MidnightBlue

I have the pleasure of viewing this sign every day on I-95 while commuting to and from work. Today, the traffic was snarled more so than usual, so I had the opportunity to grab my Nikon and capture a good picture of this sign without causing a muti-car collision.

During my lengthy commute this morning, I realized that the author of the sign is partially correct..Santorum is good, but his talents are not limited to the Senate. Obviously, there is not enough billboard space to list all the reasons why Santorum is good for the Senate, AND Pennsylvania. I figured I'd use my blog-space to continue the train of thought initated by the author of these billboards:

Rick Santorum is good for Senate.....AND.....

Agriculture:
Farmland Preservation ProgramRick Santorum played a pivotal role in creating the Farmland Preservation Program that was included in the 1996 Farm Bill, which provides federal funding to assist state and local farmland preservation efforts. Over 13,000 acres of Pennsylvania farmland are part of this program, which preserves and protects this precious land across the Commonwealth.

Compassion:
Rick also supports funding the Millennium Challenge Account, which provides grants, above and beyond existing aid, to poor countries that adopt sound economic policies. Countries are able to receive grants by showing their commitment to good governance, the rule of law, human rights protection, and a transparent economic system.

Fighting Poverty:
Rick has been a leader in the Senate on its Anti-Poverty Agenda. This effort establishes a vision for alleviating poverty and aims to find legislative solutions for the problem. Committed to provide housing opportunities in many of Pennsylvania’s low-and moderate-income neighborhoods, Rick has proposed the Community Development Homeownership Tax Credit.

Conservation:
Highlands Conservation Act: Rick Santorum was successful in passing the Highlands Conservation Act, which authorizes $100 million over 10 years for land conservation projects located within the Highlands region.

Abandoned Mine Lands: Rick is working to address the issue of abandoned mine reclamation. Abandoned Mine Lands (AMLs) cover more than 189,000 acres of land and 3,100 miles of streams in Pennsylvania

Education:
No Child Left Behind Act: Rick Santorum supported the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which has been the most historic legislative initiative enhancing education opportunities to pass Congress in decades.

Education Savings AccountsRick Santorum supports expanding Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) to make it easier for parents to invest in their children's education.

Energy:
Energy Policy Act: Rick has long been a vocal advocate of the need for a national energy policy and supported passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 Clean Coal Power Initiatives.

Arctic National Wildlife RefugeThe Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has the potential to play a significant role in reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and Rick supports exploring this area in a safe and environmentally sound way. (YEAH!)

Health Care:
Medical Liability Reform: Rick is committed to addressing the need for medical liability reform. The American Medical Association (AMA) identifies Pennsylvania as one of 21 states where the malpractice climate has reached "crisis proportions."

Family Ban on Partial Birth AbortionIn 2003, Rick championed legislation to ban the gruesome procedure known as partial birth abortion. The Partial-Birth Abortion (PBA) Ban Act of 2003 passed both Houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Bush on November 5, 2003.

Furthering Stem Cell Research: Rick Santorum supports stem cell research, when it does not involve the destruction of human embryos or that is based on the prior destruction of human life. Rick is a strong supporter of cord blood stem cell research, which serves as an ethical and viable means to treat patients and cure disease. In addition to umbilical cord blood, other adult stem cell research has shown tremendous promise in helping to cure people.

Unborn Victims of Violence Act: Rick has also been an ardent supporter of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. This bill, known as "Laci and Conner's Law," makes it a federal crime to harm an unborn child during an assault on a pregnant woman.

Immigration/Border Security:
Rick Santorum believes that border security must be addressed first and foremost. He supports building a wall along a portion of our southern border, temporarily increasing the presence of our National Guard at the border, and substantially increasing the number of border patrol agents.

No Amnesty: Giving blanket amnesty, approving guest worker programs masked as amnesty, or charging nominal fines to become an American citizen mocks and demeans the sacrifices of legal immigrants.

Jobs & Economy:
Pension ProtectionIn 2005, the Senate passed S. 1783, the Pension Security and Transparency Act of 2005, which strengthens pensions to better protect the retirement security of hard-working Americans.

Safety & Security:
Protecting Pennsylvania's Defense AssetsPennsylvania's military base communities play a critical role in ensuring our national security, and Rick Santorum worked to present a strong case to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission regarding the military value of each of our state's basesSupporting the

Pre-War Iraqi Documents (Project HARMONY) In an effort to continue to assess and learn about events leading up to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Senator Santorum introduced Project HARMONY (S.2408) a bill to require the Director of National Intelligence to release documents captured in Afghanistan or Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Whew..what a list! This is the edited version, you should see the full listing. As you can see, this is way, way too much info for a billboard or two.

A catchy slogan can never relate the WHOLE story, only highlight what has been omitted. I'm sure the intent of these billboards was to educate the public to the benefits that Senator Santorum's leadership offers to the citizens of Pennsylvania :)