Core Beliefs

At the core of my policies there are a couple of principles that drive how I think. First, I believe that government should encourage policies that bring people together. One major example of this is what I like to call American Noblesse Oblige. The idea of noblesse oblige comes from France, and I encourage you to look it up. Simply put, it means "with power and wealth comes social obligation".

The idea that the wealthy should help those around them is popular in some circles and divisive in others. To me, the best way to eliminate that division is to add a dash of American capitalism to it. I'll do this by offering tax breaks to individuals and businesses that provide aid to those in need within their communities. A tornado strikes a rural hospital, and a wealthy individual within the state covers the costs of repairs while awaiting insurance payouts. This results in faster care for everyone using that hospital, and the wealthy individual should be rewarded for doing the right thing. There are plenty of things we could do, but as one example, we could give them a tax break equal to one years worth of interest based on a 10-year treasury bond.

My second guiding principle is that that people should be encouraged to invest in themselves first, and the market second. I have nothing against people investing in their 401ks, but by making them the only pre-tax investment, we encourage people to spend their entire lives focusing on the end of it. Instead, I want to create policies that encourage goal setting. Buy a house at 25. Pay it off at 40. This isn't controversial. We see finance experts recommending we eliminate debt all the time, but never before has the government incentivized it. I intend to do just that.