To answer the question of rising health-care costs I must first address the fact that an alarming number of Americans are without any type of health insurance. The federal government must help small businesses to shoulder some of their health-care needs so that all of their workers have coverage. Heath savings accounts would be a positive step forward to reduce the costs of health care.

17. What is your definition of the term amnesty as applied to illegal immigration?

Amnesty is most easily defined as a reward for breaking the law. It's a reward for the employers who have exploited immigrant workers, a reward for people who have been living and working illegally in America, a reward for the drug runners and coyotes who have the blood of desperate, impoverished people on their hands. Amnesty simply will not work.

18. What are the economic impacts of illegal immigration, good and bad, and what are your sources for your information?

Though most natives are more skilled and thus do not face significant job competition from immigrants, more than 10 million natives who lack a high school degree do face significant job competition from immigrants.

Illegal immigrants make it harder for people who wish to immigrate legally find employment at a reasonable wage.

The economic benefit to using "low-cost illegal workers" is negligible. Illegal immigrants don't pay taxes; therefore the community is not financially benefited by their employment, and the only economic benefits are seen by the companies that illegally employ them.

19. The nation does appear to be facing a coming shortage of workers. How should America deal with that? Is a program for recognizing illegal immigrants the right way to do it?

I would disagree with the notion that our nation is facing a shortage of workers. With the current unemployment rates, this country is full of workers, ready to work. The problem that we are facing is the jobs they need have been outsourced in the name of increasing corporate profits. We must stimulate the economy by producing jobs and getting America back to work.