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TOM TANCREDO
"I have
consistently tried to impress upon the American public the seriousness
of this issue. We're not just talking about the number of jobs that we
may be losing, or the number of kids that are in our schools and
impacting our school system, or the number of people that are abusing
our hospital system and taking advantage of the welfare system in this
country--we're not just talking about that. We're talking about
something that goes to the very heart of this nation-- whether or not
we will actually survive as a nation. And here's what I mean by that.
What we're doing here in this immigration battle is testing our
willingness to actually hold together as a nation or split apart into
a lot of Balkanized pieces." -
Tom Tancredo
|
Statistics
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| CAMPAIGN
SLOGAN: "For A Secure America." |
| FULL
NAME: Thomas Gerard Tancredo |
| DATE
OF BIRTH: December 20, 1945 |
| AGE: 61 |
| ASTROLOGICAL
SIGN: Sagittarius |
| SPOUSE: Jackie
Tancredo |
| CHILDREN: Ray
and Randy |
| PETS: None |
| RESIDENCE: Littleton,
Colorado |
| RELIGION: Evangelical
Presbyterian |
| PROFESSION: History
Teacher |
| ALTERNATE
CAREER CHOICE: President |
| LAST
BOOK READ/FAVORITE: Banker
to the Poor, America Alone, The Enemy At Home |
| FAVORITE
FOOD TO COOK/EAT: Doesn't
cook/Mexican |
| TALENTS: "After 30 years in politics, there is no talent that has
not been exploited." |
| FAVORITE
FITNESS ACTIVITY: Hunting |
| WORST
HABIT: Cigar
smoking |
| LAST
MUSIC PURCHASE: Frank Sinatra duet
combo |
|
QUICK
FACT: After the Columbine shooting in Colorado, Tancredo
gathered resources in order to respond to the Beslan school hostage
crisis in Russia. Colorado students made thousands of cards and
letters for the Russian children, which Tancredo and his wife passed
out to the survivors of the shootings. Tancredo also presented a
poster from the Columbine high school students. The poster was
displayed on one of the walls in the Beslan school.
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| OFFICIAL
WEBSITE: http://www.teamtancredo.org |
| CONTACT: http://www.teamtancredo.org/tancredoactivist.asp |
Biography -
Thomas Gerard Tancredo
is an American politician
and member of the Republican
Party. Tancredo has been a member of the United
States House of Representatives since 1999, representing the 6th
Congressional District of Colorado. Tancredo won re-election in 2006 against
Democratic
challenger Bill
Winter by a 59%-40% margin. The district includes most of Denver's
southern suburbs. Tancredo rose to national prominence for his strong stance against
illegal
immigration.
Tancredo was born in Denver,
Colorado to Adeline Lombardi and Gerald Tancredo. Both sets of his
grandparents immigrated from Italy.
He graduated from the University
of Northern Colorado with a degree in political
science. While in college, Tancredo was active with the College
Republicans and a conservative,
nonpartisan organization, Young
Americans for Freedom (YAF). Tancredo was in favor of the Vietnam War
and spoke in support of the conflict as a Republican student activist. He
became eligible to serve in Vietnam after graduating from the University of
Northern Colorado in June 1969. Tancredo has said he went for his physical,
telling doctors he'd been treated for depression, and eventually got a
"1-Y" deferment. In 1976, while teaching history at Drake Junior High School in Denver,
he met his future wife, Jackie, also a teacher. Tancredo ran for and won a seat in the Colorado House of
Representatives in 1976, and married Jackie in 1977. He served
two terms (1977–1981) and was one of the leaders of a vocal group of
conservative legislators opposing the policies of Colorado
Governor Dick
Lamm. During the 1970s, Tancredo pioneered opposition to bilingual
education, an issue that would remain a feature of his political
orientation.
After Ronald
Reagan was elected president
in 1981, Tancredo was appointed by the President to be the regional
representative in Denver for the Department
of Education. He stayed on from 1981 until 1992, through the first
Bush administration, and pared the office's staff from 225 to only 60
employees. In 1993, he became president of the Independence Institute, a
conservative think
tank based in Golden,
Colorado, serving there until his election
to Congress. He was also a leader in the Colorado term
limits movement. In 1998, Tancredo
won the five-way
Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District and went on to victory in November. He is only the second
person to represent the 6th District since its creation in 1983. Despite his promise to serve only three terms in
Congress,
he later decided to run for a fourth term and won re-election. Tancredo
cited as his reason for seeking re-election, the report of the 9/11
Commission, which noted that experience and continuity of service in
Congress should be considered more important than term limits.
Tancredo was one of a handful of Republicans who voted for a bill proposed by
Maurice
Hinchey and Dana
Rohrabacher to stop the Department
of Justice from raiding medical
marijuana patients and caregivers in states where medical marijuana is
legal, citing states' rights concerns. In
addition, Tancredo sponsored the Sudan
Peace Act, which says "A viable, comprehensive, and internationally
sponsored peace process, protected from manipulation, presents the best
chance for a permanent resolution of the war, protection of human
rights, and a self-sustaining Sudan."
The Act passed the House of Representatives with a 359-8 vote, was passed
unanimously in the Senate without amendment seven days later, and was signed
into law on November
21, 2002. In 2005, Tancredo introduced
a resolution calling on the President to recognize the government of the Republic
of China (Taiwan)
and to abandon the One-China
Policy.
On April 2, 2007, on 1040 WHO Talk Radio in
Iowa, Tancredo announced that he was running for President in the 2008
election. He
denounced other Republican candidates for their lack of consistency on the
illegal immigration issue, the issue on which Tancredo is running. Tancredo has welcomed legal Latino naturalized
citizens, but, according to his supporters, he represents the majority of American
citizens who support strict enforcement of current U.S. immigration laws.
Tancredo's outspoken advocacy for immigration
reform, and particularly his criticism of President George
W. Bush's border security controls, have reportedly made him less than
welcome in the White
House.
According to Tancredo, he and Bush's political adviser, Karl
Rove, got into an argument after Tancredo claimed that
"if the nation suffered another attack at the hands of terrorists
able to skirt immigration laws, the blood of the people killed" would
be on Bush's and Congress’ hands. Tancredo said he intends to visit New
Hampshire and Iowa,
declaring that Bush should “[understand] the threat illegal immigrants
pose to the country's security.”
(See http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2007/05/from_foods_to_m.html.)
(See http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=17030.)
(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Tancredo.)
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Platform
Issues -
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| Immigration: |
|
Illegal aliens
threaten our economy and undermine our culture. While our brave
soldiers risk their lives to protect us overseas, our political elites
lack the courage to defend us at home. I am 100% opposed to amnesty.
As President, I will secure our borders so illegal aliens do not come,
and I will eliminate benefits and job prospects so they do not stay. MORE |
| Preserving
Life: |
|
The innocent
unborn enjoy a God given right to life. Roe is a scar on the
moral and intellectual history of the country; but, contrary to
popular belief, overturning it would merely permit and not require
states to prohibit abortion. To protect life, we also need to educate
the public about the second victim of abortion, the mother who is
subject to potential life long medical and emotional scarring. MORE
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| Income
Tax: |
|
A growing chorus
of economists and experts argue, and I agree, that the current income
tax system is complex and unfair and should be replaced by a flat tax
or national sales tax. That's why I co-sponsored the FairTax
legislation. Simplifying the process would dramatically reduce the
costs of compliance, make American companies more competitive, and put
billions back into the economy by encouraging investment. MORE
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| Judicial
Activism: |
|
The essence of
Democracy is that the citizens dictate the rules by which they live.
Yet in the last 40 years, on the social issues that most determine who
we are as a people, decisions have been made not by elected
legislatures, but by unelected judges. With decisions on abortion, gay
rights, religion, sexual mores, and illegal immigration, activist
judges have ripped democracy from the hands of the people on the
issues they most want their voices heard. The intellectual dishonesty
of activist judges has brought their profession into disrepute. As
President, I would appoint strict constructionists who honor the
separation of powers and respect democracy. MORE |
| Fast
Track Authority/Trade: |
|
The President's
fast track authority should not be renewed. The constitution gives
Congress not the Executive the power to " regulate commerce with
foreign nations." Those who would delegate that authority to the
President argue that the complexities of negotiation in a global
economy require it. But that argument has lost its force because the
Presidents have abused the power. Instead of sticking to trade
agreements, they make commitments on matters of domestic policy, like
immigration and carbon dioxide emissions, in the guise of
international accords. MORE |
| Iraq: |
|
America's noble
sacrifice has purchased Iraqis a precious opportunity for democratic
change; it is now up to them to ensure success. Setting the
President's November benchmark for shifting control as an actual
timetable for disengagement will let regional powers and Iraqi
factions cooperate to forge a new balance of power. MORE |
| Social
Security: |
|
There is no
question the system is broken. Projections show by 2016, the only way
to avert its collapse will be deep cuts in benefits, heavy borrowing,
or substantial tax hikes. The best suggestion I've heard is a switch
from a defined benefits approach to a defined contribution approach
with payroll tax funded private investment accounts. These accounts
would be available to young workers and function similarly to 401Ks. MORE
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| Education: |
|
I spent a decade as the Department
of Education's regional representative in Denver so I do not say this
lightly. Federal involvement should be limited. Educational control is
best left in the hands of parents. A no-strings-attached voucher
system would promote school choice, while competition for students
would drive educational improvements at the institutional level. I
also suggest schools return to a more traditional course of study and
that the public focus shift to certain non-school factors, like
parental involvement, which studies show are the most important
determinants of student performance.
MORE
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| Agriculture: |
| As a general rule, I
believe the farm economy should be market oriented. This is especially
true under the current system, where the subsidies flow not to family
farms but to very wealthy 'hobby farmers' and large agri-business
concerns. To preserve our sovereignty however, the Country's domestic
food supply should be self-sufficient. So, I would not be opposed in
principle to limited agricultural subsidies designed to keep farms
afloat, and farming skills current, in case of national emergency.
MORE
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| Health
Care: |
|
The two major problems are the
high cost of care and the number of uninsured. Tort reform and
immigration enforcement would save the system billions and drive down
costs. In California alone, illegal immigrants cost the system $800
million annually and have forced 84 hospitals to close. As
for the uninsured: as many as 25% of them are illegal aliens and
should be deported or encouraged to leave. For citizens and legal
residents who are employed by businesses which cannot afford coverage,
I favor association health plans which band small businesses together
to access lower cost insurance. For those out of work, state
governments should be the primary source of relief, although I would
not rule out federal incentives or limited subsidies to make sure
families who have fallen on hard times are not without coverage.
MORE
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| Budget: |
|
The federal
government is in debt because it spends too much, not because it taxes
people too little. Government spending is classified as either
discretionary or mandatory. Discretionary spending includes funds for
things like the military and is explicitly set by Congress on an
annual basis. But the major culprit in ballooning budgets is mandatory
spending for entitlement programs like medicare, expenditures which
are determined by the number of beneficiaries. The only way to control
the budget is to reform the entitlement programs that mandatory
spending funds. Those decisions on how to allocate resources are as
economically necessary as they are politically and ethically
difficult. MORE
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| Homeland
Security: |
|
Homeland
security plans which do not include enforcing our immigration laws and
securing our borders are entirely inadequate. A CIS study of 94
terrorists prosecuted for their crimes in the U.S., found that nearly
two thirds had committed immigration fraud. It is difficult then to
justify the rigor, expense, and inconvenience of new safety measures
at our airports and harbors, while leaving the door open for
terrorists to slip across our southern border undetected. MORE
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| Gun
Control: |
|
I completely
support the right of the people to keep and bear arms. The failure of
the ACLU to defend this right, and of federal courts to make the
second amendment binding on the states, as they've made the first
amendment and most others, testifies to their intellectual hypocrisy. MORE
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| Gay
Marriage: |
|
Federalism
concerns make a constitutional amendment protecting traditional
marriage an avenue of last resort, Unfortunately, intellectually
dishonest activist judges have left us no choice. Activist courts have
ignored the principal legal argument that the state's interest in
marriage is procreation. Population is power. Society needs a young
generation to defend the country in battle, to support its programs
with taxes and to carry on its culture and traditions. The mere fact
that two people are in a loving relationship does not matter to the
state. Society supports traditional marriage because it is the only
union which, in the ordinary course, leads to children, without the
intervention of a third party. MORE
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| Political
Correctness: |
|
In rational
debate, the argument against something is that it is false not that it
is hurtful. But political correctness has poisoned the climate for
dealing with difficult issues and has returned us to the days when a
sufficient counter-argument was that an idea was contrary to doctrine.
A democracy that cannot tolerate debate on controversial issues cannot
function. MORE
|
(See http://www.teamtancredo.org/tancredo_issues_index.asp.)
(See http://www.issues2000.org.)
TOM TANCREDO QUOTES
"As President, I
will secure our borders so illegal aliens do not come, and I will eliminate
benefits and job prospects so they do not stay."
"With decisions
on abortion, gay rights, religion, sexual mores, and illegal immigration,
activist judges have ripped democracy from the hands of the people on the
issues they most want their voices heard. The intellectual dishonesty of
activist judges has brought their profession into disrepute. As President, I
would appoint strict constructionists who honor the separation of powers and
respect democracy."
"Educational
control is best left in the hands of parents. A no-strings-attached voucher
system would promote school choice, while competition for students would
drive educational improvements at the institutional level."
"For citizens and
legal residents who are employed by businesses which cannot afford coverage,
I favor association health plans which band small businesses together to
access lower cost insurance. For those out of work, state governments should
be the primary source of relief, although I would not rule out federal
incentives or limited subsidies to make sure families who have fallen on
hard times are not without coverage."
"Activist courts
have ignored the principal legal argument that the state's interest in
marriage is procreation. Population is power. Society needs a young
generation to defend the country in battle, to support its programs with
taxes and to carry on its culture and traditions."
(See http://www.teamtancredo.org.)
We thank the following resources:
Tom Tancredo Official Website
http://www.teamtancredo.org
USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com
Project Vote Smart
http://www.vote-smart.org
Wikipedia
http://www.wikipedia.com
On the Issues
http://www.issues2000.org
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