My 8 Guiding Principles for the 8^th District and the Nation

1. Slash government spending and eliminate the deficit.
2. Reinvigorate private enterprise.
3. Enact health care legislation that can reduce health care costs.
4. Make America energy independent.
5. Secure America from terrorism and illegal immigration.
6. Stop cap and trade.
7. Restore ethics and accountability to government and business.
8. Reduce the role of the federal government to its powers as enumerated in the U.S. Constitution.

 

Our nation is now at a very low point of fiscal irresponsibility and unethical behavior in government.  Our federal government is borrowing about $1.5 trillion annually, greater than 10% of the total size of our economy.  The 10-year plan for federal borrowing is about $1 trillion annually and virtually all economists say this is unsustainable. 

Many of us citizens also think that our government is reaching beyond its Constitutional powers into areas where it should not be involved.  Before it was derailed, at least 10 state attorneys general planned to challenge the constitutionality of the Democrat party health care bill, on grounds that parts of it are unconstitutional.  Politicians might view their ‘deal-making’ as ‘business as usual’, but many citizens are disgusted and have had enough of political deal-making with taxpayer money.  Survey poll after poll shows the rating of Congress by the citizens is at a record low level.

Here are the things that concern me deeply about what our President and his Congress are doing:

• Spending too much money and borrowing with no regard to our future
• Wasting money on pork projects, earmarks, bad government programs, and political pay-offs
• Over-reaching into areas where they have no Constitutional power
• Influencing, regulating, and NOW owning too much of our economy and businesses
• Destroying personal accountability and expanding a corrosive entitlement mentality
• Bailing out failure too often with taxpayer money, especially bank and corporate bail-outs
• Not enforcing existing laws to protect American citizens from illegal immigration
• Rushing through huge, poorly written legislation in secrecy
• Allowing politics to dominate the science of climate change, and destroy open, honest science

We Citizens Must Take Back Our Government

You and I, as prudent and responsible citizens, must take back our government.  We must stop each and every one of these failures of the current Administration and Congress.  If we do not act, their failures could bankrupt this nation and destroy the freedoms, prosperity, and future for us and our children.

With your support in 2010, you can give me the opportunity to take action for you as your 8th district Congressman.  With your votes in May 2010 in the Republican primary election and in November 2010 in the general election, I will be able to work for you to support - and to prevent - legislation to stop the failed, runaway policies of this President and his Congress, and preserve your personal and economic freedoms and prosperity.

 My 8 Guiding Principles for the PA 8^th District and the Nation

The guiding principles I will use as your Congressman are what I call my 8 principles for the 8^th District and the nation.  As your congressman, I will work for you using these guiding principles to support or oppose legislation. 

Please review my 8 principles below and send me your comments.  I would very much like to know what you think. 

In the last sections of this page, I provide my specific actions to support each Principle.

 

             My 8 Guiding Principles for the PA 8^th District and the Nation  

1. Slash government spending and eliminate the deficit.
2. Reinvigorate private enterprise.  Restore stability to government policies and taxes so businesses invest, grow, and create jobs.
3. Enact health care legislation that can reduce health care costs.  Include tort reform, robust competition.  Slash fraud in Medicare.
4. Make America energy independent by enabling businesses to pursue all energy sources, in an environmentally sound manner.
5. Secure America from terrorism and illegal immigration.   Vote NO on blanket amnesty.
6. Stop cap and trade.  Overturn the EPA ruling on greenhouse gases.  Establish open and unbiased science on global warming before spending trillions of dollars on programs that might have no impact on global warming and expand government.
7. Restore ethics and accountability to government and business.  Stop bail-outs at taxpayer expense.
8. Reduce the role of the federal government to its powers as enumerated in the U.S. Constitution.

 

My Action Plan for the 8 Guiding Principles

Thank you for reading my 8 Guiding Principles.  Below I give you specific actions that I would support or oppose to bring life to each of my principles for you.

 

#1       Slash government spending and eliminate the deficit.

I will support action to slash government spending, including steps to make the entitlement programs solvent.  The massive government over-spending and deficits are so persistent and large that they now have become a national security threat.  For example, half of our government debt is owned by foreigners and the U.S. is dependent on foreigners – China, Japan, Russia, OPEC, among others - to buy half of every new dollar of our debt.

I will support the following actions and steps:

• End government spending in areas where taxpayer funds should not be used, such as the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, and many aspects of the federal Departments of Energy and Education
• End corporate and bank bail-outs.  Enact regulation in banking and other industries to avoid the need for future TARP bail-outs and get the taxpayer off the hook for any more bail outs.
• Tell the states that the federal government will not bail out their fiscal problems
• Reduce the government role and impact in residential mortgage markets.  Privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and end the operations of the FHA.  Collectively, these entities put trillions of dollars of taxpayer money at risk to subsidize the residential housing market.  Fannie and Freddie were hugely responsible for the current housing and mortgage crisis, and were enabled by congressional leaders including Barney Frank [D-MA].
• End the government bail-outs of GM and AIG immediately
• Sell off government programs that should be owned by private investors, such as Amtrak and the TVA
• Combine government programs into one department and reduce costs where there are multiple government agencies spending taxpayer money on the same overlapping activities
• Vote NO on any new entitlements or expansion of existing entitlements
• Create a new 10-year plan for government spending and borrowing that assures our nation and the world that America has a plan to return to fiscal responsibility
• Make existing entitlement programs [Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid primarily] solvent

 

Congress must implement fair solutions to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to bring benefits payable to future generations of Americans in line with the tax receipts available to support them.  These fixes must protect those who currently do or will soon depend on these programs as their only or primary source of income and healthcare, and provide future retirees and low income citizens with viable and assured benefits.   Congress must avoid increasing payroll and income taxes to make these programs solvent. 

 

#2       Reinvigorate private enterprise.  Restore stability to government policies and taxes so businesses invest, grow, and create jobs.

I will take action to give all businesses –ranging from small sole proprietorships here in the 8^th district to our largest corporations with global reach – access to the capital, skilled workers, and technologies they need to succeed.  With all of its intrusive and anti-business policies – such as card check labor laws, cap and trade, health care mandates and costs, and threats of higher taxes – the Obama administration and the Democrat congress have created an environment where businesses do not want to invest in the U.S.  I will support all steps to restore a pro-business environment to our economy so businesses will invest and create jobs.  I will also support reducing taxes on businesses and creating incentives for business investment.

• vote NO on tax increases that would increase the tax burdens on small businesses
• create incentives – such as accelerated depreciation of business investments – to encourage robust business investment and thereby jobs creation.
• stop or repeal the Democratic party’s healthcare legislation and its taxes and mandates on businesses.  Start with new legislation that can actually reduce costs and will not levy mandates and costs on businesses.
• vote NO on card check legislation
• vote NO on higher payroll taxes
• vote NO on cap and trade and its potential taxes
• support legislation to ensure small businesses have access to money and credit
• make free trade agreements fair to American businesses, consumers, and taxpayers
• expand the Roth and traditional IRA programs to allow more workers to save larger portions of their earned income for retirement. This will also benefit our economy by providing more capital for investment.

 

#3       Enact health care legislation that can reduce health care costs.  Include tort reform, robust competition.  Slash fraud in Medicare.

I will seek to maximize private competition in health care, to promote a marketplace where insurers, health care providers, and consumers interact to create those options that best combine what consumers want and what providers and insurers can offer.  I know of no better means to reduce cost and give consumers choices to fit their needs than through vigorous competition in an open marketplace.

Here are the components of a Republican bill I would support to fix health care:

• enact tort reform, to cap the size of tort awards and prevent frivolous lawsuits
• provide for robust competition of insurance companies across all state lines
• limit government mandates to those that protect the coverage of the insured.  These mandates would prevent insurers from cancelling policies after an insured files a claim and would make policies 'guaranteed renewable' so that an insured can maintain coverage if their health status changes.
• support health savings accounts [HSAs] as a consumer choice
• oppose any taxpayer funds to pay for non-medical abortions
• allow small businesses to buy insurance in pooled arrangements, which can reduce their costs and offer more coverage options for their employees
• enact and phase-in over time a tax on 'Cadillac' employer-sponsored health care insurance benefits
• allow tax deductibility of health care insurance premiums for families and individuals who buy individual policies
• make Medicare and Medicaid solvent.  Eliminate the large costs of fraud and waste that the Democrats claim is attainable.  Vote NO on any expansions of Medicaid that would push more mandates of coverage and costs onto the states.

 

#4       Make America energy independent by enabling businesses to pursue all energy sources, in an environmentally sound manner.

America must have greater energy independence and not depend on imported oil for so much of our total energy needs.  However, I believe that the government is in no position to decide upon or direct which energy sources will be viable for America in the future.  The government should not ‘bet’ on technology and business winners, and should not therefore waste taxpayer money to support specific energy sources through research or subsidies.

I cannot imagine a more unlikely group of people than Congress to assess investment worthiness of energy proposals.  I cannot imagine Congress being able to thoroughly consider all the business factors - such as the business and technological risks, costs, and opportunities - while avoiding the opportunity to earmark funds for their constituents or special interests. 

Congress and the President must NOT be allowed to make technology or business decisions about America’s energy future!

I would support Congress in providing tax incentives [investment credits and accelerated depreciation] that would apply to all private endeavors in energy efficiency and development but not anything targeted at specific solutions.  I also would support government action to limit litigation in the building of new nuclear power plants and electric power transmission lines needed to enable new power sources.  I also support government expediting the approval of offshore oil and gas leasehold exploration plans after they are submitted to government departments for review.

• Enact energy policy legislation that encourages aggressive research and commercialization of all sources of energy, including fossil fuels, nuclear power, and new green technologies.  America needs greater energy independence from imported oil.  Congress must enact tax credits that can be used for investments in all energy sources and in energy efficiency.  These incentives will encourage investment and jobs, and will lead to greater supply of domestic energy sources.  Congress must not ‘bet’ on winners because they do not know enough and will certainly waste taxpayer money.
• Congress must limit litigation that can frivolously delay new nuclear power plants.
• Congress must limit litigation, including questions of eminent domain, which can frivolously delay new power transmission lines.  New transmission lines will be needed to enable new generating sources such as wind and solar.
• Congress must ensure government agencies respond promptly when reviewing oil and gas exploration proposals by energy companies which hold leases on federal lands and offshore areas.
• Congress must allow energy exploration and development in ANWR [the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge].  The proposed drilling will take place on 2,000 acres of the flat coastal plain of ANWR, equivalent to 0.01% of the total ANWR acreage of 19 million acres.  The environmental record of all exploration in Alaska thus far is excellent and there is only reason to believe that ANWR efforts will continue with this outstanding environmental record.  The oil available in ANWR is estimated to be about 10 billion barrels, equivalent to all of the oil produced from Alaska to date.  This is a huge national resource that can increase our energy independence.

 

#5       Secure America from terrorism and illegal immigration.  Vote NO on blanket amnesty.

I will support all steps to secure this nation from terrorism, to secure our domestic borders, and enforce existing laws governing the orderly and controlled flow of people into the US and legal immigration.

• Treat terrorists as illegal enemy combatants.  Do not incorporate them into the U.S. criminal justice system. 
• Support steps to prevent terrorists from having safe havens anywhere in the world from which they can plan or execute terrorism against Americans
• Support actions in Iraq and Afghanistan to ensure these nations have stable governments, police and military, to secure the lives and welfare of their own people and to prevent and destroy terrorist safe havens
• Secure our domestic borders so we can know and control the flow of people and goods into the US
• Vote NO on blanket amnesty
• Punish employers in the U.S. that hire illegal immigrants

 

#6       Stop cap and trade.  Overturn the EPA ruling on greenhouse gases.  Establish open and unbiased science on global warming before spending trillions of dollars on programs that       might have no impact on global warming and expand government.

The US could spend trillions of dollars to reduce its carbon emissions over the next several decades.  Before we spend this amount of money and significantly change our way of life, we must have objective and unbiased science on man-made climate change.  In my opinion, we do not have objective and unbiased science yet.

I would seek to stop any legislation, such as cap and trade, that would impose carbon taxes or that would regulate the amount of carbon emissions [greenhouse gases] from industry and transportation.  Research on cap and trade shows that the impact on global warming would be negligible, despite wasting trillions of dollars to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and greatly expanding the bureaucracy and powers of our government.  I would seek to reverse the recent rulings by the EPA on the danger of greenhouse gases to health and welfare and support efforts to overturn these rulings in court. 

I believe that the science of climate change has been biased and politicized to serve the personal and political goals of some climate scientists and some politicians.  I will support congressional actions that provide a public, open, and objective forum on the science around climate change.  If and when the results of climate change science are conclusive, I will support the next steps to an open and objective discussion and agreement on actions to safeguard our climate, environment, and economic welfare.

I would support these actions as your congressman:

• Vote NO on cap and trade legislation
• Overturn the EPA rulings on greenhouse gases
• End taxpayer funds going to researchers and scientists and their affiliated institutions which have violated the public interest in favor of their own selfish interests, by making climate science biased and politicized
• Hold Congressional hearings on the science of global warming and make public the discussion and findings.
• Establish an ongoing forum to report publicly and regularly on the status of climate change science, to create an open and public debate and of the science and any actions needed.

 

#7       Restore ethics and accountability to government and business.  Stop bail-outs at taxpayer expense.

I will deliver on my own pledge of personal accountability to you my constituents and to the nation.  I will always live my life and conduct myself with 100% integrity, responsibility, and accountability.

I will also support the following to restore accountability and stop bail-outs using taxpayer money:

• Support a Constitutional amendment to establish term limits for all Senators and Representatives at 12 years
• Support regulations so that there are no future bail-outs of banks and corporations using taxpayer money
• Support tightening of House ethics rules and procedures so that all congressmen are held accountable to the highest standards and that any who violate these rules are punished
• Support legislation that makes Congress abide by all laws its passes
• Make congressional pay raises equal to the increases in Social Security benefits
• Never support legislation that does not hold companies and individuals accountable for their actions and decisions.  I will never support having the taxpayer on the hook for the mistakes of others.

 

#8       Reduce the role of the federal government to its powers as enumerated in the U.S. Constitution.

I start from the facts that government is an extremely poor steward of taxpayer money and the federal government has usurped powers not granted to it by the U.S. Constitution.  Since the New Deal era of the Great Depression, the President, Congress and the judicial system have interpreted the powers of the federal government too broadly and much more so than the founding Framers of the Constitution intended. 

As a result, we have decades of intrusion by the President and Congress into our personal rights and the states’ rights.  These expansions of federal power are not welcome and threaten our freedoms, jobs and prosperity. 

Under the current President and his Congress, the abusive and excessive expansion of federal powers has gone even further.  We must take action to return the role of the government to those powers that it was delegated in the Constitution.  We must prevent the government from expanding even further its powers beyond the Constitution to save our economic and personal freedoms and welfare.

I will do the following for this principle:

• Support thorough debate by Congress to determine if it has the Constitutional powers to act in a specific area, before it blindly proceeds to legislate there
• Support education programs and citizen action groups to better educate American citizens on their Constitution and the limited powers of government.  Build citizen support for Congress and the courts to limit the interpretation of federal powers to those intended by the Framers.
• Support action to review and approve judicial appointees on their views of the interpretation of the US Constitution, and not on their political opinions or views on specific social issues

 

Thank you for reading my action plan.  I look forward to receiving your comments on my plan.