Chris Cannon in the News

The Daily Herald had several articles on Chris Cannon Monday. I thought I'd give you snippets and then you could read the rest of the articles. Below these snippets you will find my analysis. That being said: Talk about burying the lead! Mid-column I found what I was looking for:

Cannon first learned in college that getting what you want sometimes means getting dirty: While pursuing a law degree at BYU he scrubbed toilets as a janitor. He also worked as a teamster in a grocery warehouse earning "more money in an hour than most guys made in a week" in Guatemala, where he served an LDS Church mission.

While at BYU he interned for the U.S. Supreme Court in the Office of the Administrative Assistant under his uncle Mark Cannon. He also spent time in the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a researcher. It was there that he started finding contradictions between consensus and reality. In 1974, on the heels of best-sellers such as "The Population Bomb," he was asked by the Secretary of Agriculture to research the claim from the World Health Organization that the world would face a food crisis by 1986. Cannon contended that food reserves wouldn't dwindle but rather grow substantially.

"I was right," he says simply. Monday, 16 June 2008, Chris Cannon: Incumbent faces yet another challenge, Joe Pyrah - DAILY HERALD) -- Read More

The article goes on to talk about many aspects of Chris' character and career, beginning with the current race for Republican nomination on June 24th.

Here's some more:

Little known facts about Chris Cannon

One of his daughters is dating a Democrat who hates President Bush. Cannon came home to find a vehicle parked in his driveway with a bumper sticker that was less than complimentary to a president who has endorsed Cannon numerous times. (Monday, 16 June 2008 - Daily Herald)

Chris Cannon on the Issues

A flood of press releases and news stories have come out in the past several weeks with the congressman touting oil shale. The process involves digging into the earth and extracting liquid from the shale via heat at a cost of about $30 a barrel. Utah could be home to billions (yes, with a "B") of barrels of such fuel. The problem, he says, is that current regulations require a seven-year wade through a sea of red tape. That regulation time needs to be cut down substantially to ensure a source of cheap energy in the country.

"The idea that we're short of resources is ridiculous," he said. "It's absolutely ridiculous." (Monday, 16 June 2008 - Daily Herald)

Chaffetz, his opponent, has truly misrepresented Chris' record and stance on the issues multiple times. The one most telling was during the televised debate held on June 14th. Chaffetz said, "Cannon's introduction of an oil-shale production bill "just 15 days from the primary" is just like the games that incumbents are playing in Congress these days."

Chris has been working on energy independence and the drilling for oil shale in Utah for 11 years. I have been involved in politics, heavily, for 13 years and I remember Chris saying, 11 years ago, paraphrasing here, "If we can just hang in there the technology will be in place in about ten years. Then we can start drilling for shale oil." He said that in a park in Lindon, I believe. I didn't even know what shale oil was, but Chris has educated me in this matter. Why have I become educated in this particular topic? Because I cared. Because I asked. And Chris has been willing to explain it in detail . . . because I asked. Chris is right. Chaffetz is wrong. And for Chaffetz to say this is "typical incumbent politics" is downright deceitful and mean.

Chaffetz likes to harangue Chris about "No Child Left Behind." Chris has made it clear if it can't work for Utah it needs to be removed. He is behind http://www.endfeded.org -- does that sound like someone who supports federal interference in local education? No, he does not. He has realized what went wrong with "No Child Left Behind" and has been rectifying it ever since.

Chaffetz attacked Chris for:

. . . increased federal spending, the Medicare prescription drug benefit and allowing EnergySolutions to import radioactive waste from Italy - all issues Chaffetz said he opposes.

Cannon said the decision of whether to allow EnergySolutions to import about 20,000 tons of radioactive waste from Italy should be up to the state. About 1,600 tons of waste would ultimately be buried in Utah.

“The state has the right, the authority, the responsibility to govern that, and all I said is we should stay out of that and let the state control its own destiny in that regard,” Cannon said.

Actually, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering whether to grant EnergySolutionsa license to import the radioactive waste.

“I'm totally opposed to importing waste,” Chaffetz said. “I would vote to keep the waste out of Utah, absolutely.”

Cannon said that the No Child Left Behind bill was a good bill that was poorly implemented and that he voted for the Medicare prescription drug benefit because he supported the expansion of health savings accounts, which was packaged with the drug benefit. (Monday, 16 June 2008 - Salt Lake Tribune)

Chaffetz attacks with twisted and prostituted truth and Cannon responds with fact. Chris' record on fiscal responsibility is as follows:

1. According to the National Journal - Conservative on Economic Policy calculations, in 2006 Congressman Cannon voted more conservative on economic policy issues than 96 percent of the House

2. Citizens Against Government Waste, an organization that tracks votes on efforts to cut pork in spending bills gave Congressman Cannon the highest score in the entire Utah delegation, scoring a 77 percent fiscally conservative record.

3. National Journal, a non-partisan publication, ranked Congressman Cannon as the 17th (out of 435) most fiscally conservative member of the House.

4. The National Taxpayers Union gave Congressman Cannon an “A” Rating and he was the 2006 Winner of the “Friend of the Taxpayer” award.

5. Americans for Tax Reform made Congressman Cannon the only “Hero of the Taxpayer” award winner in the entire Utah delegation for his consistent votes against raising taxes.

6. Congressman Cannon was the lead Republican on the Internet Tax Moratorium and was invited to the White House for the signing of his moratorium bill.

7. Congressman Cannon voted against SCHIP expansion.

8. Congressman Cannon votes against socialized or government-run health care every time it comes before Congress.

9. Congressman Cannon voted for giving the President a line-item veto.

10. Congressman Cannon voted for eliminating the death tax.

11. Congressman Cannon voted for eliminating the Marriage Penalty.

12. Congressman Cannon voted for increasing the Child Tax Credit.

13. Congressman Cannon voted for the Bush Tax Cuts and to make them permanent.

14. Congressman Cannon sponsored the Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.

15. Congressman Cannon voted for Welfare Reform.

As I have said before, if you have questions about something Chris has written or voted for . . . ask him. He'll explain what brought him to that conclusion.

Another Chaffetz discrepancy, reported in the Salt Lake Tribune:

Chaffetz, as he has in the past, slammed Cannon for his 2006 vote for what Chaffetz said was the largest budget and largest deficit in history.

In fact, Congress passed the largest budget last week, a $3.1 trillion package setting funding targets for the 2009 budget year. Cannon voted against that budget, and the 2008 budget. Deficits peaked in 2004 and have been smaller since, according to the Office of Management and Budget, although Cannon also voted for that 2004 budget.

Jason Chaffetz is not the man to represent those of us in Utah's 3rd Congressional District. Chris is not a "slick Willie" but he is a man who has dug in and got the job done. He has written more bills than any other congressman.

He has spent the time to find a workable solution for our illegal immigration problem, his solution will work, and work well, with the illegal immigration disaster we now have in America. I support Chris' plan because it will work. It will increase border security. It will force accountability. Our health care will be free of the "drop in to Emergency, they're required by law to take care of you" mentality of the illegal immigrant and force them, if they remain in the country, to create Health Savings Accounts.

His record on Illegal Immigration is as follows:

Chris is an original co-sponsor of the Congressional Act to Free Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean

Chris is an original signatory of a letter to the President demanding a pardon for Border Agents Ramos and Compean

Chris actively opposed the President/Senate Immigration "Deal" this year. Congressman Cannon said, "Legislation, conceived in secrecy, and dedicated to the proposition that only Senators can solve this issue, cannot long endure. An issue of such import demands the participation and support of the American people. Deciding what it means to be an American is the right of every citizen of this nation and no one, not even the US Senate, can change that. There is broad support for reform. However, that reform must re-establish trust in the ability of the government to keep its word, promote border security to the top of the agenda, and involve the American people in deciding what is to be done with those here illegally."

Chris demanded from the Department of Homeland Security the ability for all Americans to see the progress, in real time, of the border fence:



Chris sponsored AgJobs - allowing a limited number of agricultural workers who have been in the United States demonstrably for years, to remain temporarily, to do jobs employers demonstrate they cannot find American workers to do.

Chris voted:

• For the Border Fence (HR 6061)
• For the REAL ID Act (HR 418) REAL ID: And consequently,
  
• Established national standards for state-issued driver's licenses and non-driver's identification cards;
• Waived laws that interfere with construction of physical barriers at the borders; and
• Updated and tightened the laws on application for asylum and deportation of aliens for terrorist activity.
• For hiring more Border Agents (HR 4437)
• For making repeated attempts to enter the US illegally an aggravated felony (HR 4437)
• For establishing an employment eligibility verification system that requires employers to verify the legal status of each employee or face a penalty for withholding employee information (HR 4437)
• For requiring the detention of any undocumented immigrant attempting to enter the country after October 1, 2006, until deportation or final decision granting admissions to the U.S (HR 4437)
• For providing the funds needed to ensure that illegal aliens in local prisons would remain in custody until deportation (HR 4437)
• For penalizing US employers for replacing American workers with immigrant labor (HR 4437)
• For authorizing up to 10,000 military members to secure the border. Congressman Cannon supported and voted for this in 1997 and continues to support it
• For denying Federal Housing Assistance to Illegals
• For allowing the decision on in-state tuition to be left to the States and not the whims of whatever party controls Congress
• For allowing illegal immigrants to be detained indefinitely pending deportation. Ending "Catch and Release" (HR 6094)
  

Faith and family are two thing that are critical to me as well. - Chris has voted accordingly on the following issues related to faith and family:

• He supported the issues highlighted by the Family Research Council nearly 100% of the time since entering Congress.
• He voted to prohibit Partial Birth Abortion 6 times in his career and every time it has come before the House.
• He voted for parental notification requirements for an abortion.
• He voted for traditional marriage and for the Defense of Marriage Act.
• He voted against human cloning.
  
• He voted against using embryos for Stem Cell Research.
• He voted to support the public display of the 10 Commandments.
  

On National Security his stellar voting record continues:

• He voted for allowing the government to listen to terrorist telephone communications overseas.
• He voted for allowing the FBI, with court approval, to tap terrorist communications by individual, as opposed to tapping a certain phone.
• He voted for the Patriot Act.
• He voted for the authorization of the use of force in Iraq and has consistently supported strategy and force adjustments.
• He has consistently voted against withdrawal timelines and all other Democrat attempts to undermine America’s service members in the war on terror.

Is there an wonder why I support Chris? Every single attack on Chris' record and his character I refute with fact. I want a free, strong and financially solvent America. I want the same for each individual state. Chris Cannon has delivered on his promises and has voted accordingly.