Presidential Primary Today, March 24

Rick Santorum Speaks to 1,800 In Central City

CENTRAL — Sen. Rick Santorum brought his campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination to Central Sunday night.

More than 1,800 packed into the Greenwell Springs Baptist Church and the church’s Family Center to hear Santorum answer questions from former Rep. Tony Perkins, a member of the church.  President Obama and the three other GOP candidates were also invited.

Santorum is the leading candidate in this Saturday’s Louisiana Presidential Primary.

Earlier in the day, Santorum spoke at two large churches in Shreveport, and attended an LSU baseball game at Alex Box Stadium and a fundraising event in Baton Rouge.  A number of Central residents attended the fundraiser.

On Sunday evening, Santorum attended a pastors’ gathering at Greenwell Springs Baptist Church at 5 p.m. and the regular Sunday night worship service at 6 p.m.

Rev. Dennis Terry spoke on the obligation of Christians to be involved in their state and nation.  He also discussed the 1st Amendment to the Constitution and the concept of separation of church and state.

He then introduced former Rep. Tony Perkins, a member of the church, who in turn introduced former Sen. Rick Santorum.

For 45 minutes, Perkins and Santorum sat on stools in the center of the podium while Perkins asked Santorum questions about his spiritual walk and his philosophy. Here is a summary of their colloquy:

Perkins: How did you meet Jesus Christ?

Santorum: I came to the U.S. Senate and found the Lord!  That usually gets a chuckle.  Your pastor said to pray for those in authority, and it’s true.  The task in Washington is overwhelming, and the people there do need our prayers.

Perkins: Tell about your family.

Santorum: My wife Karen and I have been married 23 years.  We’ve been blessed with eight children.  Seven are still with us, ranging from three and a half to 20 years old.  I guess it’s a great time to run for President, huh? [laughter]  Karen is a nurse and a lawyer.  She was clerking for a federal judge when I met her.  When we got married, she walked away from her career and became a home schooling mom.

After I lost my last job [as U.S. Senator in 2006], I told Karen I was thinking about running for President.

I said, “Let’s pray about it!”

She said, “Absolutely not!  We’re not praying about that!”  [laughter]

Of course, eventually, we did pray about it.  It’s not something we wanted to do, but something we felt called to do.

Perkins: Some say Christians should not be involved in politics.  They want Christians removed from the public square.  What is the role of Christians in politics?

Santorum: This is something we are attacked on.  You know, the words “separation of church and state” never appear in the Constitution.  What good is “freedom of speech” if you can’t say what you believe?

The idea that people of faith can’t express their views would make the Founding Fathers turn over in their graves!

The Left uses President Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists to support the concept of a “wall of separation between the church and state.”  But Jefferson’s letter simply tells the Baptists that the state can’t tell them what to believe.  It has nothing to do with restricting the right of religious people to speak their views or be involved in politics.

Today the 1st Amendment has been turned on its head.

Perkins: When you were in the Senate, you championed the Partial Birth Abortion Bill.  What does it mean to be pro-life?

Santorum: It means respecting the dignity of all human life.

I don’t think that life begins at conception.  Rather, I know life begins at conception.  It’s not an article of faith with me.

We always judge a society by how they treat the weakest members of society.  In our family, with eight children, we see each child as a blessing.

Yet, in the world, many people see children as a burden.  They don’t respect the dignity of each human life.  But I know we must appreciate all of God’s gifts — all of God’s children.

Perkins: You have been labeled by some as “anti-woman.”  You have opposed mandating that churches provide contraception devices in health insurance.  Is this an attack on freedom of religion?

Santorum: Not long ago a federal court ruled that a church had to hire ministers who did not agree with the church’s teachings.  That case went to the U.S. Supreme Court.  The Solicitor General, representing the President, argued that the church should be forced to hire someone who did not adhere to the church’s beliefs.  The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 against the Obama Administration.  This is exactly what we are talking about — it’s the very thing the 1st Amendment was drafted to prevent.

This Administration believes that forcing people to buy a product [health insurance] is more important than protecting your freedom of religion.

That’s why this is such an important election.  It’s about what government can impose on the people.

Perkins: Let’s discuss the mandate of Obamacare.  Can we afford Obamacare?

Santorum: No.  The real issue is whether we will be ruled by an elite group of people who will tell us what to do.  They went to the best schools.  They think they are smarter than everyone else.

Socialism works until you run out of other people’s money.

What makes America great is not an all-knowing, all-powerful government but freedom!

Perkins: This church is very supportive of the nation of Israel.  What is your stance on Israel?

Santorum:  I spoke at AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] recently.  When Obama spoke to them, he said “Israel, I have your back!”  But Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel is worried about whether Obama has Israel’s back.  I told AIPAC, Obama has turned his back on Israel.

Regarding Iran, the Iranians are Persians.  Historically, they did not persecute the Jews.  The desire of the Iranian government to persecute Jews is not shared by the Iranian people.

When Obama had the opportunity to stand up for the Iranian people, he turned his back on them.

We must do everything we can to prevent a war, but Iran must either shut down its nuclear capacity, or we will shut it down for them.

Perkins: Why should the United States stand with Israel?

Santorum: There are many reasons.  First, they are our friend and ally.  Second, they are a democracy in the heart of the Middle East.  Third, it is their homeland.  After what happened in World War II, the world had an obligation to provide them with a homeland.

Perkins: What about foreign aid?

Santorum: Well, it’s important that U. S. aid be spent in accordance with U.S. policy.  For example, our Mexico City policy is that taxpayer dollars should not be spent to fund abortion.  We should defund most of the policies of the UN.

Perkins: What about don’t ask/don’t tell in the military?

Santorum: The administration has been using the military for social experimentation.  I will support don’t ask/don’t tell. This doesn’t preclude gays and lesbians from serving in the military.  They  just have to keep it to themselves.

Perkins: What about the federal budget deficits?

Santorum: We can balance the federal budget within five years.  To do that, we should spend less every year for five years.  There should be no more inflation-based budgeting.

We must take on the sacred cows!

But there’s one place I won’t cut, and that’s defense.  It is down to 17 percent of our budget.

What has grown the most?  Entitlements!  That is where we have to cut.  We will start by repealing Obamacare.  We should adopt the Paul Ryan budget as a 1st step.  We should use block grants to the states.

Perkins: In 2004, you supported Arlen Specter for reelection to the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania against

conservative Pat Toomey.  Why?

Santorum: Supreme Court nominees.  He was slated to become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and he pledged to support President Bush’s nominees.  After the election, we had only 53 votes.  He was named committee chairman, and he did in fact support Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts.  Without his support, they would not have been confirmed.

Perkins: Central has incorporated and formed its own school district.  Do you support parental choice in education?

Santorum: Public education is government-run education.  We have too many mandates at the federal and state levels.  The customer is the person we should pay attention to, and that is the parent.  The parent is the one who pays the bill.  When parents are not involved, students do poorly.  The schools should be structured to serve every student.

If I had my way, we would repeal No Child Left Behind.  We should not send the money to the feds and the state but keep it here at home.  I trust parents more than bureaucrats in Washington.

Perkins: Americans are experiencing “pain at the pump!”  Gas prices have increased under Obama from $1.78 a gallon to $3.64 a gallon.  We live in a petrochemical center.  What are your energy policies?

Santorum: This administration has slowed down the process of issuing permits for drilling, delayed building pipelines, and delayed building refineries.  We need to bring more energy production to this country.  Venezuela is producing 2.5 million barrels a day and sending much of it to China.

Yet, the President won’t even let us build a pipeline from Canada.

He won’t allow production in the Eastern Gulf.  He won’t allow drilling in Alaska.

Obama’s policy is not going to change.  These are radical environmentalists who believe that what’s in the ground or oceans is a liability.  He has policies in place to discourage production.

He’s still for caps on CO2 emissions.  He’s still for cap-and-trade.

But we know the higher the price of gasoline, the slower our economy will be and the less employment we will have.

Perkins: What is your vision for America?

Santorum: In Iowa, I held 385 town meetings, ranging in size from one person to 200 people.  We talked about what is at stake for America.  The issue today is who we are as a nation.

I carry around this document in my pocket — a copy of the Constitution.  It’s an operator’s manual for our government.  But it has to be read in conjunction with another document in here — the Declaration of Independence.  There’s a reason.

The Constitution without the Declaration is a potentially dangerous document.

The French Revolution followed the American Revolution very closely.  The French revolution was based on its motto of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.  The idea of that revolution was that rights come from man, or the government.  But when our rights come from one another, obligations can be imposed and rights can be taken away.  As a result, the French Revolution ended in the guillotine and tyranny.

Our revolution was based on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.   We believed that rights come from our Creator.  Never before had a government been based on the idea that men are created equal by a loving God. A government was created that served the people, rather than requiring the people to serve the government. The result was freedom and prosperity.

A limited government created unlimited potential for a free people.

When de Tocqueville visited America in the early 1800’s and wrote Democracy in America, he remarked that the government had very little impact on the lives of the people.  With such freedom, we developed from a society where people lived to an average age of 35 — which hadn’t changed in 2,000 years — to a life expectancy of double that.

We believed in the human potential and freedom.

Yet, today there are many who believe that we are better off ruled — just as King George III believed!

What kind of government will we leave for our children?  Will everyone be dependent on the federal government for their health and their very life?

No, I believe America is different.  We are different from the ones who stayed behind in Europe.  Or that’s what America will soon decide.

Editor’s Note: Along with Republican voters in the rest of Louisiana, Central’s voters will go to the polls this Saturday to help select the Republican Presidential nominee.  The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at your regular voting places.