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John Kasich on Homeland Security
Former Republican Representative (OH-12); 2000 candidate for President
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$1B per plane for B-2 is a colossal misuse of money
[In the 1980s], it was not good politics to go up against the pro-defense lobby, especially for a Republican. But I didn't think it was good government to keep signing up for these ridiculous expenditures. Most ridiculous of all, I came to think, was the
development of the B-2 stealth bomber, which at the outset was presented as an essential weapon against the Soviets. I used to listen to the B-2 proponents, spinning all their tales of gloom and doom, and glory and might, and get the feeling I had steppe
into some overproduced Cold War action movie. In any given year, the development of the B-2 was a small line item in the overall defense budget, but the long-term plans for the bomber would be realized at a staggering cost, over time. At anywhere from $1
billion to $2 billion per plane, it seemed a colossal misuse of taxpayer monies--and a misguided defense strategy, to boot--and I never understood why we needed to fly a plane inside the Soviet Union in the middle of a nuclear war. It made no sense.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 92-94
, May 23, 2007
Cheap Hawk: Strong on defense; tight with a dollar
In the 1980s on the Defense Committee, in addition to the Russians, another enemy was the status quo. I may have been strong on defense, but at the same time I was openly critical of the excess spending in every aspect of the federal budget, which cast m
as a kind of cheap hawk and served to essentially alienate me from everyone.I was astonished to discover wasteful spending in the Pentagon budget; I was even more astonished that hardly anyone was speaking out against it. The mantra in Washington at
that time was to trim the fat from our social welfare and entitlement programs. But to take the welfare out of the Pentagon? Well, to do so as a cheap hawk Republican, who walked the political tightrope of being strong on defense and tight with a dollar.
One of my congressional colleagues even called me a traitor to our country, that's how out there my position seemed to be among the hawks in the Republican Party, but my feeling was that we needed to ferret out this waste no matter where we found it.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 91-92
, May 10, 2006
Walked out when preacher opined against missiles in Europe
Today's preachers must be careful not to change platforms, and not to confuse their calling or the work of God with secular lawmaking.I'll never forget sitting one Sunday morning in an
Episcopal church, and for no good reason the minister started reading a letter from the bishops discussing why we shouldn't put missiles in Europe. I stood straight up and left. I thought, What do these bishops know about missiles in Europe?
Fact is, it was those very missiles in Europe that bolstered the historic negotiations that ultimately led to the tearing down of the
Berlin Wall, but I didn't walk out because the politics was all wrong. I walked out because right or wrong, it had no place in the church.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p.165-166
, May 10, 2006
Fire professor who said 9-11 victims brought on attack
Ward Churchill was a tenured professor at the University of Colorado. In a 2001 essay on the Sept. 11 attack, he called workers at the World Trade Center "little Eichmanns" and suggested that they might have in some way brought the attack upon themselves
When the dust settled, Churchill ended up resigning his post as department chair but he stayed on as a tenured professor.My own take was that he should have been fired, despite his tenure, because his freedom of speech should not extend to scurrilous
remarks that defile the memories of thousands of innocent men and women who died in those buildings. His comments, which he later claimed were intended as provocative, hit so many hateful, hurtful notes. Certainly, his speech should be protected, but tha
protection should not extend to his job, because with his comments he discredited himself and his university. A public institution like the University of Colorado should not be in the business of underwriting such invective with taxpayer monies.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p.182-183
, May 10, 2006
Limited military use, only under US command
Kasich believes that America’s fighting men and women should serve abroad only when under the command of the US military and [should not fight] if America’s national security is not directly at risk. “The US can and should remain strongly engaged
internationally, because regional instability will not solve itself. But we must choose our tools very carefully, for the stakes do not allow failure. Power is a finite quantity; if we expend it all over the world, we diminish ourselves.”
Source: www.k2k.org “On The Issues” 5/27/99
, May 27, 1999
Voted YES on deploying SDI.
Vote to declare it to be the policy of the United States to deploy a national missile defense.
Reference: Bill introduced by Weldon, R-PA;
Bill HR 4
; vote number 1999-4
on Mar 18, 1999
No US troops under UN command; more defense spending.
Kasich signed the Contract with America:
[As part of the Contract with America, within 100 days we pledge to bring to the House Floor the following bill]:
The National Security Restoration Act:
No US troops under UN command, and restoration of the essential parts of our national security funding to strengthen our national defense and maintain our credibility around the world.
Source: Contract with America 93-CWA8 on Sep 27, 1994
Page last updated: Nov 05, 2011