Social Issues:
Abortion: I am pro-life. Simple as that. Yes I support an exception when the woman’s life is in danger however according to statistics that makes an incredibly small portion or abortions performed. Every life is of incredible worth and we should promote a culture that celebrates life, not cheapens it to manners of convenience and self-gratification. That is what makes us different from those we stand against; they celebrate in a culture of death. I don’t believe any person has the right to decided whether or not someone else’s life is worth them living. Every life; girl, boy, gay, straight, black, white, hispanic, etc. is an amazing gift.
Gay Rights: Contrary to my party I have always been an ally for the GLBT community. I have supported eliminated marriage at a governmental level and giving all couples; heterosexual and homosexual civil unions. This, I believe is a compromise that preserves the freedom of gay couples while allowing religious institutions to reserve their traditions (which I don’t agree with). I fully support gay adoption and honestly can’t think of a reason not to however I feel like the anti-gay crowd isn’t always in the right mind.
Gun Rights: The Second Amendment is clear both in its language and intention. The only true last defense against tyranny is an armed public. I support basic, common sense, restrictions to ownership of a gun however the right to own a firearm, of a law abiding citizen, cannot be infringed upon.
Immigration: These are people we are talking about with this issue. Families and yes children who were brought here for no reason besides their parents hope for them. While there is an immigration system it is broken and we need to fix that to make it easier for law abiding people to come call America home. For those who are already here I refuse to go on a giant man hunt and participate in massive deportation. That violates everything I was taught as both a Christian and a human being. I would support a system that allows those who are here illegally with no criminal record to become citizens through the regular process with the intention that they take an English language course and pay a penalty. This is not amnesty nor is it inhumane. Also…secure the damned border…not that hard.
-Fiscal Issues-
I’m a proponent of the FairTax. It’s a more efficient and effective tax system that allows for the maximum transparency. I have done the research and the negative effects on consumption are often overstated by those who favor the current disastrous tax system. Even if it puts downward pressure on consumption this will lead to a direct upward pressure on saving/investment which is much needed for our economy to grow. The consumption growth can only lead us so far. We needed capital growth and the FairTax can help to improve that. The Fair Tax is a fair, transparent, and effective tax code that also will always allow a clean debate on whether it’s appropriate to raise or lower taxes at any given time. The FairTax also creates a rebate system that allows families to recieve refund for taxes paid on basic necessities to live. (Food, housing, clothing, etc.)
Budget: Balance. Budget. Amendment. Every America has to balance their budget each and every month. So too should it’s government. I do not buy the Kenseyian argument that we need deficit spending to spur the economy. Deficit spending only create financial instability which hurts the private market. The government must run like a well oiled machine with a simple, small, and balanced budget that can provide confidence to our markets.
Healthcare: I opposed Obamacare then and I oppose it now. This is a disasterous bill that took what could have been a simple market driven solution and made billions of dollars worth of bureaucracy. My solutions is simple. Block grant Medicare to the states. Given the state and local government total control over their population and allow them to create a system that plays to both that state’s strengths and weaknesses. This is a simple business strategy. Eliminating inter-state restrictions will open up the market to new competition putting downward pressure on prices. Meaningful tort reform to protect doctors from outrageous lawsuits can help with downward pressure as well. Most importantly we must realize we have a health crisis in America. Obesity is on the rise and heart disease (most of it preventable) is the leading killer in America. These expensive treatments skyrocket the cost of care in our country which explains why health insurance costs an arm and a leg. I am 20 years old and I have high cholesterol, this is partly genetic and due to my poor eating habits. I fixed this and hope my results are better for my check up this year. By focusing to preventing obesity (in essence shooting where the target will be) through promotion of educational efforts, preserving and requiring physical activity, and putting high standards on school lunches we can put the next generation on a path towards a healthier life and more affordable healthcare.
Social Security: I support the Chilean Model which shifts social security from a government “pot-luck” to a private saving account. This helps to preserve ones payments into social security and prevent the program from ever going bankrupt, but also allows this money to not only gain interest but go into the loanable funds market to create investment and new capital. Want to help private growth? Try putting billions on more dollars into the private market each year with a reformed Social Security system. Under my tax plan people would use a credit card type system when they go to make a purchase so that 33% of their yearly tax payments under the FairTax would go to their account. They could also choose to report their income and savings to the Social Security office and have a lump sum deposited.
Environment: My personal favorite economist F.A Hayek said that one of the areas of the economy the government can and should intervene in is the environment. The free market doesn’t account for it and that’s ok. I support strict environmental standards to promote a cleaner environment. We are to serve a good stewards to our Earth for the next generation and that means protection not only our resources but our treasures. I support expanding our national parks to preserve and protect even more precious land. I am a member of ConservAmerica, a group of conservative environmentalists who both reject the disastrous economic policies of the far left and the anti-environment policies of the far right. Global Warming is real (numbers don’t lie) however it’s still debatable whether or not it’s man-made or if it’s something we can’t control. As such I don’t support limits on carbon emission however I’m sure new data could come out that would make me rethink this. The regulation system I support is very much based in the idea of a free market cap and trade system. I don’t support the broad-based penalties for the initial credits however I support penalties for those who go over the limits as well as the ability of companies under their limit to sell their credits to high polluters. This puts downward pressure on pollution and encourages greener practices.
Education: Our education is a mess. Plain and simple. We continue to fall behind other countries for scores in math, science, reading, etc. Yet no one seems to care that the foundation of our economy (which is our education system) is crumbling and when people do notice the solution is to throw money at the problem hoping it works. Our education system needs fundamental reform. I support expanding charater school, school choice, tenure reform, and allowing school systems and states to develop ciriculum with more flexibility to satisfy the strengths and weaknesses of their communities. One-size-fits-all will and has not worked.
Energy: It sounds cliche but we need an all-of-the-above energy approach. We need to invest in our current resources to create a stable cheap energy economy; necessary for our continued growth. Without access to current supplies at low costs America cannot prepare itself to invest in furture forms of energy. Solar and Wind are promising but still require time to become viable in the market place. We need to invest in Nuclear energy. It’s safe, clean, cheap, and efficient. Anyone who says other wise is fooling themselves. The SeaBrook Station Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire is next to the busiest tourist beach in the state. It has been there for years and there have been no reports of the occurences the Anti-Nuclear crowd claim would become commonplace if we adopted morw Nuclear capacity. Alternative fuels, electric cars, etc all need to find their own way into the private market. I don’t support handouts to the energy industry and yes this includes tax breaks to the oil companies.
-Foreign Issues-
Irsael: As I have done in the past, I will continue to stand behind Israel. The strongest American ally and only country in the Middle East that rejects the extremist social policies of the totalitarian regimes. Israel is our ally. Iran is not. We stand behind our allies and will support them in any justified military action necessary to protect their people. Until the people of Palestine reject their current government ruled by Hamas (a terrorist organization that will continue their goals of Jewish blood filling the streets of the cities of Israel) then a peaceful solution cannot be reached.
Iran: Iran must not get a Nuclear Weapon. They will use it against our allies and if we continue our spineless policies; us. I support implementation of strict economic warfare to cripple their economy. Sanctions have not worked and Russia and China have made it clear who they support in these efforts. I refuse to rush to military action and believe not a single pair of boots needs to be on the ground to stop Iran; however if need be the United States must reserve the right to defend its interests.
North Korea: Even with Kim Jung Il gone North korea is still a dangerous country with reported Nuclear capability. Currently they pose little threat however the United States must recognize this potential threat and watch them carefully particularly with a new leader in the form of Kim Jung Un.
This is a work in progress so any spelling, grammar, or other errors you see let me know. I’ll be the first to admit those are not my strengths.
