FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Isakson Statement on State of the Union  

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) tonight issued the following statement following the President’s State of the Union address:

“It’s our destiny to ensure that the future for our children and grandchildren is safe. Tyranny anywhere is our enemy everywhere. We’re right to stay the course in Iraq. We’ve spread democracy in Afghanistan. It’s spreading in Iraq. We have a critical role to play. The War on Terror is not over until terror is wiped out. I support the President.

“The President recognizes what I’ve known as a former chairman of the Board of Education, and that is math and science and technical knowledge are important to economic competitiveness. Recent studies show we should make an investment in that for the future. But competitiveness is far more than just education. It’s a good tax policy, and that’s why extending the tax cuts is so important to the vibrant economy we enjoy. We’re in a world economy. We’re not in an isolated economy. The President’s position on trade is right; his position on training for math and science is right; and his position on tax cuts and making them permanent is right.

“The President declared what is in fact the truth: We are addicted to foreign oil. The only way we can cure that addiction is to expand domestic exploration, find alternative renewable sources of energy and invest in energy independence. The bill we passed in Congress this past year was a good start, but this country has been without an energy plan for 11 years. We’re now paying the price for it.

“It’s important we develop all our resources. We should drill in ANWR for our natural resources and our own domestic supply. We should start licensing nuclear power plants. It’s cleaner; it’s more efficient; and it’s cheaper than any power possible. We need to work on new techniques for coal such as coal gasification that ends the issue with pollution and opens immense opportunities. We need to explore natural gas in new areas that are currently unchartered, and we need to always be investing in new sources of energy like the hydrogen engine.”

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