Abortion: I am pro-life and I especially oppose partial birth abortion. Partial birth abortion is by any other name murder and there is never a justifiable reason for it. Abortion should not be used as a method of birth control. Since parents must be consulted by school nurses for their children to receive aspirin, then it follows that they have the right to know if and when their minor daughters are seeking an abortion.  Foster Care: I support incentives to encourage extended family members to step up to the plate to provide a stable and loving home for children who had to be removed from their parental homes. We all know that happy, healthy children are less likely to become involved in criminal activity and as a result, grow into responsible young men and women.  Civil Rights: The term, “civil rights", applies to all people, not just those of a particular ethnicity. I promise to be a guardian of everyone's rights, as set forth in our founding documents. The U.S. Constitution is not a, “living document", and must be interpreted strictly. I am against judicial activism. Large, intrusive governments are often the greatest violators of individual liberties. I agree with what Ronald Reagan said, "a government big enough to give you everything that you want is big enough to take everything that you have." Government employees should not enjoy total immunity for crimes committed against law-abiding citizens under the color of law.  Defense: The defense of our nation is the government’s primary responsibility. We must increase the size of our armed forces and modernize and adapt them in recognition of the threat posed by large, aggressive nations and the particular challenge represented by radical Islam, which pits barbarism against civilization. We have become all too aware of the deficiencies in our intelligence services. We must devote due funding to remedy that, especially in the area of human intelligence, which serve as our eyes and ears. We must be able to place more covert agents on the ground in the world’s trouble spots. We must move with all possible speed to deploy a missile defense system to protect us from emerging threats. Those who attack America, commit acts of war. They must be met with the full weight of our armed forces and not prosecuted as if they were criminal actions. When we go to war, we go to win, period. We will not bind the hands and feet of our military because of political correctness. Veterans, who have proudly served in our military deserve the best of care. The VA hospital system needs to be improved to provide a level of service commensurate with the sacrifice our young men and women have made.  Economy: Make the Bush adminstration's tax reductions permanent. To balance the budget, we must eliminate duplicate, government programs and departments. We should work towards eliminating departments which are incompatible with the concept of limited government. We must reduce waste in government. We must reduce the cost of doing business in America, so our employers do not move offshore. We must assess our trade policies and institute programs which will make sure that our manufacturers have a level playing field when exporting to foreign countries. We must promote economic investment and growth by encouraging and supporting small business operators. We must demand that the Mexican government help defray the billions of dollars in costs incurred in dealing with illegal immigration. If Mexico fails to compensate the American people for this huge expense, then we should suspend all financial aid to that country.