Under our current leadership in Congress there will be no end to the commitment of U.S. troops in Iraq. We are now building permanent bases in Iraq, something that was emphatically stated that this nation would not do.

Unfortunately, mistakes have been made in our foreign policy going back many years, causing problems that we now are facing. To make matters worse, Congress has focused on political posturing so they can take credit if things go well and distance themselves if things do not go well. The discussions we are now having should have been had before troops were committed. Congress has neglected its Constitutional responsibility of declaring, and if declaring, funding the war. I do not want the 535 elected leaders in the Congress and Senate to be conducting the day-to-day operations of our military. I do not believe that our elected leaders in Congress have been truthful with the American public about their intentions. Our soldiers should have been properly equipped before being sent into battle. We must have a more humble foreign policy and be more judicious about the use of our troops and more judicious about the use of force.

I am opposed to nation building. We have troops in 130 countries and have more than 700 bases overseas. This is a huge expense to the American taxpayer. Our economic liberty as well as our national security depend on our getting our financial and legislative house in order both domestically and militarily.

Oil became the global currency in the 1970s. We are in Iraq and policing the world because of oil. We have enough oil reserves within the territorial boundaries of the United States to supply all our energy needs. It is because of the policies coming out of Washington in the last 27 years that we are in the current situation. ‘‘We the people” must require our elected leaders to remove the obstacles placed on American industry, balance the budget and start paying off the national debt. If we don’t, ‘‘we the people” will have to continue to finance a global military complex with taxes and a deflated dollar.

Q. What role does Congress play in averting a national economic recession?

A major one. Congress is the cause of our economic woes. Congress has obligated ‘‘we the people” to federal debt of over 9 trillion dollars. In addition, Congress has obligated ‘‘we the people” to entitlement obligations of over 70 trillion dollars. And Congress is still running huge annual deficits. This must stop. Congress’ deficit spending is devaluing the dollar, making the price of products we buy higher. This is the cause of the current recession. The federal debt comes to over $175,000 per man, woman, child and illegal alien. If you only count full-time workers, the federal debt is over $420,000 per person. We must balance the budget by cutting spending. We must cut out waste and unconstitutional federal spending, with half of the savings going to pay down the federal debt and half of the savings going to reduce taxes.

In addition to the strain on our economy by the huge debt Congress has created, Congress’ over-regulation, bad trade deals, unfair trade and unwise tax codes have driven jobs and industry overseas.

Q. Southern Maryland relies on federal funding for its military bases and other projects. How can you ensure that funding will remain as robust as it currently is?

The citizens of Maryland’s 5th District have been under-served and overtaxed by the current runaway spending in Washington. If you include the ‘‘inflation tax” that is caused by deficit spending, the picture is even worse.

For every dollar the 5th District sends to Washington, our congressman gets back less than one cent in earmarks. And some of those earmarks are like the ones he gave to an outfit in California for ‘‘funk music.”

That same outfit gave $31,000 in contributions to our incumbent congressman.

Although not illegal, it is immoral. When our elected leaders break their oath of office to ‘‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” ‘‘we the people” must hold them accountable at the ballot box. Every dollar that Washington spends produces as little as 20 cents worth of value compared with what could have been produced if that money was left with the individual it was taken from in the first place.

The present system of funding pet projects is the rule of man. It is in disregard of the rule of law. All earmarks should be eliminated.

Regarding the bases that exist in Southern Maryland, reducing troop deployment from unnecessary overseas bases and reassigning them to bases here at home would increase funding levels for our bases at home without increasing federal spending levels.

Q. What is the federal government’s role in setting educational standards for Southern Maryland schools?

Constitutionally, none. The federal government has no proper role in setting educational standards for Southern Maryland schools. However, the No Child Left Behind Act as well as many, many other federal mandates are currently the tail wagging the dog.

Parents are the proper authority over their child’s education. Our state constitution mandates a state role in education which it partly delegates to the local education authorities. The federal government’s involvement in setting educational standards has had a tremendous negative effect on quality and accountability. The GOP platform used to call for the elimination of the Department of Education, a very good idea. I am serving my fourth four-year term on the Charles County Board of Education and have seen firsthand the negative effects that federal involvement has had and is having on our schools in Southern Maryland. As a congressman, I would eliminate the $67 billion Department of Education budget. That money can better be managed at the state and local level. I would repeal NCLB and all other federal education mandates.

Those candidates running for federal offices who want to be involved in education should run for their local counties’ board of education or get a job as a teacher. Although the folks in Washington may be very earnest in their opinions about what our schools need, they have shown that they don’t have a clue about what is needed to be done or how to provide educational opportunities for our youth.

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