Ted Yoho for Congress | Florida's 3rd District

Double standards?

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:46:32 +0000

Hi everyone –
I would like to talk to you about a new mandate sent out by HHS. On January 20th of 2011, HHS secretary Kathleen Sebilius proclaimed a mandate that all employers would have to provide contraceptive protection and provide “Ella”, the early abortion pill, at little or no cost to all of its employees. This mandate would be in effect regardless of the employer, even Christian-based employers such as churches and hospitals.
Several issues arise about the abuse of power coming from the Obama Administration. One of those issues being the government overstepping its constitutional authority of separating church from state by dictating to the church what practices it must comply with. A second issue is the favoritism the Administration shows. In Obama’s Health Care Bill, it is mandatory to purchase health care. However, it gives waivers to Muslims from participating due to religious beliefs and freedoms, yet the HHS mandate requires Christian organizations to comply even though this goes against their religious beliefs and freedoms.
In addition, HHS is an administrative agency which is bypassing Congress’ authority to debate this issue in creating mandates. The balance of power in our three branches of government is extremely uneven and needs to be corrected and our Constitution needs to be followed. This is why we need new, strong leadership in Congress. Please vote Ted Yoho, District 3 Republican candidate. Thank you.

USA on the Endangered List

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:50:39 +0000

I would like to refer our followers to the referenced article provided from the Heritage Foundation: “More Limits on U.S. Space Systems Unacceptable,” by Baker Spring and Michaela Bendikova, January 24, 2012.
A short excerpt follows:
“In essence, the Administration’s acceptance of the CD’s agenda was to trade U.S. military superiority in space, giving countries like China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia an advantage over the U.S. and its allies in the nuclear arena. Congress should make it clear to the Administration that dressing up this ill-considered trade in the guise of a negotiation on a space Code of Conduct does not make it acceptable.” Please read this and ask yourself if the Obama Administration’s actions are making our country stronger or does it make us more vulnerable to the whims of these (third world, communist) countries?
I would also ask you to read the last overview of the START Treaty, signed last year by the Obama Administration and ask the same question.
If our Government’s main charge according to the U.S. Constitution is National Security, then the actions of our present administration is unequivocally, without a shadow of doubt, making us weaker and less secure as a nation, therefore jeopardizing our security and making us more vulnerable to foreign threats.
The real questions that emerge are:
1.) What is the purpose and reasoning behind this treaty?
2.) Will this treaty make us stronger or weaker as a nation?
4.) Can we afford another Obama Presidency?
5.) What should we do with Obama since he is not acting in America’s best interest and is placing us in harms way?
6.) Why has Congress not taken action against this blatant act of weakening America and
bypassing of Congress and the Rule of Law?
These are the things I would ponder while driving from farm to farm working as a veterinarian, these various situations in our government that make no sense.

I would ask myself if our government was charged with the responsibility of National Security – making America safer – are they taking the correct actions to accomplish this goal?
This and many similar experiences and questions are what prompted me to run for the U.S. Congress. I feel our primary focus is to keep America strong, safe and sovereign.
Many thanks to everyone for your continued support to my campaign. I truly believe that together we can make a difference.
Ted Yoho for U.S. Congress 2012

America’s Energy Independents: a cat and mouse game

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:43:15 +0000

America again is threatening sanctions against Iran for their involvement in developing nuclear weapons grade uranium. Iran again is threatening to disrupt the flow of crude oil from their country to the world by blocking the Straights of Hermus. This cat and mouse game has been repeated over and over again since the Iranian Oil Embargo of 1973-1974. How many more times must it take before our government has the common sense and the leadership to become energy independent.
The Department of Energy was created in 1979 and as one of their primary goals it was to help create policies and aid industries in the process for America to become energy independent. Well, here we are 33 years and billions of dollars later and we are further from that goal. In 1973, we imported approximately 30% of our oil requirements and today with 33 years of government help and billions if not a trillion dollars later we import more than 50% of our energy needs. This is unacceptable. The governments primary purpose is National Security. Energy dependence on other countries is a national security risk, especially from countries that do not like us.
We have the opportunity to create a relationship with Canada our closest ally in distance and ideology that is willing to supply us with an estimated 700,000 gallons of crude oil daily via the Keystone XL Pipeline. We need the oil, we need the jobs, we need the stability in our economy and markets that a steady supply of oil would provide. A supply of oill that is not dependent upon the mood of a foreign despot or dictator whom with just the threat of disrupting this supply creates uncertainty in our energy supply causing fluctuating prices and effects every segment of our economy just like what is being created again with Iran and the Straight of Hermus saga. In addition, if we do not team up with Canada and purchase their oil then China will consume all the Canadians can produce and we will be left more dependent on foreign oil from foreign lands.
What the President needs to do is to OK immediately the Keystone Pipeline project, then enjoy the stimulation of the economy from the jobs created with the additional benefit of creating a more stable energy supply. If he is on willing to reverse his decision then Congress needs to over ride his lack of leadership in making America stronger and OK the Keystone XL Pipeline on the grounds of a lack of confidence and I would add Common Sense. The results would be a more reliable and steady source of oil, job creation, an economy stimulated thru the private sector not borrowed stimulus money, decreasing unemployment and ultimately creating a stronger America. We need strong leadership in Congress.

Thank you for your support in the past and I look forward to your continued support in the future. Ted Yoho For Congress 2012

Happy Thanksgiving from Ted

admin — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:51:52 +0000

I wanted to send a note to all our friends and supporters wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Carolyn and I along with our children are spending the week in the fabulous Florida Keys with my brothers and mother. This is a great time to be thankful for all the service men and women who are actively serving or who have ever served our Great Country to keep it a free nation. This is also a time for me to reflect over the last 8 months and see how the campaign has come together through the hard work of all our campaign team members. I want you all to know how much I appreciate your dedication and hard work that has led us to where we are today. So, thank you to each and every one of you.
This is also a time of preparation for me as I set aside my veterinary profession of 28 years to focus full time on my run for U.S. Congress. My veterinary career has served both myself and family well and has been rewarding in many different ways. I feel it has prepared me well for the work as a U.S. Congressman and I look forward to the task at hand with enthusiasm and eagerness.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and God Bless all and the United States of America.

Ted

Who is bringing the ice water?

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:27:38 +0000

Grinding out these last few months of 2011, I have heard many quips and comments about the 2012 election but one issue is seemingly standing out from the rest. That issue is the proper role of government. Both red and blue, old and young, white and black are all discussing what the proper role of government is. Now that is not to say that this is the only issue on people’s minds. Not the case at all. In fact, everyone is talking about jobs and the economy but the conversation inevitably steers to the bigger issue. The role of government. Is it the place of the government to spend $400+ billion of taxpayer’s money to create jobs? Well, yes. I hate to disappoint everyone but yes, it is the role of the government to spend our money. The catch is we elect representatives (as in Congress – both the Senate and the House) to represent our views and to spend our money responsibly as WE (as in We the People) see fit as long as it’s Constitutional.
Many Constitutionalists are probably foaming at the mouth at the suggestion that it is the role of our government to spend our money but it you can prove that government does one thing without spending money, I would stand corrected. National security, coinage of money, basic welfare, even representation (think of how much a U.S. Senator makes each year); it all has a price tag attached to it.
In talking about the role of government, we gripe that it has gotten too big and over-reaching. (It is.) We complain that the President is abusing the use of Executive Orders. (He is.) We talk about how we hate politics and politicians alike because it’s all dirty. Well folks, I have news for you.
May I suggest that We the People have dropped the ball. We the People have allowed our government to spend OUR money with no oversight, no consequence and with our consent. We the People have allowed politics to get dirty because WE didn’t clean house when we needed to. We the People got lazy and spoiled. The United States Government didn’t fail us, We the People failed it.
My question then goes to you. What will you do in 2012? What will you say you did to get our country back on track? What will you do to make sure our elected officials in Washington aren’t spending our money on ridiculous legislation that makes no sense? What will you do to make sure that the President understands that Executive Orders are not to be doled out like candy on Halloween night?
Get involved. Educate not only yourself but a friend or family member. This isn’t about being Republican or Democrat in 2012, it’s about being American. Will We the People allow our leaders in Washington to continue to lead us toward the 8th and 9th circles of Dante’s Inferno? I truly hope not. But if we do, if you don’t get involved, YOU are bringing the ice water.
Thanks for reading and your support. Ted Yoho for Congress 2012

No thanks, Mr. President

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:39:40 +0000

I listened to the President tout his jobs creation bill like a high pressure salesman, the same approach he used before with the first stimulus bill and the Affordable Patient Health Care Bill as well. The end result of this high pressure tactic was increased national debt and decreased jobs.
I believe our country would have been better served if neither of these ill-conceived pieces of legislation had ever made it out of Congress. The first stimulus bill increased our national debt by more than $1 trillion. The Affordable Patient Health Care Bill increased the national debt more, increased the amount of people not insured and actually killed jobs by the uncertainty this bill created in the business world by issuing an unconstitutional mandate by the government to force its citizens to buy something.
Mr. Obama’s comment that extending unemployment benefits would create jobs only confirms the obvious fact that he is clueless when it comes to job creation in a free market society. People will not look for work if the government pays them not to work. The only way for the government to assist in lowering the unemployment rate is to stop over-regulating the private sector and to help create stability in the market place. This jobs bill will only increase our debt, therefore drowning us in more interest owed.
The President’s message last night was to spend more money – money that we do not have — on ideas that did not work the last go around. We need to repeal Obama Care, lower corporate tax and capital gains tax rates and let businesses create the jobs that will feed the needed tax revenues of government. Thanks but no thanks, Mr.Obama, I am not buying this time and I hope our legislators aren’t either.
The President said that all he wants is for both sides to come together and solve the problems of this nation, which is hard to believe when given his actions and associations. When he was in AZ addressing the border lawsuit he said, “Republicans want to build a moat and fill it with alligators to keep illegals out.” At the AFL-CIO rally in Detroit with Jimmy Hoffa Jr., he stood idly by while Hoffa spouted off, “We need to take out those S.O.B.s,” referring to the Republicans and Tea Party people. Mr. Obama, actions speak louder than words, and yours speak of divisiveness, not leadership.
America needs better.
Vote Ted Yoho Congress 2012

Net Zero Politics as Usual

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 03:47:02 +0000

The United States and World waited 2 weeks ago for the US Legislative Bodies to come to grips with our National Debt, save our credit rating and rein in spending. We were told that if we did not act the US might acquire a lower credit score, thus possibly pay more in interest.

Congress went to work and created a Net Zero bill that saves $21 billion over the next year but spends $990 billion the first year. After 10 years we would have saved approximately $2.5 trillion and spent $2.5 trillion. For this and this alone our credit rating was downgraded by an outside entity of the government, the S&P’s rating service.

In addition, the Chinese government gave our government strong words of warning that we need to get our debt under control or they will have a hard time justifying lending the US more money.

So Congress has become inept at resolving the problems they were hired to resolve. Instead, we have the S&P and the Chinese government giving directives to our government to get their house in order.

Maybe we should release Congress and hire the S&P and China to solve our debt problem since they acknowledge the seriousness of the situation.

As we are all aware, this debt crisis did not just happen but is the chronic result of inaction and ineffective leadership in Washington. The bottom line is we as a nation need to deal with it now or deal with it in the future. I say we do it now. If Government had dealt with it at the beginning of the Obama presidency when the debt was “only” approximately $5.1 trillion versus now $17 trillion it would have been more manageable.

What we need are new representatives to go to Washington and get to work at creating solutions. I would start by increasing jobs. This would be accomplished by: 1.) 100% repeal of ObamaCare. This has been the biggest deterent to job growth. 2.) Lower the corporate tax rates to 12-15% and lock that rate in for a period of time, say 15-20 years, so businesses can make short & long term investment plans. 3.) Decrease the capital gains rate to 10-15% and again lock it in for 15-20 years. These three measures would begin the process of restarting America’s job growth.

As far as reducing debt, there are too many ways to list but I would start with: 1.) Examine and identify all wasteful/duplicative programs and eliminate them. 2.) Re-evaluate and possibly suspend all foreign aid until our domestic issues are under control. 3.) Investigate, penalize and eliminate rampant fraud in all entitlement programs. 4.) Reduce the size of government by job attrition in certain venues.

I would also focus on securing the future of programs to which we are committed, such as Social Security. We cannot meet its future demands without revamping it. This issue should have been addressed 25 years ago when the change would have been more palatable. We do not have the luxury of time any longer, therefore this is going to require some changes like possibly increasing the age for benefits, increasing the maximum amount paid in, reserving this program for only those that have paid in or their homemaker spouses. No other people should be allowed to recieve these earned and not entitlement benefits. This is something that needs to be dealt with now, not next year, as well as addressing Medicare/caid reform to make them workable. I’ll address this in a future blog.

Thanks for reading, and please vote Ted Yoho for Congress 2012

Taxes…

admin — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 14:42:18 +0000

Taxes – to raise or not to raise, that is the question. If we raise them then upon whom and how much. I have always watched in amazement – especially in the last 10-15 years – at how our elected leaders have used taxes as a way of pitting one group of society against the other.

This is America, the land of opportunity where anyone who desires to can achieve success if they are willing to do the work. As Mark Twain said, “Most people miss opportunities because they are disguised as work.”

People are debating the unfairness and complexity of the tax code. We should ask ourselves: 1.) What are taxes paid and used for? Taxes are paid to fund the government’s various operational expenses, including our national security/defense as well as a multitude of other programs, infrastructure costs and maintenance. 2.) Who benefits from the taxes? Everyone benefits from the taxes paid in. 3.) Who should pay taxes? Since everyone participates in 1 & 2 then everyone should pay in. 4.) Should some pay more in taxes and some less in taxes? Yes, those that spend more should pay more, those that spend less should pay less. 5.) Is there a fair way to tax everyone? Yes, the Fair Tax. By implementing a form of Fair Tax the IRS would be dissolved and the class warfare Washington loves to use would go away also. It’s the smart choice.

Help Me Bring Common Sense Back to Congress -
Ted
Vote Ted Yoho US Congress 2012

Solutions

admin — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:54:34 +0000

I previously mentioned two factors to deal with the solution. One is reduce the debt, the other is to increase revenues. We do not have the luxury of having sacred programs anymore, meaning that all programs need to be evaluated, trimmed, defunded or eliminated immediately. Any duplicative progams and fraudulent activities need to be dealt with immediately. Foreign aid needs to be suspended Immediately. All military activities not directly operating for the safety and protection of this country should be defunded immediately. Then obviously we need to look at the revenue side.

Our Government has created this problem and we have allowed it. We have to direct legislators and the President- it’s time for them to earn their keep. The gravy train stops for them as well. All legislative pay increases should be frozen until we decide to reinstate them. They need to follow the rules they expect us to abide by.

We need to increase revenues by creating an environment for businesses to create jobs here and now. Much of the legislation coming out of Washington was job and business killing in nature. These need to be dealt with by repealing bad legislation, reigning in overbearing regulatory agencies and creating a fertile field for businesses to grow, thus creating jobs and sending workers back to work paying taxes and getting off unemployment.

I would start by introducing legislation to 100% repeal ObamaCare, decrease corporate tax and capital gains tax rates and renegotiating trade deals with our so-called trading partners. The 800-pound Gorilla no one wants to acknowledge is taxes and how to deal with this issue. Please check in to my next blog to see my solutions.
Thanks,
Ted
Vote Ted Yoho US Congress 2012

Debt Debate Debacle

admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:43:33 +0000

Here we are 15 days after the much awaited negotiating, wrangling and best poker playing our leaders in Washington could gin up and the best they could come up with it is a $2.7 trillion dollar increase in our national debt. Which means to us, the common folks of this nation, that our government increased the national debt from $14.5 trillion to roughly $17 trillion – which, by the way, we are ultimately responsible for paying back.

The fear that the Obama administration expelled is that America would default on August 2, 2011, therefore Social Security and Military checks might not get paid. This was an arbitrary date set by Treasury Secretary Gietner. We were told that if this debt ceiling crisis was not resolved the stock market would be un-stable and it would affect the global markets as well. So again 15 days after this crisis management style of our government in raising the debt ceiling the stock market decreased in value by over 500 points anyway, Italy – the 6th largest world economy – is on the verge of defaulting, and the other European markets are in great uncertainty. The American people have “Had Enough” of this kind of sophistry.

There are only two factors that can solve this debt problem. If we do not act and act soon then this country will not be able to pay any of its obligations. The current estimates, that I have researched, say that if the American government continues to borrow at the current level then just the interest owed – not principle or any other expenses by the Federal Government, i.e. us in 10- 15 years- will consume 100% of the total revenues of the entire US Government. In addition Social Security and Medi-Care/Aid in 15-20 years will also consume 100% of the US Government tax revenues. Therefore, within 15-20 years we have two situations that will consume all monies taken in by our Government. One does not need to have an advanced economics degree to see the outcome. We are broke as a nation. The question that should be asked becomes much clearer. Do you want to deal with the $17 trillion in debt now or do you want to deal with a $25-30 trillion debt in 15 years? Either way it must be dealt with. Keep in touch for my next blog on increasing revenues. Thanks.
Ted
Vote Ted Yoho U.S.Congress 2012.