Where I Stand on the Issues....

Budgets and Frugal Government Spending.

I will look at budget and spending issues as if the money were my own. The government should not spend more than it has and it should not count on getting more money from the people. Government should plan and spend very conservatively. Budgets should not be "guidelines". Fiscal management is a serious skill that is absent from much of governmental decision making. It seems to me that Administrators, politicians and bureaucrats tend to implement programs and spend on programs without an apparent concern for how they will be funded or even whether a program is really even necessary. Did you know every state agency and office must spend its budget (money it has taken from the taxpayer) each year or lose the money? This nonsense must end and only contributes to increasing bureaucracy and the wasting of every taxpayer's money. We need to be smarter and more disciplined about our governmental spending to be sure we get the "most bang for our buck". It's not the government's money it is your money! My background in business has prepared for me to understand these choices and help make good decision. We cannot continue to spend more than we can afford. Difficult choices must be made.

Taxes and Fees.

The steady onslaught of increasing fees and taxes are killing the family and home budget. Small businesses are staggering under the tax code. Fees are often not even considered a "tax" but you feel it in your wallet the same way. Our Colorado Supreme Court is increasingly allowing our state government to define new taxes and fees too easily. How do you feel about the new DMV fees that the state has started this year? Or what about the elimination of the senior citizen property tax exemption? I will work hard to reduce fees and lower taxes across the board. We must work hard to eliminate burdensome fees and taxes that we know are being used to fund programs we do not support and do not need.

States' Rights.

The Federal Government is continually trying to over-ride the freedom of Coloradoans to determine what is best for Colorado. Colorado is a unique state and we do not want our local policies concerning schools, energy, and local commerce and business matters to be decided by some bureaucrat or Czar in Washington DC based on the needs they think we have here in Colorado. The US Constitution was written to prevent the Federal Government from encroaching on the rights of the individual states to manage local matters. We need strong state leadership to fight to preserve our freedoms here in Colorado.

Smaller Government.

The number of jobs in the government is ever-increasing. The cost to support these people and the programs they develop is becoming over-bearing and burdensome. Our taxes pay for those people and fund these regulations and programs. Many of the programs are nonsense and should not exist. It is my belief that we can shrink the government, save the taxes on people and businesses and focus solely on essential services. I will examine every program, regulation and fee within my scope and make recommendations to reduce and shrink at every opportunity. I will rigorously fight against every tax and fee proposal. We need to shrink the government and reduce the cost to support it.

Colorado State Industries.

Colorado is a state blessed with rich natural resources. The people of Colorado are historically hard working, patriotic and honest. When the Federal government and the State Governor continue to regulate our technology and Oil & Gas businesses out of existence, we know it costs us jobs, individual income, and revenue to the state. I will work hard to restore our industries and make Colorado once again a desirable place to start and run a business. I have personally been involved in starting businesses and moving business to Colorado so I know what motivates a company to come here... and i know that higher taxes and more regulation is what chases business away. We need leadership in the Colorado Legislature that will work for Coloradoans.

Armed Forces.

Although not a big issue for this district, I know that we have many family members that have served in the military. Our nation and state should continue to hold our veterans in the highest regard. They deserve a special status when it comes to recognition. Additionally they deserve the best access to educational opportunities. Many servicemen sacrifice their prime educational opportunities while they serve and they have to work exceptionally hard to catch up. Their families make tremendous sacrifices as they support their service in the military. I hold our active duty military and our veterans in the highest level of reverence and support all programs that reward their service . We must honor and respect our military and veterans and acknowledge their courage, bravery and sacrifice at every opportunity.

Education. Parents and families should be in control of their children's education. They should have a choice of where to send their children to school. For some children, the public education system is the perfect environment and that is satisfactory. The major complaint about the public system is that it is too expensive, financially inefficient and bound by ideological perspectives. Families need to have the opportunity to move their children to an environment that supports their family values and educational goals. I support a voucher system. However, I simultaneously recognize the need to look closely at the public schools and find ways to make them better and to make them more competitive for those families that choose to use them. We must allow families to control the education of their children and attend the school of their choice. Seniors In past times we respected our elders and we valued their knowledge and their experience. We looked to them for leadership and moral guidance. Most healthy societies do that. In my personal experience I was lucky to have grandparents and aunts and uncles that taught me valuable lessons. They earned their position of respect. Today’s politicians have adopted a disturbingly negative bias against our country’s senior citizens. We must stop the despicable anti-senior trend in our government. Our Seniors deserve our support and respect.