Supporting Our Families

No matter how well-intentioned and well-conceived a federal program is, it can never take the place of the family. If we are serious about securing long-term economic prosperity for America, then we can not ignore the matters of the heart. We must begin reclaiming our culture by committing ourselves to the values that made our nation great. Decency, integrity, personal responsibility, and respect are absolutely necessary in order to secure our nation’s future.

SANCTITY OF LIFE

We must work hard to build a culture of life and a civilization of compassion that recognizes the supreme value of every life. It is imperative that we strive to continue to work to protect each life from conception until their natural death

As we seek to advance science and improve our medical understanding, we must never loose sight of the fact that every human life is a gift from our Creator. We must not destroy one life in an effort to preserve another. Instead we must look to life-saving research that is science based but is ethical.

PROVIDING TAX RELIEF

As former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts would say, “Tax relief is about Freedom.” It is about your freedom to save, spend or invest your own hard-earned money as you see fit. It’s about returning dollars and decisions back home to you and I and our families.

Whenever you and I our given tax relief, we don’t have to work as long to pay the taxman. That means parents, especially single moms and dads, will have more time to spend with their children or to take care of an elderly parent. It also means you and I will have more financial freedom to do the things we want to do…like going to a movie, eating out, taking a vacation or giving to our favorite charity.

Unfortunately, many of our current leaders in Washington believe our money belongs to the government. I disagree. When it comes to correcting the growing shortfall in our federal budget we must do so by decreasing our politicians’ spending, rather than by raising our taxes. You worked hard for your money. You earned it, and it you should be able to keep it.

Taxes are currently one of the largest expenses that a middle class family has to endure and in some cases it is their number one monthly expense. We should not sacrifice our families and require them to spend more time at the job so that they can afford to take care of their basic needs.

PROTECTING THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE

While I believe love can be shared by all men and all women in our free nation, the institution of marriage is between one man and one woman. While I do not like to see changes made to the U.S. Constitution, if an amendment is necessary to prevent our nation’s judges from defining marriage to be anything other than what our Creator intended, then I support its adoption.

STRENGTHENING SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security was established in 1935 as a pay-as-you-go system. In the beginning, there were 42 workers supporting each retiree. By 1950, there were 16 workers to support every retiree and today, there are only 3.3 workers supporting every retiree. By 2030, it estimated there will be just over 2 workers to support each retiree. Starting in 2018, Social Security’s revenues will fall short of the amount needed to pay for our retirees much-needed benefits. Without reform, Washington will either raise are taxes or cut our benefits.

More than 45 million Americans receive Social Security benefits and millions more are nearing retirement.

For American who are 55 years or older, nothing will change…nor should it. Their Social Security benefits are secure and will not change. Any change to Social Security must be gradual so that the next generation has years to plan for their future.

I will work hard to make sure that Americans continue to have access to their Social Security benefits. After all, they have spent a lifetime paying the taxes. I will work to ensure that all Americans have access to a secure retirement and that our younger workers have access to voluntary personal retirement accounts.

SECURING OUR BORDERS

I support strict enforcement of our current immigration laws. We do not need new laws and regulations.

Our nation has benefitted immensely from the contributions of immigrants who have legally entered this country to create a better life for themselves and their families. The American Dream is a powerful force that drives individuals from many backgrounds to work hard to make our communities better.

Unfortunately this same characteristic that makes our country great also makes us more vulnerable to those who want to exploit America’s openness to do us harm. It is important to our national security that we work to establish a good balance between stronger enforcement yet still allowing law-abiding individuals the opportunities that America affords.

The Department of Homeland Security has many programs that already serve as our first line of defense against illegal aliens and therefore must be supported and evaluated to determine if they have the resources they need to do their jobs. Additionally, we must work to strictly enforce the current immigration laws and impose the appropriate penalties on the thousands of people who work to facilitate and profit from illegal border crossings.

Since many illegal immigrants are here looking for employment, we must also work with our business leaders to ensure that they are abiding by the current immigration law as well as working to validate the necessary paperwork for their employees.