CONSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATISM

What is America's greatest invention? The U.S.A. is an unbelievable accomplishment. In the beginning while sitting on the very edge of the known world it has strengthened, persevered, agonized, produced and prospered to become the richest, most innovative and powerful country that has ever existed. Many have journeyed to this land, and many more wish to. But what is our greatest invention? IT IS THE CONSTITUTION!

It is a fact that in 1787 the Constitution saved a country out of control, and I believe it can save us again. For many decades we have stood by and allowed legislation to be passed that tramples upon the very document that is to sustain us. I will work to draw a line from every piece of legislation to that Constitution, and ask first, "Is this bill legal according to the Constitution"? 

Thomas Jefferson said, "In the question of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind down his mischief with the chains of the constitution". We are out of control with spending, the expansion of Federal Government, and the undermining of the State's Sovereignty mostly because we have ignored the Constitution. It is not failing us. We are failing it. The restoration of Constitutional Authority could be a now or never scenario.

TAXES & THE ECONOMY

Ronald Reagan once said that the government is not the answer to your problems, but government is the problem. We all hate the fact that so many companies are now overseas. We must strengthen the American businesses and become once again attractive for companies to both stay here and come here. We currently have the second highest corporate tax rate in the world. That means we must lower our corporate tax, along with supporting and defending free market capitalism.

I will also work to help abolish the out of control earmark spending in congress and try to bring common sense back to the table. If anyone of us ran our households or businesses the way congress runs the government, then we would be in jail. We can no longer sit by and pretend like it does not matter. It does matter, and unfortunately we have elected people who have driven the economics of our country to an unsustainable level.

Bottom line, we will all have to suffer some pain as a result of decisions that have been made, but our country can be strong again. I would advocate a flat tax for both income and corporate taxes, smaller government, decreased spending and common sense.

HEALTH CARE

I am completely opposed to the Federal Government taking over health care or health insurance.  There are things that can help reduce many of the costs in our current health care system. Things like tort reform and allowing health care plans to compete across state lines. I also believe that a person who has bought into a health care plan for a certain amount of time should not be able to be forced out through raised prices or dropped if they develop a serious sickness.

Our current health care is the best in the world. Even those that hate America, when their health demands it, will travel here to be cared for in our system. Why? Because the current system has produced the most advanced, successful health care on the planet.

There is no sense in taking the best health system in the world and dropping it for a completely different system. Especially for a system that has not been very successful anywhere. We need to fine tune the system we have. Let us remember that not one entitlement program that the government has put their hands into is doing very well. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are all going broke!

THE SECOND AMENDMENT

I am a life member of the NRA and have been a member for years now. I am also an Ohio and Pennsylvania Licensed Concealed Carry holder, and I do not just carry the license with me.

There is a global plan through the UN to disarm the people of the world, and our current government has been playing footsy with the idea of adopting regulations here to help move us in the same direction. If you have not read it, then let me quote it for you, "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".

The right to "keep" arms means the Constitution says you must be allowed to own guns, and the right to "bear" arms means the Constitution says you must be allowed to carry a gun on your person. Why would our founding fathers secure such a right for us? Because the Constitution must be defendable by the people it represents. Remember, you are the government. And you lend authority to elected individuals to do a job. As long as we have the right to bear arms, then we continue to hold that authority.

I will fight relentlessly for the Second Amendment, and for every Constitutional right. I will oppose legislation to either register or tax firearms in this country. I will also work to ensure the protection of Ohio's state sovereignty, and encourage our state to both maintain and broaden it's conceal carry opportunities for its citizens.

NATIONAL SECURITY

We must fight the wars we are currently in to win. The threat of terrorists attacks on America is at an all time high, thought most are not talking about this. In many ways the problems internally are being ignored at a frightening level. We must tighten our national defense while at the same time protecting our citizens rights and freedoms. We must also work to make our boarders secure. I believe it is far to easy for enemies of America to come into this nation undetected.

I believe that people who belong to any group that holds to ideologies that openly undermine the U.S. Constitution should be disqualified to work for the government. Any person being hired into any company is asked to read the companies Employee Polices and to adhere to them. Working for the U.S. Government is the same. A government employee must adhere to and defend the U.S. Constitution.

ABORTION

The Declaration of Independence says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are LIFE, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" (capitalization added). The founding fathers continued by saying it is the job of government to secure these rights.

I am an advocate of the protection of a baby's right to live in the womb. I am a defender of life both for the young and the old. Our current laws regarding the life of an unborn child are conflicted. In one instance a pregnant mother murdered brings a double homicide upon the killer, yet we allow individuals to terminate that same unborn child's life with no problem. We can not have it both ways.

An unborn child is not only a person if their mother says so. He or she either is a child or he or she is not, and I know that an unborn baby is a child. We must continue to defend the life of a child in the womb. I feel that this is a strict Constitutional issue, and since a child in a womb we must speak for him or her.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

I am opposed to amnesty. The illegal immigration problem is been out of control for a long time, and we must do something about it now. We are on the other side of the 2010 census, and it is clear that states with higher illegal immigrants benefited by gaining representation. Here in Ohio we lost two representatives dropping from eighteen to sixteen.

We do need to continue to allow people to enter this country legally, but as our nation continues to enter into harder economic times we need to be smarter about the levels of permanent and worker immigrants entering the U.S.  Yet, immigration is at the foundation of who we are as a country, and that is something we must remember. We are all mostly here because our ancestors wanted to escape oppression and poverty for freedom and opportunity. Even so, we must do all we can to help our unemployed to have greater job opportunities. We no longer can afford to have a growing number of immigrants occupying jobs, when we have so many currently out of work. 

MARRIAGE

I believe in traditional marriage as being defined between a man and a woman. I do respect individuals who live a lifestyle different than heterosexuality, and I would fight to protect them as human beings who have every constitutional right I have. Yet, I must stand by my principles regarding marriage.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE STATES & OHIO VALUES

I believe in the State rights, and that too often there are federal laws that infringe upon the state's rights. I will work to protect those rights, and I will stand in congress for Ohio's values  and for its sovereignty. I am a proud American, and I am a proud Ohioan.

I believe in Ohio's state motto, "With God all things are possible".