Weekly Update from Allen West

The U.S. Economy Takes A Wrong Turn Bad monetary and budget policy aren’t helping We are just a few days from launching new content. Michelle, John and I have enjoyed developing the preview videos to give you a flavor of the content you will be receiving, and we’re excited about its debut. We hope you will spread the word about this initiative via Facebook, Twitter and word of mouth, and share the Next Generation Data Card. We want to engage you, and we appreciate hearing from you. Your comments are very insightful. This is truly an exciting time to stand up for the future. Speaking of our future, we must be concerned about the recent numbers for gross domestic product (GDP) that evidence an economy in peril. In the fourth quarter the U.S. economy grew at the weakest pace in almost two years. The U.S. GDP rose at a 1.1 percent annual rate, down from a 3.1 percent gain the prior three months and the least since the first quarter of 2011. The economy is contracting, and the response should not be for the Federal Reserve to pump more money into it. Never forget that we are currently printing money to the tune of approximately $85 billion a month in order to stimulate the economy. This monetary policy we refer to as “quantitative easing” further proves our fiscal policy is failing. Our members of Congress aren’t helping matters with their failure to pass a budget. Why is it critical for us to have a budget? Well, first of all, both the House and Senate are constitutionally mandated to do so. The failure to produce a budget means we operate under a temporary law that keeps spending at the current rate. See, without a budget we do not have a financial blueprint. What this truly means is that we have a system called a baseline budget. Under this system, the only cuts are to increases, so there really is not a substantial cut to federal spending. We need to move toward a zero-based budgeting system, and we need to produce budgets. I know there is a lot of talk on Capitol Hill about gun control; however, eventually there must be a serious discussion about spending control.

The ghost of illegal immigration past This week revived serious talk about another hot topic: illegal immigration. Back in 1986, I was 25 when we went down this path in the Reagan administration and gave amnesty to two to three million people but never strengthened enforcement of immigration laws or border security. Now 27 years later, the ghost of illegal immigration past is rearing its ugly head. A Senate “Gang of Eight” announced their proposal, where it seemed we had bipartisan concurrence in principle. Of course, the most important premise must be enforcement and border security. But not 24 hours later, President Obama decided to once again inject himself into the legislative process by flying to Nevada, at a cost of $1.6 million, and offering his plan. The president’s proposal does not seem to focus on the enforcement aspect and pushes for immediacy, not accuracy. Regardless, the devil is in the details, so we all shall await legislation that will encompass Obama’s plan.

Have a Super sports weekend I wanted to mention one last policy issue before closing. The debate continues on the 1994 Combat Billet exclusion ban that outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lifted last week. You can view my video commentary on the subject here. Now for a few words about what will be on most everyone’s minds – and televisions – this weekend: Sunday is the Super Bowl, and for the first time it will pit two brothers against each other as head coaches. I was born and raised in Atlanta, so I’m disappointed that the Falcons fell short in the playoffs. I believe this will be a good game, hopefully better than the BCS national championship game between Alabama and Notre Dame. Who am I picking? San Francisco has an awesome offense, and their defense certainly stopped my Falcons. And the Baltimore Ravens, what can one say about that incredible game against Denver and their shutting down the Patriots? Edge to the Ravens and Ray Lewis ending his NFL career as a champion. Steadfast and Loyal, Allen B. West

Michael Behenna: Jailed For Defending America Imagine fighting for your country in a hostile land, watching your fellow soldiers die in a terrorist attack and later having the lead suspect turn violent on you during a field interrogation. What would you do? Army Ranger First Lt. Michael Behenna shot and killed the suspect, al Qaeda operative Ali Mansur, and now he’s serving a 15-year sentence in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., for unpremeditated murder. “The decision was one of the stiffest penalties ever meted out for this crime,” Allen West said in a segment about Behenna’s case. “But was a crime actually committed?” Behenna and his parents, Scott and Vicki, don’t think so – and they believe the evidence supports their view of what actually happened in Iraq. Vicki Behenna, a federal prosecutor who worked on the trial of domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh, accused Army prosecutors of misconduct in her son’s trial. Behenna’s parents said one of the prosecution’s own expert witnesses concluded that the evidence supported Michael Behenna’s self-defense claim. But the Army concealed the witness and his expert opinion. Had that happened in the civilian world, Vicki Behenna said, the conviction would have been reversed and the prosecutors reprimanded. “You cannot have in your possession evidence that is favorable to the defense and hide it or send an expert home,” she said. Scott Behenna also said the Army botched the investigation by sending an inexperienced soldier to collect evidence. “In the end that probably hurt Michael because he needed that evidence to further show that this, in fact, was a self-defense shooting.” The Behennas have filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court. Both they and West urged Americans to tell lawmakers about this miscarriage of justice. Watch the interview, and learn more at www.defendmichael.com.

Keeping America Off The Road To Detroit John Phillips is on a mission to inform the next generation about the dangers that lurk ahead for America, and keeping them entertained is part of the equation. “Learning about information that impacts your life ... shouldn’t be like eating your vegetables,” Phillips said in his role as Next Generation correspondent. So what does the next generation need to learn? For starters, they need to be awakened to the reality that the country is headed the way of Detroit if it doesn’t get federal spending and debt under control. “Detroit is this rotting carcass where people are just picking the remaining meat off the bones,” he said. “That can happen to other cities. That can happen to states. That can happen to the country.” Watch the full segment to hear the rest of Phillips’ take on current events. He’ll be keeping an eye on the cities and states to make their experiences relevant to you.