Taxes & Spending

The real foundation for economic renewal lies in lower taxes and smaller government, not government bailouts and new entitlement programs. The problem with government isn’t a matter of enough tax revenue; it’s a matter of politicians spending like the American taxpayer is just a massive money tree!

America’s debt isn’t just an inconvenience; it is a threat to our nation’s very future. We must follow the example of our founding fathers and be willing to make hard decisions.

Thankfully, we have a proven blueprint. Lower taxes, less government spending, and limited government interference are the building blocks for economic growth. It’s the foundation for a healthy economy. I’m a proud signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge which binds me to oppose federal tax increases.

As your future representative in Washington, that is my pledge to you.

Health Care

I’m a nurse. I’m a health care attorney. I’m a mom.

I know personally that our current medical system is troubled, but the recently enacted so-called “health care reform” represents no real reform at all. It’s a victory for big government; it’s an affront to our Constitution.

The law is so fundamentally flawed that it can’t be fixed. That is why I have signed a pledge that as your future representative I will sponsor and support legislation to repeal the effective nationalization of health care and to replace it with real reforms that lower health costs without growing government.

I’m not advocating doing nothing. I’m advocating doing better.

As someone who spent her professional career in health care I know we can do better through an approach that will:

• End junk lawsuits that contribute to defensive medicine and unnecessary tests and procedures;

• Encourage Small Business Health Plans;

• Allow Americans to purchase insurance across state lines;

• Ensure federal funds do not subsidize abortion coverage; and

• Enhance Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

Real health care reform ought to be enacted in incremental steps that preserve patient choice, protect access to health care, and control costs without hurting job growth, reducing patient care, or slashing Medicare for seniors. Real reform would move today’s bureaucracy driven, heavily regulated third-party payment system to a new patient-centered system of consumer choice and real free-market competition. In such a system, individuals and families make the key decisions and control the dollars, not government bureaucrats.

Growth of Government

As Ronald Reagan said in his first inaugural address to the nation, “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”

The federal government fulfills many vital roles in American society from providing for the common defense to ensuring a stable infrastructure for the relationship between sovereign states. However, when government ceases to be the servant of its people and becomes the master instead, its people can no longer be called truly free.

Right now, America faces an unchecked growth of government the likes of which this country hasn’t seen since FDR and the New Deal. This dangerous growth is leading to substantial budget deficits that are crippling the economy.

Our children’s children will be paying for Washington’s love of spending money it doesn’t have. In addition to destroying the economy, the growth of government is usurping individual freedom and displacing private sector initiative.

Businesses thrive when small business owners are free to make the best decisions they can for their businesses without undue interference from government in the form of excessive taxation and crippling bureaucratic nonsense.

We need to restore government to its proper size and sphere. It shouldn’t be in our homes, our houses of worship, and most definitely not in our doctor’s offices.

We can remind government of its role by ensuring that Congress stops passing legislation that increases its size and adds to the regulatory burden placed on the American economy. Our legislators must reduce taxes, eliminate wasteful spending, and reform massive entitlements.

Job Creation and Upstate Opportunity

As the mother of six, it pains me that five of my children work and live with their families out of state due to better career opportunities elsewhere. And now, just as Albany’s freewheeling approach to the spending of taxpayer dollars has damaged the Central and Western New York economies, similar attitudes in Washington are laying waste to the national economy.

Government doesn’t create jobs, small businessmen and women do. So it only makes sense that we lower the costs of doing business and let individuals keep more of what they make in order to encourage entrepreneurship, investment, and sustainable economic growth.

It’s time the people reminded Washington that it is the steward of taxpayer dollars, not the beneficiary. There are strings attached. They will be held accountable for how much they spend and how well they spend it.

My opponent’s economic prescription is a prescription for sickness not for health. Sending more of your hard-earned money to Washington to redistribute will only prolong the economic misery. The same can be said for New York politicians that want to feed the beast that is Albany.

To make New York once again the Empire State, we need pro-growth policies in Washington and in Albany. I will carry that message to Washington, but we need to sweep out the tax and spenders from Albany as well.

I am a proud signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge which binds me to the promise that I will oppose federal tax increases. I strongly urge you to support candidates for state and local offices that will make a similar pledge to oppose increases in state taxes.

National Security

Ask any American adult where he was when he learned of the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, and he will likely tell you not only where he was, but also how he felt. I remember where I was. We’ve been through a lot as a nation since September 11, 2001. In many ways we are a safer people, yet the waters are still troubled, the threats still lurking.

Our military men and women ask little and sacrifice much. They’re on the front lines everyday 24/7 serving and protecting the American people. Our armed forces must be ready to act anywhere in the world where vital national interests are threatened. They can’t be in a constant state of readiness if they lack necessary resources.

The “anywhere in the world” includes America. As self-evident as it may seem to you and me, Washington needs to be reminded that security within our borders is as big an issue as the edicts from Tehran and the violence in Kandahar. Americans aren’t safe at home if the government isn’t protecting our borders and stopping terrorists by any means lawful. Moreover, terrorists need to be treated for what they are – enemy combatants. As such they are not covered under the U.S. Constitution and aren’t entitled to Miranda rights and expensive trials in Manhattan – courtesy of the American taxpayer.

America must project strength to the world, foe and friend alike. We can’t do this if we limit our choices for dealing with the enemy. President Obama has mentioned several times recently that in regards to the economy, all choices are on the table. I believe that the national security interests of the country should be viewed in the same light.

Energy and the Environment

Energy policy is a national priority and is critically important in Central and Western New York. Sound national energy policies will enable America to obtain energy supplies from a wide range of sources in a way that is best for the economy and at the same time addresses homeland and national security considerations while creating incentives for responsible stewardship of the nation’s resources and environment.

The solution was not, is not, and never will be “cap and trade” legislation. The passage of a cap and trade bill would mean that the federal government would set a limit on the amount of pollution companies are permitted to emit and require them to obtain allowances or credits for that specific amount. If they needed to exceed that federally permitted amount they would have to “trade” with other companies that pollute less for their carbon credits. The trading partner companies would receive a tax-credit for their donations.

Cap and trade is not a new idea. It has been around for decades and has been practiced in Europe to the detriment of their economies. On paper, cap and trade sounds to some like a great way to improve the environment, but its passage would have real world consequences.

Cap and trade legislation would place an enormous burden on Central New York families – higher gasoline prices, higher heating costs, higher energy taxes, higher unemployment. Cap and trade, if enacted, would create a new national energy tax, destroy jobs and economic growth, and further damage the economy for decades to come.

Veterans

Our American military men and women represent the very best of this country. They have defended us at home, fought for us abroad, endured separation from their families and experienced unbelievable hardship in their service to America.

We owe a debt of gratitude to our veterans and their families for the sacrifice they have made to ensure our liberty. That sacrifice has often manifested itself in disabling injuries and postponed education and economic opportunity. We must ensure that they receive the finest in health care and the ability to live the American dream.

In the last few years strides have been made on veterans’ issues. VA hospitals are receiving greater scrutiny, and Congress has addressed the issue of concurrent receipt of relief for those veterans who left the service because of disability before reaching retirement.

But this is still not enough. Last year, nearly 22 percent of young veterans between the ages of 18-24 were unemployed.

A recent surge in veteran suicides is also of great concern. Of the 30,000 suicides in America last year, 20 percent were veterans. We are failing our veterans if these men and women believe suicide is their only choice. The cost of service is high, and we need to make sure veterans know their government has not abandoned them. They are not alone.

Education

How many times have you heard someone say she wanted a better life for her children? I’ve heard it frequently talking to people around the district and to other parents. I want that for my own children and grandchildren – a better life. For parents, seeing their children get a good education is often a focus for that desire.

If you read about what is going on in Albany, I imagine that like me you are very troubled with the cavalier attitude the state department of education has toward the monies, the concerns, and ultimately the children of New Yorkers. It’s time for real, substantive reform. We tell our children that they need to think out of the box. Be creative. Be courageous. Yet, some teachers, unions, and the politicians who are elected to serve the people are refusing to do those same things.

• I also support businesses being given a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for any donations made to 501(c)scholarship organizations.

Parents know what educational choices are best for their children. Give them the freedom to make those choices.

When I am your representative I will push for legislation that decreases the role of the federal government in education, demands fiscal accountability from state departments of education in regards to federal monies, and empowers parents to make the best possible decisions for their children’s education.