The most critical issue our nation faces is the irresponsible spending by our government and the out-of-control debt it has created. Our federal budget has been so poorly managed during the past few decades that now our country’s unhealthy fiscal situation impacts everything else government, businesses and individuals do. Everyone inherently knows that one cannot continue to spend more than one makes – what is true for our personal home budgets is true for our nation. Attempting to spend ourselves into prosperity is akin to standing in a bucket and trying to lift ourselves up by the handle.
I will work to prioritize spending with an eye on meeting our obligations, making strategic investments in small business growth, and providing assistance to those who truly need it. Then I will quickly move to cut our nation’s spending through a return to the core Constitutional duties of the federal government.
I agree with Ronald Reagan’s doctrine of “peace through strength”. Our federal government is charged with ensuring the safety of its citizens, and the best deterrent to hostilities is a strong, well- equipped military. We must remain willing and able to assist our allies in times of trouble as well. And, we must remember, that it’s the American military that is first on the scene to provide help when natural disasters occur anywhere in the world.
To ensure a strong military, we must support and promote our military personnel and our veterans; which includes taking care of their families. Without a shred of doubt, our men and women serving in our armed forces represent the best of our nation and exemplify sacrificial service and leadership. We are at war and these brave Americans give their all to keep us safe and free. Our efforts to support and honor them should always be at the top of our nation’s agenda; they deserve more than the political games and weak leadership under which they now operate.
I believe the free market works; and, we can use it to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the world. The “invisible hand” that incentivizes individuals to better themselves by providing needed and useful goods and services to others was clearly understood by our founding fathers.
To rebuild our economy and create jobs I will work to make it as easy as possible for individuals to create small businesses, innovate, and find ways to provide valuable goods and services to the market. I will help unshackle entrepreneurs from over-burdensome regulation that hamstrings business start-up and expansion and subsequent job creation. Such policies will unleash the innovative spirit of our great nation, create demand for our nations’ goods and services and, in turn, grow our economy and generate more jobs. It is a virtuous circle of success to which we must return.
America must be self-reliant. If we wish to secure our freedoms and way of life for our children, this must be a top priority for Congress. Although we are part of a global economy, the ability of our nation to stand on principle and lead with integrity is directly related to our ability to be free from dependence on foreign products and services. To further this cause, I fully support opening all domestic energy options available to us and doing so now. There is no time to wait, and we can do it now in an environmentally friendly way.
Furthermore, we must position our private sector as the world’s leader in alternative/clean energy production, with a keen focus on exportable production and return on investment. If we are the global leader of cost-effective, easily accessible, and affordable energy production, we’ll not only secure our national interests and fortify our economy, but help the rest of the world at the same time.
We must be honest and admit that our current government-run education system is failing our children and, thus, failing our nation. The return on investment that we realize on our taxes spent on public education is unacceptable. If our educational system were a small business it would have collapsed and gone bankrupt long ago.
Education should be a major focus of investment for our nation, and it is my deeply settled conviction that we should tie our budgeted money to each child. Freedom of choice in education will open the playing field to cost-effective and innovative alternatives for schooling.
The Second Amendment is the single most important right guaranteed to us in the Constitution. It alone gives us the means to defend our individual liberties, and assures that our many other Constitutional rights are never taken from us. I will whole-heartedly defend this right as your next Congressman.
I believe that all Americans should have access to affordable and effective healthcare options for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, the legislation passed by Congress in 2010, commonly known as “Obamacare”, does not accomplish this and should be repealed. A one-size fits all approach is as inappropriate in healthcare as it is in education. Furthermore, I believe that several elements of “Obamacare” are unconstitutional and will hurt the finances of both our state and federal governments while falling short in providing real benefits to our families.
I pledge to make it a top priority to replace this legislation with an effective, patient-centered, free- market driven solution to our healthcare access problems.
There is a truth in life: “what gets measured gets done.” I personally believe that government in general, and Congress in particular, is far too ineffective. The fundamental reason for this is that it is not publicly measured against clearly defined goal sets. What’s more, as conservatives it is no longer sufficient to be “right” on the issues; we must be effective in our policies as well.
I personally pledge to post quarterly goals for you to review and against which you can hold me accountable. These goals will be qualified and quantifiably measurable so that you may judge my effectiveness toward achieving them and rate my performance. I will also personally engage each county within our District each quarter so that you will have the opportunity to hold me responsible. And, together, we will make progress against these goals.
Never before has the need to bring strong, experienced, business expertise to Washington, DC been more pressing. It amazes me that career politicians, lawyers, and lobbyists dominate the ranks of our government, while those with real-world skill sets are left wondering why more isn’t being done. I truly believe that we need more people with principled leadership skills honed in the private sector, capable of managing real deadlines and real budgets, to step up and affect real change. That’s why I want to be the next Congressman from Washington’s 6th District.
Our environment is of critical importance to our nation and the world. I believe it is our scientists who should lead the scientific community in research into understanding the true cause and effect relationships our actions have on our world. As climate change scandals have shown, the United States should never allow its policies to be dictated by the United Nations or any other foreign interest. We truly have a chance to lead the world with open and honest research, and I would support legislation that promotes truth in discourse. Such research would be a strategic asset for our nation, and keep us from wastefully investing time and money on agenda-driven junk science.
Furthermore, we must recognize that we, as a People, are good stewards of our environment, and therefore have every right to utilize our natural resources, free from over-bearing, special-interest- driven regulation.
The majority of us are Americans because our ancestors came here one, two or many generations ago. I believe that we must continue to offer a “better life” for talented and productive people from around the world. However, our porous borders impact our national security and sovereignty as a nation. Therefore, I support:
1. Enforcing our current laws without apology. We are a nation of laws. Therefore, people here illegally who are caught must be sent home, and we must support states such as Arizona which enact legislation mimicking federal law.
2. Building a fence now to curtail the flow of illegal immigration. Anyone who doesn’t believe we can build an effective fence hasn’t seen us put a man on the moon. Furthermore, it’s the only way to make sure that border control policy doesn’t wax and wane with the changing of our political leadership.
3. Not changing the subject, but stopping the source of the problem. Any discussion beyond building a fence is simply a delay tactic to duck the issue -- “comprehensive immigration reform” is a smoke screen being used to avoid addressing effective border control. It doesn’t make sense to bail water if the leak is unplugged.
4. Recognizing that illegal immigration is a national security issue and treat it as such. Peoples of all nationalities and with a myriad of motivations are crossing our borders unchecked – some of these individuals may not have the best of intentions!
5. Using the fence to reduce illegal immigration, then effectively addressing how to handle those here illegally and how to promote immigration of those who will bring needed talents to America.
I am a firm supporter of enacting term limits within Congress. This is truly a matter of prudence; America appears to be waking up to the inherent problems caused by career politicians. Serving in Washington, DC is much different than living and working in the real world, and minus a change in environment, even the best public servants will eventually lose touch with their constituents. I will work to enact this common sense principle in our nation’s capital.
Additionally, I will promote the idea of changing the seniority rules within our Congress. Our ever-changing world demands a cycling of new ideas, and longevity does not equate to effective or qualified leadership.