Republican Women Reach Out

RWRO believes that achieving energy independence is a critical component of America’s 21^st century national security strategy.   All decisions regarding our energy future must be viewed within the context of our national security.  The United States cannot continue to rely on hostile and/or unstable governments for substantial amounts of energy.  We believe that all of our resources and talent must be marshaled in short order so that the goal of energy independence can be realized in a manner that yields cleaner, affordable and reliable energy from a diversity of sources.

Traditional domestic sources of energy like coal, oil and natural gas have helped fuel our economy for the past 40 years.  Given Americans’ high consumption patterns (we constitute less than 5% of the world’s population yet consume 25% of its energy), it is unlikely that our dependence on these energy sources will diminish in the short term. 

RWRO believes that we must continue to find new sources of domestic conventional energy. We also believe that the United States must increase its reliance on nuclear power.  We believe that all exploration must be conducted in a way that protects human health and the environment.

Other alternative sources of energy like hydroelectric, geothermal, wind and solar have a role to play in our country’s future energy mix and we should continue to invest in them.  Alternatives and renewables are particularly attractive because they have the potential to cause less harm to the environment.  Also, the development of alternative and renewable energy sources at the community and regional levels can contribute to increasing the protection of our critical infrastructure and minimizing disruptions in our energy supplies.

In addition to seeking new sources of energy and more efficiently utilizing conventional sources, RWRO believes that energy conservation and energy efficiency have major roles to play in ensuring our energy security.  Every individual, small business and major corporation has a role to play in conserving energy. Every high efficiency light bulb, energy saving car, and energy efficient appliance counts, as well as “smart energy” community infrastructure. Increased use of public transportation and “smart growth” policies can also go a long way toward increasing energy efficiency and reducing pollution.

RWRO also supports the commercialization and market penetration of advanced technologies that can further diversify our energy supply mix and modernize our energy infrastructure to protect, as well as to increase the robustness and resilience of, our nation’s critical infrastructure.  Towards these ends, RWRO promotes innovative financing and mechanisms that can address market gaps and enhance market outcomes with respect to attracting investment in cleaner and more efficient technologies.

Energy security must be a priority of our trade and foreign policy. Our nation needs to strengthen our global alliances and enhance our national energy security and international relationships to increase transparency, accountability, cooperation and coordination, and stability among both producing and consuming nations to minimize disruptions in energy supplies and protect our global resources.

RWRO believes that every American child, regardless of race or socio-economic status, deserves a world-class education.  We believe rewarding and recognizing excellence in teaching, promoting alternative paths to education, and the promotion of math and science is critical to positive education reform. Currently, our education system is falling behind other nations. These issues should matter to Americans, as our continued economic growth will rest on the shoulders of well educated young people who will become the inventors and workforce of tomorrow. 

Competent, engaged teachers can inspire and motivate our children. They deserve good working conditions, sufficient resources, and a pay system that rewards talent. States and non-partisan organizations are beginning to recognize the value of teachers.  For example, Tennessee and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist have started the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE). Through private and public-sector partners, SCORE’s mission is “to work with state and local governments to encourage sound policy decisions in public education, and to advance innovative reform on a statewide basis.”  Programs like these are a step in the right direction.  

Community colleges, which are experiencing record enrollments, offer affordable alternate career paths for talented young people interested in pursuing a vocation or trade.  In addition, by providing the first two years of a four-year college education at reasonable prices, community colleges provide lower and middle income youth with the opportunity to pursue higher education. Dual credit and dual enrollment also offer college funding alternatives while students are still in high school. States like North Carolina, Florida, and New York have all had measured success with dual enrollment programs.

In addition, RWRO believes that children cannot be expected to attain the skills required by a global economy without an understanding of languages, art, music, and world history.  When individual school districts cannot afford these critical programs, the private sector must step up and provide funding. At the K-12 level, privately sponsored and run charter schools provide viable alternatives to the public school system.  Because they are not burdened by excessive government regulation, charter schools encourage creativity and innovation.

Finally, RWRO encourages all young people, especially young women, to develop competency in science and math. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the primary entity for gathering education data in the United States, US scores for elementary students are lacking in both math and science—especially behind Asian countries and the UK. Students from countries that score higher in these subjects typically spend more time studying and place a higher emphasis on both subjects.    Additionally, high school girls typically scored lower on math than did boys, but excelled at reading. We must find ways to encourage women to see the importance of these subjects and promote both math and   science.Overall, our hope is to see a bright future for the next generation. We believe educating and empowering young women and men across America is a critical step in getting there.

America is the most welcoming country in the world.  Each year more than one million people from other countries enter the United States legally.  They come here to work hard, play by the rules, pay taxes and assimilate into the American culture by adhering to our laws and learning the English language.  RWRO believes that every immigrant who enters this country legally has a contribution to make that can enrich our society and increase the standard of living for all.

The problems with our immigration system are far-reaching and complex. They include:  1) lack of adequate and effective government infrastructure to deal with the processing of those already eligible to work and/or become American citizens,  2) inadequate and inconsistent enforcement of current immigration laws, including those dealing with border protection, 3) growing strains on the U.S. social services network caused by immigration, 4) lack of adequate numbers of visas for immigrants with the skills to meet the demands of a dynamic U.S. economy, 5)  wage and workplace violations by some employers who exploit immigrant workers thereby undermining honest businesses and causing harm to workers and to the entire U.S. economy and 6) lack of a system to deal with the approximately 12 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States.

RWRO supports comprehensive, bi-partisan legislation at the federal level that would address all of these problems.  That legislation should:  1) ensure an underlying government infrastructure that deals fairly and humanely with all potential immigrants and illegal immigrants, 2) improve border protection laws, 3) create a guest worker program that adequately meets the needs of American businesses, 4) discourage worker exploitation and eliminate the underground market of illegal immigrants that currently exists and  5) determine whether or not to create a pathway to citizenship for those 12 million immigrants already residing in this country.