Individual Liberty
Nothing is more important to prosperity and the security of the Republic than individual liberty. Everything else is second. In 1788 when the constitution was ratified, the American colonies were just like every other weak nation in the world. Under the liberty guaranteed by the Constitution, the United States became the most powerful and prosperous nation the world had ever seen. In 1900 with just 5% of the world’s population and 6% of the world’s land mass, the United States produced over one half of the world’s manufacturing output. This was strictly due to individual liberty. The freedom to go out into the marketplace and live the American dream without government interference. This is individual liberty. Individual liberty is our birth right and it is the American dream.
Sound Money
Sound money is gold and silver. If you want a sound economy then you must demand sound money. Without sound money? Well, you get the economy that we have right now. The Constitution is very explicit about money. The Federal Government may only coin money and set the value thereof. They may not print paper money. The States also may not print paper money. Additionally the States may not require citizens to accept debt payments, i.e. legal tender laws, in anything other than gold and silver. Obviously I am not suggesting that we all carry gold and silver coins around, I am saying that our money must be backed by something that retains its value over time. Our founders figured this out over two hundred years ago. How hard is this to understand? Just follow the Constitution.
Constitutional Restraint
“let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” We believe that Thomas Jefferson got it right back then and that our current Congress has got it wrong . The current out of control growth of government is the result of our electing Congressional leaders who do not having a grasp of what the enumerated powers of government, given to it by the Constitution, actually means. The Constitution is the law of the land. I believe that it is the basic seduction to lawlessness by our Congress that allows them to ignore the law as set forth by “We the People.” I will never vote for a bill that is not soundly backed by powers delegated to Congress by the Constitution.
Philosophy
The philosophy of our campaign is the Declaration of Independence. It is a philosophical document. It is in fact our American Philosophy. It doesn’t matter if you are a Republican, Independent, or a Democrat, if you are truly an American you to have a philosophy of government that is called the Declaration of Independence. To be an American you must hold certain truths to be self evident. We believe that all men and women are created equal. Additionally our creator endows us with rights that no one can take from us. That the people institute governments to protect those rights. We can argue about the best ways to realize the ideals of this document, but I will never compromise on the principles set forth within it.
Government Size and Growth
The number one problem facing our country today is the size and the growth of government. If we do not stop the growth and reduce the size of government, our Republic will cease to exist as we know it. The Federal Government takes up 25% to 30% of our economy. If they are allowed to takeover health care, that will boost the Federal Governments share of the economy to well over 50%. If you add in what State and local governments take up, we end up with a situation where government at all levels controls more of our lives than not. This is the opposite of liberty.
Judicial Review
Article one section eight and article 3 section one of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to establish the lower federal courts. I believe it is time for Congress to begin the process of abolishing certain lower courts with the purpose of clearing out the activist judges. They can then reestablish those courts with judges that will interpret the law and not redefine it. I believe we should start with the ninth circuit court in San Francisco and work our way up. It is time that “We the people” take back our country from out of touch men and women in black robes.
Tenth Amendment
The Tenth Amendment is very clear. It states that if the Constitution does not explicitly allow the Federal Government to do something then it cannot. It further states that if the Constitution doesn’t prohibit the States from doing something, like printing money, then they are allowed to do it. The Constitution put NO restrictions on the people. Another way to look at this is that the people tell the States what to do and the States tell the Federal Government what to do. Today just the opposite is true, and this must be rectified.
Jobs
If you want to create real, long lasting jobs in this country, then you must reduce the size of government. Governments and the taxes they consume by their very nature destroy jobs. Economists use a rule of thumb when it comes to jobs. If you can put one million dollars into a community year after year then that will translate to 11 permanent jobs in that community. On the other hand if you take out one million dollars from that community, then you will lose 11 jobs. All taxes do is take money out of our communities year after year resulting in with the expected job losses. If you want real long lasting jobs to return to your communities then help me get to Congress and begin the fight to shrink Government.
Taxes
We must lower the tax burden on the American people immediately if we mean to actually jump start our economy. We cannot lower taxes responsibly however unless we drastically cut the size of government. In general I am not interested in going to Washington to debate the merits of raising or lowering taxes and using class warfare to accomplish my ends at the expense of my country. The income tax code that we presently suffer under is morally repugnant to me and must be replaced. Because of the phenomena of embedded taxes, our current tax system is the most regressive of tax systems, and truly hurts those at the lowest end of our economic system the most. Because of this, I am a supporter of the “Fair Tax” and would encourage everyone to please educate themselves on this important issue.
Energy
I have been waiting for over 30 years for Democrats and Republicans to come together on at least this vital national security issue to move our country towards complete energy independence. The fact that we are still waiting is a national disgrace. We need to open up the Outer Continental Shelf for drilling. We need to fast track the Nuclear Regulatory Commission application process to help speed up nuclear plant construction. I favor tax incentives for alternative energy, but I oppose subsidies, which has the effect of allowing the government to choose winners and losers. Finally our country is sitting on top of 500 years of coal. I favor tax incentives for research into finding cheaper liquefaction and gasification processes for coal. These are just a few of the steps that we can take to move us towards complete energy independence by 2020. Additionally the private businesses that would be involved in the exploration and develpment of these American energy sources would also be creating real, high paying, permanent jobs for real Americans in real congressional districts.
Cap and Trade
This one is easy; REPEAL IT. If Cap and trade passes before I get to Congress then I will make it a priority to have it Repealed. Cap and Trade does nothing but burden the American people with massive tax increases for the benefit of large connected corporations and individuals. The net effect for our country is the loss of over 2 million jobs with 5000 of those jobs coming from my own fifth district. The ruse that they used to get this through was the discredited junk science of Global Warming.
Environment
I am an environmentalist. When you live in a state as beautiful as Virginia it is hard not to be humbled by the blessings that God has given us. It is up to us to protect our beautiful land and pass it on as unspoiled as possible to future generations. However, that being said, people come first. I will never support legislation that places animals or plants above individual liberty or property rights. We would do well to remember that prosperity comes from individual liberty, and clean, wholesome environments come from prosperous nations.
Health Care
Rights are nonobligatory. That means if I require you to do something or give me something to exercise my rights then by definition it is not a right. Health care is not a right. The reason that health care costs are going up so fast is not because government isn’t involved enough, it is precisely that government is already too involved. In a nutshell we need to introduce more choice and more market reforms into the health care system, and we need to move government out. Please read my expanded plan to get a better understanding of what I would like to see happen in health care today.
Defense
Having served 22 years in the United States Navy I have significant insight into the defense of our nation. It is my goal to allow military personnel to have more input into the procurement process, and for influential Congressmen and Senators to have less. We have troops in 147 countries; it is time for some of them to come home. When we as a nation decide that we must send our troops into harm’s way, we are morally obligated to provide our men and women in uniform with everything that they need to complete their mission and achieve victory. I am in complete support of advancing our missile defense technology, at the fastest rate possible. Defense is our government’s number two priority, after protecting the rights of the individual. I believe that a goal of 4% of Gross Domestic Product is at best a minimum target for defense spending.
Rights of Man
I believe that all men are created equal in the eyes of their Creator. This does not mean that we are all given the same gifts, abilities, and talents, so it would be unreasonable to expect the same outcomes. I believe that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and property. I also believe that governments are instituted among men to secure these rights, and draw their just powers to govern from the consent of the governed. I believe that when a government fails to protect these basic rights of the people it becomes an illegitimate government.
Life
Life begins at conception. I believe that abortion is the taking of an innocent human life. The first and most important duty of any government is to protect the lives of its citizens, born, unborn, elderly and infirm.
When our country was founded, our forefathers set up a structure of government with the Constitution that allowed the possibility for honest men of good will to sit down together in an atmosphere of love and respect, and come to a reasonable agreement on the best way to solve any problem. I still believe this. It was never intended in the United States for nine people in black robes to dictate the law of the land.
It is reprehensible to me that our government aides and abets the taking of human life through tax payer funding of organizations that facilitate or advocate abortion. I will vote for all legislation that cuts off tax payer funding of these organizations.
I will support a “Life Begins at Conception Act” to define from a federal point of view when human life begins. I will vote for legislation that prevents federal courts from hearing any case like Roe v. Wade. This would allow States to make abortion illegal and not have the Federal Government interfere with those laws.
As your Congressman I will be a vocal advocate for Life. I will always vote for legislation that moves us closer to ending abortion in this country and protects human life. I will work tirelessly to pass legislation to protect the lives of the unborn, elderly and infirm.
Second Amendment
The right to keep and bear arms does not come from the Bill of rights it instead comes from the natural rights of man as defined first by Marcus Cicero and acknowledged by our Founding Fathers. I believe that the Federal Government has no right at all limiting the use of firearms by “We the People.” A good government has nothing to fear from a well armed populace.
Right to Work
My first job out of the Navy was with Northwest Airlines. They were a Minnesota based company, and because of the laws in that state, I was required to join what they called a closed shop union. In order to keep my job, I had to join the union. If I did not pay the union dues or assessments imposed by the union, the company was required to fire me. Does this sound like a state that adheres to the highest principles of liberty as envisioned by our founders?
Virginia is a right to work state. Because of the laws in our state a person is not required to join the union in order to keep a job. States that are right to work states have always had higher economic growth than non right to work states.
My personal experience with unions is that their primary goal is to sustain and prosper themselves at the expense of the workers they are supposed to be representing. I believe that this is the real reason that Union membership has fallen to such low levels in recent years.
Enumerated Powers Act
One of my favorite bills in Congress is called The Enumerated Powers Act. It states that every bill in Congress must state within the body of the bill exactly what section of the Constitution is being referenced to allow Congress to pass this bill. I would further demand that the General Welfare clause and the interstate Commerce clause could not be used. I will sponsor or co-sponsor this bill when I get to Congress.
Repeal the Bills
I will move in my first days in Congress to have the Health Care Bill, Cap and Trade, and the stimulus Bill repealed. These bills are all unconstitutional and against the will of the American people. I will work towards free market reforms in health care so as to reduce costs for everyone. I will encourage private businesses to seek cost effective ways to produce inexpensive alternative energy. I will never be so arrogant as to assume that the government has the ability to correctly pick the winners and losers in the energy debate.
National Sovereignty and Immigration
Illegal immigration is just that… Illegal! It is the job of the Federal Government to defend and protect our borders. This is not just a legal issue: it is a national security issue. Best estimates tell us that we have between 12 million and 20 million illegal immigrants living and working in our nation. Additionally, prison officials tell us that one third of our prison population is made up of illegal aliens.
The Federal Government is not doing its job.
First: We must remove the incentives for illegal immigrants to enter our country.
We must take away the jobs, housing and social services and they will self deport.
Second: We must work with employers and businesses so that they can easily comply with the law.
Third: We must prosecute illegal immigrants who choose to break the law.
Fourth: We must prosecute businesses and employers that choose to break that law.
I do not oppose legal immigration. We are a nation of immigrants. If a guest worker program is needed, I am all for it. But it must be legal, controlled and monitored. If a guest worker has a child while they are working in the United States, that child should not instantly become a US citizen.
With unemployment at 20% in parts of the fifth district, I do not think that we are at a point where we need that guest worker program.
It is the job of the executive branch of government to prosecute the laws that Congress passes. When the executive branch of government does not do the job that they are tasked to do, then they should be held accountable. The Congress has a role here in that it controls the power of the purse and can use its ability to cut funding to INS and ICE for not prosecuting these laws. Money talks in Washington, and I will be more than willing to cut off funds to any federal agencies that do not follow the law and do their job.
Updated February 6th, 2010
