Mercedes Schlapp

How many times did your parents tell you to eat your food because there were starving children in Africa? Throwing away food was considered a sin in my family.

Roe v. Wade used raw judicial power to overturn the democratically passed laws in every state in the country and remove state restrictions on abortion.

Faith is a gift. Some feel like they were never blessed with it, others just casually let it fall away.

For my family, belief in God and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings such hope and promise to our lives. It strengthens our family and our marriage as we focus on Christ as our example of pure love, compassion and tolerance towards others. This positive message is one that helps us become better people each day.

With increasing poverty, welfare dependency and violence in the United States, religion and religious organizations have an important role to play combating societal problems.

Religions based on the principle of service and a focus on the less fortunate help a society deal with want.

Our veterans only deserve the highest standard of health care quality.

The Veterans Health Administration is a perfect case study of how government should stay out of patient care altogether.

We need to ensure that veterans are in charge of their health care and not the government.

The Veterans Health Administration's socialized style of medicine, where the government is in charge of the hospitals and managing our veterans' health care, simply does not work.

I have learned a valuable lesson from my own mother: Good nutrition starts in the home. In my home, it takes some negotiating: eat a vegetable and you may get a special treat. It seems to work for my five children.

As a working mother of a large family, preparing meals and shopping for groceries is time consuming and hard work.

Allowing flexibility to local school districts to set their own nutritional standards and having parents involved in the process is a win-win for the students.

Americans are waking up to the tragedy of abortions.

The U.S. should not continue to ignore Latin America. Our nation shares regional and cultural ties with these neighboring countries.

Thousands of children entering the country illegally have become the face of the immigration crisis in the U.S.

The job of the press is to defend their institution, hold the government accountable and freely report and gather information.

Unfortunately, our country has become so politically polarized that one side routinely attempts to destroy and discredit the other.

On the IRS website, they claim to be one of the world's most efficient tax administrators. The IRS officials might know how to collect taxes, but surely know how to misspend the funds.

Employing a low-key, Midwestern charisma, Mike Pence proved he knows how to win over an audience.

I will tell my children that Mr. Trump fought for the little guy, for the mom and pop in Erie County who lost all hope. While Mr. Trump was far from perfect, he stood by people of faith who love America.

The government and politicians should listen to the people instead of preaching from their secular pulpits on how the rest of us should live our lives.

Solutions and ideas should come from the bottom up, generated by local communities and not mandated from Washington.

The Clintons engage routinely in corrupt practices, mixing their political power with their nonprofit work to make themselves rich, while not standing up for the little guy.

Hearing Mr. Trump in person, I finally understood why millions of voters, especially voters who have been ignored and left behind in this economy, connect with him.

Politicians need to stop picking sides and come up with bold solutions where the safety and security of all citizens become a priority.

Is Trump correct that we should stop the flow of illegal immigrants? Yes, but again, words matter, and there is a way to engage voters on this issue without creating fear and insulting many hard-working Hispanics who love this country.

The majority of immigrants are in search of a better life for their families or are seeking safety by leaving violent and corrupt countries.

I have worked with President Trump for two years and he is not a racist. He is a compassionate man whose policies have focused on the minority community.

The Clinton Foundation scandal raises a larger question: How can we trust Hillary Clinton with running our nation if she cannot even successfully manage her own foundation?

A campaign adviser can change the outside appearance of the candidate, but the ideology and personality of the candidate remains the same.

War is brutal, barbaric and bloody.

It takes bold direction and leadership to heal a divided nation.

Pat Buchanan's challenge to George H.W. Bush in 1992 helped elect Democrat Jimmy Carter.

History has shown that challenging an incumbent president in the primary almost inevitably leads to defeat in the general election.

While low-skilled immigrants have a place in our economy, a greater priority needs to be placed on attracting high-skilled immigrants to match the economy's needs.

For too long the U.S. immigration system has focused on accepting low-skilled immigrants. Basic economics tells us that the surge of low-skilled workers depresses wages and harms the prospects of American workers.

Do liberals think nations such as Canada, Japan, Britain and Australia are pursuing 'racist' immigration policies? All have had merit-based immigration systems in place for decades.

What makes America's election system unique is the fact that even when elections are close, we find a resolution, which leads to the peaceful transition of power that remains one of the most important tenets of our democracy.

For too long, Republicans have surrendered the issue of family policy to the Democrats.

Many social conservatives want to encourage married couples to have children, and it is becoming increasingly difficult if the couple feels strapped and concerned with being penalized by their employer for having children.

I understand the stress of finding quality and affordable childcare while paying high taxes. I also understand that many working moms struggle to make ends meet and balance their family and work life. These moms are the hard-working Americans who want to keep their jobs but also do the best they can for their children.

The questions of traditional and redefined marriage are highly emotional and a difficult and sensitive topic. Living in the D.C. area and having gay friends and colleagues, I find the topic difficult to discuss and sometimes even difficult write about for fear that I will be judged.

We are becoming a society where traditional values and free speech are being diminished and the religious are viewed as having a backward mentality.

Christians and religious individuals are quickly demonized and not tolerated by the dogmatic left if their views differ.

The likeability and popularity of 'Duck Dynasty's' Phil Robertson stem from his quick wit and honest assessment of situations that arise in reality television.

Everyone can relate to being stuck in a traffic jam.

Scandals have impacted many politicians' careers and aspirations. Some have survived, and others have fallen.

Americans hate traffic jams and also dislike power-hungry political figures.

Every woman should have access to quality health care and compassionate abortion alternatives.