January 26, 2012
Issues
JOBS
THE DEFICIT AND NATIONAL DEBT
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
HEALTH CARE REFORM
THE ENVIRONMENT
CAP AND TRADE
SECOND AMENDMENT
BORDER SECURITY/IMMIGRATION
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Jobs
In an economic crisis, the top priority of the Government is to foster an environment that encourages innovation, investment, and job growth. We need less bureaucracy, less burdensome regulation, rational business taxes, and an end to jackpot lawsuits. But right now, businesses face an environment of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
We need to rebuild our manufacturing base, and stop creating incentives for U.S. companies to outsource jobs. Above all, we need to focus like a laser on entrepreneurial small businesses, the engine that drives 70% of America's jobs. What we can't do is buy long term, sustainable economic and job growth with borrowed money, more Government bureaucrats, and higher taxes.
(See a job creation related blog post here and here)
The Deficit and National Debt
The Congress is ringing up incredible deficits – to the point that each U.S. taxpayer now owes about $132,000 of national debt and is on the hook for a share of $115,830,000,000,000 (trillions!) of unfunded liabilities – before new healthcare or cap-in-trade spending and obligations. Those figures don't include potential liability from the Fed bailouts or the various 'guarantees' of the Government. Our dollar has lost most of its value, and foreign creditors have the power to negatively influence US policy. And there's no end in sight - we'll add over $1 trillion of debt per year. President Ronald Reagan had it right: "The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much."
We need to do two things. First, responsibly reduce spending to sustainable levels and stop spending money we don't have. Second, grow the economy to organically grow government revenue through new and sustainable economic activity. The only way to achieve both goals is through policies that encourage investment, hiring, and economic growth as outlined above in the Jobs Section.
(See a deficit and debt related blog post here)
Government Spending
The Congress is addicted to spending OUR money – on special interests, wasteful boondoggles, and monuments to themselves. Spending bills need to stand alone for an honest up or down vote in the light of day. We've got to eliminate the back room deals, the midnight votes, the corporate welfare hidden in critical legislation, the earmarks, and the sweetheart deals for special interests.
I am the only candidate running who has cut spending at the federal agency level. At the FDIC, at the end of the previous S&L crisis, I worked with the Chairman and the Board to reduce spending to pre-crisis levels while maintaining critical services. I learned we can't afford to govern based on good intentions – we have to govern based on results. Specifically, I support:
- Truth in Spending – spending bills should be limited in scope, limited in size, and be posted for public examination on the internet for at least 3 days prior to a recorded vote. No more 2700 page bills that nobody read, no more 400 page amendments filed hours before the vote, and no more hidden (and anonymous) spending.
- Truth in Budgeting – The Congress must approve an annual budget for federal spending, built using zero-based budgeting which justifies and prioritizes every program.
- Sunset Provisions – Every spending bill and budget authorization must include sunset provisions so programs and agencies are fully reevaluated and reauthorized on a regular basis.
- Performance Measurement – In the past 25 years, the private sector has become leaner and more efficient – the government more bloated and bureaucratic. Every federal agency, program, and expenditure must have associated performance goals, metrics, and success conditions.
(See a government spending related blog post here)
At the time it passed, I believed the $787 billion stimulus bill was a bad bill and wouldn't work as promised by the Democrats who rammed it through with no bipartisan support. And it hasn't worked - they promised the stimulus would stop the layoffs and keep unemployment below 8% - they missed by millions of jobs. It's pretty clear that the real goal of the stimulus had more to do with growing government than creating new jobs.
To the extent the economy is improving, it's improving despite the stimulus, not because of it. We'd be far better off if we had kept government smaller, reduced bureaucratic red tape, and implemented targeted tax relief and investment incentives to grow small business, encourage entrepreneurs, and restore manufacturing competitiveness.
(See a stimulus related blog post here)
Health care Reform
In terms of quality of healthcare the American healthcare system is the envy of the world. Our biggest problem with healthcare is how we pay for it. Medical costs are out of control and it impacts all of us. Congress' fix was to cram down Obamacare - a radical takeover of the multi-trillion dollar healthcare system. The bureaucrats are making a power grab for a huge chunk of the U.S. economy.
We don't need a radical government takeover of healthcare; we need health insurance reform. I believe we need low cost, sensible reforms to give citizens more control over their healthcare:
- Allow Americans to buy insurance across state lines and increase the size of risk pools.
- Cut costs by limiting abusive lawsuits.
- End the unfair tax on the uninsured (and self-insured), giving them a tax-break similar to that which is already available to those with employer-provided insurance.
- Expand Americans' ability to keep their insurance when they leave their jobs.
- Allow lower premiums for user selected benefits (like catastrophic-only coverage) and healthier lifestyles.
- Expand the use of medical savings accounts.
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Provide help to encourage insurance pools for the hard to insure.
Instead, we got a radical health care bill that, according to the CBO and Chief Medicare Actuary, will drive costs up, drive doctors out, and effectively put the government in charge of health care.
(See a healthcare related blog post here)
The Environment
I’ve been accused of a lot of things during the 2010 campaign, but the worst was when Jay Inslee accused me of being a tool of coal and oil companies. I’ve commuted year round for 25 years on my bicycle and motorcycle because it’s the right thing to do. My motorcycle usually gets between 40 and 50 MPG – even in the rain. I bought a hybrid before gas prices jumped because it was the right thing to do. I'm a skiier and scuba diver. I love the North West, our clean environment, and quality of life – and I’ll fight to preserve it.
But I have very different ideas than the radical environmentalists about the best way to go about it. They claim we have an immediate climate problem, but call for expensive, big government solutions that won’t bear fruit for decades - if ever! They want to tax your energy – to the tune of about $1800 per family per year – so their pet choices appear cost effective. But the sad truth is that the technology and economics just aren’t there today for mass application of solar power and wind mills.
I believe we need to do three things to address the issue of climate change.
- Allow entrepreneurs and inventors to innovate. The government didn’t direct Boeing to develop the first commercial airliner, the Boeing 247, and didn’t pay Bill Gates to have Microsoft develop Windows. The private sector is the quickest way to clean energy breakthroughs – and the investment community will be there to fund good ideas. We can't afford government support of critically flawed companies like Solyndra.
- Take advantage of existing technology to quickly reduce emissions. For example, we have a 100 year domestic supply of natural gas that burns twice as clean as coal. We’re already using natural gas to generate electricity, run busses, and run the taxi cabs at SeaTac – but we can do way more. Other technology is also available today – like carbon free current generation nuclear power – France gets 80% of its power from clean nuclear and Japan put in 8 earthquake safe plants in 2009. In the U.S. we haven’t built a new plant in 30 years and only get 20% of our power from carbon free nuclear power.
- Third, pedal for success! In the North West, we all care about the environment. We do our part in a million different ways – we cycle, we volunteer for habitat recovery, we recycle, we try to live responsibly, and we do more with less. Let’s keep it up!
Cap and Trade
Cap and Trade is a terrible idea and bad public policy. It will reduce economic growth, cost millions of jobs, and hammer the middle class on wages, prices, and spending power. For what? A potential decrease of 1/10 of one degree Celsius over 100 years. There are less radical and more effective ways to address the potential effects of climate change.
Why the big push to implement bad policy? Maybe it has something to do with the money to be made by politically connected 'Carbon Tax Entrepreneurs' who will trade in newly minted carbon credits and mandated technologies?
(See a cap and trade/climate change related blog post here)
Second Amendment
As an NRA Life Member and a certified firearms safety instructor, I vigorously support the safe, lawful use of firearms. The right of self-defense is fundamental to a free society. I will stand up for all our constitutional rights, including those safeguarded in the Second Amendment.
Border Security/Immigration
The Federal Government has failed in its duty to protect our borders and enforce existing immigration laws. As a result, we have had a huge influx of people entering the United States illegally, which has had a massive negative impact on local governments, taxpayers, and American workers. In addition, our poorly secured border puts us at risk for drug, weapons, and terrorist smuggling.
I support common sense immigration reform that will fully secure our borders and require those who would emigrate to our country to follow our laws in doing so.
Breaking a country's laws is not a good start to becoming a productive citizen. I do not support amnesty for people in the United States illegally – amnesty programs are not fair to legal immigrants who have gone through the lengthy process to become a legal residents or citizens. People here illegally, who wish to become American citizens, should go through the regular immigration process.
Specifically, I support:
- A comprehensive border security system that strengthens all of the activities, assets, and programs necessary to secure America's borders. The system should address border infrastructure (fences, border crossings, etc) and link border management to all activities involved in cross-border travel and transport, from issuing visas and passports to the detention and removal of people here illegally.
- Making E-Verify mandatory, which is not burdensome on employers, but prevents illegal aliens from filling jobs that should have been held by legal residents and citizens.
- Enhanced systems to tighten supervision of student and other visas to ensure that foreign guests enter the country legally and leave as agreed when their visas expire.
- A streamlined temporary worker program that is truly temporary and where workers return home after their visas expire.
- An effective, less bureaucratic immigration system where we can quickly evaluate, select, and notify potential immigrants if they will be allowed to emigrate to the United States - or not.
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