What makes you more qualified than your opponent?
As a Financial Professional and Certified Financial Planner, I have worked with hundreds of individuals, families and businesses drafting a variety of financial plans depending on the particulars. I have a true understanding of the financial concerns and needs of the hard-working Americans that make up the 7th CD. The current meltdown of the financial markets combined with high energy costs has created such a volatile economic situation that electing a true financial professional to Congress is needed. My experience in the home building business, energy industry and investment markets will be essential as new regulatory legislation is brought before the Congress.
Would you support an expanded guest worker program and how would it work?
The borders of this country need to be secured to the point where entry is more prohibitive and legal entry is accessible and streamlined. In addition, secured borders will reduce drug trafficking as well as the trafficking of slave labor. I do support a guest worker program that is streamlined with multiple processing centers to handle the flow of workers. This must be a joint program between countries of origin, the USA and the employer. A national database for securing proper ID information must be part of this process. This program will need to include a means for employer to verify work status, travel status, and means for income taxation to be collect. The guest worker program is a necessity to our economy and will require the hiring of additional government employees to provide support and logistic to the program.
Should Congress permit increased off-shore drilling? In the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
Increased drilling and exploration for fossil fuels within the domestic USA is needed. Until an economic and more viable resource is developed to replace this energy source, we must continue to lubricate our economy through fossil fuels. When I was 18, I worked up in the arctic at the Prudhoe Bay facility for a year. I have personal experience in witnessing drilling in the Arctic. It was safe 30 years ago and the technology is even safer today. Development and delivery of domestic sources of fossil fuel create jobs, provides tax revenue, spurs innovation and creates self sufficiency for the USA.
Should Congress provide the requested $50 billion in low-cost loans to the auto industry for retooling and development of fuel-efficient cars?
Though Congress provided Chrysler with a loan that worked out well for that particular auto company, I am against the idea of taxpayers’ money being used in this fashion. If you open up a loan provision to the auto industry, then you have to open the loan provision to all industries.
What’s your assessment of recent Supreme Court picks Samuel Alito and John Roberts?
John Roberts was an excellent pick both in his judicial skills and constitution interpretation. I am not that familiar with Samuel Alito.
How best should the U.S. government protect Americans from dangerous foreign imported food, drugs and other products?
Our existing department of drug enforcement and agricultural and consumer protection agency must statistically sample all imports of drugs, food and products to assure compliance with US standards. If countries wish to have the US markets open to them they must agree to a liability treaty with escrow dollars to aid in the sampling.
Should the U.S. government make it more difficult for American businesses to “outsource” jobs?
My wife’s job with United Airlines was outsourced to India. This is an area will you can use the US tax code to provide incentives to industries to keep domestic jobs or return domestic jobs through “tax rebates or incentive programs.
How would you reform the Department of Education or would you recommend Congress abolish it?
I would appropriate 50 percent of the Department of Education dollars to merit pay or bonus systems for teachers. Part of the higher pay would be awarded to those teachers showing excellence in classroom management and teaching. In addition, higher compensation for a teachers willing to locate to lower performing school. Accountability for schools and students is important, along with a base line federal guideline for learning. Education should be controlled more on the local level with federal funds allocated to those institutions of learning to be allocated by them.
Do you support a constitutional amendment to bar homosexual marriage? Why?
I do not support a constitutional amendment to bar homosexual marriage. I have an adversity to amending the federal constitution and opening up that “Pandora’s box”. I prefer legislative initiatives on the state level to handle these questions.
Is global warming primarily caused by human activity and should reducing greenhouse gas emissions be a priority for Congress?
The environment is important to all of us in Colorado. Global warming appears to be more of a cyclical process within nature which is occurring. Humans, as part of nature have contributed to the cycle in a small way. Overall, the idea of being good stewards of this plant is a noble idea. |
