The Issues
Where I stand on the most important things
It is important to note, that there a lot of "issues" that I don't think the Federal government has any authority to be involved in, but that does not necessarily mean I think that no government should ever be involved in them, those issues would just fall to the 50 states to handle, usually in 50 different ways. This is the bedrock principle of Federalism that our entire system is based on, just because it works in New Hampshire does not mean it will work in California and vice versa. This is a pretty consistent theme you are going to see in the specific issues below. If you're curious about what issues the Federal government actually is empowered to tackle, I encourage you to read (or hopefully reread) the US Constitution.
The Federal government has certain enumerated powers, found in the Constitution, anything outside that is reserved to the States. This principle has been essentially totally ignored since the FDR administration (long before my time, and probably yours too). In a lot of cases, the powers that the Federal government does have, have been improperly abdicated to someone else within, or even outside of, the government (the War Powers Act and the Federal Reserve Act come to my mind first and foremost). This is also Constitutionally improper and has led us away from the peace and prosperity a properly functioning Constitutionally limited government would provide. It is high time we make a steady march back toward that kind of government. Practically speaking, for any single Senator, this likely means lots and lots of “No” votes (and probably a number of bills I put forward with few or any co-sponsors). Reigning in the Federal government will take a nationwide movement, and I think that the cracks in the surface are beginning to show to a point that that may occur in my lifetime, but again, I would only be one vote out of fifty.
I know the question is going to come up, so I'll answer it briefly here “why aren't your running as a Libertarian?” The short answer is I'm not a member of the Libertarian Party, and the reason for that is that the party on a national stage is a dumpster fire. While I do hold a number of views in common with Libertarians, I disagree on a few key issues as well (most notably immigration). Given our system of government, I think it is more important to refocus the Republican party on it's liberty roots than to try to build up a 3rd party. I would love it if any Libertarian's that agree with me on more than they disagree would jump in and vote for me, but I am running as a Republican for a reason.
I think the wisdom of our Founding Father's has been largely lost among the noise of “what can the government do for me today?” So I am going to put some quotes below that would be my guiding light, should I be elected Senator, those men in their day, and pledging their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, said more than I could ever hope to say on the issues that are still very much alive in our government today. The words of these men have guided me all my adult life, they are a big reason I joined the military, and they are a big reason I am running for office today. If the quotes below resonate with you at all, I think I might just be the candidate you are looking for.
“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.”
-Thomas Jefferson
“Liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty as well as the abuses of power.”
-James Madison
“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
-Thomas Jefferson
“In every human breast, God has implanted a principle, which we call love of freedom; it is impatient of oppression and pants for deliverance.”
-Phyllis Wheatley
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
-Thomas Jefferson
“I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
-James Madison
“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.”
-Samuel Adams
Social Security
The Social Security system has two major problems from where I'm standing. First, it's flagrantly unconstitutional, no where in the enumerated powers of the Federal government will you find “running a retirement Ponzi scheme.” (they do have the power to tax income, because of the 16th Amendment, which is how the whole farce is justified, but they do not have the power to distribute those funds to individuals in retirement)
Secondly, being a Ponzi scheme, it is essentially a retirement promise built on the enslavement of our own children (not being hyperbolic there, think about it for a second). The only thing that the Social Security “trust fund” is allowed to “invest” in, is US Treasury securities, meaning US bonds... so the United States Federal government, takes 6.2% of your paycheck (plus your employer pays another 6.2%, which they aren't paying you, so let's call it what it really is, 12.4% of YOUR paycheck) and then immediately loans that money to itself to spend on things, and calls that a “trust fund.” That is if there is anything left over to go into the “trust fund” If not, the outflows from Social Security come directly from the current (forced) inflows, a classic Ponzi scheme, perpetuated by forced participation of the young and productive to support the old and unproductive. This is classified as “fair” because the old and unproductive were victimized in the same way for many years...
It is worth noting, that the old and unproductive being victimized in the same way for many years means something, that is, we cannot pull the rug out from under them. I highly doubt most of the folks receiving social security right now that need it to live on were Constitutional scholars, and even if they were, they still had no choice but to pay into the system. But, we do need to change the system so it actually works going into the future, and make it aligned with the text of the Constitution so that we are not picking and choosing what parts of our system of government we like and which we do not, and ignoring those that we do not.
So what's the solution? Well, we could put forth a Constitutional Amendment, granting the Federal government the power to run a National Retirement System. I would recommend against this, as the Federal government is not very good at things... but it is one path. Or, we could do what the 10th Amendment would suggest we do, and leave things like individual retirements up to the 50 states, to deal with (or not) on their own. For the moment, we should immediately stop promising Social Security to every new person that joins the workforce, when we know darn well that the system will be totally bankrupt within 10 years, never mind in 30-50. We need to cut off the program right now, and roll the costs into the overall Federal budget, push distribution off to the states where it rightfully belongs, and put our heads together to think of some retirement programs that are Constitutional, and hopefully, benefit the economy, instead of just increasing the size of the Federal government and its deficits.
Abortion
A hot button issue for sure. My position on it should come as no surprise though, the US Constitution does not empower the Federal government to make abortion legal or illegal in the 50 states. It is rightly a state issue. I personally find abortion to be abhorrent, and I think any "civilized" society that allows it outside of the terrible choice of life of the baby or the mother, is a society gripped by evil. But, that does not magically empower the Federal government, the Constitution is a contract between the States and the Federal government, when the Federal government violates that contract, it loses it's legitimacy.
Health Care
Another somewhat straightforward issue from the Federal standpoint, the Federal government has absolutely no Constitutional authority to say almost anything about healthcare.
Nowhere in the Constitution is the Federal government empowered to involve itself in Healthcare, it erroneously did so with the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) by the skin of it's teeth under it's power to tax and it's power to regulate interstate commerce. John Roberts on the Supreme Court made a critical error here. I, as a senator, would do what I could (not much), to return any authority to regulate healthcare to the states where it belongs Constitutionally and logically. For example, should insurance companies be allowed to deny those with pre-existing conditions? Probably not, but that is for the individual states to decide, and it should be with eyes wide open that that decision will likely increase costs of health insurance for everyone.
The "culture war"
Listen, the “culture war” can mean a lot of things, but the issues involved in it invoke passion on both sides (and I am no exception, I feel passionately about a number of the issues caught up in the “culture war”); however, this is set of issues which the Constitution very intentionally leaves up to the states. The truth is that what passes as normal and acceptable varies greatly based on locality. This is why we have the often overlooked 10th Amendment (The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.)
Some of these issues are extremely important, and I am glad to see the GOP in New Hampshire dealing with some on the state level, but as a candidate for US Senate my position is simple. The Federal government has no authority here, any attempts to weigh in by the United States are Constitutionally improper, I do not want New Hampshire to look anything like California and I will fight California's (and New York's and Massachusetts's, etc) congressional delegations with my last breath to keep their BS away from New Hampshire. But, that doesn't mean I think we should force our values on those states either. I'll end with a quote that sums up my case on the Federal government in the culture war quite succinctly “It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case others.” - Thomas Jefferson
Immigration
Finally, an issue that the Federal government actually does have a say in! And, the single issue they can never ever seem to get right. The NSA can read every text message you send, but they can't secure the southern border, how delightful. But, I digress, this is an issue where I manage to disagree with both the average Democrat and the average Republican, but I would like to think that I can rally with the average American that subscribes to common sense. First and foremost, we have to have secure borders, immigration is not even an issue worth talking about if everyone that is willing to break the law simply sidesteps the system and walks in. This means we need to increase the penalty to illegal border crossing, physically secure the border, and increase funding for Border Patrol, anyone caught violating the border should be permanently barred from legal entry into the United States. At the same time, we need to streamline the process for coming here legally, lots of people want to come here, most of them want to put in an honest day's work and either send money home to family in other countries, or build a life here. We have ample open jobs, and while we do, we should welcome people that want to come here and fill them. Getting a temporary work permit should be as simple as filling out a few forms, agreeing to check in as requested, getting a tax ID number, agreeing not to take from any Federally funded welfare programs, and then heading out the door to go snag a job, if you cannot prove to ICE that you have an on the books job within 3 or 4 months, we ask you to leave. No freebies, but a chance to work hard and utilize the excellent capitalist system almost all of us take for granted. This would be with the understanding that you are not a citizen, and therefore not entitled to all the privileges of citizenship, no food stamps, no public housing, no voting, just an opportunity. Oh, and if you overstay this program, you will no longer be welcome in the United States of America. For those that already broke the law to get here, they would have to either leave and come through a proper port of entry legally, or apply for the program after the fact, admitting that they broke the law, and relinquishing the right to apply for citizenship by doing so. Doesn't mean we kick them out or even take their jobs (it would not make sense to do so for practical purposes), but if they did not respect the law of the land, I do not think we should welcome them with full citizenship.
If you want to become a full fledged citizen, after being in the above work program for say, a year (or whatever time we decide seems reasonable, I'm open to suggestion), that will be more complicated, but still should be less complicated than it is today (talk to anyone that has gone through the process, they'll tell you that it is a lot, and very expensive to boot). You should need to learn some rudimentary English, take and pass a simple history/civics test, submit to a comprehensive background check, pledge your allegiance to the United States of America, agree not to participate in any Federally funded welfare programs as a new citizen (for say, 20 years?), and then we should welcome you with open arms. See, this plan checks all the boxes, it eliminates the Republican argument that immigrants are just here for handouts (having met lots and lots of immigrants, I find that's generally not the case, but it is sometimes for sure), and eliminates the Democrat argument that the right thing to do is let everyone in.
Those are just my current thoughts on immigration, I'm open to change them. It is a complex issue, that is essentially being ignored by the current administration to the great detriment of our entire nation. While I am not set in stone about what we should do, we cannot simply do nothing at all, which seems to be the current strategy. Border states are correct to sue the Biden Administration because they are failing to faithfully execute the laws of the United States. I do not think Joe Biden is even capable of reading the Constitution at this point, but his failure on immigration is enough alone to remove him from office.
Education
This is actually an extremely simple issue from a Federal standpoint. The Federal Government has absolutely no Constitutional authority whatsoever to have anything to do with education. The Department of Education, created in 1979, has overseen nothing but a marked decline in education in the United States by all available metrics. It is a waste of everyone's time and money, which could be spent on the state and local level to actually improve education.
Taxes
So, the standard Republican answer is to lower taxes no matter what. And as a libertarian leaning Republican, I tend to go even further and say “taxation is theft.” But here's the thing, lowering taxes without cutting spending is flat out irresponsible. It is good for the citizens in the short run, but is bad for their children. Out of control national debt is even more of a problem than out of control personal debt, it just takes a lot longer to rear it's ugly head. So, I do not think we should necessarily cut the tax “rate” per say, meaning that the Federal government needs to continue to take in approximately what it takes in now, until it gets it's debt in check. What we should change as soon as possible, is the way in which the Federal government generates taxes. Income taxes are one of the single dumbest ways to tax people. It discourages production, which is exactly what we should be encouraging. Rich people love to tell you that the income tax does not discourage production, but ask any working man what his first thought was when he worked a 70 hour week instead of a 40 hour week and only had $175 extra dollars in his paycheck... He said, I'm not doing that again if I can avoid it. It's simple logic, why work harder to pay more, if you're making ends meet with 40 hours, and the government takes an extra 20% out of your hours above 40, why bother? This makes every individual hourly worker in the economy less efficient, and more importantly, it's morally wrong. If taking 100% of the product of someone's labor is slavery, what is taking 20%? Free range slavery? So, what is the solution? Simple, throw out the entire tax code, every unjust disgusting line of it, and replace it with a national sales tax. It would be an abysmally high tax at first, 20-30% (but with no income taxes, so that is great for a number of people), but as we shrink the Federal government and pay down the debt, that “national sales tax” can also come down. There is a conversation to be had about excluding certain items from the national sales tax, and should enough intelligent people every get elected to Congress to have the conversation, we would have it. For now, with the current crop of politicians, I can tell you one thing, I'll never vote for a tax increase!
For more on the “fair tax” that I think makes the most sense, check out the link below.
Covid-19
Never in my lifetime has the Federal government so obviously and completely overstepped it's Constitutional authority than during the Covid-19 Pandemic. This crosses party lines distinctively, Donald Trump overstepped his authority, as did Joe Biden. We desperately need a Senator that will stand up to the Federal government when it oversteps, that's what Senators should be doing, not begging for the last crumb that falls of the table, or worse yet, expanding the out of control Federal government.
Gun Control
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This seems pretty clear to me, but there is a lot of confusion about it from the bottom to the top. Lot's of folks get hung up on the “well regulated Militia” bit, first, it is an explanatory clause, meaning it does not effect the underlying Right that is discussed, and second, at the time of the writing of the Constitution, the Militia was pretty much everyone. At least, that's the way it was sold to the People of Virginia. “"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for few public officials." - George Mason at the Virginia Ratifying Convention. So obviously, if any “gun control” at all is Constitutionally permitted (and I would say that there is a 14th Amendment argument that it is not), then it is certainly not permitted at a Federal level. I would work to repeal the unconstitutional Federal gun control on the books (The GCA and the NFA). And furthermore, I will work to get a Federal law on the books establishing concealed carry reciprocity or a Federal concealed carry permit, negating states that attempt to violate the rights of their own citizens and visitors (Something that the Federal government actually is empowered to do, how refreshing!)
Inflation
This is the issue that is probably giving everyone the biggest headache right now. Gas prices are up, food prices are up, housing prices are through the roof! How can a working man ever hope to get ahead if they keep moving the goal posts? I remember when I was a kid, being a millionaire really meant something, now, lots of people are millionaires simply because they held onto a house they bought in the late 1980s (that sounds nice on paper until you look a little deeper). The insidious truth about inflation is that it is a tax, and it is a tax that falls heavily upon those that can least afford it. The government spends money that it created out of thin air, thus devaluing the money you already have or already make, and in a totally predictable (but never discussed) turn of events, the price of pretty much everything goes up. There are some “economists” that do not believe this to be true, but you are witnessing it right now with your own eyes. I encourage everyone to learn as much as they can about the nature of our financial system, and how it is structurally guaranteed to make the rich richer, and the poor poorer. Please check out George Gammon's Youtube channel (see link below) for deep dives into how our system actually works (he does a better job explaining than I ever could). What you need to know from my standpoint, is that the Federal Reserve and the fiat money system we currently use is unconstitutional and deeply injurious to the average American, especially over the long term. It needs to, and will be, replaced, but dealing with it now will lessen what is guaranteed to be a painful fall from grace for the United States financial system.