JOHN CARTER

The sexual abuse and exploitation of a child is one of the most despicable and vicious crimes conceivable. As a father of four and a district judge for over 20 years, I feel strongly about doing everything we can to keep our children protected-especially from sexual predators. This fast-paced, cyber world we live in has opened the door for more threats to our children. Child pornography and sexual crimes against children have exploded due to the Internet, chat rooms and social networking sites.

Every day, children are targeted by sexual predators. Whether it’s through online social networking or pornographic images of a minor, our children are becoming increasingly vulnerable to predators and pedophiles. Popular social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook make it easier for teens to post and share personal information, pictures and videos, which may make them more vulnerable to online predators. The national statistics paint a frightening picture.

• In 2007 alone, MySpace identified and removed the profiles of 17,000 sex offenders.
• 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys are sexually exploited before they reach adulthood.
• According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 1 in 5 children ages 10-17 years old will be sexually solicited online. Of these, 70 percent are teenage girls.
• According to the FBI, 50,000 child sexual predators are online at any time searching for potential victims, and sex offenders are 4 times more likely to re-offend.
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children averages 1,400 child pornography reports every week.

I am committed to protecting America’s children from sexual predators. Recently, I co-sponsored two bills, the Sex Offender Internet Prohibition Act and the Protecting America’s Children Act. The Sex Offender Internet Prohibition Act will impose mandatory penalties of 5 to 20 years in prison for registered sex offenders who knowingly access an Internet website with the intent to communicate with an unsuspecting child. The Protecting America’s Children Act ensures that state and local governments have provisions in place to prevent child predators, which have been arrested and are awaiting trial, from fleeing or committing additional crimes.

These are both good bills that take additional steps to protect our children from sexual predators, but Congress must continue to do more. As parents, we can also help alleviate the danger. We can talk to our children about not responding to any unknown e-mail, particularly offensive of dangerous e-mail, chat or any other communication. We can also keep the computer in a family room or other open area, and visit our children’s favorite sites and familiarize ourselves to stay informed. We should make sure our children’s screen names are non-descriptive so they cannot be identified as a child, and always get to know the adults in our children’s lives and stay in touch with them to make sure the relationship (both online and offline) remains within appropriate boundaries.

As a district judge for 20 years, I put criminals behind bars so our children might live in a safer world. If passed, these bills will send a clear message that those who prey on our children will be caught, prosecuted, and punished to the fullest extent of the law. Since coming to Congress, I have worked to protect our nation’s children, and I will continue that fight for the safety of every vulnerable child.

Far to the Southeast of Texas lies the South American country of Colombia. This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Colombia with U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and other members of Congress. The purpose of this trip was to witness first-hand the importance of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided, however, that there will be no trade agreement with Colombia, and in fact, has changed the rules in the House causing this solid, good-faith agreement that took years to mold and months to negotiate, to completely disappear.

Seven years ago, Colombia was nearly a failed state. Violence was rampant, Colombians were fleeing their country, and economic activity was plummeting. Colombia and the United States have worked to combat this violence over the years, and together we have made substantial progress. President Uribe has made major progress in stemming the tide of violence in his own country and the shipment of drugs into ours. Colombia is doing a good job fighting terrorists despite support for Colombian guerillas by Hugo Chavez, the dictator in Venezuela. Yet, we refuse to pass this agreement. We are sending the wrong message to one of our strongest South American allies and to those countries who are working to follow Colombia’s example.

The Colombia Free Trade Agreement would have represented the completion of a trade relationship-not the beginning of a new one. Through unilateral preference programs already approved by Congress, nearly 92 percent of Colombian imports enter the U.S. duty-free. American exported goods face heavy tariffs, which can run as high as 35 percent for our manufactured goods and even higher for our agricultural products, putting our Texas farmers, ranchers, workers and small businesses at a sever disadvantage. The current status is unbalanced. This agreement would have created a free and fair trade system for both parties.

Traveling to Colombia with Ambassador Schwab gave me an opportunity to witness the benefits our global competitors reap because of their expanded exports to Colombia through trade agreements. The United States cannot afford to fall behind, and killing this agreement will create further uncertainty for our fragile economy.

Since September 11th we have made this nation’s prosperity our number one priority. Halfway around the world, we fight terrorism and promote freedom with the strength of our military. Within our own hemisphere we hold different weapons in the strength of our economy, our business and our trade. We must utilize these tools to prevent tyranny and evil from gaining power in our own backyard. Instead, Nancy Pelosi and the party in control of Congress put the prosperity of our nation on hold for purely political reasons. When will these games stop? When will this Congress stop working towards their own agenda and start working for the country and the people we represent?

What do a rock star and the Congressman from Central Texas have in common? Trust me, I was asking myself that same question on my way to meet with Bono, lead singer of the rock group U2 and founder of the One Campaign established to eliminate poverty and global disease. Our common ground wasn’t that hard to find. We both agree that America is a blessed nation, and we believe it is our moral obligation to help those that cannot help themselves.

During the State of the Union address, President Bush called on Congress to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and double our historic commitment with an additional $30 billion over the next five years.

The statistics of the HIV/AIDS crisis are truly alarming. This pandemic kills an estimated six million people every year. According to the Joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, an estimated 33.2 million people were living with HIV/AIDS in 2007. Of these, more than two million were children and some 330,000 of the 2.1 million that died in 2007 were under the age of 15. Nearly 90 percent of all children infected with HIV reside in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to 2.2 million of the estimated 2.5 million children living with HIV worldwide. Each day in 2007, approximately 1,000 children worldwide became newly infected with HIV, due in large part to little access to treatment that prevents the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

Equally startling, if current rates of infection continue to rise, we could begin to see new epicenters for the disease arise out of India, China and Eastern Europe with numbers that could surpass Africa in just a few years.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic poses a real threat to our national security. If not addressed, this plague will continue to weaken nations throughout the third world, crippling countries and economies leaving them vulnerable to extreme violence.

This is truly a global crisis and because the United States can provide timely assistance, I believe have a moral responsibility to do so.

This week Congress voted to authorize billions of dollars for the president’s global AIDS initiative, a program started in 2003 that has been successful for millions around the world suffering from AIDS or are at risk of contacting the HIV virus. Originally I had concerns about another foreign aid program, but after seeing these funds produce such large success, I knew they were worthwhile.

According to the Congressional Research Service, through September 30, 2007, the president’s global AIDS initiative has supported anti-retroviral treatment for approximately 1.4 million people; prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services for women during more than 10 million pregnancies and an estimated 152,000 infant infections; care for nearly 6.7 million people, including more than 2.7 million orphans and children; and counseling and testing services for over 30 million people.

Not only does this plan address the crisis by providing medicine and health benefits to those infected, but also addresses the crisis at its core. The bill passed by Congress is consistent with our values and will maintain a continued focus on HIV/AIDS treatment, care and prevention goals, including meaningful funding resources for evidence-based programs that teach abstinence. We cannot send billions of dollars to Africa without initiating programs that will help prevent the transmission of this disease by changing behavior.

I believe that it is possible to be both fiscally responsible and be obedient to our moral calling. History is filled with great moments of mankind’s enduring compassion to help those in need. Now it is Congress’ turn to put politics aside and do something truly great to help those humans who desperately need America to step in and help them survive.

I am told the Canadian Northlands experience only two seasons, winter…and July. As the back roads begin to thaw, they become muddy and vehicles traveling through the backcountry leave deep ruts. The ground freezes hard during the winter months, and the highway ruts become part of the traveling challenges. For vehicles entering this undeveloped area during the winter, there is a sign which reads, “Driver, please choose carefully which rut you drive in because you’ll be in it for the next 20 miles.”

I often tell this story when talking about budget season in Washington. Every year, Congress passes a budget resolution that sets the spending levels for the year. The budget is a sizeable document, funding everything from agricultural to veterans’ affairs. Like Central Texas families, I am mindful that some things in the budget are “needs,” while others are “wants”. As a fiscal conservative, I have worked to eliminate wasteful government spending and keep taxes low.

Unfortunately Washington Democrats don’t see things the way common sense Central Texans see them.

This week, the Majority introduced their yearly budget plan. Much like last year’s budget proposal, this one includes major tax hikes. In fact, it nearly doubles the tax hikes from last year totaling a whopping $683 billion in new taxes for working families and small business owners. On top of this, the Democrats’ budget once again refuses to address the looming crisis in the Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid entitlement programs.

Families in Texas are feeling the strain of sky-rocketing gas prices, decreasing home values, and increasing health care costs piled high on the back of a slowing economy. The last thing they need is to pay more taxes. If this budget passes, Texas families and small business owners will once again pick up the check for billions in new wasteful Washington spending -“wants” if you will. How can this happen you might ask? Simple, Democrats will allow the Republican tax relief, such as the repeal of the death tax and the marriage penalty to expire over the next four years. While you won’t see your tax bill rise substantially immediately, in a few short years, 116 million taxpayers will see their taxes increase an average of $1,833-the largest single tax increase in American history.

According to The Heritage Foundation, between now and January 1, 2001 many critical tax provisions will expire, “Tax rates will rise substantially in each tax bracket, some by 450 basis points; Low-income taxpayers will see the 10-percent tax bracket disappear, and they will have to pay taxes at the 15-percent rate; Married taxpayers will see the marriage penalty return; Taxpayers with children will lose 50 percent of their child tax credits; Taxes on dividends will increase beginning on January 1, 2009; Taxes on capital gains will increase, also beginning on January 1, 2009; and Federal Death taxes will come back to life in 2011, after fading down to nothing in 2010.”

As irresponsible as the enormous amount of unnecessary spending and reinstated taxes, the deliberate refusal to address the entitlement crisis is equally as irresponsible. It’s been said too many times without being heard-the Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid entitlement programs are quickly dying. Without immediate action by Congress, these programs will go belly-up in the next few decades, leaving millions of Americans without the Social Security and Medicare benefits they earned through years of hard work.

The Democrats’ budget will leave Americans with nothing but empty pockets and a crushed economy. As we officially begin the budget debate, we must remember that the choices we make today will affect our nation for years to come. The last thing we should do is make a choice that will leave our country in a rut. You can bet that I will be working with Republicans and fiscally responsible Democrats to fight for a fiscally responsible budget resolution that balances the federal budget without raising taxes and keep this country out of a rut.

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Over the past five years, Iraq has become a nation that lives in freedom, not fear. The efforts of our men and women in uniform serving in Iraq have made the World and America safer from terrorists.

I have had the opportunity to visit Iraq four times since the beginning of the war. During my visits, I have had the great honor of visiting with our troops from Fort Hood, and I have been able to see first hand the progress we have made. We owe eternal gratitude to the brave men and women fighting for the safety of America and the freedom of the Iraqi people.

Violence has declined throughout Iraq, particularly in Baghdad and al-Anbar Province. Total civilian deaths and coalition deaths have dropped by more than 70% since July of 2007, according to the House Armed Services Committee. Coalition forces have captured or killed thousands of extremists and key al-Qaeda leaders. This major reduction in violence has been made possible by the troop surge and the Sunni rejection of al-Qaeda.

A neighborhood watch program called the “Sons of Iraq” movement is now 90,000 strong and has been the inspiration for other Iraqis to take up the fight. This neighborhood watch program has helped protect communities from terrorists and insurgents. During the past year, the Iraqi government has added its own surge of 100,000 new Iraqi soldiers and police officers, and the Iraqi government is now responsible for the security in nine of Iraq’s 18 provinces. The increase in Iraqi forces has also enabled them to become more capable of executing their own missions.

Political progress is also taking place in Iraq. The Iraqi Council of Representatives and the Presidency Council are working through key pieces of legislation that will balance the central government in Baghdad with the strong local governments. They are also working to pass election laws and legislation that would set the framework for foreign investment in Iraq’s energy sector.

While the surge has enabled us to reduce the amount of violence, the stakes in Iraq are still great. We are witnessing the first large scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden and his terror network. Defeating al-Qaeda in Iraq will show that we are capable of defending liberty and defeating terrorists.

In the past five years, we have learned that when we pull our forces out too fast terrorists and extremist step in and spread violence. General Petraeus has warned that too quick of a withdrawal could result in a surge in violence again. I believe that we must listen very carefully to our experts on the ground in Iraq and trust that their advice to Congress is in the best interest of America, our troops, and the people of Iraq.

I cannot talk about the success in Iraq without mentioning our troops. Brave American men and women have fought and sacrificed for the freedom of the Iraqi people and the War on Terror. Back home, many families are sacrificing while their loved one serves in Iraq. We should all remember our military families and be thankful for their contribution to our freedom. This has been a long struggle – frankly, longer than many of us realized. But we owe it to the Iraqi people, and to the memory of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, to finish the job. Our military needs to leave Iraq in victory under the American flag, not in defeat under a white flag. I ask that the residents of the 31st District continue to show support for these brave souls by flying your flag, thanking a troop and their family, and letting them know that you stand behind them.

This past week we marked Summer Solstice - the first day of summer. And with the summer months upon us, more families will be taking to the roads for vacation and other summer activities.

The average Central Texas driver is paying $2.94 per gallon at the pump – a vast increase from what they were paying a year ago. Americans are feeling the crunch of high gas prices everyday, and it is time that Congress takes meaningful steps to develop a long term energy strategy of independence and reliability in order to help alleviate the problem.

While Congress must take action, there is a big philosophical difference in how the Democrat majority and conservative Republicans want to fix this problem. Democrats have no solutions to the root causes of high gas prices – limited supply and increased demand. The only solutions they have offered are to tax the supply and to set phony price gouging standards.

While conservatives believe that any instance of illegal price fixing can and should be vigorously fought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice, they also believe in attacking the source of the problem – low domestic supplies of refined gasoline in the face of increasing consumer demand.

Congress recently passed H.R. 1252, the Federal Price Gouging Act, that claims to protect consumers from price gouging. I voted against this legislation because it does nothing to alleviate increasing gas prices. In fact, both the Department of Energy, as well as the FTC has found no credible evidence that the rising prices of gas are due to market price fixing or any other unlawful behavior among oil companies. Many economists believe that the real result of the Federal Price Gouging Act will be to impose price controls on gasoline that could very possibly result in shortages, gasoline rationing, and 1970’s style gas lines.

This misguided legislation comes just months after Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic majority passed legislation repealing tax incentives approved by the previous Congress that would have encouraged oil producers to increase their domestic production and their refining capacities. These incentives would have invested in our energy infrastructure something that would actually help bring down prices and improve reliability.

America needs policies that will encourage greater investment in refining capacities, which will in turn infuse our market with a greater supply of gasoline, thereby reducing prices at the pump.

Congress needs to use common sense when it comes to reducing prices at the pump. Only increasing American supplies of refined gasoline – not vague definitions of price gouging – will work. We need a balanced policy that will increase domestic production, speed up refinery expansion, invest in the renewable and alternative fuels of tomorrow, and improve our fuel efficiency and conservation.

Government regulations don’t always provide the automatic solution to everyday problems for consumers. Right now, American families need help; but the Democrats insist on creating a weak solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, which doesn’t make much sense at all.

In America, the Social Security system is designed to be a safety net for America’s citizens in their retirement years.  For many, Social Security will never be a necessity, but countless seniors in Central Texas take comfort in knowing their basic needs can be met with the remunerations provided by this program.  The Social Security system is simple - pay into the system for years worked, then collect from the system later in life.  Unfortunately, the integrity and simplicity of this system faces a great threat.

The solvency of Social Security is already in peril as the “Baby Boom” generation nears retirement age.  Because the money currently being paid into the Social Security system is used to pay beneficiaries today, experts predict that starting in 2010 we will have more money going out in the form of benefits than money coming into the system in the form of Social Security taxes.  In addition, there will be the compounded impact of adding 10-15 million more people into the system. 

This situation is very likely if those in Congress who seek amnesty for illegal aliens are successful.  Should an immigration reform that includes amnesty be implemented, it could mean the death of Social Security.  Millions of illegal aliens begin collecting Social Security benefits for time they worked in America illegally. 

As an elected District Judge for 20 years, I cannot support awarding benefits for those breaking the law.  That is why I introduced a bill in Congress, H.R. 332, the Social Security Protection Act, to ensure that Social Security is protected for the millions of Americans who have legally earned their benefits.

Specifically, my bill prohibits the Social Security Administration from paying out benefits to any U.S. citizen for wages earned while the individual was illegally in the United States, and instructs the Commissioner of Social Security to re-calculate benefits for anyone working without documentation.  This will not require repayment of benefits already paid at the previous rate.

Should some in Congress succeed with their plan to grant amnesty, they must be prepared to face a bankrupt Social Security system and the impact such a failed system will have on countless Americans.  It is a disturbing coincidence that just as an entire generation of Americans begins to draw Social Security benefits, the first wave of the 10-15 million illegal aliens receiving amnesty would also become eligible for these very same benefits.  The Social Security system simply cannot survive under these conditions. 

I want all citizens to realize their American dream.  This means that those who immigrate to our country legally should receive the same benefits and rights of any American.  It is my hope that this legislation will correct a serious loophole in the Social Security system, and raise awareness of the serious threat illegal immigration poses to the social service systems in this country.  It is time for Congress to support measures that protect American families and promote the laws that make our nation great.

Last week I introduced a bill that will protect Social Security, especially for the millions of Baby Boomers who will soon be receiving retirement benefits.  The Social Security Protection Act will prohibit illegal aliens from receiving Social Security benefits for time they were in the country illegally.�
If we give millions of illegal aliens Social Security benefits, there is no doubt—Social Security will go broke.  That is why I introduced this bill to ensure that Social Security is protected for the millions of Americans who have legally earned their benefits.�
Baby Boomers are quickly approaching retirement, and we are already working on solutions that will ensure that Social Security is available for future generations.  Now is not the time to increase the burden on the Social Security system by allowing the more than ten million illegal immigrants to receive benefits for the time they worked in our country illegally.
It is important to note that I believe that individuals should have access to Social Security on the wages they earn once they are in the U.S. legally.  But as a Judge for 20 years,  I simply cannot support giving people benefits for breaking the law.�
 

Specifically, my bill:
 

Ø      Prohibits Social Security from paying out benefits to any US Citizen for wages earned while said US Citizen was illegally in the United States.
 

Ø      Instructs the Commissioner of Social Security to recompute all existing benefits to account for any Social Security taxes paid while working without authorization.  This language will not require repayment of benefits already paid at the previous rate.
 

You might also be interested to know that for tax year 2003, even after 2 years of scrubbing the data, the Earnings Suspense File still contains 8.8 million W-2s, representing $57.8 billion in wages that cannot be accounted for.  The average illegal household pays $1,687 into Social Security and receives $289 annually: a net gain of $1,398 annually per household – this amounts to around $5 billion total added to the Social Security coffers.  If illegal immigrants suddenly gain access to these funds, it will endanger the solvency of Social Security for millions of legal American citizens.

Last night the President presented his new plan for the path ahead in Iraq.  I want to commend the President for taking a careful and deliberative approach to unveiling his new strategy in Iraq.  He has listened to the needs of the generals and commanders in the field and has developed a plan that will lead to success in Iraq.
 

If the Commander-in-Chief and the commanders on the ground in Iraq say our troops need more bullets to achieve victory, then we should give them more bullets.  If they say they need more body armor, then we need to give them more body armor.  If they say they need more boots on the ground, then we need to give them more boots on the ground.�
 

As the Congressman for the largest military installation in the world, Fort Hood, I will always work to protect and support our men and women in uniform.
 

It is wrong for the Democrats to say they support the troops if they won’t give them the boots on the ground they need to achieve victory.

My thoughts and prayers are with Betty Ford and the entire family as they mourn the loss of President Gerald Ford. 

I was honored to have attended the funeral and show my respect for our 38th President at the National Cathedral yesterday.  I was also very touched by President Bush’s kindness in escorting Betty Ford into the National Cathedral.  

We know now that Gerald Ford, the everyman, was what we needed to move the country back to where we believed in ourselves again. 

I had the honor to meet President Ford on two occasions.  He was a good and humble man and President.  Ford came in under tough circumstances.  But I’ll tell you what—I’d take two years of Gerald Ford over four years of Jimmy Carter any day.