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GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND ECONOMIC FAIRNESS
- End Tax Loopholes and Unnecessary Subsidies
- Limit Tax
Breaks For Excessive Executive Compensation And Extreme
Inequality
- Limit Influence of PACs and
Lobbyists
- Reduce Earmarking and Pork-barrel Legislation
- Increase
Transparency in Government
- Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform
Jim Webb stated one of the most pertinent statistics in the
United States today in his Democratic Response to the State of
the Union: In the '70s, the average company leader made 20-30
times more than the average worker in the organization; today
that number is well over 400 times more. Economists agree that in that same period, real
wages have not increased and salaries have barely kept up with inflation.
Therefore, working-class people must work longer and harder to maintain a
standard of living, making it almost impossible for them to get ahead.
Families are suffering. Please watch this video on You Tube about how the recent administration's tax cuts have affected the populous as well as the distribution of wealth over the past several decades: FAIRNESS VIDEO Income disparity of this magnitude will continue until we
change the way Congress works. As long as we have
politicians who put the interests of lobbyists above the needs
of the people, we cannot draft policy that helps the worker
rather than the CEO.
I have signed a 4-point pledge at
Change-Congress.org promising to change the way Washington
works. As part of this pledge, I have refused to take any
money from PACs or lobbyists to fund my campaign. I want
to make sure that the people have a voice, and that I am only
accountable to individuals. It is time that our leaders
fight for the common good rather than
listening to special interests. In addition, when I am
elected, I will support legislation to end earmarking and pork-barrel
spending. The pledge also calls for increased
transparency in our government and the public financing of
elections.
Click here to read more
COLUMNS:
Middle-Class Servants To The Wealthy
No P.A.C. Money Please
The Importance of Positive Campaigning
HEALTHCARE
- Enact H.R. 676
- Better Care for the Disabled
- Tax Credits for Businesses to Provide Employee Health Care
- Digital Integration of Our Medical Record Filing System at a National Level
- Comprehensive Care for Our Veterans
FACTS: (1) There are forty-six million uninsured Americans. (2) Health care premiums have more than doubled since the turn of the century.
(3) Having health insurance does not mean that all medical needs will be covered
because the companies put profit before health care. Medical care, a basic necessity of life, should be
affordable and accessible to all with no exceptions. In addition, our
current health insurance costs rob American industry of the ability to compete
globally. Small businesses find it especially difficult to cover their
employees.
National health care is the solution. I support HR 676, Expanded and
Improved Medicare for All, a bill currently supported by 91 Representatives.
This bill provides a single-payer plan to cover all Americans regardless of age,
employment, income, or health status. This plan is publicly funded but
privately delivered. It is essential that we elect representatives who
support this solution until we have the majority needed to pass the bill.
Until we pass and implement HR 676, I will fight to reform the Medicare prescription benefits, and push for Medicare to be able to negotiate discounts with large drug companies.
Other short-term solutions include giving tax credits for
businesses to provide employees with health care coverage and
providing comprehensive care for our veterans. In
addition, we should digitally integrate our medical record
filing system at a national level. We should also ensure
that all medical care providers receive adequate training
regarding the special care of disabled Americans.
When I am elected, I pledge to donate half of my salary to two organizations,
one of which will be FutureCare. FutureCare will provide for mobile health
clinics that travel around the district and give care to children without
insurance.
Join me in supporting HR 676,
Health care for all Americans, now.
Please take the time to read my promise on Healthcare...
COLUMNS:
Fiscal Prudence Needed In Our Healthcare Solution
Healthcare Costs Hurting Business
Child Well-Being
EDUCATION
- Increased Financial Aid
- Skills/Vocational Training
- Pre-K Education
- Expanding Head Start
- Increase Funding For GI Bill
Several studies over the past decade indicate that the United States is
significantly behind many developed and even developing nations in the key areas
of math and science, and doing only marginally better in reading for grade
school students. The dynamics of the global economy are evolving, and we must have increased strides in primary and secondary education to keep pace.
In addition, our thriving democracy depends on an educated public.
I see a need for change in primary and secondary education. I believe that pre-K development plays an important role in the complete education of a child. Basic educational skills should be instilled in children from a very early age, and we as a society have a duty to do our best to give children every possible opportunity for success.
In today's world, it is difficult for families to invest the necessary time
needed in the development of the children. Let's come together and help from as
many angles as we can as advocates for pre-K education.
Post-secondary education has become one-dimensional. A traditional two or four year degree is excellent, but there are young Americans who for one reason or another
require something other than a traditional liberal arts-style education. We leave those individuals in a life of limbo, not knowing how to earn a living or be productive
without a college education. I want to promote increased vocational and various skills training in the sixth district not only for high school graduates but also
for adults transitioning into new fields. Vocational and skills training will not only give
citizens of the 6th District increased income, higher self-esteem, and a brighter future, it will also lure quality firms into the area to employ those individuals. By making
post-secondary education a high priority, we can also help to inspire the American dream of
upward mobility and promote economic development.
For those who will go to a two or four year college, we
should make financial aid opportunities available and abundant.
Veterans especially deserve to receive a quality education after
their service to our country. I applaud Senator Webb and
Congress for passing a new GI Bill that gives our military men
and women the opportunity for an education. We must ensure
that we continue to fund this initiative.
SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & JOB CREATION
- Healthcare Tax Breaks For Small Businesses
- Invest in Alternative Energies
Based on information taken from the Census Bureau, businesses with 10 or
fewer employees make up about 95 percent of all businesses in the United States. Small business is the back-bone of America.
If we invest in small business, we are investing in our future. Because
Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine understood that principle, Virginia is known as the best managed state.
We need leadership for the 6th District to help push initiatives for organized growth, the right type of development, and resources that are necessary to help our small businesses, including our farmers, compete in an ever competitive market place. Western Virginian businesses and farmers are not just competing with Nashville, Miami, and Greensboro. Virginia is surrounded by a marketplace that knows no worldly bounds. From Shanghai to Mumbai, India, the world is faster, smarter, and better connected than ever before.
Rising energy costs have made it difficult to start or
sustain small businesses. We must develop alternative
energy solutions that reduce the use of oil. We should
invest in creating "Green Collar" Jobs that focus on renewable
energy and energy efficiency. Over the next decade, we can
create thousands of jobs in the 6th district alone focused on
everything from weatherization and solar installation to green
architecture.
I have promised to pledge half of my salary as Congressman to
two different local initiatives, one of which is FutureJobs. FutureJobs is an organization committed to help small businesses grow with help for all aspects of the business. Assistance will be provided in the areas of marketing, hiring, bookkeeping, business plan development, and obtaining financing.
With this program we will be able to help those businesses that need assistance the most.
Please read my promise to small businesses....
COLUMNS:
Energy Solution: Made In The USA
Middle-Class Servants To The Wealthy
NEW "GREEN
COLLAR" JOBS INITIATIVE
ENERGY &
ENVIRONMENT
- End Our Dependence on Foreign Oil
- Invest in
Clean Energy
Our dependence on foreign oil threatens our national
security. Our foreign policy decisions are determined too
often by our need for imported oil. Additionally, the cost
and availability of energy affect every sector of our economy.
When the cost of energy increases, the cost of everything else
rises, leaving families and businesses in dire straits.
America should invest in a vast array of alternative energies
that are not only friendly to our planet but that also decrease
our reliance on foreign oil. I support initiatives that
will make our automobile industry more competitive in hybrid
technology and production. I also support building rapid
transit and high-speed rail systems. In the long-term, we
should invest in training the million of workers who will fill
the jobs of building, managing, and maintaining the evolving
alternative energy industry. We should invest in energy
efficiency to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
We should provide tax credits for communities, factories, and farms that
generate solar, wind, biomass, or geothermal power on site. I support
making permanent the tax credit for the production of renewable energy set to
expire at the end of 2008.
Our government cannot continue to ignore the effects that
greenhouse gases are having on the world. Significant increases
in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have been
attributed to climate change, and to the rapid deterioration of
our ice caps. We cannot predict all the consequences, but
we are seeing more frequent extreme weather events and negative
influences on agriculture as a result of climate change.
None of the needs are exclusive of each other. We must
commit to turning the energy challenges --- national security,
economic, environmental --- into an opportunity for growth.
We are not capitalizing on our core competency, American
ingenuity. For instance, even though we developed the
technology for solar power, we have lost the manufacturing of
that technology to other countries. We should have learned
our lesson with our dependence on foreign oil to not outsource
our evolving alternative energy needs. It is time that we
begin the movement to address the three-pronged environmental,
energy, and employment problems we face.
COLUMNS:
Energy Solution: Made In The USA
NEW "GREEN COLLAR" JOBS INITIATIVE
OIL AS A NATIONAL SECURITY RISK
CARING FOR
OUR HEROIC VETERANS
Our
service men and women have willingly risked their lives to protect
us. Providing our veterans with the benefits they
deserve is the least we can do to give back to those who have
honorably served their country. For years, particularly during my
time in the Virginia Defense Force, I have listened to veterans
detail the difficulties they face when attempting to obtain quality
healthcare and affordable education. I believe we should guarantee
medical care for all veterans, regardless of income, extent of
disability, or any other set of qualifiers. We should also grant
veterans the funding they need to receive a world-class education
after serving in the armed forces. In addition, all of America’s
veterans are entitled to benefits while they are on active duty.
Our military men and women should receive all the resources they
need to be self-sufficient members of society after their service.
Like other uninsured Americans, veterans have considerable trouble
receiving medical care and often wait too long to obtain the care
they need. This makes their condition worse, and ultimately makes
treatment more expensive. We should lower the possibility of
veterans declaring bankruptcy, costing taxpayers significantly more
than initially providing increased benefits.
Educated World War II veterans helped create economic growth and
expansion, but unfortunately today’s GI Bill fails to cover the
increasing cost of higher education. Educating veterans would place
them in higher income levels and increase the tax base. A more
expansive GI Bill would allow them to seek out the American Dream
once they have returned home.
I support
several pieces of legislation that increase veterans’ entitlements
and when I am elected, will
continue to fight for the benefits they deserve.
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I support the new GI Bill
(S.22) sponsored by Senator Jim Webb. S.22 will provide
benefits similar
to the funding granted to World War II veterans by an older
version of the GI Bill. That version allowed
thousands of WWII vets to receive a valuable education at
the institution of their choice after service to
their country. In addition to tuition, S.22 provides for
book allowances, additional training, and a stipend
for four years.
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We must do more to
address the mental health problems our young veterans are
facing. Our soldiers are
coming home having developed mental illnesses, such as
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that
often go untreated due to a lack of government funding. CBS
News reported that the number
of suicides committed by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is
nearly four times the average for civilians.
To fully diagnose this problem, I will support legislation
such as S.2899 proposed by Senator Tom Harkin
that requires the VA to report the number of veteran
suicides occurring each year.
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We should reduce the time
it takes to receive medical compensation. Iraq and
Afghanistan Veterans of
America reports that it takes an average of around six
months for a claim to be processed in the
massive bureaucratic structure. We must eliminate much of
the red tape in order to allow veterans to
receive the care they need in a more timely manner.
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I believe we should
reduce the number of homeless veterans in America. The VA
reported that
around one-third of homeless persons in America are
veterans; additionally, veterans are more likely to
become homeless than many other segments of the population.
As the wealthiest country in the world,
we have the ability to remedy this problem. To combat
homelessness resulting from unemployment, we
should fully fund programs that provide skills and
vocational training for veterans.
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When I am elected I will
support changes to the National Defense Authorization Act
that include
provisions for time served to equal time home. Part of
repaying our military men and women for their
service to our country is ensuring adequate time at home
with their families.
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I will support HR 676, a
bill that provides healthcare to all Americans, including
veterans. According to
a 2007 study by Harvard Medical School researchers, of the
47 million uninsured Americans, one in
every eight is a veteran or a member of a veteran's family.
We must work towards universal healthcare
that addresses the overwhelming need to cover all persons,
including our veterans.
View my full policy piece on
Veterans.
FOREIGN POLICY
Today, our consideration of present US foreign policy choices must begin with the Middle East. And it is imperative that the United States now begin a phased withdrawal from Iraq.
Spending U.S. taxpayer dollars is an unwise investment when we
should be rebuilding America.
We must promote a peaceful two-state solution where the
people of Israel and Palestine can live in peace together as
neighbors.
Unilateralism should never be our preferred foreign policy choice. Today, we must attempt to engage other nations, including Iran & Syria, in dialogues. This is not a new idea:
"Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?" ~ A. Lincoln
Giving diplomacy a chance first is our best choice while navigating a multitude of sometimes opposing views. It is best if there is a consistent voice of reason, speaking for peace wherever possible, throughout the world. The great United States of America can, and should, be that voice.
COLUMNS:
Century Of Learning: Iraq & The World Wars
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ON THE ISSUES