The National Intelligence Director needs the authority to do the job we are asking him to do. That means power over the intelligence budget. And to be effective, to be allowed to do his or her job, they must have authority over the budget.

The 9/11 Commission strongly recommends that the National Intelligence Director be fully in control of the budget, from developing it to implementing it, to ensuring that the National Intelligence Director has the clout to make decisions.

I am committed to ensure that our intelligence community, law enforcement, medical professionals, and military have the information and funding needed to protect the American people from threats at home and abroad.

As the world's sole remaining super power and economic powerhouses, our nation's ability to be at the forefront of innovation and production has enabled unparalleled economic success of our nation's workforce.

The fact is that our kids aren't reading books - or frankly, much of anything lately. Schools are under funded, some schools even closing their libraries. Parents have to realize that it's their job, and not the school's job, to get kids into the habit of reading for fun.

By working to ensure we live in a society that prioritizes public safety, education, and innovation, entrepreneurship can thrive and create a better world for all of us to live in.

Unless children have strong education and strong families and strong communities and decent housing, it's not enough to go sit in at a lunch counter.

If someone thinks that education, health, infrastructure all are different sectors and issues and they ought to be fought independently, then they are mistaken. There is an underlying pattern in the process. And that is bad governance.