Fighting for Idaho's Future

I believe your money is yours; it is not the government's, and they didn't give it to you. You earned it and should get to keep it. It is not the role of government to redistribute wealth from those that created jobs and created wealth just to give it to those that did not. With that said, I do understand that taxes are a necessity of society. However, I am a firm believer of the idea that the government already takes enough of our money and needs to work on reducing the tax burden placed on individuals by eliminating unnecessary and wasteful programs.

The government has exceeded the original intent of a government. The government should not get involved with things that individuals can do for themselves. The government does not exist to watch over every aspect of our lives. I will work hard to reduce the size and scope of government.

I find it unfortunate that school districts have felt it necessary to go to the taxpayers every year or two to ask for more funding to support our educational needs. It isn't fair to the schools nor to the taxpayers to have to vote on whether to raise taxes or fire teachers. My children have experienced firsthand what budget cuts have forced schools to do. Part of the problem with the educational budget is in regards to how the money is allocated. The Meridian School District gets less money per student than any other district. The real problem is that we don't have enough funds to go around. Instead of solely focusing on where to cut educational spending, I will support legislation that will encourage job growth that will bring more money into the state. By encouraging and helping to grow our economy, we will be able to provide all of our schools with all the money they need without asking taxpayers to raise their property taxes.

After speaking with a lot of educators and taxpayers, I've come to the conclusion that the biggest problem we face in regards to education reform is a lack of communication and cooperation. The real issue is that even if a program is the best in the world, it is doomed to fail unless the front-line educators support it. As a legislator, I will do my best to help make sure that all parties involved communicate and cooperate when it comes to education. Because let's be honest: everyone is for education, we just differ on what we think the best plan is.

I am a firm believer and supporter of the rights of the unborn. I am proud to have the endorsement of Idaho Chooses Life and I will do everything I can to protect the rights of the unborn.

As an owner of numerous firearms, I am a firm believer in the right to not only own, but to also use firearms for all legal activities such as hunting, recreation, and self-protection. I will do everything in my power to protect these rights.