The New York Family Policy Council's mission statement demands that we educate the public about the issues that impact the family. The coming elections will impact the family to a great extent, therefore, we will be bringing you information on the candidates from each party which is found on the candidates' own websites or on the wikipedia.org website.
The New York Family Policy neither supports nor opposes any political party or candidate running for office. The information in this blog is soley for the purpose of educating the reader to the candidate's political history, personal history and position on the issues.
"Political positions of Mike Huckabee From http://www.wikipedia.com/
Huckabee opposes abortions, same-sex marriages, and civil unions
Huckabee is against gun control and is an avid hunter.
Huckabee supports the death penalty
Huckabee has expressed support for allowing creationism and intelligent design in school classes along with evolution.[49][50] However, Huckabee's position is that belief in evolution is not relevant to being President.[51][52]
Huckabee supports the War in Iraq, the troop surge and the continued operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[1]
Huckabee endorsed the use of foreign workers from Canada and Mexico for agricultural labor,[53]
Huckabee opposed McCain/Kennedy immigration bill[54] and believes the United States' number one priority should be to secure America's borders.[55] He said of the border, "Police it, absolutely. Militarize it, no."[56] In an interview with CBS news Huckabee said that he intends to reach out to minorities, unions and other traditional Democratic groups. "If Republicans don't win minority votes and votes that we traditionally don't get, Hillary Clinton's the next president," Huckabee said in a teleconference with reporters while campaigning in Iowa.[57]
Huckabee supports the FairTax as a replacement for the current tax system.[58]
Huckabee for President website: http://www.mikehuckabee.com/
Health advocacy
When elected governor of Arkansas, Huckabee was significantly overweight. In 2003, physicians diagnosed the governor with adult-onset diabetes and informed him that he would not live more than ten years if he did not lose weight. Prompted by this diagnosis (as well as the subsequent death of former Governor White, whose obesity led to a fatal heart attack), Huckabee began dieting. He subsequently lost over 110 pounds,[119][120] according to a New York Times article at a pace so rapid that "it was as if he simply unzipped a fat suit and stepped out."[121]
Huckabee publicly recounted his previous burdens as an overweight man: the steps of the Arkansas capitol from the entrance of the building up to the Governor's office were so long and steep that he would be out of breath and exhausted by the time he reached the top of the stairs; he secretly feared that he would be interviewed by media at the top of the steps, and that he would be unable to respond appropriately due to his overexertion and breathlessness.[122]
Huckabee has discussed his weight loss and used health care reform as major focuses of his governorship.[123]
Drawing attention to his weight loss and new outlook, Huckabee ran in the 2006 New York City Marathon.[124]
Huckabee ran in the 2005 Marine Corps Marathon, and the 2005 and 2006 Little Rock Marathon. The 2005 Little Rock Marathon featured an impromptu challenge between Huckabee and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Huckabee completed the marathon in 4:38:31, defeating Vilsack by 50 minutes.
Huckabee was one of 10 recipients of a 2006 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Impact Award acknowledging his work as a "health crusader".
Books: Huckabee has authored or co-authored five books.
Character is the Issue (1997), a memoir (inspired by the crisis surrounding the incidents prior to his taking office as governor)
Kids Who Kill (1998), a book about juvenile violence (inspired by the Jonesboro massacre, which took place during his tenure as governor)
Living Beyond Your Lifetime (2000), a guide for leaving a personal legacy
Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork (2005), a health and exercise inspirational guide (based on his personal health experience) Publisher: Center Street
From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 Steps to Restoring America's Greatness (2007) Publisher: Center Street
Huckabee also wrote the foreword to My Story Your Story His Story (2006) by Larry Toller"
From the www.mikehuckabee.com website
"News Release: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee Responds to Wall Street Journal Column
October 26, 2007 Little Rock, AR – Presidential Candidate and Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wrote the following letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal in response to Friday’s column by John Fund:
To the Editor:
John Fund’s view of my ten-and-a-half-year record as governor of Arkansas and my vision for America’s future (“Another Man from Hope, Who is Mike Huckabee?”) calls for me to set the record straight. It’s important to note that every living Republican in Arkansas who has been elected to either a statewide or a federal office has endorsed my candidacy. I’m grateful for their support and proud that in 1998, I received the largest percentage of votes ever received by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas, and that Arkansans re-elected me to another four-year term in November 2002. I am even prouder that, throughout my tenure as governor and lieutenant governor of Arkansas, I campaigned tirelessly for countless Republican candidates for the state house and federal office – and even helped get some elected. As governor, I pushed through the Arkansas Legislature the first major, broad-based tax cuts in state history — a $90 million tax relief package for Arkansas families; led efforts to establish a Property Taxpayers' Bill of Rights; and created a welfare reform program that reduced the welfare rolls in the state by almost 50 percent. We also doubled the standard deduction to $2,000 for single taxpayers and $4,000 for those who are married. In total, I led the fight to cut taxes and fees over 90 times during my ten-and-a-half years as governor, saving the people of Arkansas almost $380 million. When I left office, Arkansas had over $800 million in state surplus.
One of my proudest achievements as governor was signing legislation creating ARKids First – creating health insurance coverage for more than 70,000 Arkansas children who otherwise might have gone without. I am firmly committed to finding a way to provide health care and a better education for America’s children, who hold the key to our nation’s future. Unfortunately, there seems to be a serious misunderstanding about my SCHIP comment at a recent presidential debate. I was not criticizing President Bush’s veto as a matter of policy, but as a matter of politics. I fully believe that Bush should have negotiated a compromise and not let it get to the point of a veto. Bush indicated he was willing to spend more than the $5 billion he originally proposed, but less than the $35 billion the Democrats pushed through, so there was clearly room to negotiate. In no way do I support spending an additional $35 billion, or moving two million children from private insurance to government insurance, or letting SCHIP be a step on the path to socialized medicine. I believe that we must be good stewards of our environment and support many paths to reducing our emission of greenhouse gases, such as more nuclear power and alternative sources of clean energy. As part of our overall effort, I also support a cap and trade system, which has worked well for reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions. However, I do not agree with those who want all allowances to be auctioned off because I believe that will create too great a burden on businesses. The alternative to cap and trade is a carbon tax, which I don’t support.
It is difficult to fully understand the institutional challenges of a Republican running for office in Arkansas. In 1993, when I was elected lieutenant governor, I was the fourth Republican to be elected to statewide office since Reconstruction. Students of Arkansas politics should talk to former U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson, U.S. Rep. John Boozman or former Rep. Jay Dickey, all of whom support my candidacy for president, but none of whom is cited in Fund’s column, about these challenges.
Nevertheless, running for election and re-election, and more importantly, governing in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, prepared me to climb that next mountain: running for president and leading America with an optimistic vision and solid plans to successfully confront the complex challenges we face today. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Mike Huckabee, Presidential Candidate, Former Governor of Arkansas (1996-2007)"
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