Common sense dictates that the first thing you do when you are in a leaky boat is fix the hole and then bail out the water. We must secure the borders and stop the flow of illegal immigrants. Forty percent of them have arrived since 9/11, which clearly contradicts our increased Homeland Security efforts. An estimated $20 billion in "remittances" from those illegal immigrants is sent home to Mexico each year. Thus, it is no surprise that Mexico offers no real solution and is content with the status quo. In the spirit of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, we must also address the hopeless backlog of applications for legal entry and citizenship while also not repeating the error of 20 years ago when America granted amnesty to three million illegal immigrants on the assumption that it would put an end to the problem. Employers must respect and enforce the law and local law enforcement must have full authority to enforce Federal Immigration Laws when they discover illegal entry into this country.

9. What is the one area where you see a real difference between you and your major party opponent?

The incumbent wants the Democrats in Washington to have majority control of Congress. I do not. We know what their national agenda is and Utah does not support it. It does not put Utah first to make Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco Speaker of the House and set in motion a dangerous shift in the direction of our country. AMERICA NEEDS UTAH. This election has serious national consequences. If allowed to take control, the Democrats in Washington will retreat and abandon Iraq, endlessly go after the president, raise taxes, eliminate our missile defense system and allow extreme environmental regulations to prevent development of new oil sources in this country (including Utah), while also denying access to our public lands.

10. Responses to questions from Democratic candidate Jim Matheson:

1. Utahns have a long tradition of working the land, as family farmers and ranchers. Should the state of Utah enter into a federal milk marketing order?

This is a complex issue and is still unfolding. Utah has already experienced the hardship of being pushed into a less favorable region than before. Legal challenges have been raised to the current system that differentiates between separate classes of milk products. I will work with the Utah dairy industry, Farm Bureau and Utah consumers to make sure all concerns are fully and fairly addressed. This includes greater freedom in the process to present amendments to any proposed order before action is taken.

2. After working hard all their lives, Utahns deserve a safe and secure retirement. Should all pension plan sponsors have the same amortization period for unfunded pension liabilities?

When pension systems are established and promised to employees, they must be fairly and honestly funded and administered. When that does not occur, taxpayers are forced to prop up the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The airlines are vital to our economy. Their unfunded employee pensions are a recent example of what happens when a company does not have the money to fully fund its obligations to its employees. The Pension Reform Act addresses these concerns. The airlines, however, have needed additional time to make up their shortfall. Giving them extended time to pay has been a better "work out" than a taxpayer funded bailout. I support the reforms in the Pension Reform Act and the relief extended to the airlines.

Also, among the greatest threats to retaining lifetime earnings is the hated death tax that can take more than 50 percent of your assets when you die. The Republicans want to repeal that tax but the Democrats in Washington do not.