I am a conservative and this means that, above all, I believe in the freedom of the individual to live life, live in liberty and to pursue happiness. Freedom is the core of our American political system and I believe in preserving and conserving this core of our way of life. It is not the government that grants us freedom, this comes from our Creator. But it is the people and our laws that grant the government a limited set of responsibilities in order to preserve our freedom.

Single payer options are not the solution.  Many other ideas must be explored and implemented to create insurance portability and lower costs.  Insurance portability across state lines is a concept I fully embrace.  We need to let the free market work to drive competition between insurers.   Insurance should be linked to the customer and not the employer so insurance travels with the citizens as they change jobs.  We need to allow citizens to join pools for group coverage, have tax free healthcare accounts with matching contributions from government for low income citizens.  

Taxes are too high and the system for individuals to calculate them is too complicated.  A Flat Tax is the answer but it should have no bracket differentiation that pits the poor against the rich and vice versa so the tax code can’t be used as a political tool.  We need to eliminate the death tax so money is not redundantly taxed.  We need to reward for saving and lower taxes on unearned income, such as dividends, so citizens are encouraged to support our capital markets.  Capital gains taxes must be low to reward small businesses that invest.  Small businesses should be allowed to fully depreciate the first $1 million of capital spending in the first year and not have to amortize this cost over time.   The tax code should be structured to encourage development of intellectual property businesses so the tech and entertainment businesses that are currently dominant in the US can remain strong.   

 Capitalism is under attack from the progressive left.  Most certainly, a strong regulatory framework is necessary for the playing field to be equal but at the same time the federal government should not be picking winners and losers. 

We need to “right size” the federal government and stop expanding it at a rate higher than the private sector.  The deficit must be brought back into line to a reasonable percentage of GDP.  

 Unshackle Israel so she may do what is necessary to defend herself. 

Grow the voluntary military.  Make use of increased technology to ensure our nation is protected. 

We need to support regime change by empowering the forces of democracy and freedom.  Iran is the lynchpin of Middle East peace.  A secular non-Islamic government not one based on sharia law must develop. 

We need to reduce the death grip of unions that make it hard for districts to discipline or let go ineffective teachers.  At the same time, union rules make it difficult to reward high performing teachers.    Vouchers should be allowed if the local citizens wish to make use of them. 

 People convicted of significant animal abuse should be on a federal registry that is available nationally online (like Megan’s law).

Drilling should be allowed offshore if states and local communities want to proceed.  We need to increase the number of nuclear power plants and expand the use of natural gas as a source for our automobile and trucking industries.    The climate debate should continue and is NOT “SETTLED.” 

 Gun control laws should be state and federal in nature and not county or municipal.  The 2^nd amendment should not be restricted by local regulation.