At this time of year, we gather with friends and loved ones around our most treasured beliefs and traditions. We thank God for the blessings He has given and the freedom we still have to enjoy this season of lights, gifts and the celebration of Christ’s birth.
During this joyous season, I hope you’ll take a moment to remember our soldiers overseas and those who are dealing with long recoveries from the wounds of war. Earlier this month I had the privilege to visit our Hoosier soldiers serving in Afghanistan, and it was a good reminder that there is no harder time for our troops abroad then at the holidays. As we pray for our families and those close to us, let’s remember those who are even now, sacrificing so much, that we might continue to observe the traditions we enjoy in liberty and peace.
For Christy, Payton, and Preston, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Stutzman family.
Warmest Regards,
Marlin Stutzman
Christmas Reception at the Essenhaus
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DUE TO A LAST MINUTE CHANGE IN MARLIN’S CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE, THIS AFTERNOON’S EVENT AT THE ESSENHAUS HAS BEEN CANCELLED. WE’LL POST THE NEW EVENT DATE WHEN IT IS RESCHEDULED IN JANUARY.
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Hosts Carlin Yoder and Wes Culver cordially invite you to attend a Christmas Reception in support of Marlin Stutzman at Das Dutchman Essenhaus Conference Center on Monday, December 19, 2011. The event will take place from 3:00 – 5:00 pm.
Sponsors: $2,000; Co-Sponsor: $1,000; $100 per person.
Thanksgiving – the day we take time out of our busy schedules to pause, reflect and say “thank you.” Our forefathers wisely saw the need to give thanks and acknowledge the hand of God in their survival in the New World. Today, we follow this tradition. Everywhere you look there are parades, commercials, cards, emails, texts – all declaring our thanks for the blessings in our lives. But I can’t help but notice how vague this day has become for some. People are thankful, but do not acknowledge any particular person to whom they are offering their thanks. It’s a funny thing about the phrase “thank you,” however, that it always requires there be someone you’re thanking. You can’t just be grateful to no one. We are “one nation under God.” And today I thank God for the freedoms we enjoy as Hoosiers, as Americans, and I pray for guidance and heavenly wisdom as our generation faces the challenges that will define our times. From my family and I to you and yours, Happy Thanksgiving. May we follow George Washington’s instructions in his Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789 and give thanks to God “for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.”
Christmas On Broadway in Fort Wayne
Please join Congressman Marlin Stutzman and Allen County GOP Chairman Steve Shine this Friday Evening November 18, at 6:00 pm!
Come and celebrate the lighting of one of Fort Wayne’s most spectacular Holiday displays! Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and their reindeer will be joining us, along with The Polar Express Holiday Train. Be sure to bring the whole family to the Broadway Plaza, located in front of the offices of Shine & Hardin, LLP, 2810 Beaver Avenue at Broadway.
What makes a hero? Given the many ways we can use the term, it can be difficult to come up with a solid definition. While we use the word “hero” to describe everything from sandwiches to sports figures, today, as we thank and celebrate our armed forces, I would like to use the word to describe those who best represent its meaning: our veterans.
Our country must always be careful to remember its national heroes. In the etched names of the Vietnam War Memorial or the noble dignity that keeps watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we preserve a sacred duty that is ours, the citizens of the United States, to remember and honor every American hero that gives that last full measure of devotion for our country. To our living veterans, we say thank you. When others would run away from the danger of threats to our nation’s freedom, you have run toward the conflict, and preserved for future generations the greatest nation the world has ever known.
That which we take for granted we are most prone to lose. As we enjoy our lives as God-blessed Americans, let us never take for granted our freedoms and those who have sacrificed so profoundly to preserve them.
Happy Constitution Day
The United States of America is unique among the nations of the world because of this one phrase, “We the People.” Our Constitution’s simple statement of self-governance sets our nation apart, in that, power flows from the people of our country to its rulers, not vice versa. From our nation’s founding, we have been a people of self-determination and responsibility. Every year on September 17th, we celebrate what is perhaps the most important document in the history of human government, The Constitution of the United States of America.
I believe in timeless principles; there are things that are true today that have always been and always will be true. This may sound like an obvious fact to sensible Hoosiers, but there are those among us, especially in Washington, that would argue the point. Some people in our country believe that all truth is relative and each generation of Americans must find the truth of their own time. The Left side of the political spectrum in America would like to see our government transformed into a social and economic parent that takes care of its people. Our belief that all men are created equal is being replaced by a belief in the government’s responsibility to provide equal prosperity to all men.
In response to the anti-constitutional attitude displayed by the 111th Congress and President Obama, as the new majority in Congress, we Republicans in the House decided for the first time in history a new session of Congress should begin with a reading of the Constitution from the House floor. I believe we have a system of government built on self-evident truths about mankind, and these truths will never become obsolete. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness will always be unalienable rights of mankind, and wherever those rights are acknowledged free people will have the chance to succeed. Isn’t that all that every generation of Americans has wanted – the chance to succeed?
We the People of the United States of America will decide which direction our government and our nation will go. Will we abdicate our rights for the mirage of government-funded, universal prosperity, or return to the timeless principles that gave rise to the greatest nation the world has ever known? This Constitution Day, may we renew our commitment to look to the thoughts of men greater than ourselves, who have handed down to us eternal truths in our founding documents.
It’s an honor for me to be a part of the Constitution Caucus in the House of Representatives. In helping lead in-depth discussions on the House floor about the details of our Constitution, I have sought to emphasize our need to return to our founding principles.
Please consider supporting me as I seek to continue defending the Constitution and representing Northeast Indiana in 2012. Together, we can set the direction of our nation and return to the principles on which our nation was founded.
Marlin’s 35th Birthday Event
Please join us on Saturday, September 10, 2011 to help us celebrate Congressman Marlin Stutzman’s 35th Birthday. Not only will we have lots of good Hoosier food and plenty of activities for the family but this will give you a chance to share your questions and concerns with Marlin.
Cornhole Games for the kids
Homemade Pie Auction
Antique Tractor Display
Bring your pitching wedge to practice your
short game on the 9-hole golf course
Place: Henney Builders
(6736 Schlatter Road Leo, IN 46765) Date: Saturday, September 10th Time: 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM Cost: $20 Suggested Family Donation
Top Prize for Pie that brings the Highest Bid!
(Pie Registration from 3pm-4pm; Auction begins at 5:30pm)
Yes, there is a debt ceiling, but for your typical politician, that ceiling resides in something akin to an elevator. Sure there is a ceiling, but it may rise if the right buttons are pushed.
While the term “debt ceiling” seems to suggest that there is a point at which it is impossible for our nation to continue to borrow money, it seems all our “debt ceiling” has come to represent in recent years is a floor at which the elevator will stop. Before we reach that floor, politicians of both parties simply re-negotiate the terms under which they will all continue to overspend and send the elevator, and its ceiling, to new heights. There is really never a possibility of remaining at the same floor or going down, the only issue up for debate is who will get to push the button to send us to the next floor.
When the Democrats controlled Congress under Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the elevator buttons really lit up. There was no need to negotiate with conservative thinkers, because Republicans had no power to change anything. It didn’t matter that the American people weren’t along for the ride, Democrats just pushed the reconciliation button and Obamacare took us higher. But now that American voters have taken the House away from liberals, the President doesn’t know what to do, because he’s never had to negotiate before. What he’s learning is that convincing the People’s House to go higher is much more difficult than button-pushing with Nancy Pelosi. Americans know it’s a nice view, but it’s scary at the top; we all want to accomplish great things in our nation, but we’ve got to go about it responsibly.
The prevailing perception in Washington is that this elevator can never go down. If we are to be a successful nation we must rise to the top! Spending is equated with success; success for entitlements which prove America cares for the old or unfortunate, success for constituents when their representative wins them a government windfall, and success for our reputation in the world as we continue to lavish those that hate us with money to win their favor.
However, how successful have our spending methods been? Are our entitlements in good shape, solvent and growing for our future? Were constituents thrilled with their incumbent politicians in the 2010 elections? Are our enemies convinced of our benevolence by our financial offerings to them? I would answer negatively to each of these questions. For all of the talk about the necessity of overspending, just what exactly are we going to lose by stopping our nation from continuing to hemorrhage borrowed cash at unprecedented levels? Well, we may have to reform entitlements that are already bankrupt, stop seeking pork our constituents don’t want, and review our foreign aid rolls to see who really does need help.
The elevator has paused for just a moment, and the over-spenders in Washington are telling us that if we don’t push the $2.7 trillion button, we’ll all plunge to the bottom of the elevator shaft. The truth is, we can come down without plunging to our deaths. If we push the right buttons, we can bring our debt back down to ground level, but we need your help.
The President continues to accuse Republicans of not being willing to compromise, and has called for a “balanced approach, and long-term solutions.” The Cut, Cap, and Balance Act we passed in the House with bi-partisan support is a balanced approach with long-term solutions. Cut, Cap, and Balance cuts spending levels both now and over the next ten years, caps future spending limits at 18% of GDP, and starts the process of passing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, which is a major part the long-term solution to overspending in Washington. The American people are tired of Washington insiders playing politics with our national credit rating, interest rates, and financial markets. The Cut, Cap, and Balance Bill was an honest attempt to cut through the political jargon and get something positive done for America. However, Harry Reid and the Democrats have blocked it from even being debated in the Senate.
As we face this debt crisis, I want you to have full confidence that I am working as hard as I can to fight for fiscal sanity so we can avert national, financial ruin. Once we’ve eradicated our debt and saved our nation for another generation of hard-working Americans, I hope we will have taught our children that rather than using the debt ceiling “elevator” to take the easy way to the top, to take the stairs and pay their way one step at a time.
The Audacity of the Liberal Agenda
When you hear someone refer to “politics as usual,” pictures of shady deals or cheap political trickery typically come to mind. However, recently, liberals in Washington have gone so far beyond the pale with their tactics that describing their actions as “politics as usual” would do a disservice to the term itself.
The Agenda Project, founded by former Deputy National Finance Director of the Democratic National Committee Erica Payne, uploaded a video to YouTube on May 17th that depicts the GOP as an uncaring, almost robotic man in a suit, pushing a grandmotherly woman in a wheelchair through what seems to be some type of scenic outlook, until the trip takes an unexpectedly dark turn. The man decides to take “grandma” beyond the posted sign which urges trail-goers not to go beyond the barricade. What ensues is a feeble struggle by “grandma” to keep the evil GOP-man from tossing her out of her wheelchair and over a cliff! Please view the video below. (However, I will warn you that this may not be appropriate for younger viewers.)
Finally, a ray of hope shines through the thunderclouds over Capitol Hill! We all know the government spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on bail-outs that have not “brought our economy back from the brink,” as was promised. And we’ve all seen the thousands of people who have demonstrated and petitioned, asking the government to cut spending before it’s too late for our nation to recover. We’ve heard the dire economic predictions coming from each side of the aisle on radio and television, and we hear a singular message: America is at the brink of financial and economic ruin and we must act now!
The popular idea that by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, we’re going to put ourselves on solid financial ground is simply unrealistic. The types of cuts that need to be made in our government’s spending will necessarily touch our own communities. But have you heard any member of Congress who is willing to have their own constituency’s government benefits, pay, or subsidies cut?
This question was recently asked of Rep. Paul Ryan. It’s a good question that every member of Congress should consider. Rep. Ryan’s answer is found in the video posted above.
It’s the kind of thing that you won’t read in the headlines of major newspapers or see on the nightly national news; but it is real, it is happening right now and it’s a unique, all-American story. Quietly, an unlikely group has stepped forward to offer to be the first to make a sacrifice for the survival of our nation, to take the first step in what must be only the beginning of government’s journey back to fiscal responsibility.
When you imagine an industry that might be able to handle a loss of benefits, farming is probably not the segment of our nation’s economic picture that immediately comes to mind. Farming is not known as a lucrative industry filled with tycoons who live in palatial mansions. The idea of farming conjures images not of palaces, but farmhouses.
Perhaps it is because of farming’s humble nature that from it we find those among us who are willing to sacrifice.
Led by Rep. Marlin Stutzman (IN-03), a fourth-generation family farmer, the honest, hard-working folks at the heart of America have decided to be the first to face this economic crisis with the same courage of generations past. Without headlines, without spotlights or fanfare, this past week, while fingers pointed and blame was being spread around, Rep. Stutzman quietly worked with Paul Ryan and other members of the House Budget committee to offer solutions to government overspending from his own constituency and industry first. This was something that Rep. Stutzman said he would do during his campaign for Congress, but how often do you see a Freshman Congressman following through on what they say in their first term in office? This is leadership by example.
In response to Rep. Stutzman’s proposed cuts to farming subsidies, the National Corn Growers Association President, Bart Schott said, “These cuts are significant, but so is our nation’s out-of-control budget deficit. What is important is that farmers are not singled out — the cuts proposed for agriculture are proportional to those proposed for other areas of the federal budget. We know this is just the beginning of the budget discussion.” No outrage? No farmer rallies or demonstrations on Capitol Hill? Let this be a point of remembrance as our country moves forward to meet and overcome this epic financial crisis, that the preservation of our country for future generations began, not with the pseudo-wisdom of the ruling elite but with the common sense of America’s farmers.
Your support of Marlin right now is crucial to helping get our message out to millions of Americans. As you know, the liberal left can rely on the main stream media to broadcast their Big Government message. We are dependent upon grassroots supporters like you to combat their message. That’s why your donation today of $25, $50, $100 or more is so important.
