I am a God fearing, Constitution carrying, conservative Republican.  I am a retired Colonel, Airborne Ranger, and a recovering lawyer.  My decision to run for political office for the first time in my life was born in the Tea Party movement.  I share your anger at what is happening to our country, and your determination to take our country back.  I am proud to have been endorsed by both the Grand Junction Results and the Southern Colorado Tea Parties. 

I am committed to finding Practical Solutions to Real Problems through traditional Republican values; limited government, lower taxes, free markets, protecting individual and States’ rights, and defending our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Our nation is in crisis.  There is no time to waste on politics as usual.  We must take back control of the House this year to stop the march towards Marxism. I seem to be outside the favored GOP circle.  That’s OK. For me God, Country, and Family come first. Party comes second.  We will take our country back by uniting the energy, and conservative values of the Tea Party movement with the wisdom and political skill of the GOP.  United we win.  We will win this fight, because failure is not an option.

Protecting Our Homeland - I believe protecting our homeland is the most important responsibility we, the people entrust to the federal government

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Creating Jobs - We are now in our second year of "hope and change" President Obama promised.

We are now in our second year of “hope and change” President Obama promised .  For far too many of us in the 3rd Congressional District, this has been an empty promise.  Despite the “stimulus” packages, unemployment is at record highs with little sign of improving.  The jobs we have lost in our extraction industries have had a ripple effect.  Motels where miners and loggers used to stay are hurting, as are the restaurants where they ate, and the supermarkets where they bought their groceries.  Homes they owned or rented are empty.  Ski areas don’t have as many visitors this winter, which does not bode well for our summer tourism industry.  Cap and Trade will drive agriculture out of Colorado.  This video paints a dramatic picture of what has happened, not only in Colorado, but all across the country.

http://cohort11.americanobserver.net/latoyaegwuekwe/multimediafinal.html

We need to put people back to work.  So, how do we do that?  The short answer is not mine alone, it is what I hear from people I talk to all around the 3rd CD.  It is the people’s answer.  It is common sense.  It is get government off our backs.  Reduce taxes on business and individuals.  Eliminate the capital gains tax.  Repeal the morass of federal laws and regulations that are a noose around the neck of American business.  Put the job of regulating private employers back where it belongs, with the States.  Don’t punish, free up the banks to loan money.  Turn loose the entrepreneurial spirit that drives the small business that create the majority of new jobs. 

The National Federation of Independent Businesses knows that small businesses don’t hire people just because President Obama says our national goal is to increase employment. They hire when the person hired will generate enough additional revenues to cover the cost of the hire. The NFIB correctly notes “no business, other than a state-owned enterprise surviving on taxpayer subsidies, can afford to pay people more than they contribute to the firm, not just at the moment, but into the future. Owners have considerable flexibility in this regard. Rather than committing to the added fixed-cost of a new employee, owners can work longer hours themselves or ask others to do so; they can hire part-time employees; or they can substitute a machine for labor”.

People know how to put people back to work.  Unfortunately, the federal government doesn’t.  In fact, most of what the government has done and wants to do takes us in the wrong direction.  Extending unemployment benefits doesn’t put people back to work.  Expanding the size of government puts some, but not many back to work, and only increases the drag on private employers.  Instead of getting government off our backs, every initiative coming from Washington makes government more intrusive in our lives.  Taxing banks on their liabilities (loans) doesn’t encourage banks to loan money.  It is an incentive not to loan money.  The only talk in Washington about taxes is finding ways to increase them.  People know that reducing taxes on business produces far more jobs than government spending. How can our leaders in Washington be so out of touch us, so out of touch with reality?

I believe our free markets are the greatest engine for economic prosperity in the history of the world.  If you don’t, look at the state controlled economic systems we have left in our dust over the last two hundred years.  The standard of living enjoyed by Americans, even those in poverty, is the envy of five of the six billion people on earth.  That is why people flock to America from all over the world.  Free markets have allowed us to care for our needy while we offer every citizen the opportunity to excel.  No other economic system on earth has done this.  I will stand up for our free markets, not be bullied by those who condemn, or want to socialize them. 

"Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we should soon want bread." --Thomas Jefferson

I believe Colorado can lead the country to energy independence.  We have the resources, let us develop them.  Let us show the world that we can produce our own energy, and do it responsibly.  Energy equals jobs.  American energy equals national security.  I will do everything possible to grow jobs, science, leadership, and energy production from nuclear, coal, natural gas, methane, solar, wind, and hydro.  We know how to explore for, and mine our resources in a responsible way.  Seventy percent of the land in the 3rd Congressional District is controlled by the federal government.  I support legislation that will allow us develop the resources we, the people own.

I believe we have a tremendous opportunity in the two-million plus acres of dead trees in western Colorado, mostly north of I-70.  We need to harvest that wood before it burns.  We must allow people to cut enough two-track roads to get the wood that is already dead.  Then the forests will grow back, just as they did after the fire in Yellowstone.  Then we will have two-track roads for hiking, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, snowmobile riding, and all the other back-country adventures we enjoy.  Just as important, those roads will provide accessibility to all our citizens, not just those of us blessed with physical fitness.  Cutting roads, cutting dead trees, hauling trees, milling lumber, selling lumber, and hauling lumber will create thousands of jobs.  I oppose legislation that will prevent development of our natural resources by expanding the wilderness areas we already have in Colorado. John Salazar has voted for wilderness areas, and against mining and development offshore, onshore, in Alaska, and here in Colorado.

I believe that being able to feed ourselves, without depending on other countries, is critical to our national defense. Farmers who work the soil and ranchers who raise stock are the backbone of America.  They know hard work, and sweat, and long hours, and that a man’s word is his bond.  They teach those values to their children.  They support 4H, and teaching American history and the constitution in school.  To them, a firearm is a tool, like a knife or a tractor, that you better have available when you need it, and know how to use.  They know how to take care of the land they own or lease so that it stays productive.  Congress doesn’t understand farmers and ranchers and the things they do or the things they believe.  So they don’t listen.  Instead, they come up with ideas like the Feingold Clean Water Restoration Act, or Cap and Trade.  Both these bills, if passed, will have tremendous negative impact on the 3rd Congressional District.  Think about having to contact a government bureaucrat every time you want to drain a pond or change an irrigation pattern.  The American Horse Slaughter Act is another example of over-reaching into how rural folks live. We need smaller government, not more government control over our farms and ranches.

We need to get lawyers and lawsuits out of the workplace.  We need to encourage mediation and arbitration when disputes arise in the workplace. Congress has the power to and should adopt the British system for legal fees, where the loser pays the winner’s costs of litigation. 

We have done an abysmal job since 9/11 in the most critical task we face, securing our borders.  Why haven’t we secured our southern border?  Why haven’t we secured our sea borders?  An article in the February American Legion Magazine is titled “Porous At The Ports”.  The author notes we are relying on luck, good will and trust to keep America safe.  How long will our luck last?  Let’s shift money from extending unemployment benefits, and expanding government, to  securing our borders and our seaports!

We, the people know how to do this.  Tell Washington to get out of our way, and let us get back to work!  Send me to Washington and I will be your advocate for common sense ways to get our economy back on track.

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Restoring Trust in Government - President Obama said in his report of the State of the Union, "there is a deficit of trust in how Washington works".

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Role of Government - I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States...

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Citizen Leaders - We need citizen leaders, not career politicians.

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1st Amendment - I will always defend your right to speak your mind.

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2nd Amendment - I am a strong supporter of our 2nd Amendment rights.

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Free Markets - I believe our free markets are the greatest engine for economic prosperity in the history of the world.

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Education - I believe the federal government should get out of the education business.

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Climate and the Environment - I believe our climate is now, and always has been changing.

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Energy - I believe Colorado can lead the country to energy independence.

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Agriculture - I believe that being able to feed ourselves, without depending on other countries, is critical to our national defense.

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Health Care - I believe small steps in the right direction are better than big steps in the wrong direction.

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Taxes - I believe we pay too much in taxes.

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Abortion - I believe life begins at conception and that abortion is a tragedy.

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Immigration - Legal immigration, and the full integration of legal immigrants into our society has been the life-blood of our great nation for over two hundred years.

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Voting - I believe the secret ballot is fundamental to strong democracy.

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Our Flag - I believe our flag symbolizes what we are, and what we seek to be as a nation. 

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Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site - I oppose any expansion of Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site.

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