power.
IMMIGRATION
Illegal immigration creates problems and additional costs for our schools, health care system, and courts. Illegals take American jobs and are a national security risk. While legal immigrants are spending time and money to become U.S. citizens, illegal immigrants are creating a major financial drain and safety concerns in areas of our District.
Stephanie Bell supports securing our borders. She
opposes “birthright citizenship” for the children of illegals,
bilingual/multilingual ballots, and any plan to directly or indirectly grant
amnesty to illegal immigrants. She supports increased penalties for those
caught hiring and/or smuggling illegal aliens into the U.S. We must provide
adequate resources to the Border Patrol and use the funds Congress has already
set aside to build 700 new miles of fence on our southern border. We must
deport felony-convicted illegals and enforce current immigration laws.
SECOND AMENDMENT
Stephanie Bell, a gun owner, supports the right of Americans to bear arms. She opposes gun control and any weakening of our 2nd Amendment rights.
ALABAMA VALUES
Stephanie Bell is solidly Pro-Life. She has served
as a counselor for SAV-A-Life Ministries where she worked with women as they
went through the adoption process. She believes in the sanctity of marriage
between a man and a woman.
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