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Brownback Book Calls to Renew the Family
and Rebuild the Culture
His new book, "From Power to Purpose", hits shelves July 3rd
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, Republican candidate for president,
will release his new book "From Power to Purpose: A Remarkable Journey of Faith
and Compassion" on July 3.
"If we ever lose our goodness, we will surely lose our greatness," writes
Brownback. "If America is to stay great, the moral character, shared beliefs and
common sense of her people will once again have to step up in order for us to
achieve our true destiny and purpose."
Published by Thomas Nelson, the book introduces readers to a humble, Midwestern
candidate with a strong faith and unique vision for the country.
As the title suggests, Brownback admits he got into politics in part for the
notoriety and influence. It didn't take long before the seduction of power and
pride began.
"Pride can be especially dangerous in a place like the United States Senate,
where the walls are marble, and you're never wrong, at least according to your
press releases," says Brownback.
But he found a new way and purpose that he spells out sincerely for readers.
Brownback describes a need for our country and the Republican Party to expand to
include more ideas based on compassion, renewing the family and rebuilding the
culture.
Describing himself as a "bleeding-heart conservative," Brownback calls on the
country to care as much about the child in Darfur as the child next door, as
much about prison reform as tax reform, and the need for national reconciliation
and the important role of faith in the public square.
Brownback details the compassionate work he has done to end horrors such as the
genocide in Darfur, the repulsive violence in northern Uganda and the barbaric
sex slave industry in the Sudan. He takes readers on a journey around the globe
that leaves them uplifted by its possibilities.
"Americans can forge a path upward by looking inward. A great deal is riding on
this generation," he writes.
On the Issues
Iraq: "Victory in this part of the world requires a political solution to match
our military presence there. I think it's important to look seriously at the
option of keeping Iraq together as a loose federation of separate states with a
Kurdish area, a Sunni area, and a Shiite area, with Baghdad as a federal city.
Both of our political parties will need to be very responsible here, or we could
see even greater carnage in the Middle East."
Abortion: "Under the delusion that we're so modern, scientific, wise and in
control of our world, society has been trying to play God and we're paying a
price for that."
Immigration: "We have people crossing our borders illegally and breaking our
laws. There need to be consequences for any individual who comes here illegally.
As much as we can, we also should be as compassionate as possible helping people
in difficult circumstances."
Heath Care: "I don't think most Americans want more government in their health
care system. I'd like to see a greater emphasis on Health Savings Accounts. HSAs
allow you to set aside your own money, tax exempt, to buy a medical insurance
policy."
Marriage: "In too many ways we've allowed, even encouraged, the decline of the
family unit. And we can't let the culture redefine the family for us, so that
the family is any group of people who happen to live together. We need more
commitment to marriage, not less."
Taxes and the Economy: "I think the current tax code should be taken behind the
barn and killed with a dull axe. I strongly support an optional flat tax as a
means to offer Americans a choice while we work to reform the current tax code.
But step two of balancing the budget is to restrain federal spending."
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Sam
Brownback has spent his life in the service of others. He was born in
Parker, Kansas and raised on a farm where his mother and father still live. He
was a leader in high school, in Future Farmers of America as state president, as
student body president at Kansas State University and president of his class at
University of Kansas Law School. Sam served as a White House Fellow in the
first Bush Administration and was the youngest Secretary of Agriculture in
Kansas history. When he was 38, he was elected to the House of Representatives
with the Republican Revolution in 1994. In 1996, he was elected to the U.S.
Senate seat held by Bob Dole.
In the U.S. Senate, Sam serves on the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Joint
Economic Committees. He is the Ranking Member on the Joint Economic Committee,
the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, as
well as the subcommittee responsible for the Constitution. He also serves in the
Helsinki Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, co-chairs the Senate
Cancer Coalition and the Human Rights Caucus, chairs the Senate Values Action
Team, and is a founding member of the Senate Fiscal Watch Team.
Sam has earned a well-deserved reputation for expertise and genuine concern
in a wide range of issue areas. He is currently focused on defending and
promoting traditional marriage, building market- and consumer-based solutions to
health care reform, and meaningful tax reform including an optional flat tax. He
has worked hard to ensure that we confirm judges who will interpret the law and
not legislate from the bench, to create a BRAC-like commission to review and
terminate failed or completed federal programs, to protect and renew our
American culture, and to defend human life. He is actively engaged in re-opening
the U.S. beef trade in Asia, stopping genocide in Darfur, incentivizing drug
companies to find cures to neglected diseases throughout the world, and
spreading democracy and human rights in Iran and North Korea.
His colleagues say he is one of the most sincere people in Congress, and even
those who don't agree with him never doubt his conviction and appreciate the
respectful way he debates even the most contentious of issues. The compassion
with which he approaches the full range of issues is exactly what we need in our
leaders.
The Economist called Sam "The Wilberforce Republican." And the New York Times
declared that he is "one of the most conservative, religious, fascinating --
and, in many ways, admirable -- politicians in America today."
Over the years, Sam has been a radio broadcaster, attorney, teacher,
administrator, congressman and senator. Senator Brownback and his wife Mary have
five children.
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