Why I’m Running
America is the greatest country in the history of mankind. For 234 years, America has inspired all who believe in liberty and the sovereignty of the people. America has unique responsibilities in our world, and we have challenges we must solve if we’re going to continue to fulfill those responsibilities.
Among our most important challenges is bringing trust back to government. We need to trust our elected officials and moreover we need to know that our elected officials trust Americans to make their own choices and not intrude into their daily lives.
We also must rein in the federal government, which is bloated beyond reasonable size or necessity. The government is too big, too inefficient, and too wasteful.
I want to ensure that America is financially strong and independent. Industrial growth and capitalism will put people back to work.
In the private sector, I’ve put many companies back on track during my career, and now I’d like to bring those same skills to Washington. I know what needs to be done, and I have both the courage and the ability to do it.
I hope I’ll have the opportunity to discuss these ideas with the voters of New Hampshire at greater length. We need fresh thinking from a conservative, free-market perspective to save our country. Send me to the Senate, and I promise I’ll shake things up.
When I am in Washington, D.C., I will look forward to returning home to a freer, safer, more prosperous New Hampshire.
Today many citizens are weary of our Federal government and do not trust the politicians that are sent to Washington DC to represent them. Congress and the President orchestrated a government takeover of Detroit automakers, bailed out banks, and secured a $787 billion stimulus package. They pushed to overhaul the health care system that a majority of Americans did not want, through deal making and dishonesty. Government does not care what we think and does not trust us to make our own choices, and some politicians want to impose their own agenda on our lives. I trust the people of New Hampshire, and I will listen to them.
I will never vote for a tax increase. Along with too much regulation, the most damaging, job-destroying policies of the Federal government are higher and higher taxes. Higher taxes will equal less investment and fewer jobs. The tax rates are set to rise next year, much to the detriment of our economy. I will support efforts to reduce the tax burden on all Americans. This includes: eliminating the Death Tax, eliminating taxes on capital gains, dividends and interest to encourage greater savings and investment, and lowering corporate tax rates to bring businesses and jobs to the United States.
The best way to stimulate the economy is to reduce the size and power of government and unleash the American business owner. Temporary economic policies (like stimulus bills) only serve to perpetuate recessions as owners wait to see what Congress is going to do from year to year.
If business owners can’t predict what their costs will be, can’t predict the tax rates, can’t predict energy costs or labor costs because of the potential passage of Cap & Trade and Card Check, and can’t predict their medical insurance costs because of this obscenely large healthcare law, how can they plan ahead to expand their business and create new jobs?
I promise that if we eliminate the stranglehold that the government has on the private sector, we will get back to what this country is all about and what families want - a chance to live the American dream.
I believe we should continue to encourage legal immigration to this country, while avoiding policies that foster illegal immigration. America should secure her borders tight and solid and institute an employment verification system with severe penalties for companies that hire illegal immigrants. Amnesty is an unsound policy because everyone should play by the same rules and to pass an immigration reform bill that contains an amnesty provision is wrong.
I would go to Washington to work to repeal the recently enacted health care law, as it will only make health care more expensive and limit choices by consumers. The private market system should be strengthened with policies to drive down costs and make insurance more affordable. The current problems are mostly a case of government interference disrupting the health care marketplace, introducing new costs and inefficiencies, and then deciding the solution is more government.
We need a smaller, leaner, more efficient government, and we need to balance our budgets and reduce our national debt. Simply put, we need much more than just a balanced budget. We have to repay an extreme amount of debt that has already been accrued, and we must stave off new debt from accumulating in the coming years and decades.
The best short-term solution is for Congress to stop voting to increase the amount of money that the US government can borrow. Congress and the President just increased it again. Without additional borrowing, spending would have to decrease. We should be pursuing a long-term solution for constraining debt, and I support a Balanced Budget Amendment.
We also must demand transparency from our federal government and this includes a thorough and immediate auditing of the Federal Reserve.
People frequently ask me if I support the Second Amendment. I reply that not only do I support the Second Amendment, but I support the entire Constitution, and I believe that it should be required reading for all who take an oath to uphold it. The right to keep and bear arms is a basic Constitutional liberty.
In our legal tradition, the Castle Doctrine allows us to protect ourselves in our homes. I own guns and I support safe and responsible gun ownership. I take pride in the fact that New Hampshire is one of the friendliest states, if not the friendliest, to gun owners in the Union. Perhaps it is no coincidence then that New Hampshire is also the safest, most crime-free state in the Union.
On the subject, it’s also important to note the heritage we have in America and in New Hampshire of hunting, fishing, and trapping. In this campaign, you will find a commitment to upholding these cherished liberties as well.
There is no single idea that would more surely improve our country than the implementation of Congressional term limits. Too many Congressmen and women have held office for decades, and some have never held a job outside of government. America does not need a professional ruling class. We need public servants who will make their contributions to their country and then return home to their families and businesses. The classical ideal of rotation in government must be a shared goal for our democracy to survive.
We owe a great deal to the women and men who serve in our military. As we acknowledge their sacrifice, their health, education, and post- military needs should always remain a top priority. If I am elected, I would work to ensure that the Veterans Administration budget is sufficient, and predictable in order to meet the unique health issues facing our returning soldiers and veterans and to ensure they get the services that they deserve.
I support capital punishment because there are some crimes that deserve the death penalty.
State government has the responsibility to regulate in this area without interference from any branch of the Federal government. I believe in strong parental consent laws, I oppose Federal funding for abortion and I support the ban on partial birth abortions. I believe that this is a very difficult decision and should be decided by a woman in the privacy of her doctor’s office.
I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I support civil unions with equal rights, but the Federal government should not require churches to violate their own beliefs. Religions that believe marriage is between a man and a woman must be respected and the Federal government’s role should be subordinate to the states, just as the Constitution provides.
Foreign Policy
It is vital that we are successful in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that we deny terrorists a safe haven. I support stepped up drone attacks in Pakistan. I do not believe that we should establish an arbitrary deadline for leaving, and rather we should take recommendations from the Generals on the ground.
Our country must have the strongest defensive capabilities in the world. We must keep America safe. We should not hesitate to take action in defense of our freedom and our American way of life. But we must also make sure that American military action is guided first and foremost by the country’s national interest and the Constitution.
I will vote to fund our most important defense systems, including the strategic missile defense program, to protect our country from the threat of a missile attack.
Finally, part of our national security must also include a comprehensive program to protect our nation’s soldiers and veterans and ensure their continued well-being. I will fight to make sure our soldiers have the equipment they need to be victorious.
Israel has always tried to secure an everlasting peace in the Middle East as she lives under the constant threats from her neighbors. As the only true democracy in the Middle East, Israel shares America’s democratic values. I support the two-state solution that reaffirms Israel’s right to exist and provides a place of their own for the Palestinians.
I support diversified energy sources to drive our Nation toward independence from foreign oil. We must take advantage of every source of energy that we have in this country like nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power and clean coal initiatives.
I am against any Cap & Trade program that would create higher costs for American families and businesses. We cannot continue to tax businesses that will reduce our productivity and standard of living. Businesses need certainty and this carbon tax scheme hinders decisions to hire workers or expand operations. I also oppose any global and unconstitutional regulatory regimes that would seek to undermine American sovereignty.
Parents have the right to school their children at home, and they should have access to increased school choice through vouchers as well. Education is the foundation of American’s sustained economic growth. We must ensure that all children, born with unlimited potential are given the knowledge they need to grow up and to create a better society full of inventors, entrepreneurs, professionals, academics, artists, laborers and tradesmen.
Our teachers have one of the hardest and most important jobs in the world, and they deserve more training and more technology. They also must be held accountable for their results. A failing school cannot be allowed to continue doing so. The consequences are too grave.
