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We need a bold, clear and coherent answer to make America competitive and strong in the 21st century. Here is what I have done in Congress and what I will continue to do in the United States Senate:

First, we need to adopt a two-year budget cycle and pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution so deficits will go away, investments in education, new jobs and technologies will go up and Tennesseans can start working and earning more. The Government must balance its checkbook to get this going right. I have introduced legislation to make this happen.

Second, we must simplify the tax code. We should start by making the first $10,000 of income from work tax exempt. We should also cut taxes on businesses that create jobs in America. Parts of our tax code reward American businesses for leaving the country. We should reverse that policy and reward companies that create jobs here.

Third, we should fix the estate tax so it doesn’t harm Tennessee farms and small business owners. I voted for a bill that would fix it, but the Republican-led Senate has not passed it.

Fourth, we should extend the dividend and capital gains tax cuts, reform the alternative minimum tax and make access to small business capital easier. I voted for this, too.

Fifth, we should authorize Association Health Plans so small businesses can pool resources and buy health insurance for their workers at a lower price. These same small businesses should get a tax break for subsidizing their employees’ health care up to a certain point. Government should be in the business of rewarding business leaders who encourage and incentivize their employees to maintain healthy lifestyles. In the end, it saves lives, makes U.S. companies more competitive and simplifies the tax code. I voted for a bill to make this happen for small business.

Sixth, energy freedom is the most important legacy issue for my generation. If we get it right, future generations of Americans will be freer, safer, healthier and more prosperous. It also will mean lower fuel prices for Tennessee families, farmers, hunters and business owners. We need to extend or make permanent tax credits for renewable sources of energy like biomass, solar, wind, geothermal and nuclear, and fund cutting edge technologies like clean coal and advanced hybrid and diesel engines. I am just a believer that when American scientists and engineers put their brain power behind a project—and government puts the full weight of its resources behind it—we can accomplish anything. Moreover, meaningful investment in farm-based fuels could be this nation’s most powerful rural economic development program in the last half century.

Seventh, we need to increase savings and ownership. For the last 12 months, our national personal savings rate has been negative, meaning that we spend more than we earn. In addition to putting our families at risk financially, it also hurts Tennessee and American business because it means there is less money that can be put to work through infrastructure investment and research and development. The ASPIRE Act, which I have introduced in Congress, would help fix this by providing every child in America with a $500 account at birth—$1,000 for kids in fixed-income families. Families and friends would be able to contribute to the accounts, with the government matching for qualified individuals. The accounts could only be used to pay for one of three things—advanced education, a down payment on a home, or retirement. Success in America today depends on not just a job and a salary, but on the ability to accumulate a wide range of assets. The ASPIRE Act will help expand opportunity and help all Tennesseans save for the future.

Eighth, we must graduate one million new engineers to help spur innovation and keep us at the cutting edge of emerging technology. Nations like China and India—which graduate four times the number of engineers and a million more students from college than we do, respectively, even when population differences are taken into account—are poised to take a leadership role in this century’s technology landscape. We need to change here at home, or else risk falling behind abroad. I have introduced legislation to make sure this doesn’t happen.

Ninth, the only qualification for going to college should how hard a student works and how smart they are; how much a kid’s parents make should not be a factor. Our plan would pay up to four years of tuition for any student in America in exchange for that student’s commitment to participate in a national service program after graduation. All students in Tennessee and America willing to give back to their country would be able to attend the college or university where they are accepted. A bill I have introduced in Congress would make this happen, but Washington Republicans won’t bring it to a vote.

Back to Story Home Page First, we need an across-the-board spending cut of one percent for all government programs, with the exception of veterans and education. This will save $25 billion next year alone.

Federal agencies must start balancing their books. Right now, 16 of 23 major federal agencies cannot issue a simple audit of their books, and the federal government cannot account for $24.5 billion it spent in 2003. That is shameful. There should be a budget freeze for any agency that cannot properly balance its books. I am sponsoring legislation to make this happen.

We should eliminate pork until the budget is balanced, which would save $247 billion over five years. Even after the budget is balanced, we should institute a “Stand by Your Pork” rule so every member of Congress must submit their pork to an up-or-down vote. I have introduced a bill in Congress to get this done.

We should impose two year mandatory reviews for every long term government program to make sure taxpayers’ money is spent wisely. This can save as much as $136 billion over 5 years.

We should impose a 25 percent “Smut Tax” to fund a Child Protection Trust Fund to combat Internet predators. Kids age 12-17 are the largest group of consumers of Internet porn, and the average age at which children are first exposed to pornography is 11 years old. It is time for the federal government to help parents keep their children safe from predatory online pornographers. And the people who should pay for this are the ones who make money from putting obscenity online.

Back to Story Home Page As a nation, we spend $2 trillion each year on health care. Yet, forty-five million Americans and more than 700,000 Tennesseans—1 in 9 of our neighbors—are uninsured, and the problem keeps getting worse. We spend enough money. We just need to manage it better.

The next American health care system should be guided by five principles:

Access to health care for all. No Tennessean—rich or poor, young or old—should be without health care. And no business should be bankrupted for taking care of its employees. When you buy a house, you are required to get homeowner’s insurance. When you own a car, you are required to get car insurance. It is time to apply the same rationale to health insurance. Instead of the current system—where the insured are paying for themselves and the uninsured—we need to move to a system where adults to accept responsibility to obtain coverage for themselves and their children. To help accomplish this, we need to make insurance more affordable. One way is to work with insurers to provide plans at less than half the rate of today’s standard $500 a month for an individual. States like Massachusetts and New York are already doing this. We need to take this successful program to the national level so the people of Tennessee can benefit as well.

A redesigned primary health care system. Doctors understand more than anyone how the system is broken, which is why they are coming together to figure out ways to fix it. Primary care is critical because it helps fix small problems before they grow into something bigger. Understanding this, family physicians have developed the Future of Family Medicine Project, which advocates a new model of patient care to address the health care crisis. We need to encourage this kind of problem-solving and give doctors the tools they need to put their answers into practice.

Tort reform. Guaranteeing fundamental access for all requires fair and proportionate compensation to patients and families injured by doctors. Too many frivolous claims are filed against doctors who did nothing wrong. We need to set up tribunals with qualified review boards in our court system to screen claims for legitimacy before they go to trial. This will help decrease costs and ensure that all Tennesseans have access to the care they need, whether they live in Unicoi, Rutherford or Tipton County.

Use Technology to Improve Health Care Quality. It is not enough to change how we pay for health care; we also need to change how we deliver it. That is why I join Former Speaker Newt Gingrich in calling for the use of health information technology to transform the health care system by preventing medical errors, improving the use of best practices in medicine, reducing unnecessary duplication, streamlining administration, creating vast new research and public health monitoring opportunities and radically change quality reporting.

Health Care Coverage for Everyone All Kids. Every child under the age of 18 should have health care coverage. Starting kids off right means helping them develop healthy habits early, so they will be healthier and happier later in life.

Covering the uninsured is critical. But we must also lower the cost of care for everyone. Three specific steps will help achieve this goal:

Association Health Plans. Small businesses in every community are being driven out of business by the high cost of health care. We should reverse this trend by allowing small businesses to pool their resources and buy health insurance for their workers at a lower price. Congress passed a bill—that I voted for—that would allow Association Health Plans, but the Bill Frist-led Senate has not even voted on it. Small businesses have always driven our economy and led in innovation. Helping them to achieve the same kind of negotiating leverage as large companies will promote entrepreneurship and keep our nation competitive.

Tax Credits for Employers. We should give incentives to employers who assume responsibility by providing minimum levels of coverage to their employees. I have supported efforts in Congress to do this. Tax credits in exchange for coverage will help make sure companies do not shirk their responsibilities and look to Medicaid to cover their employees’ health needs. Government should be in the business of rewarding business leaders who encourage and incentivize their employees to maintain healthy lifestyles. In the end, it will save lives, reduce costs and make us more competitive.

Allow Medicare and Medicaid to Negotiate Directly With Drug Companies. It is inexcusable that we do not allow Medicare—the country’s biggest purchaser of prescription drugs—to use its negotiating power to get cheaper prices for our seniors. Companies like Eastman Chemical, Averitt Express and FedEx here in Tennessee buy their supplies in bulk; why should the federal government be any different? We already allow the Veterans Administration to negotiate with drug companies, and it is long past time to let Medicare and Medicaid to the same. By letting Medicare and Medicaid use their negotiating power to get lower prices, we can save as much as $391 billion over the next 10 years. I did not vote for the President’s Medicare prescription drug program, also known as Part D, because it did not allow Medicare to negotiate with the drug companies. That needs to change.

Back to Story Home Page Energy freedom is the most important legacy issue for my generation. To achieve it, American innovation and ingenuity must be encouraged, invested in and ultimately unleashed. We cannot be afraid of the potential of science and technology to break of us old habits and antiquated ways. As Jane Stanford, one of the co-founders of Stanford University, once said, “We must try new ways to break old habits.” If we get it right, future generations of Tennesseans will be freer, safer, healthier and more prosperous. This will be my top priority in the U.S. Senate.

Here is how I have tried to help while in Congress:

First, I introduced legislation to suspend the federal gasoline tax for 60 days. Roughly $0.20 a gallon, the federal gas tax provides money for roads and highways at the local level. My bill would not take a dime from the highway trust fund because it would be paid for by a temporary tax on excessive oil company profits. To date, Washington Republicans, including Senator Frist, have not called for a vote on the bill. Unfortunately, Washington Republicans, because they hold majorities in both the Senate and House, are the only ones who can call a vote on proposed energy legislation. (H.R. 3683, introduced on 9/7/2005)

Second, I amended last year’s already outdated energy reform bill championed by President Bush and Senator Frist, to include about $3 billion for research and development of new hybrid and diesel engine technology for trucks as well. The House accepted the amendment without objection—almost unheard of in today’s Congress—but the Senate, with Mr. Frist’s blessing, removed the money for the research. Senator Frist left the charge to do more on research in the final bill but removed the money. (H. Amdt. 85 to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (H.R. 6), introduced on 4/21/05, and approved by voice vote on 4/21/05)

Third, along with Zach Wamp, I proposed an extension of tax credits for renewable sources of energy, including wind and solar. It was rejected by the Republican-led House Rules Committee before a vote could be taken in the House. (Amendment to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (H.R. 6), rejected by the House Rules Committee on 4/20/05)

Fourth, I supported the Federal Energy Price Protection Act of 2006, which passed Congress on May 3, 2006 by a vote of 389-34. The bill gets tough on gougers, making it a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison and fines up to $150 million. Senator Frist and Senate Republicans have not brought this bill to the floor for a vote.

Fifth, I supported broadening the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves to include alternative fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, because the federal government needs to take the lead on using renewable sources of energy. Unfortunately, House Republicans want to continue to rely on foreign oil for our strategic reserves, defeating the bill by a vote of 186-239. (House Amendment 81 to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (H.R. 6), defeated 186-239 on April 21, 2005)

Sixth, I am an original cosponsor of the BIOFUEL Act, which will promote the increased use of domestically produced, renewable, bio-based motor vehicle fuel supplies and the increased manufacture of flexible-fuel vehicles in the United States. The House Republicans have not brought this bill to the floor for a vote, however, which means our auto fleet will continue to rely on fossil fuels.

Seventh, I tried to increase car fuel efficiency standards to at least 33 miles per gallon by 2015 which, according to the National Academy of Sciences, would save 10 percent of the gasoline the nation would otherwise consume by 2015. Unfortunately, House Republicans defeated this comprehensive approach, which was introduced by a member of their own party (House Amendment 73 to H.R. 6, defeated 177-254 on April 20, 2005, introduced by Rep. Boehlert R-NY)

Eighth, I voted to increase fuel efficiency for SUVs. The bill, which was defeated by House Republicans by a vote of 162-268, would have reduced the amount of gas consumed by cars and light trucks by 5% (Amendment to H.R. 6 introduced by Rep. Boehlert (R-NY), defeated 162-268 on 04/10/03)

My support for energy freedom is long-standing. I only wish that the Republican leadership in Washington, led by Senator Frist, would allow all of these efforts to enjoy a vote. Just like Senators Frist and Alexander believe that all of President Bush’s judicial nominees deserve votes, I too believe that energy reform ideas of all stripes deserve a vote as well. Energy reform and freedom mean lower fuel prices for Tennessee families, farmers, hunters and business owners. Energy freedom may hurt the bottom line for many of Mr. Corker’s biggest financial supporters though.

In addition, there are promising examples of the future of energy right here in Tennessee that must be encouraged. I am just a believer that when American scientists and engineers put their brain power behind a project—and government puts the full weight of its resources behind it—we can accomplish anything. If scientists in America can make chocolate fat free, I just know we can burn coal cleanly and make nuclear energy safe and reliable.

Biodiesel Soydiesel is more efficient than ethanol and no new technology is needed to use it in our cars and trucks; existing diesel engines can run cleaner and just as powerful on soydiesel blends as on traditional diesel fuel. In fact, some new farm equipment now comes with fuel tanks full of biodiesel fuel. The United States already produces enough soybeans to replace 5% of diesel fuel, and Tennessee farmers can lead the way. Every year, they produce 46 million bushels, or 1.4 million tons, of soybeans. We need to provide tax breaks and meaningful incentives to increase production of biodiesel and make it widely available.

Scientists at Oak Ridge are changing how we power cars and light trucks with its FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership programs. These initiatives will develop cars and trucks that run on hydrogen fuel cells rather than traditional internal combustion engines. As a result, they do not use gasoline and are emission-free. We need to continue to fund this research at the federal level to build the cars of the next century.

Cellulosic Ethanol Cellulosic ethanol is fuel made from biomass like trees, shrubs and switchgrass. Researchers at Oak Ridge and the University of Tennessee are leading the way in developing an economically viable cellulosic fuel. In June 2004, 32.5 acres were planted with different varieties of switchgrass on four sites at University of Tennessee-Milan. This pilot program can serve as a national model for the kind of renewable fuels that will break our addiction to oil.

Coal Coal has to be a part of the nation’s energy supply. Here in Tennessee, it already is—TVA is the largest single utility buyer of coal in the U.S., purchasing 45 million tons annually at a cost of about $1.3 billion. TVA and companies like Eastman Chemical in Kingsport are researching ways to burn coal cleanly, including coal gasification, which creates a fuel that rivals natural gas in environmental quality. The federal government needs to support their efforts through tax credits and other incentives.

Solar In Memphis, Sharp Corporation has built a solar panel manufacturing plant that is the top producer of solar panels in the United States. With demand for solar power is growing by roughly 20% to 30% a year, the Memphis plant will play a large role in a more energy efficient future. At the other end of the state, AFG Glass in Kingsport is the world’s leading producer of solar glass, and has been supplying solar product solutions since 1972. The bill I proposed with Zach Wamp would extend tax credits for solar energy and help companies like Sharp and AFG expand operations and continue to create high paying jobs right here in Tennessee.

Nuclear France relies on nuclear power for 75% of its electricity. Sweden and Korea each use nuclear energy to generate over 40% of their electricity. Yet here in America, we have not build a nuclear generator in over 30 years. It is time for this to change. We need to fund the kind of research that scientists at Oak Ridge are doing. They have joined researchers across the globe as part of the ITER Project to develop the next generation of nuclear power—clean, safe and emission-free fusion power. While this kind of energy is still 20 to 30 years away from commercial availability, it is our future.

Wind The Tennessee Valley Authority has installed cutting edge wind turbines on Buffalo Mountain near Oak Ridge to make wind energy a major contributor to TVA’s operations. These 18 wind turbines generate enough energy to power more than 3,500 homes in the Tennessee Valley. The federal government needs to extend wind tax credits now so programs like the TVA’s can be expanded.

Green Power Switch TVA and local public power companies in Tennessee are leading the way in cleaner and greener forms of energy. They have created Green Power Switch, which adds renewable sources of energy like wind and solar to the Tennessee Valley’s power mix.

Back to Story Home Page Iran represents the most volatile and potentially most destabilizing force in the Middle East. Above all, we cannot allow the Iranian regime to acquire nuclear weapons. We must use every means at our disposal—including military force—to prevent that from happening.

However, unlike President Bush, I would encourage diplomacy and engage in direct talks with Iran immediately. President Kennedy was right when he said that while we should never negotiate out of fear, we should never fear to negotiate.

Moreover, because Iran affects the entire Middle East, we must do the following to reduce its influence and bring peace to the region:

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld should be removed. His mismanagement of the Iraq War has set back our chances of winning the conflict, undermined our national security interests in the region and dampened the morale of our troops.

To stop the escalating sectarian violence in Iraq, we must do what we did successfully in Bosnia through the Dayton Accords: keep the country whole by dividing it into ethnic federations. We should give Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis their own regions, with a central government left in charge of border security and the fair distribution of oil revenue. By guaranteeing each region a fair share of oil revenue and creating a massive jobs program with the help of the oil-rich Gulf states, we can bind each ethnic group and the entire region to the deal and give everyone an incentive to make the country work. This model brought an end to sectarian violence in Bosnia and got Muslims, Croats and Serbs to live together in peace for a decade. This plan largely resembles the one advanced by Senators Biden of Delaware and Hagel of Nebraska.

Undertake a large-scale effort with our allies and moderate Arab regimes to rebuild Lebanon. This will require our resources and active involvement. The best way to undermine Hezbollah’s—and Iran’s—influence in Lebanon and Iraq is to facilitate the restoration of a stable government.

President Bush must re-start the “Alec Station,” the special unit in the C.I.A. dedicated to hunting down and capturing Osama bin Laden and his henchmen, after shutting it down last year. President Bush knows how important bin Laden is, mentioning him 30 times in speeches leading up to his 9/11 address. The C.I.A. needs available resource to catch him. Let’s give it to them.

We must develop a long-term energy plan that reduces our dependence on foreign oil by investing in renewable and alternative energies, like wind, solar, nuclear and by using Tennessee’s and the nation’s agricultural products. We must also improve fuel efficiency by investing in cutting edge technologies like hybrids and advanced diesel engines and increasing mileage standards.

The stakes are too high to continue a stay the course approach—in Iraq and the Middle East. And they are far too high to send Bob Corker to the Senate to be a rubber stamp for this failed approach.

Back to Story Home Page Social Security should go to those who need it most, first. The Social Security challenge also speaks to the challenge of savings in America. Today, America suffers from a negative national savings rate; in contrast, China enjoys an almost 50% national savings rate. ASPIRE and increased savings growth options for middle class and poor hard-working Americans will help future generations avoid being owned by China and Japan—an increasing reality.

Back to Story Home Page Tennessee businesses are no longer just competing with others from across the country—our companies are competing in a global marketplace. Factories in Shanghai compete with those in Murfreesboro. Washington needs more Senators who have first-hand experience with the challenges of building a business and competing in the marketplace. As someone who has spent all but five and a half years of my life in the private sector, I will bring a business perspective to Washington. To keep our economy competitive, we need to increase the domestic supply of energy to bring down energy costs and work on innovative improvements in health care and retirement security. I support research and development tax credits, particularly in alternative energy. I want to support sustainable economic growth by making the tax cuts permanent, finding new markets around the world for Tennessee goods and services, and ensuring America’s competitiveness well into the future through research and development of new technologies and educating our young people in the skills they need for the 21st century.

Back to Story Home Page Politicians in Washington have given in to runaway spending. I have had 30 years of real-world experience right here in Tennessee with economic issues and managing budgets—in the private sector, in city government and in state government. I have created jobs, met a payroll, and created a successful business by controlling costs and keeping my eye on the bottom line. When I took over as the Commissioner of Finance and Administration for Tennessee, we faced an immediate budget shortfall of $250 million. We refused to raise any taxes, found ways to cut spending and balanced that budget. While I was Mayor of Chattanooga, my last budget was less than 1% higher than my first. Because of the fiscally conservative principles we put into action, the property tax rate in Chattanooga is the lowest it has been since the 1950s.

As Senator, I will work to bring federal spending under control by supporting a Constitutional amendment that would require Congress to balance the budget. I will support giving the president line-item veto authority, so he can cut pork-barrel projects from spending bills. And I will work to establish a new commission to review all government programs, identify which programs are wasteful or duplicative, and sunset those programs we no longer need.

Back to Story Home Page The challenges faced by businesses to provide health care for their employees grow every year, as the cost of providing health insurance becomes more and more expensive. I support small business health plans, as well as the development of state and regional purchasing pools, to enable both individuals and businesses to join together and capitalize on their buying power to purchase insurance. I want to encourage changes in our health system that give patients, not government or insurance companies, more power. I want to encourage innovation and use information technology to bring down administrative costs and develop standardized platforms for billing. Much technology has already been used for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, but we still have enormous opportunities to improve health care delivery with the application of information technology to the administrative side. Reforming the medical malpractice system will reduce health care costs and increase access, particularly in rural areas. I support the use of health savings accounts to give people the option of using cheaper, catastrophic coverage, and I support increasing individuals’ ability to deduct their health insurance from their federal income taxes.

Back to Story Home Page We must reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy, including oil. This means increasing efficiency, including incentives for more efficient vehicles and appliances. We should open up areas of the outer continental shelf that are rich in oil and natural gas for new, environmentally safe, energy production. We should develop more diverse power sources, including more research for the next generation of nuclear power. And we need to invest in alternative fuels, which would offer Tennessee farmers new markets for corn and soybeans, as well as the creation of new production facilities for ethanol.

Back to Story Home Page The government of Iran is one of the most dangerous governments in the world today. It has defied the United Nations by continuing to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. It is actively supporting terrorists, even providing them with advanced weapons, including for Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel. And it is oppressing its own people. I support the diplomatic efforts we have undertaken with our European allies and others to stop Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Diplomacy should be our first effort, but if Iran persists, all options should be on the table.

Back to Story Home Page I believe that keeping Social Security solvent is more important than ever before, and that it is important to address the issue now rather than later. As I travel across Tennessee, I hear again and again that people do not have the necessary resources set aside for retirement and will be counting on Social Security as their safety net. First and foremost, anyone currently receiving Social Security benefits or anywhere near retirement age must receive exactly the benefits they have been promised. Before considering voluntary personal accounts, we need to make sure that Social Security will be a reliable retirement benefit for generations to come

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