Issues

Issues

Honest & Ethical Government

  • Corruption is a problem in state government.
  • We need public servants who hold themselves to a high standard of honesty.
  • What I will do:
    • Insist on strong sunshine laws. The public’s business should be conducted in public.
    • Support legislation to make sure public officials cannot steal money from their own campaign accounts and get away with it.
    • Stand firm against individuals involved in blatant corruption & wrongdoing, regardless of their party.

Illegal Immigration

  • The failure to enforce our immigration laws has undermined respect for the rule of law and our democracy.
  • Allowing illegal immigrants to enter our country freely is a risk for our nation’s security, allows free flow of criminal activity, and has a negative impact on American jobs and wages.
  • What I will do:
    • Support expansion of programs to train our state and local police officers to identify and detain illegal immigrants, especially criminals.
    • Push for enforcement of laws holding businesses accountable who intentionally hire illegal aliens.
    • Support legislation to prevent illegal aliens from receiving tax-payer funded benefits such as non-emergency medical care and college tuition breaks

Low Taxes

  • I believe low taxes promote a strong economy by allowing you to keep more of what you earn
  • What I will do:
    • Oppose any effort to implement a state income tax.
    • Push to restrain growth in the state budget.  The state budget should not constantly grow faster than your family budget.

Job Growth

  • Government does not create jobs. The private sector creates jobs.
  • Government should enforce laws to ensure fair play and protect the public.
  • Government should provide public infrastructure to support private development and growth.
  • Developing sustainable growth and infrastructure requires careful long term planning and development.
  • What I will do:
    • Push for the reduction of unnecessary rules and regulations. The best way to promote job growth is often for the government to get out of the way.
    • Advocate the building of necessary infrastructure such as roads, utilities & water supplies.
    • Push for improved local & regional long-term planning
    • Encourage the co-operation of local & state government, along with the business community to plan & advocate job growth
    • Support the improvement of educational programs (vocational & college) to develop the skills needed for future job growth.

Pro-Life

  • I believe in the intrinsic value of life, born & unborn.
  • Abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia are all contrary to respect for life
  • Abortion harms not only the unborn child, but the mother as well.
  • What I will do:
    • Push for passage of SJR 127, a bill to return the power to make abortion laws to the people through their legislature, not the Supreme Court of Tennessee
    • Support commonsense protective measures such as informed consent, waiting periods, and requiring abortion clinics to meet the same health standards as hospitals.
    • Push to remove funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, from the Tennessee state budget.
    • Encourage alternatives to abortion through support for adoption and programs to assist underprivileged mothers in keeping their children.

2nd Amendment

  • I believe the 2nd amendment protects an individual right to possess firearms.
  • Self defense, defense of one’s family & friends, hunting & recreation are all appropriate uses of a personal firearm.
  • What I will do:
    • Support legislation to allow responsible law-abiding Tennesseans to carry firearms in public areas such as state parks.
    • Resist any attempt to deprive citizens of the right to keep and bear arms, especially in times of public emergency or crisis, when they are needed most.
    • Encourage the education of our young people in proper firearms safety.

Support Our Troops

  • Tennessee has a proud history of supporting our nations military
  • The military has a strong presence in the 14th district including the TN National Guard and the Arnold Engineering Development Center.
  • What I will do:
    • Support in any way possible the establishment of the CBAT facility if it is located at AEDC.
    • Support our National Guard troops and their families in any way possible.

Education

  • A solid education is the foundation of future personal and financial success.
  • Parents have a right to expect educational excellence for their children.
  • Our teachers are diligent, dedicated, and care deeply for their students.
  • Various social problems are having a deep impact on our school effectiveness.
  • Many schools in Tennessee face infrastructure shortfalls.
  • What I will do:
    • Support efforts to return to a back-to-basics curriculum focused on reading and math in our elementary schools.
    • Return more authority to local school boards, administrators, and teachers. Current mandates restrict the ability of our professional teachers to do their jobs most effectively.
    • Dedicate a portion of any budget surpluses to school infrastructure.
    • Reinvigorate vocational training in our high school to meet the demand for skilled labor in our workforce.