Resorting To Violins

During the primaries there was a candidate who argued for education reform to include music and the arts. Mike Huckabee voiced the following;

"I want to provide our children what I call the "Weapons of Mass Instruction" - art and music - the secret, effective weapons that will help us to be competitive and creative. It is crucial that children flex both the left and right sides of the brain. We all know the cliché of thinking outside the box: I want our children to be so creative that they think outside the cardboard factory. Art and music are as important as math and science because the dreamers and visionaries among us take the rough straw of an idea and spin it into the gold of new businesses and jobs. It is as important to identify and encourage children with artistic talent as it is those with athletic ability. Our future economy depends on a creative generation."

Huckabee was not able to win his parties nomination and since that time there has been nary a voice from those remaining in the race about the importance of music and the arts for our children. Without the help of our government and our school systems, it becomes more important than ever that parents do what is necessary to see that their children receive proper music education.

The Academy of Music Performance can help fill the void. It is a private lesson studio and school of music specializing in the Violin and Viola. Current and former students learning how to play violin in the academy range in age from the very young to college age and above.

You can check out a sample lesson by visiting their website, or review the AMP DVD lesson catalog, read about their five step plan, and watch performance videos of current and previous students.

As Thomas Jefferson explained, we must endeavor to maintain peace, but when the government no longer represents the people, sometimes the people must resort to violins.

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Mike Huckabee: "Understanding"

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2008 Restore America Conference

PORTLAND, Or., Jan. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- It takes only a small minority in leadership of the seven major spheres of influence within any society to control the direction of any nation. Throughout the last several generations, God fearing Americans have yielded their historical leadership in the realms of Family, Religion, Education, Government, Business, Media and Entertainment. In their absence, a small number of anti-God Americans have gained control of society and are reshaping these spheres with their ideas of virtue & moral values, sex with anyone, power over everything, and money for anything that satisfies the fallen nature of mankind.

The 2008 elections, with the spheres of education, the media, and entertainment, under the control of God mockers, will have far reaching ramifications for America, and the world. In the 2004 General Election, 19 million of the 52 million Evangelical Christians in America who were eligible to VOTE, did not VOTE! What's worse, that number increased to 28 million in the 2006 election! Still more disturbing, millions of Bible believing Christians remain unregistered to VOTE! By calling these Bible believing Christians to register and VOTE, more conservative, Christian world view candidates can be elected and the current strategies that are destroying America, thwarted.

The 2008 Restore America, Know the Truth, Change the Culture, February 22-23 Conference at Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin, Oregon (just a few miles south of Portland), will speak to this issue and each sphere to show how Christians can restore their historical American culture. Georgene Rice, with KPDQ-FM will again be the Master of Ceremonies and these "politically incorrect" questions, addressed: (FAMILY – "Is Homosexuality Wrong?" RELIGION – "Are We At War With Islam?" –EDUCATION – "Who Is Controlling Public Education?" GOVERNMENT – "Can a Secular Government Protect Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?" BUSINESS – "Should Faith Influence the Workplace?" MEDIA – "How Does the Media Shape Our Culture?" ENTERTAINMENT – "What Is Our Entertainment Costing Us?") National Speakers include former lesbian activist and magazine editor - Charlene Cothran, former Muslim terrorist - Kamal Saleem, syndicated columnist - Starr Parker, Terri Schiavo's attorney - David Gibbs III, historian - Marshall Foster, movie makers - Jonathan & Debra Flora, and WorldNetDaily.com Vice President - David Kupelian.

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Who Is Duncan Hunter?

From the Baptist Press article by Michael Foust

WASHINGTON (BP)--Presidential candidate Duncan Hunter of California is the senior Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, one of the more powerful committees in Congress. He's also a Christian and a Southern Baptist.

A member of Congress since 1980 and a Vietnam veteran, Hunter was saved at the age of 14 during a revival meeting led by professional baseball player Albie Pearson. He remembers it well.

"He was five-foot-six. He was one of the original Los Angeles Angels," Hunter told Baptist Press. "A great Christian and a Christian minister, who now has a Christian home for kids who have suffered from drug abuse in California."

Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee from 2002 until the Democrats took control earlier this year, Hunter is one of nine Republican candidates for president. Some consider him a long-shot, but Hunter hopes his experience in the military and on the committee will serve to attract votes, particularly with America at war.

Click Here to read more...

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Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer Endorses Mike Huckabee

From Governor Geringer's endorsement of Mike Huckabee:

"I've known and worked with Mike Huckabee for twelve years, both as an elected official and as a businessman. Of all the candidates, Mike is the genuine article. We've worked together on matters of energy, math and science education, small business opportunities, music and arts in our schools, healthy America and the value of integrity in public office. Governor Huckabee has great respect for the creativity and ingenuity of Wyoming people."

"We want a President who knows the value of hard work, individual effort, helping your neighbor and limiting federal government. Mike Huckabee is that person."

"Sherri and I give our full support to Mike Huckabee for President without hesitation."

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MIke Huckabee On Music, Arts, And Education

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Mike Huckabee: The Most Rewarding Thing About Being In Politics

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Newt Gingrich And Mike Huckabee Are Right About Education

From a recent article by Newt Gingrich:

Finally, our greatest asset in education is our teachers, and we need new ways to attract and retain the best educators. Seven in 10 recent college graduates think teaching doesn't offer good opportunities for advancement and they are right. If we want highly qualified and motivated teachers, then we must re-examine the ways we pay teachers and find ways to reward them for teaching complex subjects or taking on difficult assignments.

Making these changes doesn't require a federal takeover over of schools, but it requires national leaders who spur others into action. The individuals now seeking the presidency should use their time in the spotlight to begin sounding the drumbeat for improving our schools. If we want a 21st century workforce, we can begin by building 21st-century classrooms.

Mike Huckabee is doing just this. The New Hampshire National Education Association recently acknowledged Huckabee's commitment to improving our schools by endorsing him. Laura Ingraham used her talk show to damn Huckabee because of this NEA endorsement. According to her, the NEA (which is 40% Republican) endorsement should frighten Republican voters. This is more telling about Laura Ingraham than anything. She has so given herself to the dark side of politics which makes everything about "Us" vs. "Them" that she bashes anyone who places a bigger priority on advancing Americans than upon advancing Republican political power. Laura Ingraham should be listening to Newt Gingrich and to Mike Huckabee when they say that improving our schools must be a priority.

Here is what Mike Huckabee has to say about his commitment to improving our schools:

I believe that every child should have the opportunity for a quality education that teaches the fundamental skills needed to compete in a global economy. As I traveled the country and the world over the last decade bringing jobs to Arkansas, the business leaders I met weren't worried about creating jobs, they were worried about finding skilled and professional workers to fill those jobs.

In addition, I want to provide our children what I call the "Weapons of Mass Instruction" - art and music - the secret, effective weapons that will help us to be competitive and creative. It is crucial that children flex both the left and right sides of the brain. We all know the cliché of thinking outside the box: I want our children to be so creative that they think outside the cardboard factory. Art and music are as important as math and science because the dreamers and visionaries among us take the rough straw of an idea and spin it into the gold of new businesses and jobs. It is as important to identify and encourage children with artistic talent as it is those with athletic ability. Our future economy depends on a creative generation.

Music has always been an important part of my life. I still play bass guitar in my band, Capitol Offense.

As Governor of Arkansas, I undertook several initiatives to encourage arts in education. I passed landmark legislation to provide music and art instruction by certified teachers for all Arkansas children in grades one through six, forty minutes a week. As Chairman of the Education and Arts Commission of the States, I created a two-year initiative called "The Arts - A Lifetime of Learning," which promotes the benefits of arts education to all fifty states.

Students with strong art and music programs have higher academic achievement overall, are far more likely to read for pleasure and participate in community service, and are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior. These programs have a powerful effect in leveling the academic playing field for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The study of music improves math scores, spatial reasoning and abstract thinking.

The success of our schools has to be judged by the results we obtain, not the revenues we spend. A focus on true quality rather than mere quantity requires us to set high standards for our students and teachers, measure their performance diligently, and hold educators and administrators accountable for the results in an atmosphere of transparency and efficiency.

As Governor of Arkansas, I created intensive reading and math programs that went back to basics. I started with elementary students and, as those children thrived, I expanded the program to middle and then high schools. Our test scores rose dramatically. I then created one of the most demanding high school curricula in the country, and the number of students taking advanced placement classes grew by leaps and bounds.

I opposed the teachers' union and got the Fair Dismissal Law passed, which allowed us to terminate poorly performing teachers. To attract top talent, I raised teachers' salaries from among the lowest in the nation to among the most competitive. I created systems to make our schools accountable to both parents and taxpayers by insisting on transparency in how money is spent, efficiency in putting money into classroom programs rather than administrative costs, and clear responsibility of all employees for the tasks assigned to them.

As Governor, I fought hard for more charter schools, with their strong parental involvement and their unique ability to serve as laboratories for education reform, and for the rights of parents to home school their children. I am a strong supporter of public school choice. I am proud that my three children attended public schools from K through twelve, as did my wife and I.

In addition to my gubernatorial experience, I have significant national experience in education policy. I was Chairman of the National Governors Association from 2005-2006 and also Chairman of the Education Committee of the States from 2004-2006, working with governors, legislators, and education chiefs from all fifty states to advance education policy and conduct research on effective trends in education.

We need to test teachers as well as students, replace teachers who aren't competent, and impose reasonable waiting periods for teachers to gain tenure. We should provide bonuses and forgive student loans for high-performing teachers to work in low-performing schools. Just as there are executives in the corporate world who specialize in turning around failing companies, we need teachers who are "turn-around specialists" for failing schools.

Typical employment procedures provide a disincentive for teachers and often discourage potentially good teachers from entering what I consider to be a noble profession. Educators and teachers should be involved in the design of compensation initiatives that encourage training and promote performance based on merit, so that our children can have the best education in the world.

As President, my education agenda will include working towards a clear distinction between the federal role in assisting and empowering states and in usurping the right of states to carry out the education programs for their students. While there is value in the "No Child Left Behind" law's effort to set high national standards, states must be allowed to develop their own benchmarks.

As President, I will use my broad and deep expertise in education policy to lift up our children and America's economic future.

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Huckabee Praised For Performance At Hispanic Debate

Governor Mike Huckabee was so well received by those attending the Univision Republican Debate that the applause became so abundant it was difficult for him to continue his response. Here are some clips from the debate followed by highlights:

* * * Excerpts from the debate:* * *

MODERATOR: And we'll begin from left to right for the candidates. Let's welcome them.

Please say welcome to Mike Huckabee. He was elected two times as governor of Arkansas. He has a B.A. from Ouachita Baptist University. He attended the Southeast Baptist Theological Seminary from 1976 to 1980. He is married and has three children.

* * *

MODERATOR: Governor Huckabee, how do you explain the decline of support to Republicans by Hispanics?

HUCKABEE: I think Hispanics want the same thing everybody wants. They want jobs. They want education. They want to know that they're going to be able to live with freedom. If the Republicans only got 30 percent of the vote, somehow we didn't do a very good job of communicating that that's what we would provide in terms of opportunity and fairness.

It says more about our party and our need to reach out thank it does about than it does about the Hispanic population of this country. If we're really serious about truly saying we want more than 30 percent of the vote, then as we look at issues like education we'll understand that while the dropout rate from high school is 30 percent among all populations, it's 50 percent among Hispanics.

HUCKABEE: We've got to change that by creating personalized education that focuses on perpetuating what's good for students, not just making what's good for the school.

There's also issues and disparities between diabetes and other issues of health.

So I think, if our policies reflect lifting people up, we'll get the vote.

* * *

MODERATOR: Governor Huckabee, is there a risk standing up here?

HUCKABEE: Well, I think the great risk is not so much that we would come. The far greater risk is if we didn't. And it's not just that we would offend or perhaps insult the Hispanic audience of this country. I think it would insult our own party. It would insult every voter in this country.

To act like that somehow we've become so arrogant that there's any segment of our population that we're either afraid to speak to, hear their questions, or somehow that we don't think that they're as important as another group. And it's why I think whether it's an African American audience, a Hispanic audience, a union audience, as Republicans, we ought to be more than willing to sit down, even with people with whom we might know there are disagreements.

And I think, frankly, it's important for us to be here. It's important that you gave us this opportunity. And I want to say thanks for letting us have this audience on Univision.

* * *

MODERATOR: Governor Huckabee, what to do with the 12 million of undocumented that already live in the United States?

HUCKABEE: Well, I agree with the mayor that the first step is a secure border, because otherwise nothing really matters.

But I do think the pathway has to include people going to the back, not the front of the line. There can't be an amnesty policy, because that's an insult to all the people who waited, sometimes, ridiculously, for years, just to be able to make the transition here.

I think a reasonable window of time in which a person would go back to the native country, start the process, but the real challenge is that our government, which has failed miserably in all of this -- it's got to get its act together.

If you can get an American Express card in two weeks, it shouldn't take seven years to get a work permit to come to this country in order to work on a farm.

So if our government is incapable of making that process in that length of time, then we should do it in a way to outsource it.

And here's why: When people come to this country, they shouldn't fear. They shouldn't live in hiding. They ought to have their heads up, because the one thing about being an American is, we believe every person ought to have his or her head up and proud, and nobody should have to be in hiding because they're illegal when our government ought to make it so that people can reasonably come here in a legal fashion.

* * *

MODERATOR: Governor Huckabee, how can we curb that anti-Hispanic sentiment?

HUCKABEE: Well, I was governor of the state that is the second- fastest growing state for Hispanics in the country, and we faced that. Quite frankly, when we fix the situation and make the border secure and people are here legally, a lot of the sentiment goes away.

And I think we forget sometimes that it's not just that it's the people feeling that the illegals are coming in such great numbers that we can't deal with it. But it's a terrible thing when a person who is here legally, but who may speak with an accent, is racially profiled by members of the public, and people assume that they may be illegal.

It is in everybody's best interest -- it is in most of all the best interest of the legal immigrants -- that we fix this problem, so nobody questions the legitimacy of their being here, which often happens, unfairly, unnecessarily and, frankly, in a completely un-American manner.

* * *

MODERATOR: Governor Huckabee, the same thing: How would you deal with President Chavez? He was elected democratically.

HUCKABEE: Well, Hugo Chavez is hardly the friend of the United States. And even though we get 60 percent of their oil, I think it's one of the major reasons we need to become increasingly oil-free and energy-independent so that we don't have to worry about Mr. Chavez.

HUCKABEE: But there's a greater issue here, and it's the fact that the people of Venezuela aren't Hugo Chavez and Hugo Chavez is not necessarily the spirit of the people of Venezuela.

Even though he was elected, he was not elected to be a dictator as he has become, suspending constitutional law.

My mother used to have a statement: If you give somebody enough rope, they'll hang themselves. I have a feeling that Mr. Chavez, continuing to take power from the people as he has done, will find himself unfortunately out of power, and hopefully for all of us, fortunately a democratically elected government there that will give those people back the freedom that he has robbed from them and hopefully by then we won't need their oil, but they will have their freedom.

* * *

MODERATOR: Governor Huckabee, why not withdraw the troops from Iraq?

HUCKABEE: Because we are winning, as Senator McCain just said. Civilians deaths are down 76 percent since the surge. Even the military deaths are down over 60 percent. And that's not the only way we know we're winning. We're winning because we see in the spirit of our own soldiers a sense of duty and honor that they are being able to carry out a mission that they were sent there to do. To take them out of it not only means we lose, but it means we totally destroy their sense of morale, and it may take a generation to get it back.

But there's more at stake than just their morale. It's the safety and the security of the Middle East and the rest of the world. This isn't an issue that's about Hispanics or anybody else in terms of ethnicity. This is about every one of us being able to be free, to have a future, and to be able to know that we're not going to allow a vacuum there, which happens if we lose -- and we lose when we walk away -- to create an opening so that terrorists can build even greater cells of training and empowerment there.

That's why we have to stay. And it's why we have to win.

* * *

MODERATOR: Governor Huckabee, you know the numbers: 47 million people don't have health insurance, including 15 million Hispanic. What can be done to provide coverage for those people?

HUCKABEE: Of those 47 million, one-third don't have it because they are self-insured. Another one-third don't have it because they think they're healthy and invincible. There is one-third that don't have it because they can't afford it. And then there are a lot of people who have insurance, but they're underinsured.

But let me tell you, the biggest problem we have in this country is not a health care crisis, it is a health crisis. We spend $2 trillion a year on health care, and 80 percent of it goes to chronic disease, which means that what we really have to begin dealing with is turning the system right side up, because it is upside down focused on waiting until people are catastrophically ill, and then we try to rush in with the most expensive modalities possible.

What we need to be doing is putting the real focus on preventing the illness in the first place. It's the difference between either putting an ambulance at the bottom of the hill or building a fence at the top.
We can afford universal coverage, but not until and not even close until we first have health, rather than just focus on health coverage.

Let me say the last thing we need to do is to believe that Michael Moore's idea is good and we can all go to Cuba and get health care. I don't mind shipping him down there, but the rest of us I'd like to get our care here.

* * *

MODERATOR: Thank you, Governor.
(APPLAUSE)
We're going to continue talking about education. One our of three Hispanic students don't finish high school.

Governor Huckabee, what would you do to stop dropouts of school.

HUCKABEE: Well, first of all, the reason a lot of kids don't finish school and they drop out -- and by the way, you're right. The Hispanic dropout rate is significantly higher than the general population.

Six thousand kids, every day, drop out of school, 6,000. You know, the only reason any of us are standing on this stage today is because we have an education. Without it, we wouldn't be here.

An education is empowerment. The lack of it leads us to incredible, just all kinds of obstacles in our path.

And we always talk about we need more math and science, and we, and we're doing a better job. But one of the reasons we have kids failing is not because they're dumb, it's they're bored. They're bored with a curriculum that doesn't touch them.

We have schools that are about perpetuating the schools, not helping the students.

I propose launching weapons of mass instruction, making sure that we are launching not only the math and science...

... but music and art programs that touch the right side of the brain, and not only educate the left side of the student's brain.

Because without a creative economy and a creative student, you have a bored student, and that's one of the reasons we see so many of them dropping out.

* * *

MODERATOR: Well, we have the last question for all of you. Hispanics are the biggest minority in the United States, and by 2050, we're going to be 25 percent of the population. Three months ago, I asked the same thing to the Democratic candidates.

What would you think would be the biggest contribution from Hispanics, but we want to ask you what is the role -- what role do you think Hispanics will play in the development of our nation and our society?

We're going to start with Governor Huckabee.

HUCKABEE: On our coins, it says, E pluribus unum. It means out of many, one.
Ronald Reagan said it best. He said that if we go to Germany, we're not Germans, and if we go to Italy, we're not Italians. But anyone who comes to America is an American.

One of the great aspects of this nation is that when people come here and unite with us, they share not just our borders and our boundaries. They share our hopes and our dreams and our aspirations.

And if there's any one reason that this country is a magnet for people, and clearly a magnet for many Hispanics who have found hope and opportunity here, it's because they see in this country what we ourselves who live here see. And that is that here, we can dream great dreams and actually can see them.

Our equality is not based on our ancestry, our last name, it's not based on how much money we make. It's based on the intrinsic worth and value that every one of us have. It's why we share something else, and I think that this nation is basically pro-life because we recognize that intrinsic worth.

And I think what we offer is an opportunity to raise families and to live dreams and to be free.

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What Does Mike Huckabee Believe About Public Education, Music, And The Arts

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Where Does Mike Huckabee Stand On Education And The Arts

I believe that every child should have the opportunity for a quality education that teaches the fundamental skills needed to compete in a global economy. As I traveled the country and the world over the last decade bringing jobs to Arkansas, the business leaders I met weren't worried about creating jobs, they were worried about finding skilled and professional workers to fill those jobs.

In addition, I want to provide our children what I call the "Weapons of Mass Instruction" - art and music - the secret, effective weapons that will help us to be competitive and creative. It is crucial that children flex both the left and right sides of the brain. We all know the cliché of thinking outside the box: I want our children to be so creative that they think outside the cardboard factory. Art and music are as important as math and science because the dreamers and visionaries among us take the rough straw of an idea and spin it into the gold of new businesses and jobs. It is as important to identify and encourage children with artistic talent as it is those with athletic ability. Our future economy depends on a creative generation.

Music has always been an important part of my life. I still play bass guitar in my band, Capitol Offense.

As Governor of Arkansas, I undertook several initiatives to encourage arts in education. I passed landmark legislation to provide music and art instruction by certified teachers for all Arkansas children in grades one through six, forty minutes a week. As Chairman of the Education and Arts Commission of the States, I created a two-year initiative called "The Arts - A Lifetime of Learning," which promotes the benefits of arts education to all fifty states.

Students with strong art and music programs have higher academic achievement overall, are far more likely to read for pleasure and participate in community service, and are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior. These programs have a powerful effect in leveling the academic playing field for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The study of music improves math scores, spatial reasoning and abstract thinking.

The success of our schools has to be judged by the results we obtain, not the revenues we spend. A focus on true quality rather than mere quantity requires us to set high standards for our students and teachers, measure their performance diligently, and hold educators and administrators accountable for the results in an atmosphere of transparency and efficiency.

As Governor of Arkansas, I created intensive reading and math programs that went back to basics. I started with elementary students and, as those children thrived, I expanded the program to middle and then high schools. Our test scores rose dramatically. I then created one of the most demanding high school curricula in the country, and the number of students taking advanced placement classes grew by leaps and bounds.

I opposed the teachers' union and got the Fair Dismissal Law passed, which allowed us to terminate poorly performing teachers. To attract top talent, I raised teachers' salaries from among the lowest in the nation to among the most competitive. I created systems to make our schools accountable to both parents and taxpayers by insisting on transparency in how money is spent, efficiency in putting money into classroom programs rather than administrative costs, and clear responsibility of all employees for the tasks assigned to them.

As Governor, I fought hard for more charter schools, with their strong parental involvement and their unique ability to serve as laboratories for education reform, and for the rights of parents to home school their children. I am a strong supporter of public school choice. I am proud that my three children attended public schools from K through twelve, as did my wife and I.

In addition to my gubernatorial experience, I have significant national experience in education policy. I was Chairman of the National Governors Association from 2005-2006 and also Chairman of the Education Committee of the States from 2004-2006, working with governors, legislators, and education chiefs from all fifty states to advance education policy and conduct research on effective trends in education.

We need to test teachers as well as students, replace teachers who aren't competent, and impose reasonable waiting periods for teachers to gain tenure. We should provide bonuses and forgive student loans for high-performing teachers to work in low-performing schools. Just as there are executives in the corporate world who specialize in turning around failing companies, we need teachers who are "turn-around specialists" for failing schools.

Typical employment procedures provide a disincentive for teachers and often discourage potentially good teachers from entering what I consider to be a noble profession. Educators and teachers should be involved in the design of compensation initiatives that encourage training and promote performance based on merit, so that our children can have the best education in the world.

As President, my education agenda will include working towards a clear distinction between the federal role in assisting and empowering states and in usurping the right of states to carry out the education programs for their students. While there is value in the "No Child Left Behind" law's effort to set high national standards, states must be allowed to develop their own benchmarks.

As President, I will use my broad and deep expertise in education policy to lift up our children and America's economic future.

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A Better America

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Huckabee Endorsed By New Hampshire National Educations Association (NEA)

From NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller

"The 16,000-member New Hampshire affiliate of the National Education Association has chosen to recommend to its members Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary and Mike Huckabee in the Republican primary, according to a source within the state NEA.This is the first time the state affiliate has picked a candidate in the GOP primary, and it follows Huckabee’s showing as the only Republican who spoke to the NEA convention in July.

"The state chapter's membership is more than 25% Republican, said the source, and the committee didn't want those members to be ignored. When Huckabee spoke at the convention and participated in an interview with the state affiliate, deciding members felt it would be right to point that out to members. Only education and related positions were considered, and the board appreciated Huckabee's "strong views on public education," especially supporting the arts and music."

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Where Does Mike Huckabee Stand On The Issues

Faith and Politics My faith is my life - it defines me. My faith doesn't influence my decisions, it drives them. For example, when it comes to the environment, I believe in being a good steward of the earth. I don't separate my faith from my personal and professional lives. Read More...

Sanctity of Life I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned. Read More...

Veterans' Bill Of Rights I support the following VETERANS' BILL OF RIGHTS for issues that are not being adequately addressed: The right to a mandatory rather than a discretionary mechanism for funding veterans' health care, to eliminate year-to-year uncertainty that the funds they need will be there for them... Read More...

Education And The Arts I believe that every child should have the opportunity for a quality education that teaches the fundamental skills needed to compete in a global economy. As I traveled the country and the world over the last decade bringing jobs to Arkansas, the business leaders I met weren't worried about creating jobs, they were worried about finding skilled and professional workers to fill those jobs. Read More...

Health Care The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health" system. We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict or funded through ever-higher taxes. We do need to get serious about preventive health care instead of chasing more and more dollars to treat chronic disease, which currently gobbles up 80% of our health care costs, and yet is often avoidable. The result is that we'll be able to deliver better care where and when it's needed. Read More...

Taxes/Economy I'd like you to join me at the best "Going Out of Business" sale I can imagine - one held by the Internal Revenue Service. Am I running for president to shut down the federal government? Not exactly. But I am running to completely eliminate all federal income and payroll taxes. And do I mean all - personal federal, corporate federal, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, self-employment. Read More...

Marriage I support and have always supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. As President, I will fight for passage of this amendment. My personal belief is that marriage is between one man and one woman, for life. Read More...

Energy Independence The first thing I will do as President is send Congress my comprehensive plan for energy independence. We will achieve energy independence by the end of my second term. Read More...

Immigration My number one priority is to secure America's border. I opposed the amnesty bill that was defeated by the Senate in June. Read More...

National Security/Foreign Policy: Iraq Iraq is a battle in our generational, ideological war on terror. General Petraeus and our troops are giving their all to provide a window of opportunity for the Iraq government to succeed, while the Democrats are running for the exit doors. Read More...

National Security/Foreign Policy: War On Terror I believe that we are currently engaged in a world war. Radical Islamic fascists have declared war on our country and our way of life. They have sworn to annihilate each of us who believe in a free society, all in the name of a perversion of religion and an impersonal god. We go to great extremes to save lives, they go to great extremes to take them. This war is not a conventional war, and these terrorists are not a conventional enemy. I will fight the war on terror with the intensity and single-mindedness that it deserves. Read More...

Foreign Policy: Israel I've visited the Middle East extensively over the past thirty-five years, including nine trips to Israel. I salute and support Israel as our staunch ally in the War on Terror and our greatest friend in that region. As the only fully-functioning democracy in the Middle East, Israel occupies a unique position both geographically and geopolitically. Israel is an important partner in the spread of freedom and democracy throughout the Middle East and the world. Read More...

Agriculture A nation must provide its citizens freedom and security. To accomplish this, a nation must be able to defend itself and feed itself. We have learned how disastrous it is to be dependent on other countries for our energy needs – we must never be dependent for our food needs. Being able to feed ourselves is not just sound economic and agricultural policy, it is wise national security policy. Read More...

Crisis Management You need to know that your President will calmly and confidently lift you up in a crisis. During the massive emergency of Hurricane Katrina, when local, state, and federal governments were in melt-down, I stepped forward and directed the rescue and relief of 75,000 victims. Our island of success in a sea of failure was one of the reasons Time magazine named me one of America's five best governors. Read More...

2nd Amendment Rights No candidate has a stronger, more consistent record on Second Amendment rights than I do. Our Founding Fathers, having endured the tyranny of the British Empire, wanted to guarantee our God-given liberties. They devised our three branches of government and our system of checks and balances. But they were still concerned that the system could fail, and that we might someday face a new tyranny from our own government. They wanted us to be able to defend ourselves, and that's why they gave us the Second Amendment. Read More...

Vertical Politics Vertical Day is here and I want you to be a part of it. Read More...

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Mike Huckabee On Morning Joe

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Christian Scholarship at the John Jay Institute for Faith, Society and Law

The following is an excerpt from the Colorado Springs Gazette:

They look like graduates waiting to march across the stage to get their diplomas.
But the students, seated around a granite table at Grace Church, dress in long, black academic robes every day.

All in their early 20s, they are the first class of fellows at the Colorado Springs-based John Jay Institute for Faith, Society and Law.

The six men and six women politely call each other by courtesy titles and last names, and engage in Socratic discussions four hours a day, four days a week. They are learning how to spread their moral beliefs in a thoughtful manner, without beating people over the head with their faith.

The yearlong program combines their calling to public life with their conservative Christian worldview. After a semester of academics, they will be interns at conservative think tanks in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, where they can further hone their skills in Christian persuasion.

“We are teaching students of faith how to engage a secular society,” explains Alan R. Crippen II, John Jay Institute’s founder and president. “It’s leadership development. We take bright, promising students and give them the intellectual and spiritual foundation for service in the community.”

Click Here to read the entire article.

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Atheist says we must break the cycle of silence

I guess I was wrong when I stated that there is nothing too absurd for the ACLU to find a reason to get involved. Even the ACLU isn't interested in breaking the silence...

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Mike Huckabee at Ouachita Baptist University

A discussion of the importance of the arts in education:

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Barack Obama's plan for Kindergarten sex-education

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