On The Issues
Strong Education and Lower Taxes
I believe in a strong education system. I also believe in accountability in education funding and local control through parental involvement.
I believe in lower taxes and less government. Government is intrinsically inefficient and grows to compensate for its ineffectiveness. The net result being even more cumbersome and less responsive.
America is the leader in the free world because of our belief in God and fundamental principles of self respect and mutual respect for others. Our free market system is our life blood and government control impedes on that system. Any time government regulates or interferes, the long term effect is loss of quality and reduced production. Competition and innovation in a free market system are the ingredients that will continue to keep us on the cutting edge of the world market.
We have had a growing occurrence of judicial activism at all levels of the Judiciary. The problem is that there are currently no means to correct this problem. I sponsored a bill to do just that but was unable to get the majority party to hear the bill. Our constitution allows for the legislature to provide oversight to the Judiciary but unfortunately the legislature abdicated its authority 10-15 years ago and since that time the judicial system has run unaccountable. While the vast majority of judges abide by the law, there are those who make up their own rules and those who end up in their courts find themselves victims of individual whims and ideologies. This is far from what our founding fathers envisioned and enacted into our constitution and must be addressed to stop the systematic judicial abuse that is taking place with little or no recourse.
I am happy to discuss this issue any time with those interested. I believe that everyone has the need to look in depth into this issue and determine who is pushing this agenda. A good read is "Unstoppable Global Warming every 1500 years". If global warming is going on, how much effect do we have on it and the larger question is Carbon dioxide a major contributor to climate change. These are all worthy of discussion and contrary to many who proclaim the argument is over, the discussion is far from having consensus.
Pro-life and Pro Second Amendment
I am a strong pro-life legislator who will not compromise on this issue. I am committed to overturning “Doe VS Gomez” that uses taxpayer dollars to perform abortions.
I am a strong pro second amendment rights advocate and believe that our founding fathers understood the importance of the right to own and bear arms. I voted for and support the “Conceal and Carry provisions” as a fundamental right and also signed on as co-author to the "Castle Doctrine". This important provision ensures that the home owner has the legal right to protect his home with appropriate force.
While we need to be good stewards of the land we occupy, we need to balance economic need with environmental needs. If someone else loses their job it is a shame, if we lose our job it is a crisis. Nuclear energy is cheap, effective and predictable. Technology has improved to make it the answer to our energy needs yet the majority party refuses to discuss the issue. They would rather invest tax credits (your tax dollars) into wind with 17% efficiency while reducing the amount of power generated in the state. How does an economy grow by reducing consumption with a growing population? The answer is tax the rate payer which in turn drives business out of the state to more commercially friendly environments. Jobs go with the business and now we have a crisis.
Faith Based Initiatives and Strong Transportation
I am a strong proponent of faith based initiates through local churches. When entitlements are given by the state they become expected. When help is received through the local community being faith based, there is an expectation of passing it on. Helping someone else promotes the attitude that you should help someone else in need because you received help when it was needed. That translates to a closer community that fosters relationship rather than fixing an immediate need without a long term fix.
I am a committed transportation advocate. That is why I supported the North Star Rail project, got state funding for the Sauk Rapids Bridge project and supported the MVST constitutional amendment. I believe that a sound multi-modal transportation system generates a strong economy.
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