A PLEDGE TO AMERICA

A PLEDGE TO AMERICA

America is more than a country.  

America is an idea – an idea that free people can govern themselves, that government's powers are derived from 

the consent of the governed, that each of us is endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights to life, 

liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. America is the belief that any man or woman can – given economic, 

political, and religious liberty – advance themselves, their families, and the common good.

America is an inspiration to those who yearn to be free and have the ability and the dignity to determine their 

own destiny. 

Whenever the agenda of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to institute 

a new governing agenda and set a different course.

These first principles were proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, enshrined in the Constitution, and 

have endured through hard sacrifice and commitment by generations of Americans. 

In a self-governing society, the only bulwark against the power of the state is the consent of the governed, and 

regarding the policies of the current government, the governed do not consent.  .

An unchecked  executive, a compliant legislature, and an overreaching judiciary have combined to thwart the 

will of the people and overturn their votes and their values, striking down long-standing laws and institutions 

and scorning the deepest beliefs of the American people.

An arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites makes decisions, issues mandates, and enacts 

laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many.   

Rising joblessness, crushing debt, and a polarizing political environment are fraying the bonds among our 

people and blurring our sense of national purpose.

Like free peoples of the past, our citizens refuse to accommodate a government that believes it can replace the 

will of the people with its own.  The American people are speaking out, demanding that we realign our country's 

compass with its founding principles and apply those principles to solve our common problems for the common 

good.  

The need for urgent action to repair our economy and reclaim our government for the people cannot be 

overstated.  

With this document, we pledge to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconnecting our highest aspirations to the 

permanent truths of our founding by keeping faith with the values our nation was founded on, the principles we 

stand for, and the priorities of our people.  This is our Pledge to America.

We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those 

precepts that have been consistently ignored – particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers 

not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the 

states respectively, or to the people.

We pledge to advance policies that promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, a robust defense, and national 

economic prosperity.

We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form 

the core of our American values. 

We pledge to make government more transparent in its actions, careful in its stewardship, and honest in its 

dealings.  

We pledge to uphold the purpose and promise of a better America, knowing that to whom much is given, much 

is expected and that the blessings of our liberty buoy the hopes of mankind.

We make this pledge bearing true faith and allegiance to the people we re

Medicare Should Evolve

Why shouldn't Medicare get out of the business of making direct payments for medical services and just become an agency that solicits and discusses with private insurance's companies to proliferate the number of policies, choices, options, and plans available to people in the market.

Medicare should not be negotiating prices with doctors hospitals and drug companies. They should just be negotiating with the insurance companies.

Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

State Approves Detroit Schools' Cuts - WSJ.com

State Approves Detroit Schools' Cuts - WSJ.com

The state of Michigan approved a plan for Detroit to close about half of its public schools and increase the average size of high-school classrooms to 60 students over the next four years to eliminate a $327 million deficit. The plan was submitted in January by Robert Bobb, Detroit Public Schools' emergency financial manager, as a last-ditch scenario if the district couldn't find new revenue sources, which it hasn't so far.

Final approval came after Mike Flanagan, the state superintendent of public instruction, cleared Mr. Bobb's initial plan with some new requirements, including that the district not file for bankruptcy protection during Mr. Bobb's remaining months in office. The state approved the plan in a Feb. 8 letter, which the Detroit public-schools district released Monday.

Mr. Bobb said the deep cuts were necessary if the district hoped to be solvent again without additional state aid. But he said the strategy was ultimately ill-advised because it will likely drive even more students away, depriving the district of needed state funds, which Michigan apportions on the basis of enrollment. "This is the route we're forced to take under state law," Steven Wasko, Detroit Public Schools' assistant superintendent for communications, said Monday. "However we continue to look for longer-term plans so we can avoid this."

Mr. Bobb is now moving to shrink the district to 72 schools from 142, as enrollment is expected to decline to 58,570 students by 2014 from about 73,000 students today.

Mr. Bobb was appointed emergency financial manager for the district two years ago to help close what was then a $218 million deficit, and moved quickly to close schools and root out waste. But the deficit deepened during his tenure, weighed down by salary, pension and health-care obligations. The longtime municipal manager said that without the cuts and cost-savings measures he has made since 2009, the district would face a deficit of more than $500 million today. Meanwhile, many of his efforts to restructure the district's academics and finances were derailed by clashes with unions and with the elected school board, which recently won a court fight to control academics and select the next superintendent.

Anthony Adams, the chairman of the school board, didn't respond Monday to a request for comment. The school board has sought an infusion of funds from the state and an end to outside control of the district. Mr. Bobb has agreed to stay a few more months beyond his appointed term, through the end of June. A spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Rick Snyder said Monday that he was considering appointing another emergency manager to succeed

Mr. Bobb, which would keep the elected board of education largely sidelined on financial matters for the near future.

Organized labor is fighting back. The Detroit Federation of Teachers called for an emergency lobbying day Tuesday in Lansing, the state capital, to protest bills granting emergency financial managers broad power over cities and school districts in financial crisis. Under those bills, emergency managers could toss out union contracts, dissolve school boards and set wage and benefit levels without collective bargaining. Mr. Bobb is generally supportive of the bills, said Mr. Wasko, the assistant superintendent.

Calls to union officials weren't immediately returned Monday.

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Paul gets CPAC crowd on their feet

Paul gets CPAC crowd on their feet – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

"There is truly a revolution going on in this country. We live in a time where we don't just need a change in attitude and a change in ideas," Paul also said.

"We need to change our philosophy about what this country is all about. " Paul, who ran a quixotic presidential bid in 2008 that caught fire with many fiscal conservatives and libertarians, added the crisis in Egypt is further proof American needs to disentangle from its foreign engagements.

"We need to do a lot less, a lot sooner, not only in Egypt, but around the world," he said. "The people don't like us propping up our dictators no more than we would like it if a foreign country propped up a dictator here."

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400 arrested in Algeria at rally demanding reforms - Yahoo! News

400 arrested in Algeria at rally demanding reforms - Yahoo! News

ALGIERS, Algeria – A human rights activist says more than 400 people have been arrested during a pro-democracy protest that brought thousands of people onto the streets of the Algerian capital. Ali Yahia Abdenour says women and foreign journalists were among those arrested during Saturday's demonstration, which came a day after mass protests toppled Egypt's autocratic leader.

Abdenour, who heads the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights, said some 28,000 security forces were deployed in Algiers to block the march and disperse the crowds.

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Tea Party Express Names Snowe as Its Next Moderate Republican Target : Roll Call

Tea Party Express Names Snowe as Its Next Moderate Republican Target : Roll Call

The Tea Party Express, which raised and spent millions of dollars to knock off moderate Republicans in Alaska, Colorado and Delaware in the 2010 election cycle, is now going after Olympia Snowe in Maine.

The conservative group, arguably the most organized and best funded campaign tool in the tea party movement, announced Thursday afternoon that it plans to fight the moderate Republican's 2012 re-election effort. Snowe enjoys tremendous popularity across the political spectrum in her home state, but she has irritated Maine's small and disjointed tea party movement for her willingness to work with Democrats.

Pine Tree State conservatives have already dubbed "Snowe removal" a top priority for 2012, when Maine's senior Senator will seek her fourth term. But they have struggled to rally around a single challenger. "Olympia Snowe dishonors the notion that the Republican Party is supposed to be the fiscally conservative, constitutionalist political party in America,"

Tea Party Express Chairwoman Amy Kremer said in a statement. "She voted for the bailouts, the failed stimulus plan, the repeal of tax cuts and showed her disdain for the constitution by voting in favor of the nominations of Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotamayer to the Supreme Court," Kremer said in the statement, which misspelled Sotomayor's last name.

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Donald Trump: We are being ouwitted

Moscow reaffirms Soviet recognition of Palestine - Yahoo! News

Moscow reaffirms Soviet recognition of Palestine - Yahoo! News: "JERICHO, West Bank (Reuters) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday Moscow had recognized an independent Palestinian state in 1988 and was not changing that position adopted by the former Soviet Union.

But on his first visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank as Russian head of state, Medvedev stopped short of making a ringing declaration of recognition of Palestinian statehood by the Russian Federation that he represents.

Israel has been alarmed in the past two months by a string of recognitions by Latin American states including Brazil and Argentina which some analysts say could be a precursor to a move by the Palestinians to seek full United Nations membership.

At a news conference with Medvedev in Jericho, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said: 'We remember that Russia was one of the first states in the world to recognize the state of Palestine in 1988.'

Medvedev responded, saying: 'Russia made its choice a long time ago ...we supported and will support the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to an independent state with its capital in East Jerusalem.'

The Soviet Union recognized a Palestinian state in 1988, after it was declared by the late Yasser Arafat in a move that won broad support in the Communist bloc and Third World but had little real impact on diplomatic

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

2011 Problems

China, Russia quit dollar:

What PROBLEM(s) will Barack Obama SOLVE in 2011?

• Airport security (TSA)
• Afghanistan 
• Unemployment
• Iran 
• North Korea 
• Inflation / Deflation (which?)
• Economic growth
• Terrorism
• "Too big to fail"
• Union Pensions
• Stability of American Dollar ($)
• Federal deficit
• Federal debt
• Federal spending
• Federal taxes
• Health Care
• Consumer confidence
• Energy  independence
• Over-Regulation of American Business
• Balance of trade with China
• Prosecution of Terrorists

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

Seating rules in Congress?

Is this a good idea?

In the spotlight - the spectre of rising food prices returns: Food news & analysis

In the spotlight - the spectre of rising food prices returns: Food news & analysis: "Global food prices are at a record high again, only two years or so after the last dramatic price spike sparked food riots and heightened the debate worldwide over food security. While there is alarm, analysts appear less worried about the current situation than they were in 2008. Food manufacturers, however, may beg to differ. Ben Cooper reports.

The spectre of sky-high food prices is back with a vengeance with serious implications for consumers, for governments attempting to shepherd economies through a fragile recovery period and not least for food manufacturers.

With the shock of the financial crisis, the worrying spike in food prices in 2008 may have faded from the memory somewhat but recent months have brought it back to mind all too clearly. The recent adverse weather in Australia and Brazil and the downgrading of crop forecasts in the US has heightened anxiety further.

In fact, according to the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) the current spike has taken global food prices higher than the 2008 surge. The UN's Food Price Index, which tracks monthly price fluctuations across the dairy, meat, sugar, cereals and oilseed markets, averaged 214.7 points in December, against 206 points in November and 213.5 points at its previous record high in June 2008.

The chief catalyst behind the rise has been sugar, cereal and oil price increases, with high sugar prices particularly influential. The 2008 spike resulted in considerably greater focus being paid to the issue of food security and arguably having a further price surge in such a short timeframe will only heighten those concerns further.

However, the FAO suggested that the current situation does not represent a crisis, citing the fact that the price of rice, the staple of 3bn people in Asia and Africa, remains well below its record high, and the situation has not sparked the widespread food riots in developing countries seen in 2008.

In an interview with the Financial Times, FAO senior economist Abdolreza Abbassian stressed that from a global food security perspective rice and wheat are the critical commodities and not sugar, oilseeds or meat, though he added that it would be 'foolish' to assume prices had reached their peak.

Other analysts have also played down the current situation. Analysts at Credit Suisse pointed out that the situation in 2007/2008 had been exacerbated by governments in countries such as India and Vietnam imposing export restrictions on rice. 'The estimated global and exporting countries' stock-to-use ratios of both wheat and rice are considerably higher today than in 2007-08, making shortages and drastic export bans unlikely, in our view,' Credit Suisse said.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

OPEC ministers say world can handle $100 oil - Business - Oil & energy - msnbc.com

OPEC ministers say world can handle $100 oil - Business - Oil & energy - msnbc.com: "The global economy can withstand an oil price of $100 a barrel, Kuwait's oil minister said on Saturday, as other exporters indicated OPEC may decide against increasing output through 2011 as the market was well supplied.

Analysts have said oil producing countries are likely to raise output after crude rallied more than 30 percent from a low in May because they fear prices could damage economic growth in fuel importing countries.

European benchmark ICE Brent crude for February closed at $93.46 on Friday after hitting $94.74 a barrel, its highest level since October 2008.

Arab oil exporters meeting in Cairo this weekend said they saw no need to supply more crude as stocks were high and prices had been inflated temporarily by cold weather in Europe.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

» Republican Sellout Watch - Big Government

» Republican Sellout Watch - Big Government: "First, it appears that Republicans didn’t really mean it when they promised to cut $100 billion of so-called discretionary spending as part of their pledge. According to the New York Times,

As they prepare to take power on Wednesday, Republican leaders are scaling back that number by as much as half, aides say, because the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, will be nearly half over before spending cuts could become law.

This is hardly good news, particularly since the discretionary portion of the budget contains entire departments, such as Housing and Urban Development, that should be immediately abolished.

That being said, I don’t think this necessarily means the GOP has thrown in the towel. The real key is to reverse the Bush-Obama spending binge and put the government on some sort of diet so that the federal budget grows slower than the private economy. I explain in this video, for instance, that it is simple to balance the budget and maintain tax cuts so long as government spending grows by only 2 percent each year.

It is a good idea to get as many savings as possible for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year, to be sure, but the real key is the long-run trajectory of federal spending.

The other item for discussion is the GOP’s apparent interest in retaining Douglas Elmendorf, the current Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

Many of you will remember that the CBO cooked the books last year to help ram through Obamacare. Under Elmendorf’s watch, CBO also was a relentless advocate and defender Obama’s failed stimulus. And CBO under Elmendorf published reports saying higher taxes would improve economic performance.

But Elmendorf’s statist positions apparently are not a problem for some senior Republicans, as reported by The Hill.

The new House Budget Committee chairman, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), gave a very public endorsement of the embattled head of the Congressional Budget Office during his first major speech as committee head Wednesday night. …“You’re doing a great job at CBO, Doug,” Ryan said after receiving the first annual Fiscy Award for his efforts at tackling the national debt. He added that he looked forward to crunching budget numbers with him in the future.

In the long run, the failure to deal with the problems at CBO (as well as the Joint Committee on Taxation) may cause even more problems than the timidity about cutting $100 billion of waste from the 2011 budget. Given the rules on Capitol Hill, it makes a huge difference whether CBO and JCT are putting out flawed numbers.

I’ve already written that fixing the mess at CBO and JCT is a critical test of GOP resolve, and I actually thought this would be a relatively easy test for them to pass. It is an ominous sign that Republicans aren’t even trying to clean house.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

New, big challenges confront Obama the candidate

New, big challenges confront Obama the candidate: "Obama owns the slow-to-recover economy and is the face of a Washington he once campaigned against. Polls show his diverse voting coalition from 2008 cracked and his support among independents weakened. His path to Electoral College victory in 2012 is tougher. And he doesn't have George W. Bush's unpopularity paving the way for a Democratic victory.

But the upsides are huge, too.

His personal popularity is still high and he has the White House bully pulpit. He's a proven record fundraiser and he has no primary challenger. The brain trust of Obama's first campaign will run the second. Also, there's no obvious Republican rival in a crowded GOP field.

This president has accomplished more in two years than many of his predecessors did in two terms.

After preaching bipartisanship as a candidate, Obama the president leveraged huge Democratic majorities in Congress to produce a series of legislative achievements: the health care overhaul, new financial rules and an economic stimulus measure. He declared an end to the combat mission in Iraq and, while bolstering U.S. forces in Afghanistan, he has pledged to start pulling troops home.

It's a record that could help or hurt his prospects depending on the whims of an electorate that has shown itself impatient with spotty progress amid economic turmoil.

The issue is certain to dominate the campaign.

'This will be about the economy,' said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. 'It was when we were last playing presidential politics, and it will be when we start again.'

Economists predict the unemployment rate won't fall considerably before the election. White House officials privately acknowledge that they don't expect a complete economic turnaround. They're banking on good economic news—like the Friday report that unemployment slipped to 9.4 percent in December—will continue over the next year, allowing Obama to argue that he's overseeing a rebirth and, thus, shouldn't be fired.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

House Republicans Push Bill to Shut Down White House 'Czars' - FoxNews.com

House Republicans Push Bill to Shut Down White House 'Czars' - FoxNews.com: "House Republicans have President Obama's 'czars' in their crosshairs once again, introducing a bill this week that would effectively shut down their offices
.

The bill, authored by Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., is a revamped version of a proposal that went nowhere in the last Congress. But with Republicans in charge of the House this year and a particularly combative Republican in charge of the committee that will be considering the measure, the proposal might have a fighting chance this time around.

'We're hopeful for this one,' Scalise spokesman Stephen Bell told FoxNews.com.

Though the definition of a 'czar' is muddy at best, it generally refers to top-level administration officials who don't have to go through the Senate confirmation process. The Scalise bill aims to be a bit more specific than that, defining a 'czar' as the 'head of any task force, council, policy office within the Executive Office of the President' or similar office, appointed 'without the advice and consent of the Senate.'

Scalise's office estimates that 39 officials in the Obama administration fall under this description. The bill would order Congress to cut off all funding for them and the offices they control. Presumably, the president could afterward try to reinstate them by seeking Senate confirmation.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

Obama's Oil War - Investors.com

Obama's Oil War - Investors.com: "Oil prices are surging to levels that will soon crimp economic growth. And what's our government doing about it? Just making it worse.

Since President Obama took office in January 2009, the price of oil has rocketed 117% to $90.41 a barrel and gasoline has jumped 67% to $3.07 a gallon. In the 34 industrialized nations, oil imports have surged 34% in the last year to $790 billion. The U.S. alone has seen a $72 billion jump.

All this imperils a fragile recovery from the financial crisis. 'Oil prices are entering a dangerous zone for the global economy,' says Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency.

Given the clear threat, it's economically irrational to sit on our hands and fail to develop our own energy resources. At least 130 billion barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas lie offshore, and hundreds of billions of barrels more are locked in shale deposits in the Northeast and West. Yet our policy remains leaving this wealth alone.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

The $Dollar is playing second fiddle.......

My Way News - World Bank issues its 1st yuan bonds in Hong Kong: "HONG KONG (AP) - The World Bank is issuing its first bonds denominated in China's yuan in Hong Kong, joining a growing number of borrowers tapping the new debt market as Beijing gradually promotes of its tightly controlled currency abroad.

The World Bank said buyers of its 500 million yuan ($76 million), two-year bond were mainly Hong Kong-based financial institutions, companies and wealthy individuals. It said the money will go into its general fund, rather than being raised for a specific purpose.

The yuan is not traded on global currency markets but Beijing has loosened controls and allows Hong Kong banks to use it. Hong Kong is Chinese territory but has its own currency and a Western-style legal system and often is used as a site for mainland companies to interact with foreign investors.

Beijing began allowing foreign companies to issue yuan debt last year. The Asian Development Bank, Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) and McDonald's Corp. have sold yuan-denominated debt to finance activities in China.

Buyers of such bonds hope to gain from both interest payments and the growing strength of the yuan, which is rising against the U.S. dollar.

China is set to gain a bigger say in the World Bank after a restructuring last year to boost the voting power of developing countries. If approved, China will be the third-biggest voting power after the United States and Japan.The World Bank provides low-interest loans and technical assistance to developing countries.

Beijing is promoting Hong Kong as a platform for yuan-based international banking. Hong Kong banks started handling yuan in 2004 and now offer services ranging from deposits to credit cards to trade financing that allows foreign companies to pay Chinese business partners in yuan.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

Constitutional Activity?

Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

In House, new Republican majority plans to act fast to undo Obama's agenda

In House, new Republican majority plans to act fast to undo Obama's agenda: "Almost as soon as they take control of the House at noon Wednesday, Republicans will embark on a 20-day plan aimed at undoing major aspects of President Obama's agenda as they seek to take advantage of the weeks before the Senate's return and the president's State of the Union address.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

Importance of Issues - Rasmussen Reports™

Importance of Issues - Rasmussen Reports™: "With a new Congress scheduled to swing into action this week, the number of voters who rate the economy as a Very Important issue has reached its highest level since early August 2008.

A new national telephone survey finds that 87% of Likely U.S. Voters view the economy this way, well above the importance they place on any other issue on a list of 10 regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The new finding is up five points from 82% in late October and has consistently been the issue voters place the highest level of importance on since regular tracking began several years ago.

Republicans will have majority control of the House in the new session of Congress, and voters continue to trust the GOP more than Democrats on the issue of the economy as they have since June of last year.

Voters trust Republicans more on seven of 10 issues, with the two breaking even on the issue of health care which earns the second highest level of concern: 71% of voters describe it as a Very Important issue.

Separate polling finds that voters still strongly support repeal of the national health care law passed by Democrats last March, to update and in mid-December, a majority of voters for the first time since March said they believe the law will be repealed by the new Congress.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on December 29-30, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Sixty-seven percent (67%) of voters now view government ethics and corruption as Very Important. For years, this issue fell just behind the economy, but since July it has taken the number three spot in terms of the level of importance voters attach to it.

Sixty-five percent (65%) regard taxes as Very Important, showing little change since early March 2009.

Voters give nearly as much weight to the issue of Social Security, which is seen as Very Important by 64%. This finding has shown little fluctuation for years now.

Americans are receptive to a proposal by President Obama’s bipartisan deficit reduction commission to increase the level of income taxable for Social Security, but most don’t like the idea of raising the retirement age.

Sixty-one percent (61%) of voters rate education as a Very Important issue, the lowest finding since early April.

Showing no change from the previous survey, 57% classify immigration as Very Important. Early last May, this issue jumped in terms of voter importance as the debate over Arizona’s immigration law began heating up.

Despite voter pessimism about the war on terror and the war in Afghanistan, just 54% of voters view the issue of national security and the war on terror as Very Important, the lowest level measured in months.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness