Term Limits, Faith, Healthcare, Fiscal Honesty, and Gun Rights

Term Limits

In the words of one of my political heroes of recent years, former Senator and Presidential Candidate Ron Paul, “term limits will increase performance and prevent corruption.” Those two outcomes he stresses are truly needed in both houses of Congress – it’s as simple as that. I am proudly and without reservation signing a pledge for the organization US. Term Limits: “. . . that as a member of Congress I will cosponsor and vote for the U.S. Term Limits Amendment of three (3) House terms and two (2) Senate terms and no longer limit.”

You may see my signed pledge at https://www.termlimits.com/doug-bell-pledges-to-support-term-limits-on-congress/. You may also see that Representative Mike Rogers is NOT on the list of ninety current members of congress that have signed the pledge at https://www.termlimits.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/117thCongressPledgeSigners.pdf.

Absolutely No Funding for Planned Parenthood

In the days I lived in Atlanta, I had to often drive by a Planned Parenthood facility. Words cannot describe the grief I felt just seeing it. As strong of a fiscal conservative that I am, even if the US Congress was otherwise willing to do the right thing and balance the budget, if it allotted one dime to an abortion provider such as Planned Parenthood, I do not believe I could approve of that bill in good conscience.

I believe Roe V. Wade was the most evil decision made in U.S. History. As many disagreements as I have with the Republicans and even Donald Trump regarding their continuing on of the reckless federal government spending even when the Republicans had the presidency and both houses of congress, nevertheless, I am overjoyed that through the Providence of God, Trump and the Republicans were able to appoint and confirm Supreme Court Justices that finally overturned Roe V. Wade. To me, abortion in any circumstance is murder. However, murder is generally a crime punished in the states. I pray that as Alabamians, we stand strong for all unborn children to have the chance to live.

Fiscal Discipline: Restoring Credibility to Our National Motto Printed on Our Currency

Heritage Action was founded by one of the leading conservative advocacy groups, The Heritage Foundation, for the purpose of holding politicians accountable based on their voting record. A simple scroll through the votes by Representative Mike Rogers on the Heritage Action website reveals why he is given a 69% lifetime voting scorecard by them. Representative Rogers may be “conservative” on some issues, but he is not a fiscal conservative. He supports big federal government spending packages that pass on enormous amounts of debt to our children. One must look no further than his “yes” vote on the $1.5 trillion Omnibus and Supplemental Package that passed in March of 2022 to get a glimpse about where Mike Rogers stands. Heritage Action wrote the following about the spending bill:

A 2,741 page, $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package filled with Biden policy priorities along with an attached $13.6 billion for aid to Ukraine. It fails to reverse the COVID-19 emergency [use authorization] or the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates, as conservative leaders have called for, and doubles down on the Green New Deal style government subsidies for green energy and climate policies.[

Someone may ask, how could someone who represents a professed conservative district like Alabama’s 3rd vote for a bill laced with big-government spending and liberals’ “pet projects?” The answer is that the U.S. Congress is the place where everybody gets a little more of what they want and everyone’s wallet stays fatter for a little longer. Meanwhile, we plunge faster down the fiscal cliff and into the valley of economic ruin that will be very difficult for future generations of Americans to climb out of. If you take the time and probe a little deeper, it becomes apparent why Representative Rogers would vote for such a bill.

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Your Business Should Be Your Business: Restoring First Amendment Rights to Private Employers

When making hiring decisions, there are many factors that an employer should consider such as the applicant’s aptitude, knowledge, and experience for a particular job. Good moral character, however, is also an important factor. The 1st Psalm of David declares that those who “delight in the law of the Lord” will “prosper in whatever they do.” Various people will define moral character differently in accordance with their religious beliefs. According to my own understanding of what constitutes good moral character, I believe the most important factor an employer should consider in choosing the person who will be the best long-term asset for a business is if they “delight in the law of the Lord.”

To me, “delighting in the law of the Lord” is indicative of what I believe to be the most fundamental moral character attribute, that is, the attribute of humility. “For God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). A humble person looks not to their own “wisdom” but rather to the “wisdom” of their Creator, who many Americans, like me, believe has revealed His will through His Word.

Per the First Amendment, it should not be illegal for me to practice my own religious beliefs in my own business. Neither should it be illegal for another
employer, who believes differently than me, to live out their beliefs regarding whom they will hire in their business. Common sense tells me that whoever funds the payroll should decide what characteristics they consider when making hiring decisions. Sadly, I am not aware of a single person who has served in Congress since Ron Paul who has consistently spoken against Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 where the federal government began to dictate what factors employers, even private ones, cannot consider when making hiring decisions.

These socialistic regulations placed up employers came about during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. It was claimed that they would aid in bringing about “A Great Society.” However, instead of yielding a great society, our workforce has instead been severely weakened and our per capita debt as a share of our national is now $90,000.

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Healthcare Reform: Take it Back to the States

When we talk of compassion and individual responsibility as they pertain to healthcare public policy, I believe they must be balanced. I do not want to be guilty of going too far to the extreme in either direction. We can err too much on the individual responsibility side. Some people have adverse health conditions they are born with, but we know that others have conditions that are a result of unhealthy choices they have made. In the case of the latter, it is easy to become callous, not remembering the words of Jesus, “to him who is without sin let him cast the first stone.” At the same time, in that same biblical narrative, Jesus also said, “now go and sin no more.” I personally believe that Jesus saw a broken and contrite heart in the woman caught in adultery. I do not think that the actions of Jesus would have been the same if he saw a defiant attitude. In accordance with what I call the “whole counsel of God,” I believe that there is a place for “tough love” to be administered and being “too compassionate” is not the most loving route in helping people learn to take responsibility for their decisions.

When applying this to public healthcare policy, I do not claim to know the perfect balance between compassion and individual responsibility. What I do believe, not just about public healthcare policy but a myriad of other issues, is the following: There are elected representatives in all fifty state legislatures that should be committed and tasked to calculate and maintain that balance for the people they represent. I will not quote the words of Jesus this time but the words of Thomas Jefferson which reflect my core political philosophy: “The government closest to the people governs best.” I will stand with like-minded Republicans and anyone else who desires the reduction of federal power to mandate and the increase of states’ rights and power to develop and implement healthcare policy. This translates into repealing the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. Being people of compassion is important to receiving the blessing of God for any nation; I just don’t believe it is the role of the federal government to define or mandate it.

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The Right to Keep in Check the Power of the Government

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Need I say more about where I stand on our right to bear arms? If anything, we need to try to enforce the laws that are already on the books in order to be responsible stewards of this foundational right. Some in the government seem to be hell-bent on systematically taking away our freedoms, including the one afforded us in the 2^nd amendment. For reasons given to us by our founding fathers, we need to be very diligent about preserving our right to bear arms.

“Mean What you Say and Say What You Mean”: A Call to Constitutional Fidelity

As I spoke to people in Alabama’s 3rd District everyday as I gathered the necessary signatures to gain ballot access, two “gripes” surfaced time and time again. The first is that people are sick of the D.C. corruption. The second is that Representative Mike Rogers is very hard to access. In the latter, my dad had a sign on the wall of his home office that said, “Don’t judge me until you have walked in my moccasins.” I don’t want to be too hard on Mike Rogers since I have never had to represent approximately 700,000 people. However, I offer a solution that will address both gripes. The solution is to simply right the wrong where the constitution was clearly not followed in The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929.