Kentucky's congressional delegation wants you
Your two senators and congressman request your perspective
From Kentucky Citizen Digest, April, 1999

Major policy decisions are being considered in Washington at this time, many of which will have impact for years to come, directing even the very philosophy of American governance in 21st century.  The question about the role of federal government in state, local, and personal affairs is perhaps at the core of all the issues.

First is the question of the “budget surplus” (for which everyone has a suggestion).  At the heart of the matter is whether the federal government will be empowered to grow larger and stronger in the affairs of American citizens, or whether it will be placed on a revenue “diet” and down-sized.  The question, therefore, is more programs or tax cuts? (Clearly, all agree that Social Security and Medicare must be financially bolstered in order to remedy the irresponsibility of previous years.)

Tax cuts could come in a variety of forms.  Many argue for the “marriage penalty” tax cut, which would allow married couples the same tax rates as unmarried couples or singles.  Currently, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the marriage penalty amounts to an average of $1,400 annually.

Another suggestion is to eliminate the “Death Tax.”  Is there really a good reason for government to share your life’s earnings with your children?  This would have collateral benefit to the family farm problem, where too often America’s farm families must divide and sell portions of their land just to pass their holdings on to their children.

Others advocate simply for the across-the-board tax cut.  Sure, this measure would put more money into the hands of each American, but more importantly to its advocates, it would slow the growth of government by lessening its economic clout.  We all know that political figures can be tempted to “do you good” by spending your money in ways they want.

Moving from lowering taxes to spending federal monies, the number one “most likely” topic in Washington is education.  Who can be against spending money on our children’s education?  The intense debate that arises focuses on whether it comes with federal mandates or whether it is freely given to states in the form of block grants.  Those who desire decisions closer to home favor the block grants.  Those who feel a nationwide mandate is best desire the controls.

Still another expensive item possibly to be included in a budget is an anti-missile defense system.  With revelations about China’s recent espionage and both Korea’s and China’s ballistic missile maturation, an investment here does not seem as radical as it did fifteen years ago.

I appreciate the opportunity to write to The Family Foundation about some of the issues facing the 106th Congress.  Now is the time to refocus on issues important Kentucky families.  Here’s a brief list:

First, I want to help put the “security” back into Social Security.  For too long now, the bureaucrats in Washington have been raiding the Social Security Trust Fund to pay other debts.  I am committed to ensuring that Social Security will be there for future generations.

As the father of three children who were each schooled in Kentucky, I realize firsthand the importance of providing excellent educational opportunities.  There are a number of areas we can improve education such as bringing quality teachers into classrooms, keeping schools safe, and giving power and money back to local schools.

As we approach tax season, I am reminded of the tremendous burden that so many Americans face.  My hope for this session is to finally start sending less money to Washington and leave more of it in the pockets of those who have earned it.  An unfortunate tax problem is the marriage-penalty tax.  Under this provision, more than 21 million married couples pay more in taxes than they would if they were divorced or living together unmarried.The marriage-penalty tax discourages the institution of marriage, is blatantly anti-family, and should be eliminated.

The American people, while consistently condemning the president’s conduct, have accepted the results of the impeachment process.

Now, Congress and the nation must focus on sustaining economic growth and addressing Social Security, health care, education and the other important issues on America’s agenda.

In accepting that challenge, here are some fundamental beliefs that guide me in representing your views and values.

The federal contribution to economic growth should be 1) keeping a balanced budget, 2) reducing the national debt and 3) helping Americans keep more of their earning by cutting taxes, including the “marriage penalty” and “death tax.”

We must fix Social Security and federal health care policies not for the next election, but for generations.

Congress must provide more resources — without more federal mandates — to help parents and local educators fix our children’s schools.

Good economic times must not blind us to the threat posed to American families by drugs, crime, violence and moral decay.

An adequate national defense is not cheap; an inadequate defense invites catastrophic costs.

I welcome your comments and suggestions.

One of the most important pro-family reforms we can make this year is to eliminate the marriage-tax penalty.It defies logic that the federal government forces married couples to pay more in taxes than unmarried couples who may be living together.The federal government should not be discouraging couples from marrying, as it does by requiring the average married couple to pay an additional $1400 in taxes above and beyond what an unmarried couple with the same income would pay.

Additionally, I have introduced legislation that would provide tax credits to families who open their families and provide foster care.Under my bill, any stipends that a family receives from a placement agency would not be taxed.This bill is the logical follow-up to legislation that I championed last year that provided tax credits to families who adopt children.The government should do everything it can to encourage those who are willing to open their homes and adopt or accept foster children.Providing financial assistance — in the form of tax breaks — is a good way to do that.

These are just a few of the items on my agenda.I hope we can do much more.

Thank you for your interest in restoring the family as the cornerstone of society.It’s through hard working folks like yourself that we’re slowly starting to make progress in this endeavor.

During the last session of Congress, I was fortunate enough to serve as Chairman of the Family Caucus.We were able to accomplish many of our objectives last year, including the passage of the Family Impact Act, bringing the family back into the policy debate; and passage ofthe partial-birth abortion ban in the House.

This Congress,I’ll be active in promoting the concerns of the family as a new member of the Ways and Means committee.I’m focusing on the elimination of the Marriage Penalty Tax and tax relief for families who open their homes to foster children.I’ll continue to support the Child Custody Protection Act, which makes it a crime to transport a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion without parental consent; the Human Life Amendment, which outlaws abortion; and the Right To Life Act, which gives the unborn equal protection under the 14th Amendment.

These are just a few of the pro-family issues we will discuss throughout the 106th Congress.Again, thank you for your interest, and keep up the good work!

Best personal wishes.

 I am very optimistic about the legislative prospects for the 106th Congress.The majority in Congress is committed to passing good, sound public policy of lowering taxes, shoring up Social Security, improving education and strengthening our military.I have pledged to work closely with my Democratic colleagues, believing in bipartisan solutions to solving our nation’s problems.

Eliminating the marriage penalty is a good example of how effective, positive legislative change can benefit us all.Many families struggle to pay their bills and provide the essentials for their children. But, rather than helping, the marriage penalty contributes to the breakdown of families by forcing middle-income wage earners into higher tax brackets if they file as couples, rather than if they filed as individuals.

I believe we should be assisting families in their efforts to get ahead, not hindering.Therefore, I cosponsored the bipartisan congressional effort to eliminate the marriage penalty, and the Republican Leadership has officially placed “The Marriage Penalty Elimination Act” on their top 10 priority list for the 106th Congress.

I was elected to ensure that government operates more efficiently and effectively, and I am working hard to reach that goal.If we stay focused on what is important to the American family in the 106th Congress, then we will all come away winners.

My most important goal is serving the needs of Kentucky’s families.I’ve used my role in Congress to promote important work here at home.During the last session of Congress, I fought to provide important highway improvements and flood control projects for southern and eastern Kentucky.I’ve also secured funding for thePRIDE program, which I founded to help clean up our region for our children and grandchildren.

At the national level, Congress has moved ahead with a pro-family agenda.We passed tax relief, including a $500-per-child tax credit, we enacted lawsto crack down on drugs, and we took a giant first step in our goal to sendfederal education dollars directly to local classrooms.

There is much work ahead of us to better serve Kentucky’s families.This year, for example, we must eliminate the ‘marriage penalty’ - the unfair burden that costs millions of married couples an average of $1,400 a year in higher taxes.I will also work to bring economic development to our region, which will help our young people thrive with good jobs here at home.

It’s an honor and a privilege to serve you in Washington.

 As your new congressman for Kentucky’s 4^th District, I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself.I consider myself a“common sense conservative.”I believe public service should not be about moving to the political left or right, but moving the country forward.We need to spend more time getting our kids ready to face the challenges of the 21^st century and less time fighting amongst ourselves.

I want to assure you that although I’m working part of the time in Washington, my heart will always be in the right place — with Kentuckians. That is why I will spend my time here building constructive, working relationships in a bipartisan fashion to strengthen communities, promote a renewed sense of faith and family, and improve the lives of working families through economic growth and education development.In this same vein, I have cosponsored pro-family legislation that would end the marriage penalty and phase-out the death tax.

In the Congress, my top two priorities will be education — empowering our youth with the tools of upward mobility (computer and other high-tech training) and economic development/job creation, particularly in the eastern part of the District.We need to ensure that a strong focus on fundamental learning is supplemented by computer literacy.I invite you to contact my office with any issues of concern or interest.I look forward to working for you and with you to move Kentucky forward.

It is an honor to represent you in Congress.I want each of you to know that I remain committed to maintaining our traditional family values as we debate many important issues.I believe it’s time for Washington to keep faith with Americans by addressing their everyday needs, hopes and concerns.However, to achieve this we must continue moving toward a smaller, less intrusive federal government.

Although Washington is living within a balanced budget, this is not a time to return to the failed policies of the past and more wasteful bureaucratic programs.It concerns me that the size of government is still growing, and more importantly, that we are being taxed at the highest rate in our peacetime history.

Today — not tomorrow — is the time to preserve Social Security, pay down the national debt and eliminate the marriage penalty and death taxes.We must also focus on achieving educational, economic and national security for all Americans.

I am committed to achieving these important goals and have always said that the time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.Now is that time and we must ensure an America full of hope and opportunity as we enter the new century.

Contact Your Kentucky Delegation

EDITOR’S NOTE:With the impeachment proceedings over, the conflict in Kosovo is dominating national attention, even distracting citizens and legislators alike from the key issues that must be debated if true governance is to be demonstrated by the 106th Congress.Truly, the urgent does mitigate against the important.Though the conflict itself represents a tragic failure of this administration’s foreign policy over the last seven years, the cost of our “smart bomb diplomacy” throughout the world is incalculable — Serbia is the fourth sovereign nation America has bombed in the last 12 months.The Foundation’s sources from Third World countries place ire against America and Americans at an all time high.The destructiveness from this pattern will undoubtedly be revealed in the months and years to come.Nevertheless, we must work to build America from the ground up – from its families forward – to the end that our children might mature to deal effectually with both the problems that we cannot solve and the problems we are presently creating.Therefore, let us be diligent today and trust that there will be wisdom and clarity for tomorrow.

Sen. Mitch McConnell
(202) 224-2541  Washington
582-6304Louisville
224-8286Lexington
781-1673Bowling Green
578-0188Ft. Wright
864-2026London
442-4554Paducah

Rep. Ed Whitfield
(202) 225-3115  Washington
885-8079 Hopkinsville
487-9509 Tompkinsville
826-4180Henderson
442-6901  Paducah

Rep. Ron Lewis
(202) 225-3501  Washington
765-4360 Elizabethtown
688-8858 Owensboro
842-9896   BowlingGreen

Rep. Ann Northup
(202) 225-5401  Washington
582-5129 Louisville

Sen. Jim Bunning
(202) 224-4343   Washington
341-2602Ft. Wright
689-9085 Owensboro

New offices being setup in Louisville, Lexington, Hopkinsville, and Hazard

Rep. Ken Lucas
(202) 225-3465  Washington
426-0080 Ft. Mitchell
324-9898 Ashland

Rep. Hal Rogers
(202) 225-4601 Washington
679-8346 Somerset
439-0794 Hazard
432-4388 Pikeville

Rep. Ernie Fletcher
(202) 225-4706  Washington
219-1366 Lexington
 

Key Family Foundation Contacts: Kent Ostrander, Executive Director Martin Cothran, Senior Associate Policy Analyst