My Background
I decided to run for Congress because I
believe that America's most fundamental
challenge is defending itself and our way of
life. The first step toward dealing with the
myriad economic, social and community issues
that must be addressed is to ensure that the
federal government lives up to its most solemn
obligation to provide for the common defense.
September 11th was
especially trying for my family, because my
sister Suzanne worked on the 92nd Floor of the
North Tower of the World Trade Center, and it
wasn't until that afternoon that we learned that
she was safe. Suzanne was running a few minutes
behind schedule that morning and instead of
being in her office when her building was
attacked, she was at the foot of the towers. She
was delayed because she was icing and carrying
our sister Meghan's birthday cake to bring to a
celebration that evening.
In part because of this experience, I
take the War on Terror and our nation's security
seriously. I believe that confronting terrorists
on their turf is essential to thwarting attacks
on ours and that American military power should
only be deployed when a vital U.S. interest is
at stake. I also believe that a vital national
security interest is indeed at stake in Iraq and
that we must be victorious. Victory in Iraq is
achieved when Iraq is not a "safe haven" from
which terrorists can plot attacks against
America, our interests, or our allies; Iraqi
security forces can protect their citizens from
terrorist thugs; and Islamic radicals no longer
threaten Iraq's new democracy.
Here at home, we must simultaneously
work to prevent an attack while also preparing
to deal effectively with a terror strike or
natural disaster. First responders, particularly
those who are in areas facing the most grave
threats, must be adequately funded, equipped and
trained.
Increased Healthcare Opportunities
By the time my first daughter was born
with a severe heart condition, my wife and I had
already paid tens of thousands of dollars into
traditional insurance plans for more than a
decade and assumed we would be fully covered for
our baby's open-heart surgeries and subsequent
hospital stays and care. We were not. Standing
between our family and our doctors were
insurance company bureaucrats dictating to us
what care we could get for our daughter.
This experience only highlighted to me
how important it is for Americans to have
healthcare choices that work for them. Where
important and personal decisions about health
care are at stake, the decision-making must be
in the hands of families and doctors and not
insurance companies.
The key to solving this problem is
consumer-driven health care and the expansion of
tax-advantaged health savings accounts. I
believe that funds contributed to a qualified
health savings account should be exempt from
federal income tax at the time of deposit. Under
this plan, funds would accumulate in an
interest-bearing account and could only be used
for qualified medical expenses. This way,
individuals, not insurance companies, earn the
interest on their health savings, and
individuals -- not insurance company bureaucrats
-- decide what medical expenditures are right
for them and their families. The health savings
account would be accompanied by a low premium /
high deductible health plan for those who suffer
catastrophic health events.
I will also work hard to encourage
entrepreneurial approaches to prevention,
strengthen chronic-care management, and
recognize the importance of personal
responsibility.
There are too many people who want and
need insurance but can't find affordable
coverage, and sadly, this includes an awful lot
of children. It is heartbreaking to think of
children around America who can't get the
medical care they need. I'll use my vote in
Congress to ensure that health care is available
to those children who truly need it. I will also
support giving tax credits to medical care
providers who treat indigent children.
No matter what side of the aisle you
are on, everyone's goal should be for health
insurance coverage to be affordable, fully
accessible, and portable. But this is simply not
an area where big government, despite all of its
promises, is going to solve anything.
"Nationalized" healthcare may sound like the
answer, but in fact it is full of empty
promises. Government control would inevitably
lead to waste, rationing of crucial services,
excruciatingly long waiting periods, and a
crisis far worse than what we face today.
Some believe that bureaucratic medicine
will cure what ails the insurance system in
America. I'm not one of them. Anyone dealing
with the Canadian system and the British
National Health Insurance Service would probably
agree. Canadians spend about 20% of their total
income on health care, and their system is far
worse off than ours. Wait times for urgent
procedures can be weeks or months. As a military
veteran, I am well aware that our own federal
Veteran's healthcare system has a 600,000 person
backlog on claims. Were the federal government
to administer healthcare for the entire country,
the backlog would be exponentially larger.
We also cannot forget that illegal
immigration is one of the most significant
drains on America's health care system. Fixing
illegal immigration is an important step in
ensuring that American citizens and taxpayers
are able to access the medical care they
deserve.
A Vision and a Plan for Energy
Independence
A primary goal for an effective and
sensible energy policy is keeping the United
States from having to exert military force to
protect our strategic energy needs. For too
long, American military men and women have died
in the Middle East on battlefields at the hands
of enemies who are essentially funded by
American dollars. I know this all too well. We
cannot permit it to continue. And we cannot
allow tyrants and dictators to use their oil
reserves to strong-arm and bully our friends and
allies.
As a nation, we had a unique
opportunity in September 2001 to declare our
goal of achieving energy independence. But the
opportunity was squandered. Now, I believe
voters must demand that Washington join in a
national commitment to achieving energy
independence as a critical element of national
security policy.
As Senator John McCain has said, energy
independence must be our generation's "Manhattan
Project." I believe that with the right
combination of technology, innovation, and
government incentives, we do not need to raise
taxes on hardworking Americans. I also believe
that entrepreneurs are more likely to solve
America's energy and environmental problems than
bureaucrats in Washington.
I support the creation of large
financial prizes to be awarded by the federal
government to companies and individuals who
achieve important milestones in achieving
America's energy goals, such as inventing an
affordable, practical car that meets or exceeds
a 100 mpg goal, or a new and safer way to
dispose of nuclear waste products, or new ways
to cut pollution, or new, clean energy sources.
I also support tax incentives for the
creation and use of alternatives fuels for
vehicle use. I believe that the federal
government must encourage local governments and
municipalities to make smart use of LEDs, which
can dramatically reduce power when used in
traffic signals and other municipal
applications. I support incentives for
development of other uses as well and support
federal programs that would defray the cost of
installation using grants or low interest loans,
which can be re-paid from energy savings.
We must continually look for sensible
investments in wind, solar, and other
alternatives to foreign oil, in part by
encouraging America's competitive spirit and
innovation in the private sector.
Making Education Work for our
Children
I began my professional career as a
high school teacher right here in the Hudson
Valley. My mother is a retired educator living
here, and my wife is an elementary school
teacher.
Improving the education system in the
United States is a subject I take very seriously
because there is very often a direct correlation
between the quality of one's education and the
opportunities one sees as a adult. In recent
decades, though, Americans have spent more and
more tax dollars only to see declining standards
and an entire generation of Americans who face a
competitive disadvantage.
I believe that fixing our schools is a
problem that should transcend politics. It is an
issue that cannot withstand another generation
of simply throwing more money at the problem.
"One size fits all" solutions from
Washington are not going to solve the problems
plaguing the schools in our hometowns. True
reform begins with local and state governments.
And I believe that Congress can assist by
raising awareness of problems, highlighting
success stories so that solutions can be
duplicated, and removing impediments to
reform. We've simply lost sight of the fact that
the primary mission of our public educational
system is to educate. Too many schools think
that social experimentation and indoctrination
are more important than teaching children how to
read, write and reason. But America's ability to
remain competitive will depend on making the
right choices about investing in future leaders
in math and science. And, as with healthcare and
crime issues, illegal immigration has a
disastrous impact on our education system. The
illegal influx of students from different
countries has overcrowded our classrooms and
depleted our resources. Enforcing out borders
would dramatically improve our education system.
Like you, I am tired of hearing that
America's education system cannot be fixed. I
challenge the voters in the Hudson Valley and
around America to put an end to defeatism when
it comes to education and to demand that
Washington give a voice to the millions of
Americans who recognize that this is a challenge
that we simply must meet. My campaign's message
is simple: It can be done.
Reducing the Income Tax Burden on
Hudson Valley Taxpayers
My campaign is founded upon the ideals
of the Reagan Revolution - limited government
and individual liberty and a healthy skepticism
of "government programs" and burdensome taxes on
hardworking Americans. For example, I believe
that forcing American taxpayers to pay upwards
of forty cents of every dollar they earn on
bloated government spending programs is an
economic and moral travesty. In short, the
federal income tax code is unfair and burdensome
to hardworking Americans, and my goal is to
improve the tax code to make it more equitable.
The tax code must also be fair to small
businesses in the Hudson Valley, reduce
incentives for employers here to move overseas,
and make the U.S. a more attractive place for
businesses that provide high-paying jobs. I also
believe that the "death tax" should be
permanently abolished, the AMT regime and
marriage penalty should be eliminated, and
property taxes, which are an increasing burden
on families in the Hudson Valley, should be 100%
deductible on federal income tax returns. I also
support making the 2003 tax cuts permanent. They
helped America's economy rebound after 9/11, and
they'll continue to strengthen it. That’s one
reason why I have signed the National Taxpayer
Protection Pledge.
Of course, taxes are what they are
because Washington treats tax dollars like they
are monopoly money. Even Republicans have
abandoned their reputation as the party of
fiscal discipline, which has left a lot of
voters scratching their heads. I think
Washington needs a reminder every once in a
while that the first step in putting hard earned
tax dollars back in your wallet is to control
spending and reign in deficits, and that is what
I intend to do. The AMT will still be around
this April 15th because Washington couldn't
figure out where they'd recover the lost
revenue. But a big part of the answer is simple:
"it's the pork" - Congress seems to have
forgotten that those tax dollars belonged to the
taxpayers, not Washington. For too long,
Washington insiders have stymied and frustrated
efforts to address earmarks. I will support
measures that aim to end the abuse of wasteful
earmarks. I will also fight for across the board
cuts in federal spending and demand that
bureaucracies justify their budgets every year.
I will also oppose the current proposal
by Congressional Democrats to increase taxes by
$3.5 trillion over the next ten years -- which
is on top of letting the 2003 tax cuts
expire and would add a 4% income tax "surcharge"
on thousands of middle class families in the
area. I will stand in opposition to these
efforts to raise your taxes.
Providing Relief from Property Taxes
While property tax is primarily a state
and local issue, as a Member of Congress I could
work to ease your property tax burden by calling
on tax and spend state officials to cut spending
by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. Moreover,
I would vote against all unfunded federal
mandates to state and local government while
working to eliminate existing unfunded mandates.
In addition, I support making property
taxes deductible on federal tax returns.
Staying Tough on Crime
The federal government has a
responsibility to keep its ears to the ground to
determine areas where federal involvement with
local law enforcement is needed. We have seen
examples of this regarding Internet crime and
identity theft, and I will continue to advocate
tougher penalties for violent felons and federal
funding to build more federal prisons. I also
support "truth in sentencing" so that violent
criminals get the penalty they deserve.
I also believe that we must find ways
to encourage the use of science and DNA analysis
early in the criminal process to protect the
innocent and to help prosecutors put away the
guilty.
Illegal immigration is part of the
crime problem and fixing illegal immigration is
part of the solution to preventing crime. People
on both sides of the illegal immigration debate
agree that there are approximately two million
criminal illegal aliens in the country. Criminal
illegal aliens must be deported as quickly as
possible, and a sensible step in that direction
is deporting illegals who commit crimes while in
the U.S. The District Attorneys in the Hudson
Valley shouldn't have to devote tax dollars to
repeatedly prosecuting those who are here
illegally and commit crimes here. Enough is
enough.
Upholding the Second Amendment
I have spent my entire adult life
studying, teaching or defending the U.S.
Constitution. I understand that all of the
rights in the U.S. Constitution, including the
Second Amendment right to bear arms, must be
respected. I know that gun-control laws disarm
law abiding citizens and leave us defenseless
against criminals who won't stop to fill out
forms and pay hefty gun registration and license
fees. I believe in and support the
Constitutional right to bear arms.
Experience has shown, with one example
after another, that gun control laws do not
reduce gun crime. The truth is that the
criminals are going to get their guns, and
they're all too happy when their victims are
unarmed. The Founding Fathers knew that there
are times when the government can't protect you,
and the Constitution says we are entitled to
protect ourselves. I don't believe in imposing
hefty burdens on law-abiding citizens, and I
will not use my vote in Congress to infringe
Americans' Second Amendment rights.
Illegal Immigration
We can solve much of the illegal
immigration problem through attrition. We can
force illegals to return to their home countries
with enforcement. It comes down to taking four
common sense steps:
(1) Deport illegals whenever they are
convicted of crimes or discovered by routine law
enforcement activity;
(2) Punish those who hire and enable illegals;
(3) End welfare, in-state tuition, and other
benefits to illegals; and
(4) Secure the border with a combination of
manpower, a virtual wall and where needed
physical wall.
Honoring and Fulfilling Our Promise
to Veterans
Innovative Solutions To Help
Veterans:
The federal Department of Veterans
Affairs is designed to fulfill a vital service,
but like almost all bureaucracies, it is
ineffective. My campaign will detail a
multi-point plan that will immediately help
veterans without further burdening the VA:
1. There are more than 400,000 U.S.
military veterans who are waiting in line for
medical care because of an enormous backlog at
the Veterans Administration. To remedy this, I
believe that every eligible veteran should be
able to use his identification and discharge
papers (Form DD-214) and go to any hospital or
doctor for treatment and the federal government
will reimburse the facility at the same rate as
they reimburse for Medicare. The bureaucrats
will not be happy, but veterans will be given
the respect they deserve, and that's what
matters to me.
2. Because military service involves a
comprehensive education, attaining the rank of
Non-Commissioned Officer should entitle veterans
to 60 readily transferable credits -- equivalent
to an Associates degree. This would allow them
to save thousands of dollars on two years of
tuition and dramatically decrease the time it
takes to earn a Bachelor's degree.
3. I am assembling a panel of pro bono
lawyers to fight for veterans who are
discriminated against in employment.
4. We must require that state schools
freeze tuition rates for activated reservists
and encourage private institutions to do
likewise.
5. I propose a $5,000 tax deduction for
employers who hire a veteran within a year of
leaving the military.
Montrose and Castle Point VA Medical
Centers
Simultaneously sending American
servicemen and servicewomen to war while closing
VA hospitals they need is simply unconscionable.
Montrose and Castle Point are vital to the
Veterans living in the Hudson Valley. Both
facilities must be maintained and upgraded with
the goal of providing state-of-the-art medical
treatment for area veterans.
Mandatory Funding For VA Healthcare
Recently, I signed a pledge to support
mandatory funding for veteran's healthcare
services as part of Operation Firing For Effect
a non-profit, non-partisan, and grassroots
veterans' service organization. The current
discretionary funding mechanisms for veterans'
healthcare is beset by numerous flaws that
prevent many veterans from receiving the quality
care they deserve. Mandatory funding would
assure that the bureaucracy and political
wrangling over budgets does not keep U.S.
veterans from getting the healthcare they
deserve.
A Responsible Policy on China
I believe that America's policy as it
concerns China needs to be addressed
comprehensively and in a manner that accounts
for China's growing economic and military
strength and its human rights record. This
hasn't been done. Despite China's emergence as a
world power, Washington has not addressed
America's policy toward China in a coherent
fashion. I believe that we need to think hard
about U.S. policy and, as we must always do,
remember that America's interests come first.
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