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Policies
and Beliefs
The Constitution
Approach with People
Fiscal Responsibility
I believe that the Constitution of the United States is the greatest political document that has ever been written. It is not great based on complexity; rather it is great because it is simple. The Constitution is careful to spell out the role of the federal government and each branch of that government. In Article I through Article III it spells out the role that the Congress should have, the role the executive branch should have and the role of the Supreme Court.
It is also clear that we have overstepped these roles and responsibilities. The federal government has taken roles that are not appropriate and needs to be trimmed back.
The 10th Amendment is clear that any power, responsibility, system, or process not spelled out by the Constitution, will be passed back to the people or the States. We as a nation have removed authority from the people in cases where it is clear that is should not have been.
If there are those who believe that the modern world has "outgrown" the original Constitution, there is a process to change the Constitution. We must either follow that process or we must admit that we no longer adhere to the founding documents of the nation.
I believe that it is possible to have dialogue with people who I disagree with, in a civil and respectful manner. I will simply disengage from those who think otherwise. I will not tolerate bullying in a political discussion, which includes name calling or monopolization of time. The loudest voice is not always the wisest voice. Argument and discussion are healthy, hatred is not.
We have no room for tribalism any longer. We must solve these issues together, even when we disagree. When we disagree, I try to remember that the person across the table from me has the same rights as me…the same troops bled and died to protect their rights, and I take time to remember that while we disagree they more than likely are not un-American. We just disagree. Time for some civility.
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I believe this Federal government is too big; it spends too much money, and operates in a fiscal deficit that is not sustainable. The solutions are difficult and will require austerity measures that I am not sure we, as a nation, are willing to confront.
We must take a look at all programs, all processes, and all employees to mitigate and eliminate cost on all levels. We will need to accept sacrifice and be willing to tighten the belt. The first and most important step is to rediscover the role of the federal government.
The analogy is as old as time, but if I spend more money than I make I am going to bounce a check. The government should be treated the same and should not act any differently. We must hold Congress accountable to pass a budget that does not exceed the expected revenue.
Russian Interference
Donald Trump
Political Parties
As far as I can tell from a normal citizen's perspective, Russia interfered with our election process. This is nothing short of an act of aggression and needs to be addressed firmly and acutely. There should be no room in this government for any elected official to state otherwise. Those nations that perform acts of aggression against us should be immediately called out, pointed out, and addressed.
I do not support the practices of our current President. There are some actions and policies that his administration supports that correlate with my beliefs and I would support those actions and policies.
I do not support his behaviors, his actions or his bullying tactics. Some of his words and actions have created tension in the moral and ethical fabric of the nation. When I was a child the President was a role model, but today it would be difficult to want my children to emulate this President. I think it is fair and right for us as citizens and elected officials to point out those things that we disagree with.
I want my President to behave presidentially. I also want him to have a thoughtful and wholesome approach to the job, to those they influence and create a more harmonious environment.
As far as the investigation into the acts of the Donald Trump campaign to collude with the Russians to interfere with our election process; I simply want the truth. I think it is important to demand the completion of the investigation. I do not see or know the evidence that is held for collusion or obstruction, and I will withhold any judgment until I do. I would encourage the President to allow the investigation to continue until completion, without influence or obstruction.
I also believe that the President of the United States should be held accountable for his behavior, if there is evidence that he or his campaign obstructed justice, lied to investigators, or colluded with the Russians they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
I have been a lifelong Republican. I found my fiscal conservative nature best reflected in the GOP. Recently this has changed, as I have discovered that neither political party is interested in listening and serving in the best interest of the people that elect them.
The Democratic Party is fairly content to move toward a more progressive and in some cases socialist platform, which placates their far left base. The Republican Party is content to give voice to people on the extreme periphery of their party. This has created tension and displaces people who do not hold true to either of these extremes.
Both political parties are also responsible for the polarization of politics in the nation. They have invited those of extreme left and extreme right to become the most vocal in their party. They have not quickly moved away from the divisive language, and both have proven that they are afraid of true compromise.
It is important that we hold true to principles. What we see in today's political landscape are two parties that will excuse poor behavior based on the party. We have failed to put country before party. I will ask that we be consistent. If we had expectation for President Obama, we must have the same standards for President Trump. Why are we afraid to be true to our principles?
These parties do not represent me any longer, and I find myself politically orphaned.
Immigration
Our Military
Equality for All
We are a nation of immigrants. Most of us can trace our heritage back to places that are not indigenous to these shores. We, as a nation, were built by people who came here from foreign lands. They built lives, homes and families.
This has not changed. We should openly invite immigrants to the United States. I believe in legal immigration as a way to improve the nation, and as a way to improve the lives of those seeking citizenship in the United States. Through every hardship, this nation is still a dream of many who live in different nations. They dream of living in the United States of America, and within reason we should allow for mutually beneficial legal immigration.
Illegal immigration should be addressed swiftly…meaning we should uphold the current laws of the nation and we should protect our borders from illegal immigration. We should ensure that we are working to uphold our visa laws, and we should stem the abuse of that system. This may require some adjustment of the current laws to ensure that they are easy to understand and that our officials are clear about their roles and responsibilities are.
Should we build a wall? There are places where a walls may be necessary, they are high traffic and do present risk to our border protection agents. However, do we need a wall that will cost billions of dollars to build? No, we do not. The majority of illegal immigration is not directly from illegal border crossings, they come from those who overstay their invitations through the visa process. This proposed wall will place financial distress on our system with little return on the investment.
The simple fact is that there are already millions of people who are living in the United States illegally. Language is important here, these are people. They are people who have contributed (albeit illegally) to our way of life, to our economy and to the fabric of society. It is not feasible to deport these people. It would cost billions of dollars to remove them, and there are complications to this process, which includes logistical questions, and the question of due process. The upfront cost alone is prohibitive to wholesale deportation. We should be clear that there is not a clear path to citizenship, but to legal status. This will allow for the next generation to become legal citizens. We should also be clear that any person who is accused of violent crimes will be deported. These are people who do not want to add value to our way of life, and are the vast minority.
It is way too easy to simple say "I support our military and the service people", it is cliché in the political world today. The larger question is what does that mean?
I believe in a strong military, I believe that we have a responsibility to protect the people of this nation with a military that is prepared to confront aggressions that are counter to the United States of America. We must wield this power with caution and humility, it is clear that we are the strongest nation on the planet, we do not need to prove or aggrandize that, we do not need to be global bullies. We must be selective and careful to protect the ideals and principles of this nation through the use and deployment of our military.
I believe in our relationships with our allies and believe it is essential that we adhere to agreements that we have made with those allies. This does not mean that we do not have room to review those alliances, or that we are perpetually locked into agreements. This would be foolish and naïve.
Military spending is an important topic. I believe we need to spend on our military, spend on our veterans, spend on our troops and ensure that they are as safe as possible and that they have the equipment necessary to complete any mission that we expect of them. This does not mean that we do this blindly. We need to ensure that every dollar spent on the military is wise and fruitful. There needs to be a return on the investment to our military. This will include full audits of the military, review of spending, review of costs, review of contracts and ability to reduce costs where possible. We cannot be afraid to engage in cost cutting measures where possible, and reallocation of funds when necessary.
With all of that said, I would take a moment to thank those who serve. Their service is paramount to the freedoms that we enjoy and their sacrifice should be celebrated and rewarded. Thank you!
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Declaration of Independence
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
There should never be a reason for the United States government to interfere with the rights of any person based on gender, color, creed or sexuality. The role of the US government is to protect the rights of the people (all people) to pursue life, liberty and happiness.
Free Market
Entitlement Reform
Health Care
The free market is the best solution for the Unites States economy as it focuses on a social contract between three primary forces that create balance:
1. Shareholder
2. Employee
3. Customer
2. Employee
3. Customer
With the appropriate balance the system is self-regulated and efficient. Each member of the contract protects the efficacy of the system.
When greed or corruption enter into the system, as there are always greedy people no matter the system, the social contract balances out through a series of checks and balances.
As a final resort the government is to regulate abuse, lawbreaking, and corruption. These protections should not tread on the rights of any member of the social contract, should be short-term and should spell out the goal of the regulation or intervention.
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Hopefully we can all start from a basic and universal understanding that there are absolutely moments and times when safety nets, and entitlements are necessary. There should be no questions and no doubts about these needs. Ultimately the question becomes when, where, how, what and why those safety nets be applied.
“A
Federal program
or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.”
These programs were never appropriately funded when started, hence relying on the next generation of workers to fund the previous generations increasing demand on the system.
Currently, entitlement programs make up approximately 60-61% of the total expenditures of the federal government every year.
In 2014 the budget total was $3.78 trillion, assuming 60% of the expenditures is entitlements the current expense (2014) of entitlements was $2.27 trillion.
On current projections the cost of entitlement expenditures will surpass the total revenue of the United States by 2025. While we simply allow our elected officials to not talk about this looming crisis, the question I would ask for the future is: “Are we willing to sacrifice now in order to ensure that our children have a nation in the future?”
It is time for some solutions and it is time for our “leaders” to control our spending.
By 2010 health care expenditures accounted for 17.4% of GDP. We are currently on an irrevocable course. Since the advent of the Social Security Act of 1935, the government has been involved in a large portion of the health care of the people of the United States. In every passing generation that involvement has increased, the number of people covered and what health care is covered, has increased. Because of this increased presence it will be very difficult to overcome the dependency of the people on the government and will be very difficult to “unwind” the systems.
We will need to elect courageous leaders, who will do what is necessary and right, not what is easy. We will need to find leaders who will not bend to pressure from special interest groups, PACs or corporations. We know that this is currently not happening, and we know that there are no real solutions in Congress right now! The current situation is that the two parties are content to use the healthcare system as a battleground to earn “hyperbole points”, to build their base of extreme voters and to gather donations.
History of healthcare reform in the United States....
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Solutions and ideas...
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