Senator George Allen (R-VA)

Conservative Political Action Conference

Washington, DC

February 9, 2006

Introduction

Ladies and gentlemen. Patriots all! Good evening!

It’s invigorating for my wife Susan and I to be here with so many friends and allies at this CPAC conference.

I’m also glad that Vice President Dick Cheney spoke here earlier this evening. Vice President Cheney is a man of character and conviction who is deeply committed to our national security, and we can credit both him and President Bush for a large measure of our national strength, and for taking the war on terrorism to the enemy rather than sitting back waiting to be hit again.

Allen Philosophy

As many of you know, I grew up in a coach’s family. As such, I was raised on the four Fs of Life: Faith, Family, Freedom and Football!

Team sports taught me many lessons, including teamwork, preparation, and competition. Your race, ethnicity, or religion doesn’t matter. What matters is if you can punt, pass, kick, block, run or tackle. What matters is if you can produce on a level playing field, and help the team win! That’s what we should we aspire to in our American society: a true meritocracy!

Tonight, our All-Star team of conservative leaders is gathered in a team meeting, and they come in many different shapes, sizes, and stripes. We have social conservatives, constitutional conservatives, economic conservatives, compassionate conservatives, neoconservatives, libertarian conservatives…

There’s so many labels to choose from, but I’ve always described myself as a common sense Jeffersonian conservative, which means I trust free people and free enterprise more than a meddlesome, burdensome government.

In his 1801 Inaugural address, Mr. Jefferson defined “the sum of good government as a wise and frugal government”…“which shall restrain men from injuring one another, but otherwise shall leave them free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.”

I trust you all agree that’s still the sum of good government today!

Missions

Team, tonight at the Conservative Political Action Conference we look to the future—setting our game plan for this year and years to come. I believe we must be vibrant and energized, and we need to inspire and motivate people for goals, for a mission. And here is what I believe—more than ever—must be our three key missions for America’s future.

First, security, and that starts with this War on Terror—fighting the terrorists abroad, developing stronger, respectful alliances and providing our troops with the most technologically advanced armaments and equipment. Protecting our homeland includes securing our borders, and reducing our dangerous overdependence on foreign oil through increased American energy production, biofuels, clean coal, and advanced nuclear technology.

Second, competitiveness. I want America to be a Land of Opportunity for All and the World Capital of Innovation, and that starts with less taxation, less regulation, less litigation, and better education, expanding Internet access by keeping it not in the hands of governments or the U.N., but in the hands of the private sector and keeping it tax-free.

Third, values, and that starts with bringing fiscal accountability to Washington and nominating and confirming judges that apply the law, not invent the law, and putting a stop to judicial activism.

With strong security, competitiveness, and values, we will make sure that America is the best place in the world to live, learn, work, and raise our families.

We have some serious missions, serious challenges ahead, but I feel very strongly that these constructive, innovative, and empowering ideas will have a positive impact on peoples’ lives.

Security

War on Terror: There are those who have a great deal of concern, as all of us do, that we’re now in the midst of this global war against terror. We’re fighting an enemy that is hateful, that is vile, that is intolerant of all that we cherish.

But I say, remember Ronald Reagan who changed all the dynamics of the Cold War, which went on for nearly 50 years. Reagan didn’t think you could appease, co-exist, and accommodate the Soviet Union. He changed the dynamics in favor of the advancement of freedom. And now, because of Ronald Reagan—along with Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul the Second—there are millions of people in Central and Eastern Europe who were locked behind that Iron Curtain, who are now tasting that sweet nectar of liberty, and they are our friends and allies. He persevered, and freedom prevailed.

Today, in Iraq, our brave troops are making important progress– and we should honor their hard work and self-sacrifice by affirming the justness of their cause, and declaring that there’s no substitute for victory.

Our courageous troops believe in their mission—and they want to win. And I, for one, believe that our elected officials should stand with our troops.

There are some folks on the other team—these Monday morning quarterbacks—who say that victory is impossible, and that we should just pack up and go home. This is deeply and profoundly irresponsible.

Tucking tail and running would give the terrorists hope that America does not keep its word to those who are yearning for freedom, that America does not have the will and the resolve that we had during the Cold War, and that we’ve always had throughout our great history.

We should also look to Reagan when it comes to protecting our homeland, and protecting our allies. With the potential threat of nuclear weapons against us and our allies, including Israel from Iranian maniacal theocrats and others, we must finish development and deployment of a mobile missile defense system that can be moved to defend threatened allies from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.

Competitiveness

Science Education: Now, when it comes to America’s economic competitiveness, we need to lower taxes, reduce burdensome regulations, reduce our energy dependence, and particularly, improve education.

Our economic competitors—such as China and India—are focused. They are determined to be leaders in innovation and technology. They are recruiting the best scientists in the world in fields like nanotechnology, which is a multi-faceted, transformative science which is just starting to affect everything from materials engineering to microelectronics to life sciences to medical sciences to energy.

We have to regain our competitive character and capabilities in the important fields of science, technology, and engineering. We have to start encouraging and incenting our young people to get interested and educated in these very important fields of learning.

We are graduating, my friends, about 70,000 engineers every year, which seems like many people, but a third of them come from overseas, which is fine. I want America to be a magnet for the best minds in the world. But you compare our 70,000 engineers—the people who are designing and developing the new inventions and intellectual property and innovations of the future—our 70,000 pales in comparison to what India is matriculating (around 200,000), and in China, it’s 500,000. They’re smart and they’re motivated. This is their ticket out of poverty.

Here in America, we need to make sure that anybody who is qualified—regardless of their race or their ethnicity or their gender—is encouraged and incented to enter into engineering and technology and sciences.

Remember when the Soviet Union sent up Sputnik, President Eisenhower and the American people were worried that the United States was falling behind in missile technology, and in the space race. So President Eisenhower sent forth the National Defense Education Act, providing scholarships for young people to get involved in aeronautics, space, and missile technology. I think we need to set a goal that we’re going to double the number of engineers in this country in the next 10 years.

To achieve that goal, we’re going to need talent, we’re going to need investment and infrastructure, and we’re going to need leadership!

Tax Relief: Another issue that’s important for our competitiveness is tax relief. America doesn’t need any more taxes—whether it’s on the Internet or on income, capital gains, dividends or death. As Patrick Henry said, “No taxation without respiration!” We need to make sure our taxes are competitively low and that the U.S. is the best place in the world to invest and prosper.

But we’re due for a big tax increase in just two short years, because the tax cuts we passed are set to expire between 2008 and 2010. So we need to take action and prevent those tax increases.

Make no mistake, the tax relief package we passed is the main reason we’ve had such great economic growth over the past several years. More than 4.7 million new jobs, created not by the government but by private businesses all across this country. And I’d also point out to the liberals and those who opposed our tax cuts, we’ve also generated the largest tax revenue increase in U.S. history!

We need to keep this economic expansion of opportunity growing stronger! That’s why it’s so important that we take action to prevent tax increases, and in fact, lower the tax burden on taxpayers and investment for more prosperity, opportunity, and jobs.

Values

Fiscal Accountability: Another key issue that relates to taxes and economic competitiveness—but for me is a values issue—is fiscal responsibility and accountability.

We need to remember: We have a deficit not because we have a revenue problem, it’s because the federal government has a spending problem! Government doesn’t tax too little; it spends too much!

We need to spend smarter and learn to do more with less. And that starts with reviving a pair of reforms that Ronald Reagan advocated when he was President.

As you may recall in his farewell address to the American people, Ronald Reagan said there were two things he wished he accomplished as President, and wanted future Presidents—both Republican and Democrat - to have. And those were the line-item veto and a constitutional amendment to balance the budget.

Line-Item Veto: As always, Reagan was right, and I know that from experience. When I was the Governor of Virginia, I had the line-item veto—as do 46 Governors in this country. I know that it’s a powerful tool to cut wasteful spending and undesirable programs.

The President of the United States should have the same kind of power I had as Governor of Virginia, so—together with Senator Jim Talent of Missouri—I have introduced a constitutional amendment to provide the President with line-item veto authority.

Balanced Budget Amendment: Like President Reagan, I also believe we need a constitutional amendment that will require Congress and the President to balance the budget.

Balancing the budget is not just a matter of making sure that expenditures are equal to revenue; it’s about making sure that the Federal Government fulfills its proper, focused constitutional role—and not expanding into everything including matters reserved to the people or the States! Because we all know that a big, bloated federal government stifles innovation, saps initiative and reduces personal responsibility.
 
I believe that one of the best ways to limit the size and scope of government is to wrestle it down with the chains of the Constitution.

Paycheck Penalty: And I have a third idea too. Tonight, I want to share with you all a new proposal to insure timely accountability that I know won’t be too popular in the halls of Congress, but will be much-appreciated and understood by real people in the real world.

I am proposing legislation that provides a powerful incentive for Senators and Congressmen to perform their jobs on time, just like people do in the private sector.

It is absurd that full-time legislators can’t get their job done on-time by October 1—then several months later, right before Christmas—all kinds of unknown, unscrutinized spending occurs. They pass it in the dead of night, thinking nobody will notice what’s in these appropriations bills.

That’s why I want to impose on Congress what I call the “paycheck penalty.” It says to members of Congress, “If you fail to pass all your appropriations measures by the start of the fiscal year [October 1]—which is your job, which is what you’re paid to do—your paycheck will be withheld until you complete your job , period.”

Friends, we need to get back to basics. Taken together, I believe that my three-point plan for a line-item veto, a balanced budget amendment, and a paycheck penalty will restore fiscal accountability and common sense to Washington. And we will be better able to lower the tax burden on all Americans.

Judges: Before I conclude, I want to talk about another foundational value, and that’s the rule of law. The people are the owners of the government in our representative democracy. State legislatures, Governors, Congress, and the President must reflect the will and views of the people. They must not legislate from the bench.

But we have activist judges who don’t care if people in certain school districts would like to have the Pledge of Allegiance recited in their schools. Instead of obeying the will of the people, they banned the Pledge because of the words “Under God.”

They knock out—for example—bans on partial-birth abortion and parental notification laws for minors who want to have an abortion.

They allow the Boy Scouts to be attacked even though, as a private organization they should be free to set their own standards for their own members, without government interference.

They weaken our sovereignty by striking down state laws using international standards.
You see judges—including the Supreme Court of the United States—allowing these lords in New London, Connecticut to take peoples’ homes—the American Dream—not for a school, not for a road, but because they want to derive more tax revenue from that property.

Now that’s why we need judges in the United States—especially these federal judges who are appointed for life, who understand that the role of a judge is to apply the law, not invent the law, and not to amend our Bill of Rights by judicial decree.

Our foundational values will be stronger now that we have a stronger Senate majority. You saw how every Democrat in the South and West and Plains refused to go along with Senators Kerry, Kennedy, Clinton, and Reid and filibuster Judge Alito’s nomination. They didn’t want to follow Tom Daschle’s career path, and get kicked out of office. They got the message because you all made a difference.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, we conservatives must lead the charge for America’s future. We need to go out and advance our ideas. We need to reach out to everybody who pays taxes, who works for a living, who cares about their families.

Remember, elections matter. I know that from experience. When I was elected Chairman of the NRSC, we had 51 seats. In 2004, we picked up four seats—with the help of many of you all—including the one seat I consider like winning three seats, knocking off the chief obstructionist Tom Daschle!

Today we have 55 seats—and those seats mattered in preventing the Democrats from obstructing Justice Alito’s nomination. Those added conservative Republican teammates will continue to be important as we advance our agenda for the American people, not by mind-numbing worship of process, but by keeping our promises! And make no mistake about it, it’s up to us to get the job done.

When Ronald Reagan was President, he gave my Dad a plaque, which bore his famous quote: “If not us, who? If not now, when?" My father kept that plaque on his desk, and when he passed away, my mother said, "You ought to have this." And so, I, in turn, kept that plaque on my mantel during my time as Governor of Virginia. And today it’s on the mantel in my U.S. Senate office.

Team, as we face the mission in front of us, let’s remember Reagan’s inspiring call to action “If not us, who? If not now, when?" and together we will move forward to secure our freedom with strong national defense, improve our competitiveness, expand opportunity for all, and preserve our foundational values. Count on me to fight by your side.

May God continue to bless this great nation with patriots of your character, integrity and unflinching, consistent commitment to enduring values and principles. And my friends, no matter the challenges we face in the years ahead, I will—and I respectfully urge you—to always stand strong for Freedom! With you, liberty and justice will prevail!