Jobs:
““…a three letter word, ‘jobs’, J-O-B-S!” ~ Senator Joe Biden
Our economy is driven by the hopes, dreams and sweat of the American people. It is only because of their individual efforts that new products are invented, markets opened, and jobs created. When left free to operate they are the real engines that create new growth, jobs and prosperity.
Small business owners are responsible for the creation of 3 out of every 4 new jobs in America. If government were truly interested in the creation of new jobs it would leave the work to the real experts and get out of their way. But that is not what Congress has chosen to do.
Instead Congress passed a $700 BILLION dollar stimulus bill which 1) they didn’t read, 2) contributed to an even larger federal deficit, and 3) failed to create any new jobs. Despite promises that, if passed the stimulus bill would keep unemployment under 8%, the current unemployment rate is now above 10%. Not exactly a success story, especially when you realize that almost 4 million people have lost their jobs as a result of their shovel-ready legislation. To add insult to injury, Congress is now considering another round of stimulus spending in order to double down on their failure.
All to often our Congress forgets that people create jobs and government creates bureaucracies. The secret ingredients of a robust economy with sustained job growth are low taxes, restrained government spending and regulations that are targeted to prevent monopolies, consumer fraud and government waste. These are three simple truths which are ignored more often than not by our Congress.
As your next Congressman I will remember these truths and insist that they form the basis of any future Congressional action. The time has come when we must set aside the failed economic theories of the government bureaucrats and replace them with these common sense truths that have succeeded every time they have been tried.
Transparency And Accountability:
“A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency.” ~ President Barack Obama
Recent actions by our Congress provide all the evidence we need that as an institution, they cannot be trusted to act in our best interest. Behind closed doors they will trade their vote for billions in pork barrel spending, slip in secret amendments to benefit special interests in the dead of night, vote on bills they have not read and give themselves a pay raise when the citizens they serve are losing their jobs.
Elected officials are the servants of the people. They take an oath to obey the Constitution and are expected to act in our interest, not use the office to further their own private agendas. We must have transparency in the political process in order to know what Congress is doing and hold them accountable for their actions.
As your next Congressman I will keep you informed on the issues pending before Congress. I will not vote for a bill unless I have read it, and I will oppose any action by Congress to pass legislation in a manner, which circumvents the publics right to read it before final passage and evaluate its impact on their lives.
Health Care Reform:
“The reason tort reform is not in the [health care] bill is because the people who wrote it did not want to take on the trial lawyers in addition to everybody else they were taking on. And that’s the plain and simple truth,” ~ Howard Dean, former Chair of the Democrat National Committee
There is no point in tinkering around the edges of health care reform if there is no interest in dealing with the root causes of the problem. We certainly shouldn't take any course of action that will increase costs, decrease quality or ration what is left of our health care system.
To date Congress has refused to take common sense actions that would decrease costs for our health care. Instead they have insisted on cutting special interest deals which reward one group of citizens at the expense of another, creates larger more powerful insurance monopolies and increases the very same costs that they promised to reduce.
As your next Congressman I will insist on real health care reform that lowers cost, increases coverage and maintains the highest quality of service. It is what we as Americans expect and it is well within the power of Congress to deliver.
Legal Immigration:
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" ~ Emma Lazarus, poem displayed on the Statute of Liberty
As a nation of immigrants we are strengthened by the diversity of peoples, cultures and religions that arrive daily on our shores to make us the United States of America. That is why I am a strong supporter of common sense, legal immigration policies that will require new immigrants to fill out the proper paper work and wait their turn for approval to enter this great country.
We can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the chaos taking place on our borders. The current process of allowing some to illegally cut to the front of the line, ahead of other legal immigrants, promotes chaos, divisiveness and unfairness. That is why I want to secure our borders first and do not believe that another amnesty plan is the answer to our illegal immigration problem.
As your next Congressman I will insist that Congress exercise it's duty under the Constitution and establish one set of immigration laws for everyone. Only by speaking with one voice can we secure our borders, stop the trafficking in illegal drugs and people, and manage an immigration process that is effective, efficient and beneficial to our country.