Jobs and the Economy
We did not lose 10 million jobs in America because the federal government was too small or didn’t do enough. Just the opposite – we lost 10 million jobs because the government is too big, spends too much, and is involved in our lives and our businesses too much.
Unfortunately, Carol Shea-Porter and Democrats in Congress have wasted the last three years attempting to micro-manage our economy through tax and spend policies designed to insert the government into every facet of our lives.
We must unleash the power of private enterprise and free markets by reducing business taxes, eliminating wasteful bureaucracy and red tape, and spurring innovation.
Debt and the Deficit
We have trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see. This Congress has already voted to increase our nation’s debt limit twice and they’re planning to do it again to continue paying for their domestic agenda. The supposed good intentions of their policies are far outweighed by the mountain of debt brought to bear on our children. The costs of the interest payments alone will necessitate unimaginable tax hikes far into the future.
I have real experience fighting deficits and this will be one of my highest priorities in Congress.
Health Care Reform
We all know that Social Security and Medicare are going broke. The two biggest entitlement programs in America are in deep financial trouble. So how do the Democrats respond? They want government to take over everybody’s health care. And they were so desperate to pass something - to pass anything - that they resorted to that old Washington trick of buying votes. Even if you’re not angry about what they’re doing to the county you should be angry about how they’re doing it.
There are things we can and should do to make health insurance more affordable – things like tort reform, eliminating unnecessary insurance mandates, allowing competition across state lines – but none of those involve creating a huge new government bureaucracy that will increase costs to consumers, shift costs onto state governments, and ration care. We need more consumer driven health care, not more government run health care. We need more personal responsibility, not more government.
Veterans
As individuals and as a nation we must respect and honor those who defended our county. Anyone who risks their life to protect our freedoms deserves our respect and the benefits that where promised them. I am appalled that New Hampshire is the only state in the nation without a full service Veteran’s Hospital.
National Security
We continue to live in a dangerous world - one in which individuals and organizations around the world seek to harm Americans and our allies simply because of the freedoms we enjoy. With my background in the defense industry I have the knowledge and expertise needed to help shape a proactive national security policy that keeps us safe at home and protects our interest abroad.
We must end the ridiculous practice of treating captured international terrorists like criminals arrested for petty crimes. We should not grant them American rights, taxpayer funded lawyers, or trials in civilian courts. America needs to return to a national security policy that recognizes the importance of “peace through strength.”
Pro-life
My position is very clear. I am a pro-life conservative. As a Catholic, I believe that life begins at conception. As a Congressman I will vote that way.
The Second Amendment
As a gun owner myself, I am a strong supporter of an individual’s right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment. I believe that a person should be able to own and use firearms for any lawful purpose that they choose.
Immigration
My grandparents came to America in search of freedom and opportunity, just like the people who founded our great country. Our nation has always benefited from the energy and talents of people who come here legally, work hard, pay taxes, and become part of our culture. And, after an appropriate period, those people should be rewarded with the opportunity to become American citizens.
I support policies that make legal immigration easier and that make illegal immigration harder. I am completely opposed to amnesty, a policy that rewards people for their illegal actions and puts them ahead of people who are trying to come to America the right way.
If America is going to have a serious immigration policy we must first secure our borders so that we stop the flow of illegal immigration. Second we must remove the incentives for people to come here illegally. There should be no taxpayer-funded benefits - healthcare, education, housing, welfare, etc. - for people here illegally. And we must crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants and states that give them driver's licenses. Third we must enforce existing immigration laws and deport people that we know are here illegally. If we knowingly allow people to stay here illegally we are not only condoning illegal behavior, we also undermine the process of legal immigration that we want people to follow.
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Energy
America needs an energy policy created by consumers and producers, not by bureaucrats or politicians in Washington. Free markets will do far more to promote energy conservation and increase domestic energy production than government subsidies, tax breaks for favored industries, and burdensome regulations.
American consumers want cheaper and more energy efficient products because it's better for their pocketbooks. American businesses want to design, build and market those energy efficient products because it's better for their bottom line. And we all want less pollution because it's better for our quality of life. However creativity and innovation are stifled by a government that tries to dictate what kind of cars we can drive, what kind of light bulbs we can use, what kind of power plants we can build, and how much energy we can use.
Government needs to unleash the genius of America entrepreneurs combined with the power of a competitive market place to create new technologies, better and cheaper products, and new jobs as we develop a sensible energy policy based on what we people want and need, not on what Democrats in Washington think is best for us.
One of the worst things that Congress could do is pass the so-called Cap and Trade bill. This is little more than a thinly disguised multi-billion dollar National Energy Tax. The American people soundly rejected the Democrats' carbon tax in the 1990's because they knew it would cripple our economy while sending more money to Washington where it will be wasted. We must reject Cap and Trade for the very same reasons.
Congressional Reform
We need to change the way government does business. And Congress needs to lead by example.
First, Congressional pay should be frozen at the level members receive when they first get elected. This means your salary as a member of Congress will never increase, regardless of how many years you serve. This eliminates the temptation for Congress to increase its own pay.
Additionally, we need to remove the rewards for longevity. Start by completely eliminating the Congressional pension system. In the private sector, pensions exist to reward long years of service – exactly what we don’t want in our Congress. Asking taxpayers to pay for the retirement of their elected officials simply does not make sense.
Right now, Congress operates on the seniority system – in essence, the longer you are there, the more power and perks you receive. When did Congress become like a union job? Leadership should be a product of capability, expertise, and hard work – not time served.
Term limits should be placed on committee chairmanships. Congress convenes every two years and elects its leaders. Committee chairs should be chosen the same way, based on capability instead of seniority and chairs should serve in that role only a maximum of four years.
Finally, we need to shrink the Congressional bureaucracy. Congress approved a $4.7B budget for itself in 2010. That is an obscene amount of money – much more funding than Congress needs to carry out its constitutional duties.
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