Why I am running

 Many of those in our government -- both state and federal -- have forgotten who works for whom. Taxpayers are more than bottomless ATMs created to fund politicians' spending ambitions.  They are citizens who are entitled to dedicated, responsive public servants.  And they deserve representatives who are committed to the principles of our founding: A limited federal government, fiscal discipline, low taxes, individual liberty and free market entrepreneurial capitalism. 

Our campaign isn’t about party; it’s about policy -- and common sense.  It is about country, and whether we are going to saddle our children with huge and 

unpayable debts, or provide them with the kind of opportunities that our parents left for us.   America's potential is unlimited, and our best days are before us -- unless we continue down a path that jeopardizes our fiscal and national security in years to come.

Spending and Budget

The deficit and national debt isn't a revenue problem.  It's a spending problem.  Federal spending is out of control and must be reduced.   Domestic discretionary spending has skyrocketed, increasing over 20% with borrowed money, in a year when the economy is contracting and revenues are declining.   We have added more debt in the last year than over the entire eight years of the previous administration – which also spent too much. 

Tax increases are not the answer for government's reckless spending.  They simply require Americans to surrender ever more of their hard-earned money, and deprive the private sector of capital that is essential for job creation and economic expansion.  Taxpayers deserve political representation that is committed to creating government that will serve them, rather than enlisting them to serve a huge, expensive, and unresponsive government.

Irresponsible government spending endangers the financial health of our country, crowding out private investment, and unjustly burdening future generations with unsustainable levels of debt.  No country can simply print money, spend, tax and borrow its way to prosperity; that approach never has worked and never will.

 Economic Recovery and Job growth

It's apparent that Washington doesn’t understand: Government is overhead.  Government adds no value to products, it creates no wealth, and it absolutely cannot create self-sustaining, revenue- and profit-producing jobs.  Every government job has to be subsidized by taxing and removing productive capital from the private sector. 

Only the private sector can deliver sustainable job growth and robust economic recovery.   The problem? Government at all levels presents businesses with obstacles to success by over-regulation and excessive taxation.  What's needed in Washington are representatives with private-sector experience, who realize that have to grow -- not tax -- our way out of this self-created mess.

Security and Defense

As a former military officer, I believe the best battle is the one you never have to fight.   And the best way never to have to fight is to be so strong that no one dares to pick a fight with you. 

That simple reality is lost on many in our national leadership.  That's a tragedy, as history shows that a passive approach -- one that relies on the good intentions of our adversaries -- has proven to be hugely costly on a human scale.   We need to be clear-headed about the threats we face from terrorists who would detonate nuclear, biological or chemical weapons in any American city if they could.  Their goal is to kill as many innocent Americans as they can. 

 This unfortunate reality does not disappear just because our leaders seem reluctant to face it.   The better course is to act in accordance with the facts, rather than hoping that in ignoring them, they will go away.  History demonstrates again and again that weakness begets aggression.  Our military -- the best in the world -- needs and deserves our continued, focused support.