Issues

Balancing the Budget, Reducing the Debt

In order to get control of our spending we must end the automatic budget increases associated with baseline budgeting. We should transition to zero based budgeting or “family” budgeting. President Obama has increased the federal debt by $5 trillion in just 3 years of his Presidency, and due to historically reckless spending, created record deficits of $1.42 trillion, $1.29 trillion and $1.3 trillion in the last three Fiscal Years. We now see more than 41 cents of every dollar being borrowed and 47% of the federal debt owned by foreign nations like China. As a result of this massive spending, unemployment has remained between 8 percent and 9 percent for the past three years, yet President Obama continues to push government spending as an economic cure-all.

We must get our government out of the way of American Businesses. I will support measures that reduce the tax burden and encourage economic development so businesses are free to expand, grow and hire new employees. The increased capital formation and business investment in America will spur the job creation we need. An efficient and transparent tax code will decrease the cost of compliance to businesses and the American people.

Debt has already surpassed 100 percent of GDP. The United States is heading towards a fiscal and economic train wreck at breakneck speed, similarly to the situation in Greece and President Obama and liberals in Congress are jamming on the accelerator. I will support immediately returning spending to 2008 levels and enacting a Balanced Budget Amendment to put a stop to reckless Federal spending once and for all. Then the next step would be passing a balanced budget amendment that tie spending levels to GDP.

Jobs

Jobs are Priority #1. Creating jobs is not the business of government. Creating an environment where private sector entrepreneurs employ Americans is the business of government. For the United States to return to full employment, finding work for the currently unemployed and accommodating new entrants into the labor force this decade, the US economy will need to create 21 million jobs by 2020. This will require not only a robust economic recovery but also a concerted effort to address other factors that impede employment, including growing gaps in skill and education.

I will support measures that develop the US workforce-skill to better match what employers are looking for, expand US workers’ share of global economic growth by attracting foreign investment and spurring exports, revive the nation’s spark by supporting emerging industries, ensuring more of them scale up in the United States, and reviving new business start-ups and speed up regulatory decision-making that blocks business expansion and new investment. In other words, “we all have to get to work.”

Healthcare Reform

Healthcare in America is far superior to anywhere else in the world, but it still has serious problems that need to be addressed. Cost, access, and treatment of preexisting conditions are all serious concerns. That being said America continually leads the way in medical transformation and innovation. Whether it is genetic treatment, mapping the human genome, providing quality care to all, or leading the world in cures, there is a reason people flock to America for treatment.  The Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare”, took a few good ideas and loaded them down with thousands of pages of bad ones. A myriad of new taxes and regulations, thousands of new IRS agents and an unconstitutional mandate requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance are just a few examples.

We must expand and strengthen Medicare Advantage and TRICARE for our Veterans. I will support any measure that will repeal, replace or De-fund Obamacare. I will support allowing insurance to be purchased across states lines, a commonsense measure that will create more competition and lower costs. We badly need tort reform at the federal level to reduce the cost of lawsuits and other abuses. Consumer choice, coupled with robust competition, plus individual ownership and responsibility will lead to more affordable coverage for all Americans.

Family Values

I believe that we, as a nation, must never forget that our rights come from God Almighty, and that the Judeo-Christian values that have sustained humanity for millennia; marriage between a man and a woman, respect for life, and a common sense of right and wrong, should be reflected in our government.

There are certain rights guaranteed to all Americans.  But those rights are enumerated and restricted to the plain text of the Constitution. I will advocate for the defeat of any federal statute or decision that attempts to reach beyond the scope of the federal government, as well as continue to advocate for a pro-family and pro-life agenda. That means Life – from conception to natural death.