Sam Brownback in From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback
On Jobs:
Served as Kansas Secretary of Agriculture during farm crisis
After 4 years of law practice, I decided to apply for the position of Kansas secretary of agriculture when that office came open. This was the job that really got me started in public service as a career.
The position of agriculture secretary carried a lot of influence in Kansas. We were in what became known as the "Farm Crisis." The farm economy was deflationary. No one was making much money in agriculture at the time.
They were willing to try a lot of different things, so I said, "OK, if it isn't working out for us now, let's find something that will work." So we looked at alternative crops and all sorts of things, including making food products, biofuels,
and different technologies that were new at the time. In those first few years, we did what we could at the state level to help the down market, instituting many forward-thinking programs.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 10
Jul 3, 2007
On Principles & Values:
1994: First elected, but didn't sign Contract With America
In the 1994 election, I hadn't signed the Contract with America that Republican leaders had introduced--mainly because I had a different idea about how to manage welfare reform. Also I wanted to be an independent candidate and not simply as part of a
machine. I made my principles and beliefs clear to the voters, and I did my best to assure them that I was a Reagan conservative.When the smoke finally cleared, a Republican was chosen as Speaker of the House for the first time since 1953.
Fully half of the freshman class of 1994 had never held elective office before. In some ways that was a good thing. We weren't frightened by anything and didn't know what was possible or impossible.
Our advantage was in our numbers and in our fearlessness--a rare trait in politicians! We may have been green, but the key was to attack the system hard--and that's just what we did.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 18-21
Jul 3, 2007
On Foreign Policy:
Many Christians care deeply about what happens to Israel
[In 1996, I chaired the Senate Mideast Subcommittee.] I remember one particular meeting with Madeline Albright, secretary of state in the Clinton administration, about US relations with Israel. I said, "Well, it's not only the Jews who care about
Israel. Christians care about Israel, too." Then somebody asked, "Why on earth would the Christians care what happens to Israel?" I replied, "Many Christians care deeply about what happens to Israel and the Jewish people." Honestly, I was surprised by
the remarks of my colleagues. They kept asking what possible reason the Christian community could have for caring about Israel. I think it particularly sparked an interest by Madeline Albright. She and I have worked together on several projects since
then.
Several years later, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel and speak in the Knesset, their parliament, to the Christian Alliance Caucus. As a Christian, I wanted the people of Israel to know that the Christians care very much for Israel.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 30-9
Jul 3, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Considers "constituency of one"--God--in every decision
The pivot point in my understanding of my role in the Senate was a 1997 Bible study held by the Senate chaplain, who asked a simple question: "How many constituents do you have? I'd like to suggest to you that each of you has just one constituent, and
that constituent is God. If God is happy with what you're doing and the measures you're supporting in the Senate, then everything is going to be fine. But if he isn't happy, none of this is going to matter." That was an important insight. From then on
I was going to think seriously about that "constituency of one" in every decision.
After about 6 months I began thinking, "I wonder if you can get reelected with one happy constituent. He's a good constituent, and a key one, but is that
really enough?" My poll numbers had gone up during that period. Once again, the words recorded in Matthew 6:33 rang true: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (NKJV).
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 34-5
Jul 3, 2007
On Abortion:
Scriptures are very clear: God sanctifies us in the womb
When I first ran for Congress in 1994, I was pro-life, but I wasn't vocal about it. While campaigning one day somebody said, "I just want to give you the Scriptures on this. You can read it for yourself. Would you do that for me?" I said, "Sure." I had
not done that before, so I went home and read the Scriptures about the sanctity of life. Afterward, I thought, Wow, this is very clear. God says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you" (Jeremiah 1:5
NKJV); and the psalmist wrote, "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:13-14 NKJV). In Luke's Gospel we see the angel's prophecy that John the
Baptist would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth. I thought, How do you argue with that?
I was convinced of the sacredness of every human life but not yet ready to make it a big political issue. That came after my cancer.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 39
Jul 3, 2007
On Abortion:
Embryonic stem cell research uses humans as guinea pigs
Adult stem cells do have plasticity. Then the scientists found stem cells in cord blood, which is the blood contained in the placenta and umbilical cord of newborns. These proved to be malleable and easy to collect and work with.
They were in many ways more useful than stem cells previously collected from bone marrow. We suddenly had 3 competing areas for stem cells: embryonic, adult, and cord blood. Now we have even found them in the amniotic fluid surrounding a baby in the womb
Some researchers are admitting that embryonic stem cells are not the magic bullet they had been hoping for. Now they say the object is not curing people but learning how the cells work. Certainly that has more scientific plausibility.
But it doesn't sell as well with the public if all we're doing is learning. There's also the fear that they're simply using humans as guinea pigs.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 58-9
Jul 3, 2007
On Abortion:
No cloning; no fetal farming
I think science is going to bypass cloning. Why do we need cloning if we have adaptable stem cells in our own bodies and they're a perfect genetic match? The only reason to clone is to produce cells that will match. So that step is no longer necessary.
Plus, we've banned fetal farming, a bill passed and signed into law by the president. So now it's illegal to grow a young human for replacement body parts. That's a bigger issue than many people realize. We stopped a hideous practice before it started.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 59
Jul 3, 2007
On Government Reform:
Without reforming manners, US will fall from peerless power
In the early 1800s, Great Britain had no peer. It was a powerful nation, but signs of cultural decay were showing. Our battle today is similar to theirs. Our battlefield is the fight for life. The core question is, do we believe in a culture of life or
not? We certainly need a renewal--a reformation of manners--in contemporary culture.The early 1800s Victorian Era [ushered in] a period of spiritual renewal which kept Great Britain strong for many years to come.
I believe we're at the same cultural
moment in this country. We can see difficulties in American society--the breakdown of the family, out-of-wedlock births, teen suicide. We are the greatest nation on earth, with no peer in terms of economic or military might. But which way will we go?
Will we turn toward a moral and spiritual renewal and revive the culture? I'm convinced that the key to our future prosperity is to rebuild our family structure, renew our culture, and revive our soul. We've got to have our own reformation of manners.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 67
Jul 3, 2007
On Crime:
Faith-based rehabilitation better than throwing away the key
I toured each Kansas prison, and one of the things that was striking to me was that we had an extremely high recidivism rate--prisoners were being released and then ending up back in prison a short time later. As I looked into the history of prison
reform, it seemed to me that back in the late 1960s we had some well-intentioned but soft-headed policies on prison reform that had failed miserably. Then the popular idea became to lock them up and throw away the key. The problem was that in most cases
these individuals were likely to come out of prison at some point, unskilled, untrained, and angry. For anyone who bothered to pay attention, it was obvious there had to be a better way.
Prison Fellowship found a way. I began working with them: the
first [faith-based prison ministry] was operated in Winfield, Kansas, and later moved to Ellsworth, Kansas. The system is modeled on the successful program that Prison Fellowship established in Sugarland, Texas. It had a recidivism rate of less than 10%.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 72-4
Jul 3, 2007
On Government Reform:
Reduce, Reform & Return: smaller & less-intrusive government
In my campaigns for both the House and the Senate, I talked about my proposals to Reduce, Reform, and Return. That was my theme in each of those races. That meant reducing the size, scope, and intrusiveness of the federal government, reforming the
Congress, and returning to the basic values that built our country. In that last category, of course, was the belief that marriage is incredibly important and, sadly, under serious attack.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 78
Jul 3, 2007
On Civil Rights:
Same-sex unions DO hurt traditional marriages
Some people said, "I don't like same-sex marriage, but is it really that big a deal?" Others said, "Same-sex marriage doesn't hurt my marriage." The problem is, it does. We now have a lot of social data from countries that have passed laws that allow
same-sex marriage.In Scandinavia, for example, we have 10 years of sociological research, and it shows that very few same-sex couples get married. Because that society has adopted an ambiguous definition of marriage, fewer heterosexuals are bothering
to get married either.
Here you have a foundational institution that's already in trouble, and on top of that you take the sacredness and uniqueness of marriage away. The result is that the marriage rate plummets further & faster than anyone could ever
have imagined. In some of those countries, traditional heterosexual marriage is fading away. With the advent of same-sex unions, parents in Sweden and Norway have increasingly given up on marriage altogether, no matter how many children they may have.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 78&84
Jul 3, 2007
On Families & Children:
Adoption is a blessing that re-centers entire family
There's an important aspect of family formation that I want to mention, and that's the blessing of adoption. Our family has been blessed by it, although there was a moment when our older children didn't see it that way. Mary and I had 3 children--Abby,
Andy and Elizabeth--when we decided to adopt Mark and Jenna. When we talked to the older children about the idea, they were initially opposed. They liked our family the way it was. That lasted about a day when we adopted Mark.
They fell in love with him right away. Mark & Jenna recentered our family. There are so many forces in society that are centrifugal, that tend to pull the family in different directions, but these two children have helped to restore our family focus.
Mary and I both felt a deep calling to adopt, and we made arrangements to adopt Mark in Guatemala and Jenna in China. I highly recommend it to everybody interested. A child is a precious gift, and an adopted child is a gift to the entire family.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 88-9
Jul 3, 2007
On Foreign Policy:
20 million AIDS orphans in Africa, & more orphans worldwide
I think I first saw the need for adoption when I began traveling to other countries. When I traveled in Azerbaijan, China, or Africa, I saw many orphaned children who needed a home. We estimated that there are 20 million AIDS orphans in Africa alone.
There are 1000s of orphaned girls in China. The situation is very serious in virtually every country I've visited. And many of the kids are in poor condition. We also have many children in America in foster care just waiting for a home.
When I looked at those beautiful, innocent faces, I said, "I can't do everything, but I can do something." Mary and I both felt a deep calling to adopt, and after we researched what was involved,
we made arrangements to adopt Mark in Guatemala and Jenna in China. I highly recommend it to everybody interested. A child is a precious gift, and an adopted child is a gift to the entire family.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 89
Jul 3, 2007
On Welfare & Poverty:
1996 reform about work incentive; next is marriage incentive
Stage one of the welfare reform package passed by Congress in 1996 was directed at eliminating the disincentives to work. By creating new incentives and giving those in poverty a new sense of worth, those reforms helped people transition from public
assistance to gainful employment. By cutting the welfare roles in half, millions of men and women were able to participate in the "dignity of work." Our job isn't finished.
Stage 2 is to eliminate the disincentives to marriage that are still contained in some benefit programs. It's wrong to penalize women and their children for the mother's decision to get married. A compassionate nation will work to eliminate the
disincentives that still exist in our laws, and compassionate people will work together to restore America's families. And that means restoring the institution of marriage as the backbone of the family and of this great nation.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 93
Jul 3, 2007
On Families & Children:
Supports "culture czar" to expose kids to national values
[In the 1990s Senate, I tried] organizing a bipartisan, bicameral commission to deal with cultural concerns. To some people that apparently sounded as though I was pushing for a "culture czar" or a "secretary of culture," and they didn't like that idea;
ultimately the issue failed. The collapse of the traditional culture was our main concern, and the loss of a moral standard was clearly one of the biggest problems we faced as a society.If children are not properly educated in the values of the nation
and the common culture, then they are vulnerable to being misinformed and misled. We need to make sure that all Americans in every generation learn about the history and culture that has contributed to America's greatness. We all need to understand that
without a personal commitment to goodness, no nation can long survive. And sometimes that means crossing fences and mending fences, to join hands with those whose view of the American experience may be vastly different from our own.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 96-7
Jul 3, 2007
On Civil Rights:
Native American Apology Bill was to reconcile, not repay
One Native American impacted me when she talked about the bitterness that she held toward whites for taking away the Native American culture and their children, and for all the treaties that America had broken with her people. If this woman, a Christian
with a strong faith, felt such deep and powerful emotions about these issues, I had to wonder what kind of emotions other Native Americans must be feeling.My staff and I took a look at this situation, and we began researching an official apology to
Native Americans for the way they had been treated over the years.
We've put the bill forward a couple of times now, and it has made it out of committee, but it's being held up by some senators who aren't convinced yet of the need for it. So I know
that more work is needed.
The point of the Native American Apology is to acknowledge that one of the key things we need to do is to reconcile. No matter how many millions of dollars you put into something, you must still deal with the heart.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 98-9
Jul 3, 2007
On Principles & Values:
A Kemp-Bennett Republican: pro-growth & pro-cultural renewal
One of my first meetings when I entered the Senate in 1996 was with Bill Bennett, who had served as Secretary of Education in the Reagan administration, and as drug czar in the first Bush administration.
I had been an admirer of his work on cultural issues for a long time, and Jack Kemp and he had recently founded Empower America to work for economic and social reform. As far as operational politics, I viewed myself as a Kemp-Bennett
Republican, pro-growth & pro-cultural renewal. Jack had the economic issues, and Bill had the family issues, and between those two, that was a key set of domestic agenda items for me. Empower America has done some great work on cultural issues such
as song lyrics and the impact of popular culture on young people. Bill Bennett was dealing with that from a conservative perspective, which was not so much legislative as talking to the culture and saying, “Look what we’re doing.”
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.104
Jul 3, 2007
On Technology:
Pushed FTC study of inappropriateness of kids’ music
Empower America [a social action group Brownback admired] has done some great work on cultural issues such as song lyrics and the impact of popular culture on young people. Empower America was dealing with that from a conservative perspective, which was
not so much legislative as talking to the culture and saying, “Look what we’re doing.”Everyone knew what was going on. The public knew it, and the industry was profiting from the violent, sexual material they were producing.
We finally came up with two approaches that worked. One was getting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to conduct a study as to whether or not the entertainment industry was target marketing children with products they had rated as inappropriate
for children of that age. In other words, were PG-13 movies being target marketed to 10-year-old boys? Or were violent video games rated “M” for “mature” being marketed to teenage boys?
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.104-107
Jul 3, 2007
On Families & Children:
Drive pornography out via action on community standards
I am concerned about the epidemic of pornography in contemporary culture. As long as they can cast it as a "free speech" issue, lawyers have been able to protect their turf through the courts. When it can be shown that this is really an issue of
community standards, it's a different story. Communities have the constitutional ability to limit the pornography sold in their communities. This is the place to start. We have to go after pornography at the local level.
We need active local groups to take up the fight to drive pornography out of town.
This is a human tragedy because of its impact on families--divorces, individuals whose lives have been shattered by it, and thousands if not millions of men who can't
free themselves from the addiction. It's targeted and pernicious. It's well known that with any illicit drug, the user has to have more and more to get the same level of euphoria, and pornography is the same.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.110-2
Jul 3, 2007
On Families & Children:
Mail-order brides are a form of human sex trafficking
Trafficking and sexual slavery are still an enormous problem, although more nations are beginning to deal with it. There's a direct link between human trafficking and the so-called "sex tours" to parts of Asia. This involves the sexual exploitation of
both boys and girls. It involves fake "mail-order brides" who are bought and sold as sex objects and, in many cases, as sex slaves. There are people who've tried to defend this practice, saying that there's a long-standing historical basis for arranging
brides from other countries. We're trying to limit the practice now, particularly as we've found evidence that some of the male clients have been ordering 3 or 4 brides a year. We invited a couple of women who had been mail-order brides to come in and
testify for a committee hearing, and we discovered that most of these women are abused in very disturbing ways. Yet the practice is still going on, and there doesn't seem to be any lack of women who are willing to take the risk.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.121-2
Jul 3, 2007
On Technology:
Internet porn destroys the minds and souls of many
[The pornography issue] is helping us to build a Left-Right coalition to fight for stronger laws and better enforcement, here and abroad. The Left increasingly and certainly the Right see that pornography takes a very dark view of women, treating them as
sexual property, and a libertarian view of such things can only lead to even greater tragedies and worse forms of exploitation.Parents are justifiably concerned for children who are exposed to the worst kinds of pornography on the
Internet, and there’s almost no way to prevent them from stumbling onto those Web sites by accident.
It’s important that we find ways to block these images so that children aren’t exposed to salacious materials in this way.
It’s just as important that we counsel our kids if we find that they’ve been exposed to it. Pornography exploits both men and women in the most vulgar ways. It treats them as meat, to be bought and sold and manipulated. That in itself is offensive.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.123-125
Jul 3, 2007
On Foreign Policy:
Passed the Sudan Peace Act to end civil war and slavery
I met with Sudanese refugees [who] confirmed that slavery was taking place & also that there was an ongoing genocide against the Christian & animist minority in southern Sudan. The present government in Khartoum was supported at its beginning by Osama bi
Laden and established a radical Islamic state in Sudan. The government was paying marauders with the bounty they took to go through southern Sudan, burning villages, killing the men, raping and beating the women, and then taking the children as slaves.The entire issue captured me. It seemed impossible that something so ugly could still be going on in the world, but it was going on. The Sudan Peace Act was passed by Congress on Sept. 6, 2001.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.127-130
Jul 3, 2007
On Foreign Policy:
Aid to Africa needs accountability or people don't get help
"We've invested billions in Africa over the years. So why aren't things better than they are?" UN studies showed things were no better and, in some nations, worse than they were 20 years ago in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Obviously issues include
malaria and the AIDS epidemic. But there are also huge problems with incompetence and corruption. We asked the obvious question, "Where has all the money gone?"Millions of dollars had been spent in Malawi, and the people were still in deep poverty and
dependency. There was no doubt in my mind that we ought to help, but nobody wants to be throwing money down a rat hole or stuffing it into a dictator's pockets. We've done that, so our model has to be different.
Until now, government has apparently
been content to supply cash to third world countries with little accountability. This new model is much more targeted and has an accountability structure. I think this is a much better approach than the model that government has used in the past.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.144-5
Jul 3, 2007
On Immigration:
Balance principles: nation of laws vs. compassionate society
Immigration is always changing the face of the country, and it always seems to be that the current group seeking to get in isn’t good enough for the people already who are here.I believe in the Reagan philosophy that America is “a shining city on a
hill.” Reagan signed the 1986 immigration bill that has been roundly attacked in recent years. I believe he always intended for us to be open and hospitable to men and women who want to come here legally for a better life, and that’s something I have
supported from the beginning.
It seemed to me that some of our basic principles were at cross-purposes with our immigration problem. One principle is that we are a nation of laws. We believe that the are meant to be obeyed, and if you violate the law,
there should be judgment and suitable punishment.
On the other hand, we’re also a compassionate society. We want to try to help those who are less fortunate than we are as much as we possibly can. And these two principles come into conflict.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.153-156
Jul 3, 2007
On Immigration:
Catch criminals at borders; plus comprehensive reform
There's a difference between the macro and the micro views of [immigrants]. In the macro, people want to throw them out, but in the micro, when they see the human emotions and the human soul, they'll fight to keep them. People do want to help the
foreigner in their midst--when they know him. A significant percentage crossing the border have a criminal record, are smugglers, or are carrying drugs. Some even have terrorist intent. They must be caught! But I also hope our conservative movement
can embrace people who want to come to work and live in this country, because if we fail to do that, I fear we're going to lose support from the immigrant community that should be a natural group to support conservative principles.
By all rights this
group should be a base of support for the conservative cause. They generally have come to work. They're finding jobs and making a contribution. They mostly are religiously oriented and committed to strong families.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.158
Jul 3, 2007
On Foreign Policy:
Steered Silk Road Strategy Act through Congress
The Silk Road Strategy Act was aimed at the countries in the southern regions of the Old Soviet Union--Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and others. This region had been known as the "silk road" as far back as
the time of Marco Polo. Our objective was to bring these nations into regular commercial and diplomatic relationships with the West, rather than forfeiting them to slide back into the Russian sphere or to become part of the Islamic world.
I have traveled in most of those countries several times, meeting with the leaders, forming the Silk Road Caucus, and building strategies for ongoing relationships. I could see that these countries were going to be making a choice.
[Many] were trying to pull them into the Islamic world. The leaders of the countries were old communists, and they didn't want to be controlled by radical Islam; but at the same time, they didn't want to be controlled by Russia.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.162-3
Jul 3, 2007
On Homeland Security:
North Korea & Iran work together on missiles
If all President Reagan had done was to attack the build-up of Soviet nuclear missile technology, the Soviet government could have used his remarks to provoke nationalist sentiment in the people, much as Kim Jong Il is attempting to do today.
But when the president questioned the lack of human rights and the mistreatment of the Soviet people, that undermined the regime, and it contributed in a big way to the eventual collapse of the Soviet regime.
I believe this can happen in North Korea as well. If we can get more information out about what they're doing to their own people, that can be valuable in hastening the collapse of that evil regime. We must, however, continue to aggressively
confront them about their nuclear missile program. This, in turn, will have a direct impact on Iran, since North Korea is a supplier of missile technology to Iran, and those two members of the Axis of Evil work together.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.169
Jul 3, 2007
On Energy & Oil:
Harvest grass on conservation land for ethanol production
A lot of land in our country is in the Conservation Reserve Program. There are about 40 million acres in long-term grass set aside. This includes land that serves as buffer zones next to rivers, and some of it erodes fairly easily if not properly cared
for. My hope is that in the future we could harvest that grass for ethanol production. We could then leave the land in grass, and it would be serving a dual purpose--soil retention and the manufacture of cellulose-based fuels.
This is part of the energy and environment equation that can provide answers for the future of agriculture in this country. Using farm products in this way helps with our energy needs and our environmental concerns. Agriculture provides a carbon cycle
that is essential to soil enrichment. As you release carbon dioxide (CO2) by burning ethanol, you're fixing CO2 by growing corn and grasses. You're creating a carbon cycle that is beneficial for the environment.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.184
Jul 3, 2007
On Health Care:
Eliminate death by cancer in 10 years
92 senators signed a letter that Diane Feinstein and I circulated that called on the administration to set up a focused program to eliminate deaths by cancer by the year 2015. Considering the state of medical technology today, that is not an unrealistic
expectation. That is not to say that people won’t get cancer, because they will. But with suitable treatment they won’t die of the disease. Eliminating death by cancer is one of my favorite things to talk about. I had melanoma, and my father had
colon cancer. We’re like most families in this country, where cancer is a familiar topic and a dreaded word.
In some of my speeches [I describe my] plan to end deaths by cancer in ten years. There are a lot of things we could give back to
the world, but if the number-one fear is death from cancer, then giving them back the gift of life would be a wonderful gift. It would be a gift that only this country could give the world. We have everything needed to make this a priority.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.187-188
Jul 3, 2007
On Health Care:
Offset Third World drug costs by extending US patents
10% of the diseases in the world will receive 90% of the pharmaceutical research. They're the 10% of diseases that Americans commonly suffer from, such as heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and other diseases that are common in an affluent society.
90% of the diseases that people get in the world at large, however, receive only 10% of the funding. These diseases tend to be most common in parts of the world that don't have substantial funding or market structure.What if we allowed up to a 2-year
patent extension on another medicine, as an incentive for these companies to fund research and development of treatments for the diseases of the developing world? It's a way for us to use the dynamics of the marketplace to come up with treatments for
pernicious diseases in other parts of the world. We get research on ancient diseases affecting 100s of millions of people globally. They get short patent extensions. That sounds like a winning, market-based solution to a tough, global problem.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.190-2
Jul 3, 2007
On Health Care:
Supports competitive marketplace with price transparency
Most major metropolitan areas have multiple Lasik eye centers. They advertise their service, so you know the price when you go in. You pay for it with your own money, and it’s a competitive marketplace. If the quality of treatment is poor or if injuries
occur, the surgeon is sued. What happened with Lasik could be instructive for the rest of the health care system. First, Lasik has a market and price competition. It’s open pricing, so we see what costs are involved, up front. Second, we’re using our
own money, so we shop for the best product at the best price.
The problem with the current health care system is that it’s not generally seen as using our own money, and we have no price transparency. We don’t know what we’re paying for. Frequently a
third party pays the bill.
The patient needs more information, and we need more price transparency. I’ve cosponsored a bill requiring the disclosure of the amount Medicare reimburses on typical procedures [made] available over the Internet.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.195
Jul 3, 2007
On Health Care:
Supports Health Savings Accounts, not government control
I’d like to see a greater emphasis on Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). HSAs allow you to set aside your own money, tax-exempt. Individuals could buy a medical insurance policy with a high deductible of, say, $5,000. The policy would pay for everything ove
that amount, but you would pay for everything up to $5,000 with your HSA.That way you become more involved in the decision-making. You decide when it’s appropriate to seek treatment and how far you want to go with it.
The big danger at the moment,
however, is that the other side is pushing hard for more government control over health care and a bigger government-funded system. The big push for the Democrats is nationalized health care on the order of the failed Clinton health care proposals of the
1990s. I don’t think they’ve lost the appetite for doing that now.
The market-engaging solution is the one that can actually work. Our way is to restore market mechanisms to the system, not simply yo have more and bigger government in health care.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.195-196
Jul 3, 2007
On Health Care:
Tragedy to make "right to die" legitimate
The debate over what's now referred to as "the right to die" is a complex one. If there was ever an area that demanded ethical and moral answers, this is it. It's your life, after all. Some suggest that you ought to be able to do with your life whatever
you want. If a person finds things so abhorrent and life so difficult that he can't go on, or if he has a terminal illness and no possibility of recovery, the merciful thing to do is to let him take whatever steps he wishes to end it--or so goes the rest
of the argument.But there are incredible, beautiful things that can happen at the end of life, even amid the pain and difficulty. The transition of the soul from a physical home to a spiritual one is a sacred time. One person's trial can be an
incredible testimony to those around him who survive, particularly family and close friends. I think it would be a terrible tragedy for the government to legitimate the act of taking one's own life.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.205-6
Jul 3, 2007
On Drugs:
Supports faith-based groups dealing with teen addictions
I think of the attacks by anti-faith groups against programs like Teen Challenge, a faith-based program that helps to transform the lives of teens who become addicted to drugs or alcohol. The program has proven to be so tremendously successful
in stopping addiction and restoring young people to their families. Yet, even though every social measure shows that Teen Challenge works, the anti-faith lobby is so dogmatic and so opposed to taking a faith-based approach to a social problem,
that they would rather see young people remain enslaved to their addictions than to allow them to take advantage of the one hope they may ever have to restore peace and sobriety to their lives.
This doesn't make any sense to me. The passion of some to
remove any mention of God from the public square is a growing problem for America. They're not after a separation of church and state but a removal of faith from the public square.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.216
Jul 3, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Embrace faith; don't run it out of the public square
A country that walks away from God, walks away from its future. This is particularly true for America. We are a faith-based country. Our motto is "In God we trust." We should encourage and embrace faith, not run it out of the public square and into a
closet to be brought out in an emergency or for sentimental purposes. To be clear, I'm adamantly opposed to a theocracy. It would be bad for religion and bad for government and bad for America. But let's end the war on faith in the West.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.216
Jul 3, 2007
On Budget & Economy:
Growing the economy will balance 80% of budget
One of the lessons of the 2006 elections was that a lot of people were unhappy with the increases in government spending during the Bush presidency and a Republican Congress. That's a valid criticism. Balancing the budget is a 2-step process.
First, we have to cut taxes and stimulate the economy in order to get it growing. Economic conditions at the end of 2006 were very good, with historically low unemployment, a dynamic stock market, and a strong personal income.
The US is a marvelous economic machine with a 12-trillion-dollar economy. When you get an economy that large up and rolling with a 3 or 4% rate of growth, that stimulates enormous revenues for individuals and businesses.
It also kicks off a lot of tax receipts to governments at all levels. Next, and the most important step by far, is to grow the economy. That may be 80% of balancing the federal budget.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.220
Jul 3, 2007
On Tax Reform:
Kill tax code with a dull ax
Under the Republican-controlled House and Senate, we got things such as the capital gains tax cut, the dividend tax cut, and the marriage penalty reduction. President Bush helped a great deal and he deserves credit for it.
And I believe strongly that we should make all these tax cuts permanent, and then do more. I think the current tax code should be taken behind the barn and killed with a dull ax!
I also strongly support an optional flat tax as a means to offer Americans a choice while we work to reform the current tax code. But step 2 of balancing the budget is to restrain federal spending to a pace below the rate of the economic growth of
federal receipts. That has been a failure. The system is built to spend whether Democrats or Republicans are in office. The system must be changed to control wasteful spending! And it can be changed.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.220
Jul 3, 2007
On Government Reform:
Supports 12-year term limit for Congress and judges
On the topic of corruption, I hope we would come back with a renewed commitment to support term limits as a way of dealing with some of these problems. One of the key things that we can do is to regularly change the people who serve in Congress.
I think this could be one of the most effective ways of dealing with corruption. We would have people who serve for 12 years in the House, and people who serve 12 years in the Senate. We should do the same thing with federal appellate court judges.
Of the more than 300 million people in America, there are more than enough qualified Americans to have regular changes in the people who serve in these important positions.
We'll get fresher ideas, better government, and less corruption if we do this. I hope this could be one of the issues we return to and push strongly in order to address the public's concerns.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.227
Jul 3, 2007
Page last updated: Feb 21, 2019