Happy Veterans Day: And we fight on

"Posterity -- you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, April 26, 1777

Dear __, This Veterans Day weekend we honor all the brave men and women who have given so selflessly to keep our nation safe and our liberties secure. This is also a time to thank those who currently serve in uniform -- many of whom are deployed right now around the globe in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism. With millions of active duty, reserve, and retired service members across the country and more than 50,000 veterans calling #VA07 their home, we can’t thank them enough for their courage and their sacrifice.

Our nation's military is the most feared and respected in the entire world. A well-trained, well-equipped, and well-resourced military helps ensure peace both overseas and here at home.

Last night, Laura and I were happy and honored to be with 1,800 Marines celebrating a great tradition, The Marine Corps Ball, and the 242nd birthday of the US Marine Corps. This annual ball is both a beautiful ceremony, and a wonderful opportunity for the Marines to have some fun with their brothers and sisters. I was happy to meet and talk with 2nd Lt. Eric Taylor, Randolph-Macon Class of '14. He will be heading to Pensacola for flight school in March. Thank you for your service and God Bless you and your fellow Marines!!

As your representative, I have supported legislation to keep our promises to our veterans. This year, we demanded accountability so employees at the VA can be fired, demoted, or suspended for not doing their jobs properly. For those brave men and women currently serving, we increased defense funding to counter threats and enhance our military readiness. We also provided service members with their biggest pay raise in eight years

I look forward to participating in several Veterans Day ceremonies this weekend to honor those who have served, and to thank our veterans for defending freedom so that we may enjoy the many blessings of liberty. ________________________________________

After the Election: Congratulations and Thanks First, I want to congratulate my friends who won their races on Tuesday! Everyone fought hard for the opportunity to make a difference in the future of our Commonwealth and I look forward to supporting their efforts and working together to advance commonsense, conservative principles.

A huge thank you to all of our candidates and especially our statewide candidates Ed Gillespie, Jill Vogel and John Adams for fighting the good fight -- they worked hard every minute of every day to reach voters all across our great state with a positive inclusive message of prosperity for all Virginians. Thank you to their families, their dedicated staff and volunteers who gave so much of themselves over many, many months.

Everyone is of course asking what Tuesday's results mean for our party and for 2018. The Democratic Party is very motivated by anger over losing the 2016 election and the Republican Party has not delivered on the promises they won on. The Senate has repeatedly blocked legislation that the American people want, and key reforms that they expected to be passed with Republican majorities. The House has done its job passing reforms that will make your lives better, only to have them get lost in the Swamp of the Senate where reforms are turned into excuses.

Added to that, two weeks before Election Day, the new rates for health insurance on the Obamacare exchange were released. No shocker to see that the rates are going up, ever up and the Democrats' only solution is to double down on their failed government mandate-driven system. The American people rightly ask how they are expected to be able to cover even more increases in premiums that were already exceeding their ability to pay. Yesterday's exit polls showed that healthcare was the most important issue to voters. When your party runs on repealing a failed healthcare system that is devastating Americans financially, and then fails to deliver -- that is going to inflict damage that is hard to overcome. Coupled with out of state money pounding on that message, it had a major impact.

After the polls closed and races were called, I was on Fox News where I talked with Neil Cavuto about the election results. Ed Gillespie ran a great campaign on rational Virginia policy but Republicans needed to do a better job contrasting our positions and solutions with those offered by Democrats on the national issues that affect the state -- big and basic issues like immigration, tax policy and healthcare, and the internal war against the values and institutions that made America great. This war by the left for America's "fundamental change" questions our civic traditions and foments distrust in revered institutions that have been instrumental in teaching what America is and what she represents in the history of the world. For example, Democrats put out their progressive budget a couple of weeks ago to cement their addiction to government control. It asked for a $10 trillion tax increase -- astronomical numbers, yet that was hardly mentioned. :

One of the key lessons from this election cycle is the same one we've so often failed to heed: we need to govern as we promised during our campaigns, and we must work together to deliver reforms that will put Americans back in charge of their own future. Promises matter -- and I will continue to fight to keep the promises I've made to voters. ________________________________________ After a four-day markup, the House Ways and Means Committee passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on Thursday. The House is set to consider this legislation on the floor next week to lower individual tax rates, spur economic growth and create jobs, and create a simpler and fairer tax code.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will encourage American companies to bring their jobs and operations back home. Lowering our corporate tax rate to 20% -- down from 35%, which today is the highest in the industrialized world -- means that workers and job creators in the United States will once again have a competitive edge globally. And, it prevents American jobs, headquarters, and research from moving overseas by eliminating incentives that now reward companies for shifting jobs, profits, and manufacturing plants abroad. We're also making it easier for Main Street entrepreneurs to start or expand a business, hire workers, and increase paychecks. So this means: Get ready to see more Proudly Made in the USA, more jobs, more wage growth and more money in your pocket.

A side note: How Tax Brackets Affect You With any big reforms like this there are many questions. Here is one that I received through my website this week: "I am letting you know that my taxes would go up under the GOP tax plan. I was in the 33% bracket and now I fall into the 35% and will lose deductions." I thought I would address that question here as there are a lot of misconceptions and myths about how tax brackets work. Some people think that if they earn more money, they are pushed into a higher tax bracket for every dollar that they earn. They think they will pay more taxes and have less money left over than they would if they had worked less and earned less. That is not true so I want to take a minute here to explain how tax brackets affect you. Of course, everyone's situation is different but the basic rule is that working more and earning more does not change all the dollars in taxes you pay at the lower rates. For example, under the new plan a family of four pays 12% on all dollars up to $90,000 and a 25% rate on additional dollars up to $260,000.

Unless you are in the lowest tax bracket, you actually always have two or more tax brackets applied to your income, including the lowest brackets for your first earned dollars.

And then compare that to what you pay under the current code: http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/tax-planning/1040-form-tax-calculator.aspx ________________________________________ Immigration News: I will be Introducing a Bill that Puts American Workers First President Trump has asked Congress to come up with a legislative solution on DACA and we need to make sure that the American people have a seat at the table in any negotiation. Mandatory E-Verify, ending chain migration and getting rid of the diversity visa lottery are key priorities that must be met before any DACA deal. It's time to act: I will be introducing a bill with these three components that will go a long way towards fixing our immigration system and putting American workers first.

Stay tuned. For daily updates on my work in Congress and around the district, follow me and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Your feedback there is appreciated! You can also contact me through my website here: www.davebrat.com/contact.

Some information from the congressman who put eric cantor out to pasture.

He talks about veterans, USMC anniversary, and goings on in DC.

Had to cheat a bit using Dave’s website address as the source of this e-mail

All honorably discharged vets can now shop at the exchanges, via the internet.

Go on line and scan your copy of your discharge paper into the system. Gmail worked the best for me versus Comcast.

https://www.shopmyexchange.com

...."THE SOLDIER ABOVE ALL OTHERS PRAYS FOR PEACE, FOR IT IS

THE SOLDIER WHO MUST SUFFER AND BEAR THE DEEPEST

WOUNDS AND SCARS OF WAR".....

DOUGLAS MACARTHUR

From my friend’s father who was a Korean War Veteran:

This United States Marine

It was his first night in Korea,
The stars were bright and clean;
The very first night of combat,
For this United States Marine.

The moon was high above the mountains
And glistened on the snow
That covered the rocky hillside
And the valley down below.

Then he heard their bugles loud and clear
That echoed through the night;
He saw the rocks turn into men
And he held his rifle tight.

The flares lit up the valley
And he saw the quilted men;
He raised and fired his rifle once,
And then fired it once again.

The human wave came up the hill,
Each step brought them higher;
They seemed to take no heed at all
To the land mines and barbed wire.

He fought them hand-to-hand
With knife and bayonet
Until the ground around his feet
Was dark and red and wet.

He drove them from the bunkers
Till up they came no more,
And twisted, quilted bodies lay
Upon the valley floor.

He stood there silently and looked
At sights he’d never seen;
He had held his ground against all odds,
This United States Marine

Mitch Stovall - USMC

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