As the elections approach we have interviewed the two candidates for US Senate in Virginia. Below you will find my interview with Senate George Allen, our incumbent US Senator in Virginia. Prior to this interview I had the opportunity to attend a local meeting with Senator George Allen where he addressed some local issues on transportation and the recent local treat from the power companies that would scare our country side with 500 mega watt transmission power lines. When the senator was asked about his position of these lines by the Mayor of Purcellville he responded to this issue by saying "These Transmission lines will not come through this country side and we will not allow the power of eminent domain will not be used to take this land for the power company's profits." I am impressed and pleased with his response so I thought it important to include in the article. Now on to the rest of the interview. Please remember to vote on November 7th.

How do you and your opponent differ on taxes?

I am a consistent supporter of lessening the tax burden on working men and women, families, small business owners, retired people, and all taxpayers. I worked with my colleague, John Warner, to enact the 2001 and 2003 tax relief provisions that have benefited over 3 million Virginians. These measures must be made permanent to keep the current economic expansion of opportunity growing stronger, including marriage penalty relief, abolishing the death tax, doubling the child tax credit, and providing tax incentives to small businesses. This is a fundamental disagreement between my opponent and me: I trust free people and free enterprise more than a meddlesome, burdensome government. My opponent would join John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and other national Democrats who voted against these tax relief measures.

What is your position on illegal immigration?

We must take steps to secure our borders. We are a nation of immigrants – my own mother is an immigrant – but we are also a nation of laws. The federal government has failed in its primary responsibility to secure our borders. We need greater enforcement and more border patrol personnel and detention centers, as well as actual and virtual fences. I supported passage of the "Secure Fence Act of 2006" to gain better control over our borders through construction of a fence along the United States' southwest border. A nation that cannot secure its own borders cannot protect its own people. In addition, we cannot reward illegal behavior through amnesty. If the U.S. government rewards illegal behavior with amnesty, we will get more illegal behavior.

How do you determine how you vote on federal judge nominations?

Judges should be committed to the rule of law and understand the proper, restrained role of a judge in our representative democracy. In our Republic, it is the right of the people and their elected representatives to make laws as they deem appropriate and that this right cannot be usurped by unelected federal judges who would inject their personal views in activist rulings. They weaken our sovereignty by striking down state laws using international standards. You see judges—including the Supreme Court of the United States—allowing these lords in New London, Connecticut to take peoples' homes—the American Dream—not for a school, not for a road, but because they want to derive more tax revenue from that property. Now that's why we need judges in the United States—especially federal judges who are appointed for life – who understand that the role of a judge is to apply the law, not invent the law, and not to amend our Bill of Rights by judicial decree.

What would you do to address rising energy costs?

For America to be free and independent and the masters of our own destiny, we must declare an end to our strategic dependence on oil from the Middle East and from any other foreign source that has the potential to jeopardize our national security and economic vitality. We must commit every effort and resource to the achievement of this national purpose. I recently announced a "Strategic Plan for American Independence from Middle East Oil" and I am taking a leadership role in the Senate to make this a reality. My comprehensive and strategic plan for independence from Middle East and other foreign oil includes five essential elements:

0. Strategic use of our global economic power and international relationships to remove the oil-based leverage from hostile states.

0. Accelerated exploration and development of domestic energy supplies – oil, (including exploration in ANWR and offshore), natural gas, clean coal, and advanced nuclear.

0. Accelerated research and development of alternative and renewable energy sources –soy diesel and ethanol, hybrids, solar power, and nanotech-enabled lithium ion batteries.

0. Investment in the next generation of leading-edge scientists, researchers, and engineers of advanced technology.

0. An unequivocal declaration of our national security commitment to energy independence.

Why should Virginians vote for you?

For more than a decade, I've had the distinct honor of serving Virginians as Governor and now in the United States Senate. As we move forward, I am advocating three key missions for the future of Virginia and America. First and foremost, we must protect our freedoms – that means supporting our troops in the War on Terror, securing our borders, and making America less dependent on foreign sources of energy.

Second, we must make America a land of opportunity for all – lower taxes, less litigation, less regulation, more personalized healthcare options, and improved educational opportunities, especially in the areas of science, engineering, and technology. I want America to maintain its competitiveness so we can continue to be the world capital of innovation.

Third, we must preserve our foundational values – ensuring that unelected federal judges who are appointed for life do not disregard the will, the desire, and the hope of the American people.