Positions that I hold on key issues:

Spending- Growing the government at a 33% clip is irresponsible and unsustainable. Government growth is outpacing economic growth and this will be a hindrance to future prosperity.

I believe strongly in fiscal restraint and support a return to voter approved I-601. This taxpayer bill of rights sets a strict government growth rate at population plus inflation. I would also work to restore the supermajority requirement for mill levy increases at the local level. I believe that the government must exercise utmost caution in wisely allocating every dime that it has taken from taxpayers.

Taxes- I pledge not to vote for any tax increases. In the past four years taxes have risen by $500 million. I believe that Washingtonians are already overly taxed and the government needs to cut out the waste and make government more effective before reaching into the pockets of taxpayers. Washington State levies the highest cigarette taxes in the nation, the highest gas taxes in the nation and one of the highest sales taxes in the nation; we are not in any way under taxed.

I strongly oppose the installation of a state income tax. I believe this would lead to higher individual taxes and less economic growth. I also support the repeal of the death tax, an onerous tax that burdens small businesses and family farms while providing small amounts of revenue for the state coffers.

Health Care- I don’t believe that government takeover is the solution but that government intervention in the health care market is a source of the problem. To make the system work more effectively we need to remove the government regulations that are unduly burdening the system. One of these is the prohibition on purchasing insurance from an out of state provider. I will work to allow people to purchase insurance from out of state thus introducing a greater degree of competition and thereby improving the quality of insurance and decreasing the cost.

Washington State currently has 51 mandates, requiring that each insurance plan cover certain benefits. Some of these benefits include alcoholism, in vitro fertilization and acupuncture. It is not to say that any of these benefits are bad, but it is not the responsibility of the state to mandate that they are each covered. People should be free to choose which benefits they want covered and which they do not want covered. Under the current system, a Mormon who never drinks and has four kids would be charged more for his insurance because he is required by law to be covered for alcohol abuse as well as in vitro fertilization. These mandates contribute to the rising costs of health insurance.

I would support the use of Health Savings Accounts and other reforms that return healthcare to a direct payer system. When people are responsible for paying for their own service they will be more responsible and doctors will work to cut costs and provide better services as they compete for the business of patients.

Transportation- According to Democratic State Auditor Brian Sonntag, Gregoire’s Department of Transportation has not made relieving traffic congestion a priority, in spite of our state’s traffic problems. My main transportation focus as State Representative will be congestion relief. It is only logical that transportation projects should focus on where they are needed most.  This includes supporting the extension of 167 and the construction of a cross base highway.

Education- I support bold reforms to education that will help students learn. I support systems of merit based pay for teachers that are truly excelling. Merit based pay would also allow districts to attract Math and Science teachers who command a much higher salary in the private sector. I support the development of charter schools to improve the options of parents in failing public schools. I support an overhaul of the WASL but I do believe that a system of accountability is needed.

 

I am running on a platform of limited government and commitment to principles inherited through the generations. I believe as Thomas Jefferson did that, “A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned—this is the sum of good government.” Mr. Jefferson also said, “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”

I believe that by restricting the overbearing burden of the state, the private sector and institutions of civil society can step in and fill the void. They will meet the needs of our citizens more effectively.