Issues Important to Our Family, Friends, and Community
Let’s return to Constitutional Principles
We need to get back to the ideals that made us great, and return to smaller government, balanced budgets, freedom of movement regarding transportation, keeping personal control regarding health care, choice within education, state sovereignty, and the idea that government serves the people, the people do not serve the government.
On Taxes. . .
We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a SPENDING problem.
In an effort to make it hard to raise taxes, the voters of our state enacted I-960, requiring a 2/3rd majority vote in the legislature to raise taxes. While I voted no in an effort to keep I-960 in place, it was overturned by the Democrat-controlled legislature this session and the governor signed this bill into law to circumvent the will of the people. The majority party in the legislature then spent their time trying to raise taxes and did so to the tune of over $1,687,200,000 (billion) dollars for the 2011-2013 biennium. I voted no on all of these tax increases.
My commitment to you is that if the legislature comes up with new spending programs, I will only support them if the funds come from existing revenues. This is the only way we can ever expect to realize lower taxes — in 2008 State revenue increased 6%, while our Democrat governor has increased spending by 34% — up to 291 MILLION DOLLARS! I will never vote for a new or an increase in taxes. Until other legislators are willing to make this pledge, government will continue to grow.
On Education. . .
I’ve looked into it and I believe we can improve our schools without raising taxes. About half of the money spent on education is not reaching the local classrooms. Per student costs are twice as much in public schools compared to private schools. I agree that our schools need help, but I believe earnestly that it can be accomplished without coming back to taxpayers. Instead, we can shift excess funds from a burgeoning state educational bureaucracy down to the classroom.
On Families. . .
It’s time for real property tax reform – so that we can once again claim that we own our own homes. I will work for and support all legislation that gets the state out of the property tax business. Also, private doctor choice and other healthcare decisions belong to individuals–not government. I will stand between our citizens and any attempts for further intrusion. Finally, I believe that happy, healthy families begin with personal responsibility and self-government. The more responsibility the government takes away from the people, the more irresponsible people become. Give the people back their liberties and let’s stop punishing families with heavy taxes, and stop doing for people what people can and should do for themselves.
On Health Care…
I firmly believe that you should be in charge of all of your health care desicions and needs; not the government. Since 2002, 194 health care bills have passed the largely Democrat controlled House and Senate (I voted No on most of these bills), AND NOT ONE BILL LOWERED THE COST OR INCREASED THE ACCESS FOR ALL CITIZENS TO HEALTHCARE.
Since 2005, 15 health care STUDIES have been conducted, costing tax payers MILLIONS of dollars. Many of these studies contain many great ideas for decreasing mandates and giving patients options and lower-cost alternatives; however the Democrat controlled legislature has NOT IMPLEMENTED ONE GOOD IDEA from these studies. They virtually have ignored all of them, and SB 6333 was passed this year, which calls for THE 16th STUDY!
I proposed HB 1539, which would have allowed health insurers to offer more affordable options for small business owners and expanding families’ access to health care. This bill died in the Democrat-controlled committee.
We need to stop studying the issue to death, and take action now!
