Change seems to be the buzzword on the Presidential campaign trail this year. Unfortunately the only change I see is in the positions of most of the candidates.
Leadership is knowing what you believe in and being able to transfer this belief to the people, not changing your position to accommodate the beliefs of those to whom you are speaking. The biggest change we need in Washington is a change in the people we send to represent us. We need people of conviction, people who know what they believe in.
Here is what I believe in and this will not change.
The security of our country is the number one responsibility of the federal government. We need to secure our borders and end the flow of illegal aliens coming across. We need to do whatever it takes to win the war on terrorism, including finishing the job in Iraq. We need to reduce dependence on foreign oil, level the playing field for American companies in our trade agreements and balance the budget to insure financial security for our future.
Secondary issues that I have beliefs in that will not change.
The tax code needs to be abolished and replaced with a simple tax that every American can understand. Healthcare cannot be turned over to the federal government. There is no such thing as FREE when Uncle Sam is involved. Our educational system needs to be revamped so that teachers are compensated based on the performance of their students. When teachers are rewarded, rather then the school districts and administrators, you will have those closest to our students vested in their development.
Abortion is a state's rights issue that should be determined by the people of each state. My personal view is that late term abortions are equivalent to murder, embryonic stem-cell research should not be federally funded and women should have the right to choose in the first trimester.
Gay Rights- The constitution says that we are all created equal and that we should have equal protection under the law.
Marriage- A union between a man and woman. Civil unions between any two individuals should be offered the same rights and protections as those granted to a man and woman through marriage but it should be called something other then marriage, that word is already taken.
There are other issues, big and small, that will directly effect the people of the 8th Congressional District of Pennsylvania and the country as a whole, and you can be assured my position will be based on less government involvement, less government spending, lower taxes, personal freedoms and protection of the American way of life.
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
