Read Bart's Views on Current Issues
- Position on Iraq
- I disagreed with the Bush Administration’s decision to pursue this unnecessary war in Iraq. But we are there now, and we cannot simply walk away. To do so would be an insult to the brave men and women who have served there and their families, especially those who have been injured and killed serving their country. [Read more]
- 602P Myth
- This rumor is completely false. Much like the rumor that started about the FCC charging long-distance rates for using e-mail and the Internet, this rumor is a hoax. There is no Congressman Schnell and the law firm of Berger, Stepp and Gorman does not exist. I have enclosed a press release from the Postal Service that addresses this issue. [Read more]
- ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge)
- I strongly oppose efforts by the Bush administration to target ANWR for oil exploration. The President’s Fiscal Year 2006 budget request once again includes a proposal to open ANWR for drilling. We do need to reduce America’s dependence on foreign energy, but more oil and gas could be saved by ramping up energy efficiency, renewable energy and conservation programs than could be found in ANWR. [Read more]
- Campaign Finance Reform
- I voted for H.R. 2356, also known by the names of its primary sponsors, Shays-Meehan. The House passed Shays-Meehan on Thursday, February 14 by a vote of 240-189. It had the support of 41 Republicans and 199 Democrats. [Read more]
- Child Custody Protection Act
- I voted for this legislation on April 17, 2002 and it passed by the House by a vote of 260-161. It is now pending before the Senate. [Read more]
- Health Care
- I understand your strong concerns. The experiences of northern Michigan families and employers parallel an alarming national trend. Each year fewer and fewer employers offer health insurance to their employees. In fact, in 2005, the number fell to just 60%. At the same time, health care costs to employees are rising. According to a recent study, health insurance premiums have increased by 73 percent since 2000. It is no coincidence that health insurance premiums have dramatically increased since President Clinton left office. Clearly these skyrocketing costs are unsustainable for families and employers. It has also become a global competitiveness issue for manufacturers and other businesses. [Read more]
- Congressional Benefits Myth
- First, I do pay into Social Security, like all other Americans. Social Security taxes are taken out of my paychecks, just as they are taken out of yours. [Read more]
- Federal Marriage
- I voted against H.J.Res. 106. I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. In 1996, I voted for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that was signed into law by President Clinton. While the federal government is not involved in issuing marriage licenses—that is left up to the states and local jurisdictions—I support the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. [Read more]
- Gasoline Prices
- For the past year, I have been working to lower the cost of gas. Earlier this year, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to accept my amendment to the Energy Bill to suspend deliveries of oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) until oil fell below $40 per barrel of 2 consecutive weeks on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The SPR is a reserve that can be tapped in a time of national crisis, as was done by Presidents G.H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. [Read more]
- Immigration
- Our current immigration system is badly broken. Currently, more than 11 million people are estimated to be living in this country without documentation. Each year, hundreds of thousands more individuals cross the border illegally, posing serious economic, health, and national security risks. [Read more]
- Marriage Penalty
- I voted for a second bill which more fully addressed the marriage tax penalty and the needs of families. It provided an across-the-board rate cut by lowering the 15% tax bracket to 12% for the first $20,000 of taxable income for married couples (equal to about $41,000 of total income for a couple with two children) and $10,000 for single people (equal to about $17,500 in total income). This new bracket would be fully phased in by 2003. [Read more]
- Prescription Drugs
- This new law places profits for drug companies ahead of security for seniors and is the beginning of the end of Medicare as we know it. I firmly believe that Medicare is a right. This law is little more than a disguised attack on a proven system that seniors have counted on for almost forty years. [Read more]
- Roadless Areas
- I share your concern for protecting the environment and the need to balance environmental values with economic interests in wilderness areas of the national forests. In some respects, conflict over whether forest wilderness areas should be used as sustainable economic resources or left as wilderness is inherent in the congressional mandate to manage forests for multiple uses, including wildlife, recreation and timber. I believe we must have public access to national forest lands, and these land use issues should be resolved with local community input in local forest plans. [Read more]
- Social Security Notch Issues
- In 1977, Congress enacted changes to the Social Security system tying benefits to inflation starting at the arbitrary date of 1916. The legislation was intended to improve the system’s financial state, but instead, caused lasting disparities for the people born between 1917 and 1926. This is just plain wrong. If you are a “notch baby” it may mean you receive less social security than your neighbor born just one year later or earlier. Congress made the mistake, it is Congress that must fix it. [Read more]
- Stem Cell Research
- It is because I believe in life and the human soul that I cannot support embryonic research or research that destroys human life. [Read more]
- Veterans Benefits
- Rest assured, I do not support the President’s budget cuts and I will continue to work to increase veterans’ health care funding. I am also working to change the way veterans' health care is funded in Congress. With over 10,000 soldiers wounded in Iraq alone, the President's budget fails to provide any "extra" money to take care of these new veterans! [Read more]
