A Return to Prosperity

As bad as things seem right now, I believe that prosperity is possible and that an economic turnaround can happen soon. We don’t need to wait seven more years for the economy to recover, as some economists have said. However, we must have new leadership in Congress to regain our economic might.

The “stimulus”, bailouts, government takeovers, and uncontrolled spending of the past two years have failed. What will work is what put America in the forefront of economic development in the first place; making the free-market work for everyone who is willing to show up, follow the rules, and do their part.

Rebuilding the Economy

The most important issue facing Americans right now is high unemployment. Rhode Island has been hit hard by the recent economic slowdown but this need not continue. Rhode Island has a unique opportunity given both its small size and advantageous position between Boston and New York to be a magnet for business. Much of the state was recently approved as a federal HUB zone, a unique federal program designed to jump start the local economies of our nation hit hard by the recession. Many sectors of the state’s economy are already beginning to bounce back such as the high tech sector, defense and boat building industries.

The key to continued economic growth and lowered unemployment is to reduce the overall tax burden and allow entrepreneurs to expand their business without the specter of excessive regulation and government mandates. A business friendly climate brought investors across the Atlantic Ocean at the dawn of our great nation to set up industry in Rhode Island over two hundred years ago and the same laws of commerce apply today.

Creating Jobs

People need jobs now, not seven years from now.

Only rapid, sustained, private-sector-led economic growth can produce the 35 million new jobs that America needs. Fast growth will solve our deficit problem and provide the resources needed to fully fund Social Security and Medicare. Creating a business friendly climate has spurred record economic growth in various nations around the globe in recent years and there is no reason why an economic growth spurt cannot happen again in the greatest country in the world.

Here is what we need to do:

• Cut wasteful Federal spending, starting with the "stimulus" program.
• Get money circulating in the economy again by stopping the Federal Reserve from paying banks to sit on money and not lend it out.
• Make the 2001/2003 tax cuts permanent for everyone.
• Cut taxes on savings, investment, and job creation.
• Reject the "Cap and Trade" energy tax increase.
• Reject calls for a Value Added Tax (VAT).
• Repeal and replace the Federal healthcare takeover law.
• Stabilize the value of the U.S. dollar, thus stabilizing both the economy and the financial markets.
• Make free trade work for, rather than against, American workers.
• Cut the bureaucratic red tape that is strangling small businesses by adopting sane and sensible regulations.

Maintaining Security at Home and Abroad

As a retired Lieutenant Colonel (USAR) and helicopter pilot, I will bring knowledge and experience to Congress. We must continue to support our men and women fighting abroad to defend the freedoms and liberties we cherish at home. We need a leader in Congress that can give our troops clear, achievable goals as well as the tools they need to accomplish our mission.

I have become particularly concerned in recent months with the handling of enemy combatants. The Military Commissions Act of 2006, approved with bipartisan support in the Senate, authorized known terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay to be tried as alien unlawful enemy combatants engaged in hostilities against the United States. This set a firm precedence that terrorists would be held accountable for their actions and that our national security would be our first priority. In recent months all of those responsible for the 911 attacks have been transferred to federal prison in New York and await trial with all the rights and privileges of a US citizen.

Terror suspects must be tried in military tribunals, not in the U.S. criminal justice system.

The recent chill in U.S.- Israeli relations is also of grave concern. Israel is the only stable democracy in the Middle East and is threatened every day by enemies on all sides. We must continue to support Israel and not give equal footing to its neighboring states that have time and again continued to support radical terrorist groups.

Protecting the Environment

As someone who grew up in the Blackstone Valley and has since settled in the East Bay, I’ve had the opportunity to truly appreciate the full range of our state’s natural beauty and historic heritage. It’s no coincidence that “conservation” and “conservative” share the same root and I’m proud to say that I am a conservative with a strong record on conservation issues.

In the Rhode Island General Assembly, I was instrumental in amending the 2009 budget to include money for Open Space and preservation of farms. I will work every day to ensure that the rural character of our communities is safeguarded and protected from reckless development, urban sprawl and environmental damage.

Keeping LNG Out of Our Bays

I stand firmly in opposition to the “in-bay” berthing facility that Hess-Weaver’s Cove Energy has proposed for Mount Hope Bay. Construction of this facility and allowing LNG tankers to transit our waters 140 times each year would cause irreparable damage to our environment, our states economy and our way of life. This tanker shuttle expansion would severely negatively impact the Rhode Island economy by bringing commercial and recreational boat traffic to a standstill while grinding traffic on the Claiborne Pell Bridge to an abrupt halt disrupting Aquidneck Island’s lively tourist industry. Hess maintains several other regional ports and the only benefit of consolidating shuttles through the Narragansett Bay site would be to maximize corporate profits at the expense of the state of Rhode Island.

Achieving Energy Independence

Achieving energy independence is critical not only because it will strengthen our economy, but also because the greatest threat to our national security remains our dependence on foreign oil. To reach true energy independence we need to invest in developing domestic sources of energy such as wind, wave, clean coal, hydroelectric, solar, and nuclear energy. There is no one solution to the nations energy needs. Regional solutions need to be adopted that take advantage of each states specific resources such as wind power in Rhode Island.

Though a full transition to renewable energy should be our highest energy priority, a fossil fuel based economy takes time to transition to a green economy. In the interim we need to utilize the domestic resources we have to not lose our footing in the world economic system. Continental shelf petroleum systems sustain our national economy today and pave the way for the wind farms and other green technologies that will keep America on the cutting edge of economic growth tomorrow.

Providing for Seniors

The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) estimates that Social Security will become insolvent by 2037. Congress needs to address this impending crisis and will likely be reliant upon a Bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform that President Obama created this year. Their report is due out later this year.

I support giving individuals more freedom and choice in the Social Security program. One option would be to allow Americans to invest a portion of their earnings in a self-directed investment vehicle. Others may elect to continue with the traditional Social Security program. Either option would be entirely voluntary but one thing is certain, our present Social Security system is not sustainable and needs to be addressed today to safeguard our own economic futures tomorrow. I don’t believe privatization is the answer, but we must start a debate in Congress as to how to address this impending budget problem.

Cuts to Medicare – and losing benefits – is also on the minds of many Rhode Island seniors as more details about the health care bill come to light. The dramatic cut in reimbursement rates has caused more doctors to decline Medicare as a form of payment, limiting doctor choice for Medicare beneficiaries. As Congress moves forward with repeal and replace provisions, we must ensure that reimbursement rates are appropriate and that we take dramatic steps to end fraud in the Medicare system.

Creating an Affordable Health Care System

I believe that empowering consumers to make their own choices and bringing free market forces to health care is the key to lowering costs and getting insurance to more people. But Washington took the wrong course. Congress raised taxes and cut care to seniors in order to pay for a new health care entitlement that will end up adding to our national debt burden. The initial plan was to reduce spending by forcing the millions of Americans who abuse the health care industry to pay their fair share through taxes at the end of the year but the last minute bill that was rammed through Congress in the wee hours of the morning lacked any cohesive cost cutting measures.

With new leadership and true bipartisan cooperation, the next Congress can fix this blunder and come up with a better way to get health insurance to more people, without raising taxes and without expanding the role of the federal government in our lives.

Veterans

As the only candidate in this race who has served his country and is a veteran, I recognize the importance of continuing to support our fighting men and women long after they return home. I support educational incentives, extending counseling services and any and all measures to go the extra mile to help our brave service men and women find a place back home where they can enjoy a fulfilling and productive life among countrymen that value and honor their distinguished contributions to our great nation.

Second Amendment

I support the Second Amendment and believe that citizens have the right to keep and bear arms. I support safe and responsible gun ownership.