Health Care Reform
All Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care. Sadly, there are more than 17 million Americans without health care coverage. Many of these individuals find health insurance to be unattainable, unavailable, and unaffordable. With health care costs rising and unemployment escalating, it is more important than ever to address the issue of the uninsured. Through true health care reform measures, not government takeover we can achieve these goals.
Policies that will increase competition and individual choice in the healthcare marketplace are essential to achieving greater efficiency and affordability for everyone. Under current law, health insurance is tax-free for those who receive it through their employers. Health care premiums and all medical expenses need to be 100% tax deductible. Tax –free benefits need to be extended for those who buy their own health insurance or pay for medical benefits “out of pocket”. This would give all Americans the freedom to purchase the health plan of their choice, to pick their preferred doctors and to make their own medical decisions. We do not need a government take over of healthcare!
Additionally, I support the expansion of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) which currently allow Americans to save a limited amount of money for medical expenses tax-free. I also advocate the creation of Association Health Plans (AHPs), which would allow small businesses to band together through trade associations to purchase health insurance for their employees at a lower cost and across state lines. Finally, I support T.O.R.T reform. The flood of frivolous lawsuits in our nation must be addressed to curb the rising cost of health care. Frivolous lawsuits impose extremely high costs on physicians, causing doctors to abandon certain areas of practice or even leave certain regions, making health care less accessible.
Wasteful Government Spending
Each year the federal government spends trillions of dollars, billions of which are wasted on duplicative, inefficient, or ineffective government-run programs. So far this year, the House has passed more than $2 trillion in new government spending. That's not a hundred-million dollars, a thousand-million dollars, ten-thousand-million dollars or even a hundred-thousand-million -- that's one-million-million dollars. Congress simply must show the American people it is serious about protecting their hard-earned tax dollars and should adhere to more responsible budgeting that millions of individuals and families practice everyday.
We also must instill accountability throughout the appropriations process and shed more light on taxpayer spending for congressional “earmark” projects. I am in favor legislation which would authorize a “presidential line item veto,” a tool which would allow the President to identify wasteful and reckless spending provisions in legislation while keeping productive legislation in tact.
Lower taxes and the “Fair Tax”
Taxes are simply too high and American families must have more money to spend on their priorities and basic needs. Rather than taking money from the hands of the middle class to pay for a large, overbearing federal government, I believe in letting hard-working taxpayers keep more of what they earn. This would help strengthen our economy, stimulate job growth and force the government to make wiser spending decisions – all of which would benefit American families and individual prosperity.
Families and businesses can rest assured I will continue to support efforts to reduce taxes and put more money back in the pockets of American workers. I am in favor of the “Fair Tax” which would eliminate the IRS and tax all consumers only on new purchases. The fair tax lets consumers determine their tax rate based on their consumption levels.
As a former small business owner, I understand the need to protect our nation’s small businesses and create opportunities for growth and economic prosperity. I believe that less taxation and government regulation of private companies will continue to make America the best place in the world to do business.
Immigration
The United States is a nation founded by immigrants and prides itself on the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Obtaining the “American Dream” is an inherent part of our nation’s spirit and we should encourage those who enter our country legally to achieve it. However, we are also a nation founded on the rule of law and we must ensure U.S. immigration laws (that already exist) are respected and enforced to preserve our national security; protect federal, state, and local budgets; and curb unfair strain on our country’s job markets. Once this is achieved, improvements to the current system can be considered.
Those who approach our immigration system legally and work through the established process should be welcomed. However, any proposal for reform must not reward those who choose to break our laws by entering the country illegally.
I do not support giving amnesty to illegal immigrants. This policy only encourages people to enter our country illegally and discourages those who abide by our laws.
Second Amendment
I’m a member of the NRA with an "A" rating. The 2nd Amendment is not about hunting or sportsmen. Too many politicians and anti-gun interests have diluted the meaning of the 2nd Amendment down to merely something for those that enjoy the outdoors. It’s not. It’s a basic, untouchable right that the Founding Fathers revered so highly, they included it in the Bill of Rights. It’s one of our Constitutional guarantees as citizens of a free society, and in an unsafe world, it’s a guarantee to protect our families and our homes. An armed and informed law-abiding citizenry is the best defense against an unjust government and the criminal element created by irresponsible societal benevolence and activist judges. Those that don’t share this view continually seek to erode our Constitutional rights. As your United States Senator I won’t waver when I get to Washington. I’ll continue to be a firm and consistent defender of the 2nd amendment, and send a message to Washington that your rights aren’t up for discussion.
Israel
I fully support Israel and their right to defend themselves against terrorist that want to destroy them. The idea of “land for peace” continues to be a mockery world wide. Under Yasser Arafat some 200 agreements were never honored.
Why would we trust any word coming from the mouth of the psychopathic delusional leader of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? The mad mullahs, insane imams, and combative clerics are again calling for the supremacy of islam, no different from earlier centuries
Israel faces groups such as Hamas, which in its charter commits to the destruction of Israel. They face Iran, committed to destroying the Jewish state and driving its people into the sea. When asked to depart from southern Lebanon, Israel complied, yet they now face Hezbollah in the north. In Egypt, the Muslim brotherhood is complicit in enabling Hamas to receive material support and funding through the series of tunnels.
We are dealing with an enemy that has no regard nor respect for negotiations, compromises, and certainly not appeasement. As a matter of fact it is deemed weakness and only encourages them more so.
I do not support any creation of a Palestinian state, to do so would be to create a terrorist state. There is already a state for the Arabic people residing in the region called Palestine, Jordan. If the Arabs can build an indoor ski slope in Dubai, they can resolve the issue of their Arab brothers and sisters. Instead, they use them as pawns in an international game of extortion and use the subsidies provided not for humanitarian gain but for more weapons, for jihad.
I do not support any division of Jerusalem. One flag will fly over Jerusalem, the Israeli flag, never any other, certainly not a UN flag.
There are battle lines clearly drawn, I know where I stand, and that is to support the State of Israel. If we do not learn from our history of the past, we are destined to repeat it. The United States must continue to stand with Israel as we have for over 60 years. Let our history continue to reflect Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse: and all the peoples on the earth will be blessed through you”.
Life
Simply put. I’m pro-life. The Declaration of Independence states that our inalienable rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Life is listed first in that famous line in the Declaration of Independence and it’s first with me, too. Protecting innocent life—of the born and preborn—is very dear to me. As a supporter of life, you want a candidate that will put her convictions to work. I have a 100% rating from Missouri Right-To-Life and National Right to Life organizations. I believe life begins at conception, but the duty of protecting life doesn’t end with the birth of a child. Valuing life is a basic principle of America’s founding, and honoring life is showing honor to the creator of all life.
Card Check
I oppose card check. The so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) does anything but give workers freedom of choice. Currently, employees have the right to vote by secret ballot to determine whether their workplace organizes under a labor union. That election is supervised by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to ensure that employees cast a free and legitimate vote in private. The EFCA would remove the right to secret ballot, as well as NLRB oversight, forcing employees to “vote” by signing their name in front of union organizers and coworkers. A secret ballot is the bedrock of free and fair elections and removing it only opens the process up to intimidation and coercion. The EFCA is also extremely destructive to businesses and job-creation. Should a company’s workforce unionize, that employer would have three months to reach a labor agreement before a federal arbitrator forced a contract upon them. It’s bad for workers, bad for employers, and only gives government control it was never meant to have.
Where I stand on the issues.
