National Security
Twenty years as a soldier and Army Reserve officer, ten years as a prosecutor,
my assignment as a lawyer at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station Office of
Military Commissions, have shaped me as the only candidate with any relevant
national security experience. Issues of the military, our veterans, the
Department of Defense, international law, the 1949 Geneva Convention,
the police, are critical to our nation’s future and should be in
the hands of the only candidate that has served in the military, in Iraq,
and in law enforcement.
Healthcare
The Democratic Party plans to introduce universal healthcare and that
means that a larger government bureaucracy will be involved with your
care. As recently promoted by our next President, John McCain, individuals
must take responsibility for their own medical needs and payment. Competition
is the engine that drives American success throughout history, yet has
been removed from the equation between doctors, hospitals, patients and
insurers. All too often, Americans do not know how much their medical
care costs. If the consumer is not cost-conscious, of course the price
will increase. Like businesses that provide insurance plans to their employers,
individuals must be able to deduct that expense on their taxes. Health
plans should be available across state lines also as purchasers are limited
to plans within their own state. We have seen the effects of nationalized
healthcare in other countries and many foreign nationals come to the United
States for healthcare because they do not want to wait 6 months to a year
for procedures they can get done here in a few days.
Tax Cuts
The United States taxes its businesses at a rate that is the second highest
in the world. Considering the burden of complying with local, state and
federal taxes and regulations, our companies pay the highest rates to
operate. Ireland, an example Newt Gingrich uses and one familiar to me,
has one tax rate of 12.5% and abatements to initially attract companies.
Billions of dollars in tax revenue has been lost because our politicians
push businesses to other countries. For that matter, New Jersey’s
government waste and corruption leads businesses and taxpayers to other
states. A federal tax rate of 20% would spur American businesses to invest
in America again. Bringing home American companies also requires a tax
holiday to transfer foreign funds back to the United States.
Veterans Affairs
Veterans often receive second-class care. Reportedly, veterans from previous
conflicts receive care inferior to those of the current conflict. The
less reliant that veterans must be on government-provided healthcare and
the more that the private sector can be involved, the better the treatment
will be. Veterans do not rely on the Veterans Administration for their
care because it is better than the healthcare available in the private
market. It is because they do not get a reasonable alternative. A portable
healthcare plan would be cheaper and would provide better care.
Spending
It is the nature of any organization to increase its size and breadth.
Congress must mandate across the board spending cuts in every Cabinet
Department of ½ of 1% each year. This proposal places cost-cutting
responsibility in the agencies themselves to cut spending as they should
know best where savings can occur and my proposal includes the Department
of Defense.
Second Amendment
Hitler, Stalin and Saddam Hussein have many sins in common. One of the
most obvious was that each collected the weapons of their citizens before
taking the rest of their rights and their lives. The plain language of
the United States Constitution preserves the right to bear arms and so
it should be.
Abortion
The destruction of innocent human lives has been a terrible mark against
our generation. Protecting the sanctity of life from conception until
death is a paramount issue in America. My years working as a prosecutor
have given me the unique perspective to understand the criminal justice
system unlike any other candidate in this race. Until recently, I believed
women who were the victims of rape and incest should be given the right
to destroy the innocent life that sometimes, albeit rarely, occurs. As
horrific as it may be to have an innocent women carry a criminal’s
baby to term, it is immoral and legally impractical to allow exceptions
to a ban on abortion.
This change requires a transformation of American government, churches and support groups. It demands resources for robust counseling and adoption networks for women and families in need who face the crises of unwanted pregnancies. Those who are facing the prospect and the pain of loved ones who are dying also need support.
Capital Punishment
Again, my service as a prosecutor and a defense lawyer in cases of homicide,
rape, drugs, and the range of violent crimes, provides me with a unique
perspective. The best and most extreme example of abusive prosecution
as a pervasive problem occurred in the case of the Duke University lacrosse
players wrongly accused of rape. In many jurisdictions, prosecutors are
elected and in all places, prosecutors are human, corruptible and prone
to err. Therefore, capital cases are a waste of precious prosecutorial
and judicial resources and include difficult, endless and costly appeals.
More importantly, capital punishment is inconsistent with my views on
life.
School Choice
Parents should be able to send their children to the appropriate public
or private school of their choice. A recent study of disabled students
in five states that allow for school choice, found that the students’
performance was greatly improved as a result of a voucher system. In turn,
the public schools’ performance improved as well.
