Jobs and the Economy

Good jobs are crucial to everyone. The state’s position of offering incentives to special interests, instead of industry as a whole, has caused damage to our state. Arizona is a construction heavy state, and there is no industry to support the kind of growth required to sustain our construction based economy.
Arizona has goals of being the solar capital of the world. This is good, but I would like to see other types of industry move to our state as well. We already offer a right to work environment, friendly to business, but our tax structure makes Arizona too expensive to do business. Also our poor spending habits have simply made this state a bad investment.
To allow the market to create more jobs, the government has got to clear these road blocks.

The Budget

Why would anyone bring jobs and families to a state with our budget problems?
The answer is; they wouldn’t, and they aren’t. This should be a topic of main focus.
The budget has got to be the priority. I will work to balance the budget without new taxes or tax hikes. We, as Republicans, have got to return to our fiscal routes.
The answer to our budget problems is simple; cut spending. I understand that implementing this policy is difficult, and requires sacrifices from both the voters and the lawmakers. We will have to make tough calls to get this done. It will not be easy, but with combined cooperation and understanding, it can be accomplished.
Until we address this, we will not begin to recover.

Tax Reform

The current tax structure punishes industry. These industries would bring better, higher paying jobs to our state.
Our economy has relied on construction for far too long. Quite simply, a construction based economy has no alternative other than to burst, but our tax structure penalizes high capital industry. As a result of this, they simply stay away.
We will have to reform our tax structure to create a fair playing field for all industries, and small business alike. We will have to reform our tax structure in a way that will make it among the most competitive in the world.
Arizona has the resources to build what industries need. We just need a state that understands what it will take to bring them to us.

Resources

As this state recovers and begins to grow again, we will be faced with the question of resources. Where do we get more water, and ultimately how will we power our state?
We will have to rely on the entrepreneurial spirit of this nation for that answer. Technologies like desalinization are out there, and we have got to be open enough to allow industry to bring these sorts of technologies to Arizona.
Solar does have some promise, but we cannot rely solely on this for our future power needs. We will have to be open to more cost efficient and reliable options.
I am open to what may come next, but whatever it is, it cannot place burdens on the citizens of our state.

Health Care

Health care is currently regulated by the state, and should remain so. Health care costs are directly related to two key factors: mandates and legal costs.
The run of the mill insurance mandate adds approximately 1-2% to the cost of health care. Currently Arizonans suffer from 47 different mandates. As policy holders, we are all forced to pay for these mandates. I am not saying that some of these mandates aren’t well intentioned. What I am saying is that they are costing Arizonans way too much money.
Legal fees add an additional 10% to the cost of health care. Many doctors (good doctors) cannot afford the cost of malpractice insurance, forcing some of them to cut services. The answer to this problem is a difficult one. Lawyers do not want any sort of reform, but many medical professionals want caps placed on judgments to protect themselves from excessive settlements. Neither of these options can be the bottom line answer, but something must be done. We must find a balance between patient rights, safety, and personal accountabilities.

The Right to Life, And the Equality Of All Mankind

As stated in the Declaration of Independence, “All Men Are Created Equal”. This document has been used to define the original intent of our founding fathers. In fact, Abraham Lincoln claimed that the United States was not complete until this was recognized, in regards to slavery. I believe we must continue to look to this document in our own day, and strive to fulfill the principles it teaches.
This hallowed document plainly declares that inalienable rights begin at creation, and our nation will continue to fall short of these principles our founders taught, so long as the law allows for a child’s rights to be denied. 
This is the great moral issue of our day. 
No human being has the right of convenience over another’s right to Life. No human being has the right to preside over another’s innocent life.

The Borders

It’s clear our federal government has neglected its duty to protect our borders, forcing states and local communities to use their own time and resources to enforce immigration laws within their jurisdictions.  Though I will continue to call upon the Federal Government to protect our borders, I will also seek to protect the citizens of Arizona by supporting state, county, and municipal enforcement efforts.
I will not, however, support any law that violates those central tenets of conservativism, liberty and small government. I will not support laws which force anyone to prove their innocence.  I believe we can enforce our laws without sacrificing our values. No one should ever fear being guilty until proven innocent.

The 1st Amendment

I will defend our right to religious expression and free speech. Our value system relies on these freedoms.
While some seek to expand the size and scope of government, in doing so, they also seek to destroy these fundamental rights. As our values continue to stay strong, we will resist that growth, and protect these precious freedoms

The 2nd amendment

The 2nd amendment is crucial to the protection of the 1st,, and our founding fathers knew this. This amendment also ensures that we can protect ourselves and families.
The purpose of Law Enforcement is to punish individuals whom have already broken the law. We need the ability to prevent crime from taking place against our interests, and the 2nd amendment simply protects that right.
This is an issue for which there is no room for debate.

State Rights or Sovereignty

I have strong beliefs on this topic, however the issue is ill defined, making it difficult to move towards a goal.
My definition of state sovereignty is having the ability to refuse the federal government’s requests or demands on issues that the state is not constitutionally obligated to. In order to achieve such a goal, we have to be fiscally stable. This means our state would have to be able to refuse federal dollars for transportation and education. This is no easy feat.
A responsible budget is key.
This is a primary goal of mine, but the fortitude it would require from so many other elected officials in the state, would be unprecedented.