Issues

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Jobs

Americans should be able to earn enough money to support their family. People who are willing to work hard should be able to reap the rewards of their efforts. Our free-enterprise system has proven to be one of the most successful in history at achieving these goals, but it has been achieved with a careful balance between capitalism and government control. Our history shows us that without government regulation, pure capitalism exploits workers and does not deliver on these promises. The history of other nations shows how too much government control stifles productivity and does not deliver on these promises. As in many things, we need a balance.

Education

Well-educated citizens form the foundation of democracy as well as free-enterprise. Ensuring that every citizen has access to quality education is a key American ideal that affords an opportunity for all. Because education is so important, we should always be evaluating the quality of education in America. We should strive for continuous improvement, but we should never in the name of "improvement" undermine our system of public schools that provides an opportunity for everyone to receive a quality education. I do not believe that public money should be spent to finance private schools because I believe this undermines public schools. A thriving public school system is the only way to ensure a quality education for all.

Health Care

In America, everyone should have access to reasonable health care. Our system of delivering health care has become needlessly complicated. Between the doctor and the patient stands an insurance company and an employer. Without the right insurance, you may not get to see a doctor. Without the right employer, you may not get insurance. I support the Affordable Care Act because it was a tremendous improvement over the previous system. I believe that we need to move to a single-payer system in order to make health care accessible and affordable.

Immigration

The United States is a nation of immigrants. I believe part of our success is due to the fact that we have a steady stream of immigrants who are eager to thrive in the land of the free. We have been stingy in the past decades about how many people we would allow in, and now we have a problem: our economy depends on the labor of undocumented immigrants. I believe we can solve this problem by rationalizing our immigration policy to ensure that enough people can immigrate to America to fill our economic needs for labor. A rational immigration policy will cut down on the number of people entering America without any scrutiny.

Money In Politics

Powerful interests understand that if they spend enough money, they can influence elections and governmental policies. Our democracy has been fighting against the corrupting influence of money its entire history, but I fear that we are losing the battle today. I shudder to think how much money will be spent in 2012 to convince you to vote against your own best interests. I think it is wrong for candidates or elected officials to accept money from powerful interests, and I think it is wrong for them to sign pledges to support the agendas of special interest groups.

Environment

We are stewards of our environment. We have the power to exploit the resources of our environment, but we must use that power with an eye toward the future. We want a sustainable America, not one that is gradually drained of its natural resources. In order to be good stewards, we must recognize the costs to our environment from our policies and behaviors. It is irresponsible for us to follow courses of actions that leave our environment worse off than before we began those actions.

Taxes

Every government requires revenue in order to function. Nobody enjoys seeing taxes taken out of their paycheck, but it is our patriotic duty to financially support our government. None of us are able to achieve financial success without the support of society. Our government provides the foundation that makes orderly commerce possible. We should strive to ensure that we tax our citizens fairly. Those who are well-off can better afford to pay taxes than those who struggle to make ends meet. For that reason, we need a progressive tax structure.

Abortion

I do not believe that government should impose on society its opinion about the question of when life begins . The morality of abortion hinges on this question. It is both a question of science and of faith. Neither science nor faith give a clear answer. That is why I believe it should be left up to the individual to decide. 

Homosexuality

Homosexuality goes against most traditional religious teaching. However, many people of faith and scholars of Scripture question that view. Regardless of whether one thinks homosexuality is a sin or not, the government should not discriminate against or persecute gay people. I think gay marriage is a civil rights issue, and I am convinced that sooner rather than later, it will be embraced by American society.

Guns & Weapons

Our constitution guarantees "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." It encompasses both the right to bear arms and the need for regulations. We should be able to provide security for ourselves, but limits must be established on what level of armaments are allowed. I support allowing weapons that are traditionally used for hunting. I support prohibiting weapons that go beyond the boundaries of common sense.