Issues

As I travel throughout the 4th Congressional District, I take every opportunity to listen to people’s concerns and ideas on how to address the important issues facing our country today. America can still be the land of opportunity if we elect leaders who are willing to engage, encourage, and empower the people in our communities.

I am running for Congress because I care deeply about the future of this country. I have highlighted just a few of the issues I will address in Washington and I will continue to add my thoughts and ideas on other issues of importance over the coming months.

Agriculture/ Rural Issues

Agriculture is the foundation of our country’s history, wealth and prosperity. Today, American producers feed the world with the safest, highest quality of food and provide our nation with food security and independence. It is vital to the future of the U.S. that we support domestic agriculture and rural communities.

I support the 2008 Farm Bill as it was passed by both the House and the Senate. This bill provides a well rounded, modern  approach to the diverse issues that impact American agriculture. The Disaster Relief program in the bill provides much needed assistance to the farmers and ranchers in Colorado who battle every year with unpredictable weather conditions. This bill’s safety net protects producers from market conditions that could otherwise force them out of business and threaten our nation’s food supply. Additionally, the Conservation Title makes environmental responsibility fiscally attainable. This legislation also includes a strong Nutrition title; the U.S. government has a duty to make sure that all Americans have access to safe, nutritious food and the 2008 Farm Bill takes a major step towards ending hunger in America.

click here to read more...

Economic Growth and Fiscal Discipline

Most Americans work hard and pay their taxes. Yet sixty percent of America’s largest corporations pay no taxes at all. It’s driving up the biggest deficits in history. In 2005, the richest one percent of Americans held 19% of the nation’s income, the largest share since 1929. We know from history that concentrating wealth and income in a small group is bad for economic growth and for encouraging entrepreneurship. I support raising the minimum wage, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, and fixing our unemployment insurance and low-income programs, some of which are more than 30 years old.  I support taking middle class Americans out from under the burden of the alternative minimum tax.

We’ve also got to put our government back on a pay as you go basis. And I am serious about cutting pork barrel spending and curbing earmarks. Funding pet projects for your state is no way to run a government.

click here to see my economic plan...

Education

Public education in America is one of our greatest success stories. Our country has made it a priority to invest in our young people and help them become productive members of society, life long learners and assets to their communities. My three children received a wonderful education in Colorado’s public schools and the opportunities presented to them has helped each grow and reach their goals. We must ensure that all students in this country have access to a high quality education with qualified teachers and the technology needed for success.  Today many schools are struggling to get the support and resources to help them teach the children they serve.

Six years ago the Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act. While there has been a narrowing of the achievement gap among some groups of students since the Act was implemented, a one size fits all method does not work for an education system as large and as diverse as America’s. Schools that improve but do not meet certain levels are punished rather than rewarded for their hard work. It is time to amend No Child Left Behind so that schools are given more flexibility to meet the learning needs of their students. Congress should focus on providing adequate funding and improving accountability measures. There also needs to be an added focus on training and retaining highly qualified teachers in our schools. We can not improve our schools and teach successful students without the hard work of America’s teachers.

Our colleges and universities have been the envy of the world. However, as tuition rates climb access to a college education is slipping out of reach for more students every year. The cost of a college education has risen 40% in the last five years and continues to go up. Students and families have taken on more and more debt as a result of climbing tuition costs.  In 2007, the House passed legislation to lower the interest rates on student loans, increase the value of Pell Grants, and provide colleges and universities with strategies to contain costs. I support these efforts. When we make education affordable, we are ensuring a more prosperous nation and encouraging success from all of our citizens.

Education in this country shouldn’t be taken for granted. We must support our schools, our teachers and our students. Quality education should be a priority, we have a duty in this country to provide an excellent education to all students and support them with the resources and tools they will need to thrive in our ever-changing global economy.

Healthcare

As a former Federal employee, I received excellent healthcare benefits.  Every American should be able to have the same access to affordable health care that I was privileged to receive. President Nixon first proposed a sweeping national health care plan in the 1960’s that fell victim to the groups most entrenched in the medical-industrial complex. The cost of healthcare is crushing our citizens and businesses and weighing down our economy. We need to focus much more on the prevention of diseases. Seventy-five percent of health care costs are attributable to chronic diseases such as heart disease, asthma, and cancer.  We must reduce the costs and increase American’s quality of life through emphasizing disease prevention.  Make no mistake: every American in this country has some form of access to health care through our emergency rooms. This is expensive, unsustainable and highly inefficient. We must address how to provide healthcare, particularly preventative health care, to everyone in the most efficient and equitable way. Washington has ignored this problem for too long and it has now reached crisis proportions. It is time to make America more healthy and make  affordable healthcare a national priority.

Immigration

Our immigration system is in a crisis.  I do not support amnesty.  I do support civility in the immigration discussion.  Too often the debate is clouded by inflammatory rhetoric which hinders true immigration reform. 

First, we need to ensure our borders are protected and secure.  Since the mid nineties, yearly arrivals of undocumented immigrants have exceeded arrivals of legal immigrants.  Our current border protections are overwhelmed and under-equipped to stem the tide of illegal immigration.  We need to know who and what is coming into our country.  I support increased funding for border security efforts. 

Second, we need to recognize that there are industries in Colorado, agriculture and the dairy industries for example, which rely on migrant help.  We need to have a visa system in place to make sure that these industries can get the workers they need legally so that our crops are not dying on the vine.     

Third, we need strong and workable employer verification programs to equip employers with the means to verify the status of their employees.  If employers knowingly hire workers who are here illegally, they should be fined.

Iraq

It is my position that the Democrats and Republicans in Congress must stand up to the President and must deny to him the ability to further harm our nation in his reckless continuance of a failed policy. We can effect this by limiting funding to only those costs necessary to ensure the safe withdrawal of our brave troops and to their care and support once they are back home. This is too important to leave to the future. We the people, and our Congress, must act now.

 Pinon Canyon

Southeastern Colorado is an integral part of Colorado’s agricultural and ranching industries.  The United States was built on these industries and our national security depends, in part, on our ability secure our own food supply.

While I support adequate military training, the expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site will put many farmers and ranchers out of business.  This will devastate southeastern Colorado agricultural communities and also cut their much needed tax revenue.

Additionally, the Army has failed to explain why they cannot utilize other Defense Department training sites for additional training.  We simply cannot destroy the economy of southeastern Colorado when alternatives to the Pinon Canyon Site have not been pursued.

Finally, I cannot accept that the Federal government can dismiss the rights of property owners who are unwilling to sell their land.  When I am elected to Congress I will oppose any efforts to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site.

Renewable Energy

 Energy independence and energy security are not Republican issues or Democratic issues. They are American issues. We have a unique opportunity at this time in our history to change the way we power this country and Colorado is poised to become a world leader in this effort. Our state’s wind, solar and agricultural energy supplies offer opportunities to create jobs, protect the environment, and decrease our dependence on foreign oil. The next Congress needs to sit down, put all the energy options on the table, and develop a comprehensive energy plan that decreases our dependence on foreign oil while pursuing the best long-term solutions.

This includes developing and implementing renewable energy resources in conjunction with responsible domestic drilling practices, particularly the 68 million acres already leased to oil and gas companies. But we also need to recognize that it is always cheaper to save energy than to make it. Initiatives to reduce energy consumption and our dependence on foreign oil will be just as important in the next Congress, because they are inextricably intertwined with our economic future. I strongly believe that in solving the energy crisis, Americans will come to acknowledge that it is possible to incorporate environmental stewardship into our lives and we can translate that to other areas such as reducing consumer waste. Our country has faced great adversity in our history.

Through innovation and entrepreneurship we have come together to overcome seemingly impossible odds to move America forward.  When elected to Congress, I plan to work toward that end by making research in new alternative technology and energy conservation one of my top priorities. Together we will solve the energy crisis and make America stronger and more secure.

Veterans and the Military

I pledge to make myself accessible to the men and women who have sacrificed for the Nation’s security. To that end, I have and will continue to have an “open door” for any veteran, service member, and military family member who want to discuss the issues and concerns facing our active, guard, reserve, and retired military communities.

It is the duty of every public servant to take care of our military and veteran communities by providing them with, among other things: Comprehensive nursing and medical facilities, proper healthcare and mental healthcare services, broadly-based educational and housing assistance, timely processing of claims, and appropriate disability and retirement benefits.

It is the duty of every public servant to make sure that our military is utilized when necessary and not when discretionary – that it is properly equipped and supported and has adequate stabilization between periods of deployment. That we as a Country have often fallen short of these duties is inexcusable, and I will work tirelessly to ensure our Nation’s heroes receive the care and consideration they deserve.

If elected I will actively seek a seat on the Veterans Affairs committee in Congress. I look forward to serving our veterans, service people, and their family members just as they have served our Country.

Join me in a pledge to support our service men and women.   

click here to learn about the pledge & my policy plans.