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Teri Davis Newman, Republican Candidate for U.S. Congress, District 12 Illinois
My name is Teri Davis Newman and this is who I am and what I believe: America is great because of her people. Each individual in this country makes a contribution to this amazing country. It is the perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of the individual parts.

I believe that the young men and women that volunteer for military service to protect this country are the most underappreciated group in this country. We shouldn’t wait until they fall in battle to give them the honor and thanks that they so richly deserve.

I believe that special interest groups have hijacked the representative republic that is America and that the government officials in Washington sold their souls to the special interests groups.

I have always been told that if you aren’t part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. I’ve decided to run for Congress to be part of the solution. I want to represent you in Congress to help take back our country from the special interest groups and the political action committees and give it back to the hard working men and women of District 12.

The America of today is not the America of my childhood. Our problems have become more complicated, and our ability to solve them has diminished markedly. Our country needs NEW leaders. The culture of corruption that has taken over our nation’s Capitol is a threat to all of us. Honesty and integrity in government has gone by the wayside as our elected officials serve only those with money to spend, and who can buy whatever they want from our legislators and leave the rest of us to pay the bill.

WE are the ones who are paying the outrageous taxes brought on by the exceedingly poor management of our tax dollars. Government waste has gone far beyond outrageous. Government corruption is a rotting, bloated cow that will poison all of us if we do nothing and IT MUST STOP!! The trillions of dollars that are being wasted, spent on bailouts, bailouts that were opposed by the voters who were IGNORED by our so-called REPRESENTATIVES, have put our country in terrible jeopardy.

It should be against the law to vote on a bill that you have not read. Would you personally sign a contract that you yourself have not read? No, of course not!! Why then, should it be OK to vote on a bill, representing your constituents, that you haven’t read, that will spend millions, if not billions of OUR tax money? That’s not representation, that’s malfeasance of office ... and JERRY COSTELLO SUPPORTED THE BAILOUT AND VOTED FOR IT!!

What do you think is going to happen to us when the COMMUNIST CHINESE stop buying our debt? Think about that for just a minute ... our country is in debt to COMMUNISTS who wish to dictate to us!! Are we going to let that happen?? Our so-called leaders have mortgaged the futures of our GRANDCHILDREN to the COMMUNIST CHINESE!! My opponent, Rep. Costello is a willing participant in the culture of corruption. He took THREE MILLION DOLLARS IN CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS WHILE RUNNING UNOPPOSED!! That’s not a campaign donation, that is straight up BRIBERY!! There is NO OTHER word for it!! He has become a bought and paid for "Special Interest TOOL"!!

Truth can be ugly and it can be unpleasant, but the naked truth is what we need to face together as AMERICANS. To quote Theodore Roosevelt: "There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation of all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities."

President Roosevelt said this a long time ago, yet it rings with the truth as loudly today as it did then. We must stop embracing our differences and come together as one voice: THE VOICE OF AMERICANS!! If we do not hang together, we will hang separately as the culture of diversity is threatening what we have in common: We are all AMERICANS!!

We must be Americans first and foremost because we are destroying our great country with the politics of political correctness and divisive behavior. On September 11, 2001 I watched in horror as our great country was attacked — but the way that we united as a country brought me to tears; tears of pride in my countrymen and the sound of our voices as one in defiance of the terrorists who thought we would knuckle under to their demands — as we cried out for justice for our countrymen who lost their lives that terrible day. There were no hyphenated Americans on September 11 and there is no reason for hyphenated Americans now. As one, our voices spoke to our leaders that we were behind them and that as AMERICANS we would fight for our country. We are ONE as a people — united in our desire for liberty and intolerant only of those who would try to take that liberty away.

We have the school system to thank for the dumbing down of America. In their effort to find the perfect curriculum that offends no one, basic facts have been omitted. Our Schools are pathetic, even though we continue to pay HUGE taxes on our property. We are absolutely NOT getting our money’s worth when colleges are complaining that the high school graduates that they are enrolling cannot READ, WRITE or SPELL!! We are finding that simple math is also beyond the capabilities of most high school graduates!

We are definitely not getting what we are paying for, with our ever increasing taxes — not by a LONG shot! When our kids have to spend the first year of college learning to read, write and do arithmetic, then something is seriously WRONG with our educational requirements. Incompetent teachers DO NOT belong in classrooms. Our children are the future of America and they cannot READ!!! I am a fervent believer and supporter of education. Education is the ONLY thing that breaks the cycle of poverty. It is ignorance that traps children into a life of low wages, single parenthood and robs them of a future that is available to ALL Americans. We need to demand that our tax dollars go to education instead of being channeled to the cronies and supporters of the corrupt politicians. It is a disservice to our children, and an insult to the taxpayers who are paying these huge taxes to support substandard schools.

The problem with education isn’t that we spend too little on it, but that we spend the money in all the wrong places. Teachers are our soldiers against ignorance, yet they are paid less than those high and mighty administrators that don’t educate our children, but instead sit and decide how to spend their grand and glorious salaries and to meet and tell each other how great they are. I wholeheartedly believe that in order to teach something, you first need to know it yourself. Math teachers should have math degrees and history teachers should have history degrees — not degrees in education. What good is a degree that says a teacher knows HOW to teach if they are not competent in WHAT THEY TEACH? If teachers are going to give tests to our children, I want them to show that they can pass those tests as well!

Again, I emphasize, education is the ONLY thing that breaks the cycle of poverty. It has been proven repeatedly! Education isn’t nearly as expensive as ignorance. The dumbing down of our children will be the thing that brings our great country to her knees, but there is still time to stop it. There needs to be some accountability for where these taxes are being spent — because it’s not going to education!! And I want to be your Representative to ensure that your voices are heard.

Our roads here in Illinois are a national disgrace!! They look like they’ve been NUKED and will rip the wheels off of your car!! The interstates are a series of potholes holding hands!! WHERE ARE OUR GASOLINE TAX DOLLARS GOING?? WHERE?? No one has accounted for it. We need to DEMAND accountability for how our taxes are being spent! We should have the smoothest, pothole free roads on the planet for the taxes we pay — Again, WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING ????!!!???

Health care reform is also needed, but we don’t need the government running it!! Name ONE THING that the government does well or even competently .... please, take all the time you need! Do you like your postal service? How do you think government health insurance will work? We need tort reform because the cost of health care is directly affected by all the frivolous lawsuits that lawyers ADVERTISE that they want to file. The insurance companies don’t care how many suits they have to pay — they just raise their rates back on to your premiums. Big settlements aren’t paid by insurance companies — WE PAY THEM!!

Doctors are leaving Illinois at an astonishing rate because of the high malpractice insurance rates. And don’t think for a second that they are going to work for a government health insurance — they will refuse to accept government insurance. Doctors are going to go back to CASH only if this insane health care plan is passed. Tort reform will lower the cost of care. I believe that President Reagan said it best: The solution to America’s problems isn’t more Government, and America’s problem is too much Government! I challenge anyone to name one Government program or Agency that runs efficiently. I used to think NASA was our one bright light. But unfortunately, the Challenger and Columbia tragedies proved me wrong on that point, along with a terrible loss of life.

Illegal aliens also need to go home — NO AMNESTY — NO WAY. The cost of feeding, educating and housing them is breaking America — all you have to do is look at California!! The illegal aliens have broken California’s economy and they are going to break Illinois' too! Chicago is a SANCTUARY CITY — AND WE ARE PAYING THE BILL!! I have nothing against lawful immigration. My stepmother is a German native who is now a US Citizen — and she did it legally.

It is a slap in the face of all the LEGAL immigrants to grant ANY KIND of amnesty. You are here either legally or NOT AT ALL. I strongly support changing the law to deny citizenship to babies born to illegal immigrants. US Citizenship is a prize to be given to those who earn it — NOT to those who sneak in, just as their baby is due and have their baby so they can’t be forced to leave. My opponent SUPPORTS letting the illegal aliens stay in the USA and has voted repeatedly to give them amnesty. NO AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS!!

I do not support the CAP and TRADE bill. I don't think it’s a good idea for the cost of your natural gas, electricity, gasoline and taxes to QUADRUPLE because of this insane bill. There’s a lot more research to be done before we know the truth about Global Warming. NASA has said repeatedly that the data that was used for the Global Warming research is incorrect. Al Gore has made 100 million dollars pushing carbon credits and global warming that may not even exist. I adamantly oppose the Cap and Trade Bill. Not only is it a bad idea, it’s bad for the citizens of Illinois.

My opponent has enriched himself greatly in the last 20 years at your expense. His “service” to Illinois has made him a millionaire several times over. He hasn’t held a town meeting to listen to his constituents in YEARS!! His wife has also benefited from his service. She has managed to be named president of a university that has received millions in tax dollars through his support. He ran unopposed in 2000 and in 2006 and took MORE THAN 3 MILLION DOLLARS IN CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS WHEN HE HAD NO OPPONENT — THAT’S NOTHING BUT BRIBERY!! He is an enthusiastic participant in the ongoing culture of corruption. It is now time to send him HOME and put a woman in his place that has only the interests of the citizens of the 12th Congressional district!

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my stands and reasonings for deciding to run for the position of your Congresswoman. I feel for the people of East St Louis! For decades, minorities in this country have given their hard earned votes to Democrats. During those years, Republicans have been portrayed as the evil doers that want to take food from your children’s mouths, and poison your water and air.

However, there is something I would like to ask you: “Is your life better now than it was 20 or 30 years ago?” When I look at East St. Louis, I have to say that answer is a deafening NO -- Yet my opponent has depended on the minority vote to keep himself in office. But I ask you, what has he done for East St. Louis? NOTHING!! However, if you take a short drive east on I-64, you will see a very nice concrete tombstone that Rep. Costello saw fit to spend $318 million dollars of your tax money on. I refer to Mid-America Airport, an expensive and abandoned airport that he fully supported. The ugly little secret he likes to keep is that he also supported and voted for the money to expand Lambert Airport which was the fatal blow to Mid-America Airport. Is that responsible oversight of your hard earned tax money?

I ask my minority friends, how do you think that $318 million dollars could have improved your life in East St. Louis? I stand before you, to ask for your vote and support in this election — not your money — just your VOTE on November 2, 2010. The Democrats have USED YOUR SUPPORT TO STAY IN POWER AND ENRICH THEMSELVES AT YOUR EXPENSE, while at the same time, allowing your living conditions to continue to get worse. Is there ANY WAY I could POSSIBLY do less for you that the Democrats have done for you in the last 30 years?

Did you support the bailout? NO! Did Costello vote for it? YES!

Do you want amnesty for illegal aliens? NO! Did Costello vote for it? YES!

Do you want the government making YOUR health care decisions? NO! Did Costello vote for it? YES!! When you look at what the Democrats have not done for you in the past 30 years, Allow me to finally do something for you in Congress as your Representative in the 12th District.

Don’t continue to reward their failures and empty promises — vote for REAL change and for a Congressional Representative that will carry out YOUR wishes and represent YOUR views and values!!

My name is Teri Davis Newman and I would like the honor to represent YOU in Congress. Please give me that opportunity on November 2!