He says one Thing and Does another Richard Burr

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Burr, Casey: Leaders Reid and McConnell Sign On As Cosponsors of ABLE Act

March 24, 2014 - 5:06 PM

 

Senate Leaders sign on, greatly increasing the chance for passage

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have cosponsored their bill, the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act – S. 313/H.R. 647).  This legislation would provide an improved quality of life for individuals with disabilities through tax-advantaged savings accounts. The legislation now has the support of 68 Senators and 345 members of the House, making it one of the most widely supported bills in all of Congress. Having leaders Reid and McConnell back this bill adds to the growing momentum to pass the legislation this year.

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40 Republican Senators That Voted To Kill The Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012

WTF: Richard Burr is on this list,

Ok its time for Richard Burr to go,, Just another effing Republican stabbing our Veterans in the back..

Old news but you have to wonder just who Richard is serving while in DC

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NC NAACP Once Again Urges Senators Burr and Hagan to Help End Historic Exclusion of African American Judges to US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21 February 2013

For More Information:              Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, President, 919-394-8137

Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

The NC NAACP once again urges Senators Burr and Hagan to help put an end to the historic exclusion of African American judges from the US District Court for the Eastern District in North Carolina with the pending appointment by the President. There has never been, in our history, a African American Judge on the bench in US District Court for the Eastern District of NC. The NC NAACP issued a letter to the Senators on October 25, 2011 urging the Senators to do the same. And on January 23, 2013 we wrote a private letter to the Senators, this time requesting a meeting to discuss the issue further. Senator Hagan has responded. However we are respectfully awaiting a response from Senator Burr's office to schedule a meeting. We are now writing Senator Burr publicly with hopes that he will take the time to meet with civil rights leaders representing many of his constituents in NC before any decisions are made.

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Richard Burr you are A Fucking Asshole

Hey Burr you do realize that Sandy damage area of NC too.. Right you Fucking Prick..

so Burr who else are you going to fuck over in 2013..

Next Election we need to Vote this self centered asshole out of office..

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Senator Burr: Why did you vote against our Veterans?

this is what Shelly Nixon would like to know. So she started a Petition asking you to sign, basically asking Richard Burr why he did this.

Her email,

Dear North Carolina Citizens,

Senator Richard Burr recently voted to block a billion-dollar veteran jobs program. North Carolina voters want him to explain why he abandoned our veterans despite their high rate of unemployment and homelessness.

That's why I created a petition on SignOn.org to Sen. Burr which says:

Senator Richard Burr, explain why you abandoned our veterans.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

–Shelly Nixon

if you agree and would like to know why Richard Burr doesn’t care about our service men and women please sign and share..

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Richard Burr you make me Sick..

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Burr: Senators Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Cyber security

Proposal strengthens information sharing and encourages private sector innovation

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dan Coats (R-IN), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Richard Burr (R-NC) today introduced the Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information, and Technology Act (SECURE IT), their proposal to protect and secure our nation against cybersecurity attacks.

“The SECURE IT Act strengthens America’s cybersecurity by promoting collaboration and information-sharing, updating our criminal laws to account for the growing cyber threat and enhancing research programs to protect our critical networks,” said Senator John McCain. “This legislation will help us begin to meet the very real threat of cyber attack.”

“We are all in agreement that we need to make our nation’s cybersecurity a top priority. I believe we have come up with a strong common sense approach that will help prevent the spread of cyberattacks from network to network and across the Internet, by removing barriers to sharing information about threats, attacks, and strategies for improvement,” Senator Hutchison said.  “Our bill focuses on giving businesses the tools they need to protect themselves from the looming threat of cyber criminals, and increased requirements for notification of threats to federal agencies.”

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NC Rep. Richard Burr, wants you to do community Service where Jobs were cut due to lack of funds, if you want to get your Unemployment check.

This week, I introduced a bill called the Unemployment Benefits Reform Act of 2012 which would individuals who have been unemployed for six months or more to complete 20 hours of public service and 20 hours of active job search or other work related activities per week as conditions for receipt of federal extended unemployment benefits.  The United States economy is suffering, and we are experiencing record levels of sustained unemployment.  Being unemployed for an extended length of time can be demoralizing for people looking for work, but engagement in volunteer service will encourage unemployed workers to maintain job skills, marketability, and a sense of self-worth while providing for the betterment of their communities.  Even more, the active job search requirement will enhance the integrity of the unemployment system and its ability to identify and serve those most in need. 

He want those on long term unemployment to work for free at the city and state parks, which had to cut jobs due to lack of funding. Work at your local nursing homes, libraries and other nonprofits, that cut staff due to lack of funds.. He want you to work for free while giving big business more tax breaks..  If you don’t work for free at these places you don’t get your check,which is the only life line for many..

Public service may be fulfilled by working for a 501( c ) (3) organization or a federal, state or local agency, and the bill protects government workers from displacement by only permitting volunteering with a governmental agency when permitted by current law. 

Yes he wants you at one of these places, where budgets cuts force them to layoff workers. Now Burr, what to fill those vacancies with free labor, no benefits and I bet these companies will be getting huge tax breaks in return

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This week’s Message from Senator Richard Burr

While today’s announcement that the unemployment rate has dropped to 8.6% is more encouraging than reports we have seen in recent months, we are still very far away from the kind of job growth needed to get our country back on track.  Instead of focusing on expensive short-term stimulus policies that have not worked, we need to give job creators the certainty and predictability they need to thrive, grow and hire; and that starts with reforming our tax code and reigning in excessive, job-killing regulations at the federal level.

One area where we can lower costs for taxpayers and help spur the economy is in health care.  This week, I authored an opinion editorial piece with Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) that ran in Politico outlining ways in which we can improve Medicare for the millions of elderly and disabled who depend on it.  Too many seniors are exposed to unpredictably high costs when they get sick and many feel forced to purchase costly supplemental plans. 

Despite efforts to cut costs, Medicare is spending too much money and seniors are not reaping the full benefit. If we do not address these issues soon, program insolvency could hit as soon as 2016, according to the Medicare actuary.  The way to save Medicare is to build on what is working. Congress should encourage competition in health care to create more affordable options for seniors by using private plans offering Medicare benefits.  Congress can achieve Medicare reform that improves care for seniors, while reducing costs for taxpayers — and put Medicare on a sustainable path.  Read our op-ed to learn more about our plan to reform Medicare and reduce costs.

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This week Message from Richard Burr

On Tuesday, I returned from a short trip to Afghanistan where I was fulfilling my role as a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to meet with officials on the ground and learn firsthand about the progress being made there.  I had the opportunity to meet with senior Afghan and U.S. officials who provided us with updates on the security situation in the region.

While I was in Afghanistan, I received word about the inability of the super committee to reach a deal to reduce our debt.  I share the disappointment expressed by members of the committee, but given the lack of leadership from the President and deep divisions between the members of the committee and many in both the House and Senate, I cannot say that I am shocked by this outcome.  The American people will now have to choose for themselves next November which approach they believe is the right path to take to address our nation’s future: continued overspending supported by tax increases and more borrowing, or a hard look at Washington’s spending habits and reforms to our nation’s tax code and entitlement programs.

This week, Americans across the country will gather together with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving and reflect on all that we have to be thankful for - both individually and as a nation. Traveling to Afghanistan and visiting with our servicemembers as well as Afghan citizens makes this holiday even more significant.  We live in a country where we can openly express our opinions and practice our religion freely.  We wake up in the morning knowing that there are men and women halfway across the world who are fighting, and some who are dying, for these rights and for our safety.

America has risen to great heights since the celebration of the first Thanksgiving, but there are still many Americans who find themselves in need during this holiday season.  Let us keep them in our thoughts and focus on what we can do to help those less fortunate than we are.  We also remember the volunteers who help serve the homeless and others in need.  They exemplify American generosity, and we thank them for their goodwill.

For many North Carolina families, a parent, brother, sister, or child will be away this Thanksgiving serving in the Armed Services.  Let’s all take a few minutes to thank our nation’s service members and military families for their patriotism and sacrifice. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those serving overseas and to families who have lost a loved one or who may be caring for an injured veteran.

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A Message from Senator Richard Burr

It was a pleasure to be in North Carolina last week traveling across the state, visiting with North Carolinians and discussing their concerns and the issues they would like to see us address in Washington, but it was back to business as usual in Congress this week.  Despite the urgency of the issues we are working on in Congress, there was little progress made on behalf of the American people this week.

Even though it is clear that the first stimulus bill did not create the jobs it promised, some in Washington continue to push these failed, expensive policies of the past that stand no chance of passing Congress.  Meanwhile, however, Republicans have been working on legislation that could garner bipartisan support and actually spur the economy.  In fact, the House of Representatives successfully passed 15 bills with bipartisan support, but the Majority Leader in the Senate refuses to bring these “Forgotten 15” jobs bills up for vote.  It is extremely disappointing that these bills are being ignored in the Senate and that job-spurring legislation that could actually be passed into law and turn our economy around is not being brought to the floor for consideration.  

On Tuesday, prior to returning to Washington, I was honored to deliver one of the keynote addresses at the Building a Culture of Innovation through Education event at North Carolina State University.   In order for America’s youth to be prepared for the workforce, we must provide them a quality education.  As technology has progressed and methods of communication have evolved, the ways that children learn and respond to teaching have changed as well.  We must continue to discuss and develop innovative ways to increase achievement in the classroom to ensure that America’s students receive the training, knowledge and preparation they need to succeed in the workforce.  Read more about my address at NCSU here. 

In addition, I was happy to join Cam Edwards on NRA News on Wednesday afternoon to discuss a bill I introduced to protect the Second Amendment rights of our nation’s veterans and make sure that they are afforded the same due process under the law as all other American citizens.  Since I introduced the bill on October 13, it has received bipartisan support.  The Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act currently has 18 co-sponsors, and I am hopeful that it will pass this Congress.  You may listen to the interview here and read more about the bill here.

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NC NAACP Releases Open Letter to Senators Burr and Hagan Demanding Equitable African American Representation in North Carolina's Judicial Appointments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 25, 2011

For More Information:   Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

                                      Mrs. Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

                                      Atty. Jennifer Marsh, Legal Redress Coordinator, 919-682-4700

                                      Atty. Irv Joyner, Legal Redress Chair, 919-530-6293

                                      Atty. Al McSurely, Communications Chair, lawyers@mcsurely.com

NAACP Decries the Fact that North Carolina is Last Among Southern States in African-American Representation in Judicial Appointments and Implores North Carolina's Senators to Support African-American Appointments

Press Conference to be Scheduled in Eastern North Carolina Early Next Week

DURHAM - The North Carolina NAACP is releasing an open letter to North Carolina's US Senators, calling on them to address the embarrassing and pernicious history of African-American appointments to North Carolina's Federal District Courts. As of this week, the North Carolina NAACP is mobilizing our 125+ adult, youth and college NAACP units and our 110+ HKonJ Coalition partners to make calls to the offices of Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan to demand they nominate an African American to serve as a federal District Court Judge in the Eastern District, where roughly half of the state's African American population resides and where every county with a majority African American population is located, as well as ensure equity in future appointments across the state.

OPEN LETTER

October 25, 2011

The Honorable Richard Burr

The Honorable Kay Hagan

United States Senate

Re: Appointment of an African American Judge to North Carolina's Federal District Court

Dear Senators Burr and Hagan:

The North Carolina State Conference of NAACP Branches strongly urges you to recommend the nomination and appointment of an African American to the vacancy on the United States District Court in North Carolina.  It is important that the judiciary reflects the racial diversity of North Carolina. Our examination of the presence of African Americans who serve as Judges on the three District Courts in this State shows an abysmal failure by our political leadership to recognize and appoint qualified African Americans to serve as District Court Judges. Therefore we urge you to immediately identify and recommend the appointment of qualified African Americans, to rectify this shameful history of exclusion.

With only one African American federal District Court Judge presently seated, North Carolina has the least diverse bench of all states in the South. President Bill Clinton appointed James Beatty, who is eligible to retire in 2014.  If he does, North Carolina would have no African American representation. Furthermore, 17 years have passed since the last time an African American was appointed.

We are the nation's 10th largest State with a 22% African American population, but in our history we have had only two African Americans to serve as federal District Court Judges. The two, Richard Erwin and James Beatty, were appointed to serve in the Middle District of North Carolina. Not one African American has ever served as a Judge in either the Eastern or Western Districts. In particular, it is an obscenity that there has never been an African American Federal Judge in the Eastern District where roughly half of North Carolina's African American population resides, North Carolinians who have never been represented on their federal District Court. This exclusion is unacceptable and an embarrassment to this State and its African American community.

As you know, President George Bush nominated nine individuals to North Carolina District Courts and each one of those nominees was white and only one was a woman. Thus far, based upon your recommendations, President Barack Obama has appointed two Whites to seats on North Carolina's federal bench. As North Carolina's elected Senators who are responsible for making nominations to the President, we demand you represent all your constituents and change the racial disparities which presently exist within our federal court system.  We implore you to support an African American for the third appointment and ensure equity in future appointments.

Yours in the Spirit of Truth and Justice,

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II

President, North Carolina NAACP

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CC: North Carolina NAACP Branches

       HKonJ Network

       Media

       Benjamin Todd Jealous, National NAACP President and CEO      

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Senator Burr Votes To Block Economic Aid For North Carolina Teachers, Schools

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Senator Burr Votes To Block Economic Aid For North Carolina Teachers, Schools

Raleigh, NC--Late last night, United States Senator Richard Burr voted to block legislation to support up to 13,400 educator and first responder jobs and to provide resources to improve North Carolina’s schools.

“Senator Richard Burr has utterly failed in his job to serve the people of North Carolina and he ought to be ashamed of himself. Senator Burr voted against relief for victims of Hurricane Irene, he voted against tax cuts for North Carolina’s middle class families and now he has voted against putting teachers back in our classrooms and keeping cops and firefighters on the job—it’s clear that Richard Burr has abandoned the people of North Carolina.” said David Parker, Chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party.“Time and again, Senator Burr has put partisanship ahead of the needs of the people of North Carolina—unfortunately, our kids, our schools and our teachers are the victims of his latest dereliction of duty.”

Parker continued by noting the impact of Burr’s vote on North Carolina’s unemployment rate.

“The recent increase in unemployment is a direct result of the actions of Senator Burr and his colleagues in the General Assembly. The Republicans’job-killing budget and the failure of Senator Burr and his Tea Party colleagues, demonstrates clearly that Republicans have a serious problem with priorities,” said Parker. “North Carolinians need relief and Governor Perdue and Democrats in the General Assembly will continue their fight to create jobs, protect our schools and stop the failed policies being pushed by Republicans.”

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This week message from Burr

As I travel across our state and meet with North Carolinians back home and in my Washington office, the primary concern of everyone I talk to is creating jobs and growing the economy.  Although the Majority Leader has largely ignored these concerns lately, we did have the opportunity to vote on several pieces of legislation this week that will increase job growth and stimulate our economy.

On Tuesday, a bill I cosponsored aimed at preserving American jobs and increasing the competitiveness of American companies in the global marketplace passed the Senate with resounding bipartisan support.  The Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act will hold China accountable for undervaluing its currency, a practice that has an extremely detrimental impact on American manufacturing jobs and our entire economy by widening our trade deficit and giving China an unfair advantage in international trade.  This has ultimately resulted in fewer American exports and the loss of millions of American manufacturing jobs, including many in North Carolina.  Passage of this bill sends a signal to China and other nations that we are committed to fair trade and defending the interests of American workers.

A few days after this bill passed, the Commerce Department announced that our trade gap with China has reached an all-time high, underscoring the need to enforce sanctions on countries who manipulate their currency to give themselves an unfair trade advantage.

In another effort to increase job creation and open new markets for American products and services abroad, the Senate passed three trade agreements – with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea - on Wednesday. These trade agreements will have a positive impact on our state’s economy and represent a step in the right direction towards opening markets, expanding opportunities, and putting North Carolinians and Americans across the country back to work.  Lowering tariff barriers with other nations will give American companies, including North Carolina businesses, the opportunity to grow and create jobs.

I am pleased that these trade agreements passed and that we are coupling them with an increased determination to put a stop to the unfair trade practices of other countries which harm U.S. businesses and cost jobs.  Just as America is committed to free trade, we must also fight for fair trade to ensure that our businesses and workers have the best possible opportunities to market their goods and services.

On Thursday, I further fought to create and maintain American jobs by co-sponsoring the Medical Device Regulatory Improvement Act.  This bill would help streamline the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulation of medical devices in order to spur innovation here at home and provide investors the regulatory certainty and predictability necessary to prevent them from pursuing opportunities overseas.  Over the past few years, regulatory challenges at the FDA have delayed, and in some cases, prevented new and innovative devices from reaching the market, depriving American patients access to the best available medical technology.  By streamlining and ensuring the least burdensome approach to FDA’s regulation of medical devices, we not only take a key step toward restoring America’s leadership in the research and development of life-saving products, but uphold our promise to patients in North Carolina and around our nation to continue innovating on their behalf.  Read this press release to learn more about the bill.

Since the so-called “jobs proposal” that Majority Leader Reid brought to the floor on Tuesday night would not effectively spur job growth here in the U.S., I voted against part two of President Obama’s first failed stimulus bill.  Fortunately, this jobs plan failed to pass this Senate since myself and others recognized that we have tried a stimulus before and it didn’t create the kind of job growth that it promised or that we need.  A serious, successful jobs bill will not be about how much Washington can spend, but how we create an environment that allows our country’s job creators to grow.  Instead of more short-term stimulus, we need to focus on long-term solutions, like comprehensive tax reform, to stimulate our economy and give businesses the certainty and predictability they need to create jobs.  Reforming and simplifying our tax code would provide companies and small businesses the certainty and confidence in the economy they need to hire and retain employees.  

Also on Thursday, I introduced a bill to protect the Second Amendment rights of our nation’s veterans.  Currently, veterans who have a fiduciary appointed to help them with their VA benefits are deemed “mentally defective” and are reported to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), a system which prevents them from being able to purchase firearms in the United States.  This legislation would protect the rights of veterans and their families by ensuring that only a proper judicial authority is able to determine who is referred to NICS.  Taking away a Constitutional right is a serious action, and veterans should be afforded the same due process under the law as all other American citizens.  Our veterans took an oath to uphold the Constitution and they deserve to enjoy the rights they fought so hard to protect.  To read more about this bill, click here.

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This Week Message from Senator Burr (NC)

Following a Congressional recess, the Senate was back in session this week with a busy agenda.  Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made official what we have expected for some time now, that trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical that was present in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune for decades, is a known human carcinogen and represents a grave health risk to those exposed to it.  This designation raises serious questions about the National Academy of Science’s 2009 review of TCE and PCE at Camp Lejeune that the Navy and Marine Corps have cited in their literature to the affected community.  To read more about this EPA decision, click here. 

While this is an important step towards providing care for those who suffer adverse health effects resulting from exposure to toxic water at Camp Lejeune, we still have a long way to go.  These men and women were poisoned through no fault of their own decades ago, yet many of them are still shouldering the burden of care or waiting too long to get the benefits they are due.

To learn more about my bill to provide care for those veterans and civilians who suffer as a result of their exposure to this toxic water, you can read a press release here or watch this video from a hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

On Tuesday, I was proud to be named a Taxpayer Hero by the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste.  Our economy is floundering, and we need to rein in government spending and balance the budget in order to spur growth and create jobs. To see my scorecard, click here.

On Thursday, I spoke at a press conference hosted by the National Venture Capital Association as they unveiled a survey indicating that America is at risk of losing its standing as the world leader in medical innovation.  Every day, ground-breaking medical innovation is taking place with the goal of not just treating, but curing, diseases and conditions that affect millions of Americans. Unfortunately, regulatory challenges created by the FDA are hampering venture capitalists’ willingness to invest in biotechnology and medical devices.  Deterred by this regulatory uncertainty and a lack of predictability at FDA, investors are increasingly likely to turn away from America and pursue medical innovation overseas.  This recent trend will not only cost American jobs, but America’s patients may have to wait longer for life-saving therapies or worse, never have access to them. This survey is a wake-up call to fix what is broken at FDA, starting with restoring certainty and predictability to regulation.  To read more, check out my blog.

Also on Thursday, Senator Patty Murray, the Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs’ Committee, and I hosted a roundtable discussion with Microsoft, Goodwill, and the American Legion to explore what can be done to help America’s unemployed veterans re-enter the workforce.  One of the biggest challenges facing service members transitioning back to civilian life is to translate their military experience into skills that make them marketable in the private sector workforce.  Corporations like Goodwill and Microsoft are making big strides in helping with this transition, and we owe it to our veterans to do all that we can to ensure that they have opportunities for employment after leaving the service.
Prior to adjourning for the week, the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform bill passed a procedural hurdle. I introduced this bill with a bipartisan group of Senators to hold China accountable for undervaluing its currency which has an extremely detrimental effect on American manufacturing jobs and our entire economy, and we are hopeful the Senate will pass it next week.  For years, China has manipulated the value of their currency, the Yuan, in order to give itself an unfair advantage in the global economy.  This practice contributes to our trade deficit with China and has resulted in fewer American exports and the loss of millions of American manufacturing jobs, including many in North Carolina. 

This bill was expected to pass on Thursday night, but progress was stalled by Majority Leader Harry Reid’s action to force a change in the Senate rules. Senator Reid took unprecedented steps to limit the ability of Senators to have votes on amendments, stripping the Senate minority of a fundamental tool and abandoning long-standing Senate principles to accommodate his own agenda. In a desperate attempt to prevent members of his party from having to take tough votes, and continuing his long-standing effort to have the Senate vote only on amendments of which he personally approves, Senator Reid exercised what is known as the “nuclear option” to block the Senate from voting on the President’s “jobs” bill.

Also this week, I had the opportunity to go on the air and speak with radio hosts Bill LuMaye, of WPTF, and Jerri Jameson on WWNC.  On Wednesday afternoon, Bill and I discussed President Obama’s jobs bill and why I disagree with the effort to include new taxes into the proposal.  I outlined my belief that we need to radically reform our tax code in order to make it fair for all citizens and to restore confidence in our economy.  On Thursday morning, Jerri and I further discussed the jobs bill and why another failed stimulus package is not the answer to spurring economic growth.  When you have time, I hope you will listen to these interviews which address some of the most relevant issues facing the Senate and the American people today.

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A note from Richard Burr on 9/11

This year, like every year that has passed since, our nation reflects back on the horrific attacks that cost the lives of 2,977 men, women, and children in New York, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, and on the brave men and women who have laid their lives down since then in defense of the freedoms and security we so often take for granted. 

These coordinated attacks on our nation had such a profound impact on our society and our world view that we now look at our recent history in two different phases, pre-9/11 and post-9/11.  They made us more aware of the threats that we face as a nation, and they woke us up to the cold reality that the things we hold most dear as Americans are the very things that make us a target for terrorism. 

However, these attacks and our collective response had a much deeper, more profound impact than that – they brought us together in a way that nothing else has since the Second World War, and they underscored the same spirit that has characterized our nation and its citizens since America’s founding.  It is this spirit that truly sets America apart and makes us unique.  It is a sense of perseverance and determination, a loyalty to our fellow Americans, and the willingness to risk it all for what we believe in.  This spirit was forged in the fires of revolution, grew strong in the face of adversity, and has defined the character of our nation since its inception.

These attacks were not just directed at buildings and people.  They were meant to hit us at our core, to attack our very way of life and everything we stand for.  They sought to instill fear and doubt in us, but they failed.  They sought to intimidate us and disrupt our communities, but they failed.  What they did was bind us together in a unified front to stand up to these injustices and push forward with the same spirit and character that the terrorists sought to destroy.  We stood together, and in one collective voice said, “We will not be intimidated, and we will not be held down.  We are Americans, and we stand together.”

Ten years have passed since that fateful September morning, and not an American alive at the time will ever forget the horrors of that day.  Those whom we lost will remain in our hearts forever, and images of the aftermath are permanently engrained in our memories.  We came together to cope with a national tragedy and were reminded not of those things that divide us, but of those things that unify us.  In the wake of tragedy, we found hope. 

Though a decade has passed since then, I urge all Americans to look back to the days and weeks that followed 9/11 and remember that sense of unity and patriotism that was so prevalent.  Though it is our diversity and differences that, in part, make us such a great and unique nation, it is our common bonds that make us Americans.  Let us put our differences aside and once again focus on those things that bind us, for we are all Americans, and we will forever be one nation under God. 

This year, like every year that has passed since, our nation reflects back on the horrific attacks that cost the lives of 2,977 men, Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Richard Burr

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SenatorRichardBurr
Twitter: @SenatorBurr

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Independence Day Message from Senator Richard Burr

My apologies for the previous newsletter.  We seem to have had some technical difficulties, but have sorted them out.  My Independence Day message is below:
Two hundred thirty-five years ago, a group of brave colonists signed the Declaration of Independence and took the first step towards breaking the tyrannical bonds that tied them to a far-away king and an unrepresentative body of government. By signing the Declaration, they moved towards establishing a new nation, ruled by the people and for the people, that would serve as a beacon of freedom across the world. 

While much has changed over the past two centuries, even more has remained the same.  People still flock to America to escape persecution and seek freedom not afforded elsewhere in world.  We still believe in a truly representative system of government and we believe in the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Ours is a nation built on the hard work of the men and women that came before us.  We hope to extend one of our nation’s greatest gifts – opportunity – to the generations that will follow us.  Even though times are tough right now, our American spirit, optimism, and hope for a better future keep us going.   

Let’s take a moment this holiday weekend to commemorate our heritage and celebrate our freedoms and remember those brave Americans who sacrificed for them.  May God keep safe those serving at home and abroad on this holiday, and happy Independence Day to all.

To read the Declaration of Independence, click here.

Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Richard Burr

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SenatorRichardBurr
Twitter: @SenatorBurr

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Email Message from Senator Burr

The Senate was back in session on Monday after a week of recess.   Last Monday, May 30, was Memorial Day, and I was honored to attend a ceremony in Mt. Airy honoring the servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our country.  I spent the rest of the week on the road visiting with students, touring North Carolina businesses, and meeting with North Carolinians who are moving our economy forward during this difficult time.  To learn more about my travels, read stories from the Asheville Citizen-Times and Winston-Salem Journal. 

While I was back home visiting with the small businesses who drive our economy and provide jobs, we received more troubling news about our nation’s economic recovery.  On Friday, the Department of Labor released its monthly jobs report, which showed that our economy only added 54,000 jobs in May and that our unemployment rate is at a staggering 9.1%.  In order for employment to simply keep up with the growth of our population, our economy needs to add between 130,000 and 150,000 new jobs a month. 

The May job numbers are very disappointing, as they indicate that our economy is not recovering as it should be and may be heading back into recession.  Even worse, despite the many promises made about the 2009 “economic stimulus” package and how it was going to keep the unemployment rate below 8 percent, it has become painfully clear that this $800 billion government spending package never delivered, and we are now even further in the hole when it comes to our national debt.   

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A Message from Burr

The week prior to a congressional recess is always busy, and this was no exception.  On Monday, I cosponsored legislation introduced by Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) that will provide relief from burdensome requirements placed on small businesses by the new health care law.  The Obama law, marketed as health care reform, expands the size of the federal government and actually increases health care costs rather than reducing them.  It is bad for our economy and for American families who are already struggling to make ends meet.

This bill, the Small Business Health Relief Act, repeals mandates  that drive up the cost of health insurance and limit choice for Americans, lowers premiums by repealing new fees that will be passed onto consumers, and allows people to actually keep the insurance they have if they like it – a promise made and broken by the Administration. 

The last thing North Carolina small businesses need right now are more burdensome provisions that hinder their ability to hire new employees and grow.  We need to be supporting our nation’s economic engine, not hindering them with new mandates that stifle growth, reduce flexibility and choice, and increase costs. 

On Thursday, I introduced a bill that would cut government spending and improve efficiency by combining the Department of Labor and Department of Commerce into a single agency, the Department of Commerce and the Workforce.  The bill would provide cost savings by combining duplicative functions and improve the quality of our country’s economic policies by ensuring a consistent, coordinated approach.

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