No issue stands alone - no problem, no solution - it is all connected.

My goal is to do what is necessary to see the American people benefit economically in a nation where people have the peace of mind that government is doing the right things to keep them safe at home.  People need to be proud of America, and I want the free world to know we act with the highest ethics in the things we do.  Problems can not be solved without a plan. We need a new vision of how to get there. Here are a few of the things I think are the key elements of that plan to make us stronger, safer, and more respected.

Strong Economy

We need to reduce the national debt:

• Rebuild budget discipline; return to “pay as you go” budgets
• Reduce “pet-project” expenditures – sometimes called earmarks
• Stop the “gift” of dollar subsidies to profitable companies, like oil companies
• Create jobs in a new energy economy -- green collar jobs
• Help for consumers who are caught in the mortgage credit crunch
• Pursue healthcare reform that reduces cost for consumers and provides access to health insurance
• Acknowledge lengthy military operations in the middle east are draining our economic security and ultimately not increasing national security

National Debt – In the last seven years the National debt has risen from $5.8 trillion dollars to over $9.3 trillion dollars.  We must stop running the government on borrowed money.  I support a pay as you go policy.  I do not want our children to inherit the debts of bad economic policy.

Jobs – One of the best things Government can do today for job creation is to embark on a bold energy race.  A clear, cohesive, and focused drive to develop new energy technologies will help lay the groundwork for another 50 years of innovation and job creation.

Also, we need to support the American worker. We should provide incentives for companies to keep jobs in the US and not ship jobs overseas. We can provide education programs that go beyond the basic skills required today and teach the skills of the future economy.  Educated workers with real opportunity are an essential ingredient in a growing economy.

Energy policy – Every American would love to have one solution to our dependence on oil. However, building our solution around one technology would be short sighted.  We must develop a range of technologies, each providing a portion of the solution.  Higher fuel efficiency standards, mass transit, bio-diesel, ethanol, electric cars and eventually fuel cells will all play a role in the solution.  Conservation, high efficiency appliances, clean coal, nuclear, solar, and wind should also play a larger role in improving our current energy outlook.  There are many ways to encourage innovation in this area with incentives, and our government should invest heavily in driving that innovation to market.

It is important to note the distinction between our dependence on oil and the commonly used phrase “our dependence on foreign oil”.  Oil is a commodity regardless of its source.  Increasing demand for oil is in no small way driving fuel prices upward.  Drilling in Alaska or off the Gulf Coast are not sound options.  These measures will not decrease demand and will only temporarily increase supply.  Drilling in Alaska and off our coasts might provide temporary relief to high fuel prices at the expense of delaying a comprehensive solution and improving our National Security.  We need to be energy independent, and it needs to start today.

Environment – We have learned that environmental sensitivity is smart business; it creates jobs and leads to innovation.  Considering environmental impact during development helps business create better products, workplaces and ultimately, lives.  Pollution prevention is much less costly than clean up and allows business to stay focused on their core functions.  We have learned that the world, our ecosystem, is really pretty small, and our behavior affects everyone -- similarly their behavior affects us.
 
We need to lead the world in environmental stewardship.  Our ideas of freedom and capitalism are the model for the world and created a global market place where emerging markets are enjoying unprecedented success.  Our environmental stewardship can set the standard for others to follow.

Safe at Home

Being safe at home demands improvements in our intelligence community.  Better cross-agency communication is essential.  In addition, we need to ensure that our Constitution is protected while still aggressively investigating and prosecuting terrorists.  Keeping our people safe does not have to come at the expense of the precious liberties granted in our Constitution.

We need to acknowledge that safety and security cannot be guaranteed by the government in the form of the Dept. of Homeland Security or even our great Military.  It starts and ends with the citizens.

Build upon the strength of our citizenry:

• Restore our constitutional rights -- we can have improved national security without sacrificing basic civil liberties
• Recognize the Global War on Terror must be fought by more than our military alone; we need a stronger coalition with better intelligence sharing between countries
• Invest in school infrastructure, Head Start, and K-12 education including after school programs that provide alternatives to drugs, gangs, and crime
• Establish new programs for non-violent offenders to re-engage with society including job training and transitional housing so they can contribute to society as opposed to being a drain on it
• Ensure a Government supported healthcare solution for all children
• Promote voluntary National service, either in the military, AmeriCorps, or other programs that contribute to the strength of our society

Constitutional Rights – Much of the latitude we gave the Executive Branch, through our Congress, following 9/11 was granted out of a sense of fear, and it has been exploited by the Executive Branch to an extreme. This excessive license serves to overshadow the simple idea that the just power of government is given by the consent of the governed.  We must support the US Constitution, protect individual privacy and observe the laws of our nation.

Education – Nothing can make us safer than an informed and educated citizenry. We need to acknowledge that, despite good intentions, the No Child Left Behind Act has not worked as we had hoped it would. We need to dismantle the elaborate systems it created to test and ensure federal education dollars are not wasted because that system is siphoning off too many dollars. Not enough money is making it to the classroom. This system should be replaced with trust -- trust that state and local officials, generally elected by the same voters who elect Congressmen, share the same goal that no child be left behind.

Opportunity – Opportunity for every American benefits every other American and builds a safer and more secure country.  It can be as obvious as preventing racial discrimination or as complicated as facilitating prescription glasses for a person trying to move from the welfare rolls to the tax rolls as a restaurant employee.  No family with a full time worker should live in poverty.

Law Enforcement – Aside from adequately funding of agencies themselves, we need to assist law enforcement by reducing the number of career criminals.  We can do this with early intervention and by breaking the cycle of self destruction that eliminates opportunities for young people.  We must stop branding children with a label that says they cannot succeed -- it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.  They turn to gangs and crime because they are barred from school activities, an after school job, or perhaps military service.  Offering these troubled kids constructive opportunities will lessen the work load for our law enforcement agencies.

Respected Abroad

The Global War on Terror needs to be fought by much more than our military.  Our military has performed magnificently since 9/11.  But our Government has relied too heavily on them to win a war that is much more complicated than wars past.  We need to apply American ingenuity, not merely force, to win it.  Immediately beginning a withdrawal from Iraq is part of a victory strategy.  We need to bring our troops home from the mission they deftly accomplished almost five years ago!  I’m willing to risk peace because I’m comfortable waging war.

America needs to:

• Clearly articulate to the world that we have no quarrel with Islam or its people but we will defend American lives anywhere in the world where they are threatened
• Regain the moral high ground -- abide by the Geneva Conventions and stop torture or anything that borders on torture.  Do this not because our enemy deserves it, but because that is who we want to be
• Talk to other countries -- including those who we don't always agree with, even if using a third party is necessary
• Recognize diplomacy is not appeasement but, do not relinquish US sovereignty to the United Nations or any other organization

Strategic Communications – In the world's eyes, our actions are not aligned with our words. We say this war is not about oil but about freedom and democracy. While it is true we would love to see a free, democratic Iraq -- and indeed Middle East. It is also true that our economy and, as a result, our way of life is inextricably tied to oil. The rest of the world sees the latter, and we need to acknowledge that perception.

It does not matter whether or not our enemy abides by the Geneva Conventions. We do, and this is about who we are, not who they are. We need to reclaim the moral high ground. This may remove the justification many use to facilitate terrorism and recruit terrorists. By regaining the moral high ground, we can ultimately isolate Al Qaeda and similar groups.

Strong Economy – A strong US economy will again make us a more powerful voice around the world. It is said, "A rising tide lifts all ships" – and when our economy rises, so do many other economies. Poverty and desperation are the breeding ground for extremist groups. Ending poverty and desperation takes away the breeding ground of terrorism.