Our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor

This July 4th marks the 232nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, an unprecedented document that heralded a bold new vision for a young country. But more than just the foundation for this nation, its ideas inspired the world.

Today, as we celebrate the freedoms conceived long ago and safeguarded for two hundred years, we would do well to remember the last clause of that declaration. Determined to succeed against overwhelming odds, our founders dedicated all that they had to this new nation, declaring, “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Our founders understood that leadership is not simply sending an army to war. It is committing a nation to war. The same principle holds true today. Our men and women in uniform are again at war. They have sacrificed willingly and they serve nobly. But our government has declined to engage the nation. In efforts to avoid acknowledging the costs of war, our government has even refused to honor commitments to our veterans when they return.

Too many elected representatives followed meekly or looked the other way as our government denied the need to match the needs of veterans with adequate provisions. Steve Buyer, the incumbent congressman from this district, served as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee and is now its ranking member. He has been in one of the best positions in Congress to stand up for our veterans. But instead, he aggressively led the effort to cut veterans benefits, even proposing an unprecedented tax on veterans to pay for access to their Veterans Administration healthcare.

That is not all. In a false hope that the war would be won at little cost, our government failed to provide adequate body armor and IED-armored vehicles until thousands of troops were unnecessarily wounded and hundreds were killed. Ill-considered budget cuts and lack of congressional oversight led to the 2006 Walter Reed scandal. Just last month, a new low was reached with the revelation of Veterans Administration testing of experimental drugs on veterans without informed consent or the mention of life-threatening side effects.

Almost seven years and more than 4,000 lives and trillions of dollars into this war, let us on this 4th of July, determine to right some of the wrongs that have been done. We cannot un-ring the bell that led us to where we are in Iraq and Afghanistan. But we dare not stay the course of dishonoring our commitments to our veterans.

We in this generation should be committed to match our founders’ pledge. We should commit of our fortunes and our sacred honor to fulfill our sacred contract with those who have already committed their lives in our service.

What we’re fighting for

Friends,

I want to share with you an incredible example of the sacrifices that hard-working Hoosiers are making to send the message that the people of this district are ready for real leadership and genuine representation in Washington.

Today, I received in the mail a check in the full amount of the “economic stimulus” payment that a Hoosier from Lawrence County received from the federal government. The generous contributor sent this handwritten note:

“Pres. Bush said to use this $600.00 to help stimulate his failed economy. There’s no better way to do that than to give it to you – so you can go to Washington and stimulate the economy for a long time!”

I can’t even begin to express my gratitude that in this tough economy, someone would send his entire stimulus check to help get me elected to Congress.

That level of sacrifice is inspiring – and it makes me realize how much Hoosiers are clamoring for change and for real representation. The people want real economic recovery, not just a one-time check from Washington in an election year.

After 16 years in Washington, Steve Buyer has lost touch. He’s not created solutions. He’s not led others, but instead has blamed his opponents for the nation’s problems. That’s not leadership, and it’s not brought us results.

During those same 16 years, I’ve represented real people. I’ve listened to them. I’ve created solutions. I’ve stood up for the rule of law and for the “little guy” against abuses of power by big government and by big corporations.

I’ve had a career of standing for principle, bringing people together, and getting results. That’s the same representation that I want to give you in Congress.

I believe that if we all work together, regardless of party affiliation, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.

I’m ready. I know you’re ready. Let’s make it happen.

Yours for a new Congress,
Nels

P.S. It’s going to take a lot of financial support to make sure our message of change is heard. If you can afford to make a contribution, any amount would be appreciated. You can donate on our website, www.nels4congress.com, or by mailing a contribution to Nels Ackerson for Congress, 49 Boone Village #266, Zionsville, IN 46077.

Let’s stay focused on the issues, Congressman

Friends,

Last week, I publicly criticized Steve Buyer’s 16-year record in Congress of failing to protect our veterans and provide them with the health benefits they need.

In an article printed this past weekend in the Hendricks County Flyer, Buyer chose to lash out at me instead of addressing his record of pushing to cut funding for our troops once they return home.

It’s a sad indication of politics as usual when a member of Congress responds to criticism of his policy record with false allegations and a personal attack.

The truth is, I volunteered to serve my country in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967, but I was ineligible to serve due to a severe back injury.

Steve Buyer’s personal attack that I sat idly by is false. I tried to join other Americans who were willing to put their lives on the line.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get back to the issues.

Steve Buyer doesn’t want Hoosiers to know that he has repeatedly proposed increasing the fees veterans must pay to receive the health care they deserve. He wants to call it an enrollment fee, but in plain English, it’s a tax on veterans.

Steve Buyer doesn’t want Hoosiers to know that as Chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, he aggressively fought to cut funding for veterans health care and education benefits.

He underestimates Hoosier veterans if he thinks he can hide his record behind a personal attack. They deserve to hear the facts about his record, and I’ll be sure they do.

I’m ready to provide leadership to give veterans all that we have promised them; I consider our commitment to our troops to be a sacred contract.

I sincerely hope Steve Buyer will join me in an honest debate that focuses on those issues, not on untrue personal attacks.

Yours for a new Congress,
Nels Ackerson

Support our troops with GI Bill

Thanks to Gregg Terhune. His letter was published in the Reporter-Times of Martinsville and Morgan County, Indiana.

May 28, 2008

Recently the U. S. House of Representatives passed an undated version of the GI Bill. The bill must now go to the Senate for approval there.

Both President Bush and presidential candidate John McCain spoke out against the bill. President Bush implied that that the benefits in the bill were too expensive and that he would veto it if it passed in the Senate. Senator McCain said that the educational benefits in the bill would encourage the troops to leave the service so they could take advantage of those benefits, so therefore, he intends to vote against the bill. John McCain is just out of touch. When I enlisted in the Army in 1965, it was the educational benefits that drew me into the service in the first place.

Nels Ackerson, candidate for United States Congress in Indiana’s 4th District, said this: “Education is one of the benefits promised to our military veterans since World War II. With unemployment rates for veterans much higher than the rest of the population, it is crucial to provide adequate education and job training to individuals as they transition from active duty back to the workforce.”

Where Mr. Ackerson sees this bill as just one way that we can honor the service men and women for the sacrifice that they are making on our behalf, President Bush and Senator McCain don’t seem to care about the troops.

President Bush says that the GI Bill is too expensive, but there are several sources showing that the educational benefits of the GI Bill have paid us back seven times over. The following Web sites all say that the original GI Bill turned out not only to be the right thing to do, but also to be a good investment:

http://www.intel-dump.com/archives/archive_2008_01_27-2008_02_02.shtml

http://freehighered.org/h_gifact.html

http://www.gibill2008.org/news/

We need people like Nels Ackerson serving Indiana in Congress to support our troops and our values.

Gregg Terhune

Community activist

12 Hours 12 Counties

Twelve hours to visit twelve counties. That was the plan for Primary Day and I’m happy to say that thanks to a dedicated staff we were successful. My wife, Sharon, traveled with me, making the day even more enjoyable.

We started the day talking with voters in Lawrence County before the sun came up. St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Bloomington was our next stop. After that it was on to Martinsville, Greenwood, Plainfield, and Avon. By then it was clear that the voter turnout was going to be huge on this beautiful spring day in Indiana.

Shortly before lunch we made it to the Westside of Indianapolis. Many people do not realize that a portion of Marion County is in the 4th District, including parts of Decatur, Wayne, and Pike Townships. Voters in these areas deserve much more attention than they have received in the past.

Sharon and I made it to Boone County before noon and stopped at the Zionsville Town Hall. To stay on schedule we had to eat on the run as we continued to Crawfordsville and then to the Fire Station in Veedersburg.

At Suncrest Elementary School in Frankfort we arrived just as the kids were running out to the buses. We met with members of the local press and talked with voters making their way to the poll. Here again we received the report that turnout was high. I’ll confess I was beginning to hope for big numbers. From Clinton County we moved on to the 4H Fair Grounds in Lafayette.

Confirming the kind of attention Indiana’s Primary was getting around the world, we talked with two French reporters in Lafayette. It was also a treat to speak with Lars, a native of Denmark, who was casting his first ballot as a U.S. citizen.

Finally we reached the end of our twelve county trek. At the White County Building in Monticello we greeted voters and discussed our campaign until the polls closed at 6PM.

It was a marvelous day, very satisfying, even before we learned of the incredible results. Getting past party politics is important to me so it was encouraging to talk to Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who were voting for new leadership. My expectations were exceeded as the numbers kept adding up. It wasn’t long before we knew we had gotten almost twice the number of votes of the incumbent.

Early on Wednesday morning we sent out a press release announcing that I had outpaced my fall opponent. At this point I believe more strongly than ever that we, working together, will win in November.

I am deeply grateful for all everyone has done to get us this far and look forward to these next six months with excitement and confidence.