By: Don Bates Jr.

Demonstrating the extent to which some judges are willing to go in their attempt to legislate, and not simply interpret, a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled on Thursday that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. The National Day of Prayer is an important part of our nation’s heritage and history, and must continue to be a part of who we are as a people. Since the very early days of our nation, calls to corporate prayer have been periodically made by both political and religious leaders.

During times of prosperity and uncertainty, during times of conflict and times of peace, prayer has steadied us and strengthened our resolve to do what is right and true. The founding generation did not intend to completely remove God from the public square when they placed the First Amendment in the Constitution. They firmly believed in the freedom of the individual to choose his or her own religion, and even choose no religion at all if they so felt. Their purpose was to prevent the state from forcing any citizen or group of citizens to adopt a specific religious creed. They recognized the hand of Providence in the events that led to the formation of our country, and they understood that it is appropriate for leaders to issue a call to prayer on behalf of our nation to all who wish to join in such an act.

If a higher court does not overrule the decision of this lone judge, and if this decision is allowed to stand, I support legislation removing the subject of proclamations by the President and governors calling citizens to prayer from the jurisdiction of the federal court system.

Big news yesterday was the formal endorsement of Don by the newly-formed Freedom Posse. Led by highly-successful entrepreneurs Sam and Lisa Carpenter, Freedom Posse is an organization focused on electing candidates to the United States Senate who have extensive experience outside of politics, and primarily the business world. They are only endorsing and helping to fundraise for five candidates across the country this year, and Don was one of the first four named (the fifth candidate has not been chosen.

Don’s work as a businessman and financial advisor, and his message of cutting through the politics and getting to down to work on key issues in Washington, helped earn this major endorsement. Each candidate endorsed by Freedom Posse is a recognized leader who has embraced core principles of job creation, balanced budgets and less spending, less government and regulation, and a respect for freedom  With this momentum building on the national level now, be sure and check back often for more information. There is truly a buzz about this campaign and the message of “Let’s Get to Work.” Washington is not working, together we can fix that!

To learn more about Freedom Posse visit their website. Read their endorsement press release posted online here, and read our campaign’s press release below the fold.

Anderson, IN – The newly formed Freedom Posse announced their selection of Don Bates Jr. as one of 4 U.S. Senate candidates nationwide to earn their endorsement. The organization, founded by businessman and political activist Sam Carpenter and his wife Linda Carpenter, who is also a highly successful entrepreneur, is dedicated to supporting free-market, pro-business candidates for Senate from the private sector. The organization’s website, www.freedomposse.com, explains more about the specific policies that they stand for.

As one of a very limited number of endorsed candidates, Bates expressed his appreciation for the endorsement saying, “I am thrilled to be a part of the Freedom Posse, and I’m honored to have earned their endorsement and support. During these days of economic decline and uncertainty about the future, we need fresh leadership in Washington that will get to work promoting a return to the principles found in the Constitution.” Bates continued by saying, “Lower taxes, less government, and a straightforward, transparent approach to spending and entitlements will put our country on a strong economic footing. The American people are the greatest resource our country has, and I’m running because it is time for Washington to let them get to work!”

Indiana Right to Life endorsed Don as a pro-life candidate for United States Senate late last week. Earning the endorsement of the premier pro-life organization in Indiana is quite an honor. For years Evan Bayh was an inconsistent pro-life vote at best, frequently saying he was pro-life, but failing to come all the way through with that position when voting on the floor of the Senate and working with his party.

Being pro-life is more than just saying you are pro-life, it is about believing that all human life is sacred, and then pursuing practical steps based on that premise. Don is committed to ending all federal funding for Planned Parenthood, denying foreign aid money to organizations that promote abortion, opposing unethical embryonic stem cell research while supporting legitimate adult stem cell research, and approving of only strict constructionist judicial nominees who will not assume the kind judicial activist position taken by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade.

Below is the text of a press release the campaign sent out this morning regarding recent talk of imposing a Value Added Tax (VAT), which is a European-style national sales tax.

Earlier this week, White House advisor and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker said that the United States should consider implementing a Value Added Tax as a means of combating mounting debt. Today, Republican senatorial candidate and financial advisor Don Bates Jr. responded to the mounting wave of support in Washington for a national Value Added Tax. “The solution to solving our fiscal problem is not implementing a new, back-door tax on the American people.  The answer is to cut federal spending and return government’s focus to a more limited scope of priorities,” Bates said. 

Bates explained how the VAT would harm Indiana saying, “according to the IRS, Indiana taxpayers paid $42.1 billion in federal taxes in 2008. If Democrats and the Obama Administration decide to pay for their unrestrained spending with a 10% VAT, Indiana taxpayers will end up paying roughly $21 billion in additional federal taxes every year.”

“European nations have experimented with value added taxes, and their record gives us an example of what we can expect if such a tax is imposed here,” Bates remarked. “VATs have proven to be a one-way ticket for governments to raise taxes across Europe, and that in turn has led to a stifling of economic productivity.” Bates cited Spain as an example saying “they have had a VAT for a number of years, and today their unemployment rate stands at nearly 20%. That unemployment rate is substantially the result of higher taxes and more regulations, and those two things are inevitable with the onset of a VAT.”

“Washington spends too much, and the answer to the deficit and the daily accumulating mountain of debt is to cut spending, not find yet another way to tax hardworking people. I pledge to voters that I will oppose any attempt to pass a VAT, and I will fight for a reduction in spending and not a new, back-door national sales tax,” Bates concluded.

By: Don Bates Jr.

In my previous post, I mentioned my concern over the President’s disingenuous approach to energy policy and national energy self-sufficiency. Thankfully, the President’s path is not the only path available to us. One of the most important options that we should pursue, and that we are not pursuing now, is the development and production of coal-to-liquid fuels. In a state like Indiana where coal is abundant and the need for job creation exists, a coal-to-liquid fuel industry would help move our country towards energy independence, create lower gas and diesel prices for consumers, and generate more jobs for Hoosier workers.

Coal-to-liquid fuel has been successfully produced and used by other countries, yet our nation has never needed to pursue it as an alternative to petroleum because of the abundance of relatively cheap, imported oil. The days of cheap, imported oil are over, and that leaves us with a choice between the development of every resource that we have, from oil, natural gas, coal-to-liquid, to other biomass-type fuels, or a continued reliance on unreliable, costly petroleum imports that frequently come from unstable regions and regimes around the globe.

Indiana is one of the top ten states in the country for coal reserves with more than 18 billion tons of recoverable coal yet to be mined. Over 3,000 Hoosiers work in the coal industry and in 2008 they mined over 35 million tons of coal. If coal-to-liquid fuels were to become part of our national strategy for energy self-sufficiency, jobs would be created in the building and operating of new plants that could turn the raw coal into the liquid fuels of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Additionally, our entire economy would benefit by being close to the production of this alternative fuel that is potentially more cost-effective that refined petroleum fuels.

What the next senator from Indiana needs to do is work to reduce regulatory barriers that stand in the way of the development of this exciting technology. The Department of Defense and other federal agencies need to be allowed to enter into contracts for the purchase of coal-to-liquid fuels, companies that want to build the refining and conversion facilities must be allowed to accelerate the tax-depreciation of their new facilities, and investors across the board must be given a lower capital gains tax. The last policy would benefit every kind of investment, and emerging technology and industry sectors such as coal-to-liquid would stand to be among the greatest beneficiaries of such a plan.

Hoosiers are hardworking pioneers, and I am ready see Indiana lead the way towards energy self-sufficiency. It can be done. We have the resources, we have the ability to develop the technology, and we have the work-ethic necessary to push forward and lead our country into the future in energy policy. Let’s get to work!