Championing Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Where I stand on the issues.
Anchored by the foundations of our nation.
I am a big believer in three documents that provide the foundation of our nation: The American Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and our Bill of Rights. Too many of our elected officials seem to have forgotten what these sacred credentials of democracy mean to our citizens. I have not forgotten and have made them the anchor of my campaign for the U.S. Senate.
Throughout this campaign, I will provide specific information about how I intend to make these ideals a reality. This section lays out my detailed proposals on the issues, which I have grouped into three categories: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The Pursuit of a Better Life
The American Dream: Helping Ensure Good Jobs with Fair Pay
This is job one for me. Nothing good happens for families or America without good jobs and a fair wage for a hard day’s work, regardless of one’s profession or the times we live in. The American middle class is vanishing; we must not let that happen. Learn how here. See my proposal for innovating American industry to help generate higher-paying jobs and what I mean when saying that. Also, see how I propose reinvigorating Florida’s vital film industry or advancing space exploration. By the way, generating higher-paying jobs must include rural priorities, which I am deeply committed to ensuring.
The American Dream: Safe and Affordable Housing
I support President Biden’s proposed $10,000 tax credit for helping first-time home buyers and those selling their homes, which replenishes what is available to buy. I call on former President Trump to join us. See my proposal for ensuring the American dream for all who wish to share in it. Another barrier to home ownership affordability is the high cost of insurance in the state of Florida. My proposal for fixing this problem is found here.
The American Dream: A More Stress-less Retirement
I strongly oppose and will fight any proposed cuts in Social Security and Medicare benefits that negatively impact today’s seniors as well as tomorrow’s. You paid into the system. These are your hard-earned benefits from a life of good work. The right to retire with dignity and security is without question in my book. Medicaid should be enhanced to help low-income seniors afford assisted living and full-time care when needed and be granted these benefits quickly when they apply for benefits they have earned. I also do not support and will not accept efforts to privatize Social Security or turn Medicare into a voucher system. I am committed to keeping these vital programs solvent not just for today’s seniors but for future generations as well. No compromise is required here to better protect these dignified retirement rights for our more elderly citizens.
The American Dream: Accessible Healthcare
American healthcare costs are out of control yet controllable. I have no problem with a healthcare system making money for its services. Still, you know changes are needed when you have a vastly different cost structure between rural and urban communities and domestic versus international markets, as with prescription drugs. To help broaden funding for healthcare systems and thus lower costs to consumers, I am proposing a medical innovation zone for area hospitals, and greater detail on my thoughts about healthcare policy can be found here.
A Stable Climate
Climate change is real. It is a crisis for the world that America, in particular, cannot afford to ignore or deny any longer. We must develop new energy sources and technologies while improving our current technologies and energy sources. Our fragile environment must be protected and nurtured. See my strategies for combating climate change. See also my news release about speeding up help to climate-ravaged communities in Florida and my proposal for helping Puerto Rico rebuild after the 2017 hurricanes that wrecked that American Commonwealth island.
A Sound Education
Federal support to provide free or greatly reduced tuition assistance to community colleges and trade schools will ensure that American workers and their families can earn more. Earning more, in turn, will help reduce our annual deficits, reduce our national debt, and make America a more prosperous nation.
Honoring Our Veterans
We Americans long ago made a sacred commitment to care for our veterans who have honorably served our nation. I strongly support funding and expansion of and greater access to VA medical services throughout Florida for our Sunshine State veterans. The number of homeless veterans profoundly and deeply troubles me and is unacceptable in a nation as wealthy as America. We have a moral duty to help our local communities provide shelter and transition services so un-housed veterans can find safe, stable housing when needed. Expanding mental health and addiction services so that veterans suffering from PTSD and other service-related trauma can access the help they need when they need it must be a priority benefit, too. Expected veterans’ benefits must also include job training programs and educational opportunities so veterans can find good civilian jobs that take advantage of their skills and reduced waiting times for that much-needed care when called for at their medical centers of choice. My proposal for protecting our veterans’ benefits from Project 2025 and enhancing their quality of life is found here.
Infrastructure Improvement
Our bridges, roads, rails, ports, and airports are falling apart before our eyes. Investment in infrastructure improvements and expansion must continue at an urgent pace. In doing so, we give Americans numerous opportunities to prosper from the resulting jobs.
The Pursuit of Liberty
Protecting American Democracy and Protecting Florida
Job one, here again. American democracy is under attack both from outside as well as from within our country. The rule of law has been ignored, insurrection has been on full and bloody display, and obstruction in the halls of Congress celebrated. Mountains of evidence make these attacks on democracy undeniable. My proposal for strengthening American democracy can be found here.
Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights
I will fight to restore and preserve a woman’s health and reproductive rights nationally. It is imperative we ensure that women have the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions without interference from the government, whether it be federal or state, and enshrine those protections in federal statute once again making Roe v. Wade the undisputed law of the land. And while we are at it, women should receive equal pay for equal work.
De-regulated Over-regulation
Our society is over-regulated. It is time to focus on reducing the size of our bureaucracy while also reducing and eliminating the red tape that makes American life more burdensome than it needs to be. My approach to de-regulating our over-regulated society is found here.
Flat Fair Tax
A flat fair tax should replace our outdated progressive tax from the early 1900s that inspires people of wealth to pay substantially less of a percentage than the middle class and large corporations to pay nothing. The flat fair tax proposal I advocate could generate $1.46 trillion if there is a maximum 10% flat tax on individual income, with the average household income being approximately $74,500 and there being over 131 million households in America. This flat tax would take the burden off the middle class for generating income-related revenue, make the wealthy pay an equal percentage of their income, and assure that those under the federal poverty rate are paying $0 in taxes until they earn a higher income.
Balanced Budget
America cannot continue to live on borrowed money racking up trillions of dollars in debt with massive annual deficits approved by both major parties in Congress. Here is a proposal for balancing the federal budget.
Thoughtful and Consistent Foreign Policy
America has been in some difficult places overseas because we do not have a thoughtful and consistent foreign policy by which to govern our decisions when it comes to our allies as well as our enemies. I have a doctrine to propose.
Defensible Defense
Our shores must be protected from foreign threats posed by nations and rogue players who would like to harm America. Investing in our defense will help ensure our peace, not to mention the ability of our citizens to live the lives they choose to pursue if we provide for a defensible, intelligent defense. Details on to better provide for America’s defense are found here.
Smarter U.S. Intelligence
By adopting key strategies and continuously innovating, we can strengthen our U.S. intelligence capabilities to more effectively and comprehensively address evolving threats and safeguard national security interests facing us every hour of the day. My thoughts on how we can make U.S. intelligence capabilities smarter.
Premium on Self-sufficiency
Being truly independent means that one puts a premium on self-sufficiency as Americans. That does not mean that a safety net is not made available for those truly in need. But it does mean we do everything possible to assure that American citizens are not so reliant on their government to subsist on a daily or long-term basis.
Funding More with Public-Private-Philanthropic Partnerships
With community engagement and local awareness, public-private-philanthropic partnerships can more easily tackle the strengths each sector requires to address complex social challenges more effectively and efficiently than any one sector could achieve alone. In my opinion, P4s are a viable option for funding future public projects and should be used expeditiously. See my proposal for using P4s to fund more public projects.
Second Amendment Right
I am a gun owner and do strongly subscribe to our Second Amendment right to bear arms. I do embrace reasonable measures to ensure that the wrong people do not have easy and unfettered access to weapons they should not possess. The gun death rate in our state and our nation is unacceptable. Commonsense solutions such as safe storage, closing gun show sales loopholes, providing greater mental health services, while simultaneously protecting our constitutional rights, will save lives. Mass casualties, suicides, and gun-related murders, can be reduced and potentially eliminated with thoughtful, effective policies that manage this deadly crisis in our homes, our schools, our communities, and our state.
The Pursuit of Happiness
When life and liberty are balanced, the pursuit of happiness is an easier path to travel.
Discrimination
I am and have been throughout my life opposed to discrimination of any kind, for any reason, anywhere. Discrimination contradicts anyone who believes in the American Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, or our Bill of Rights. Period. Hard stop.
An End to Division & Culture Wars
We have become far too divided and politically polarized. The division and culture wars waged in state capitals and Washington must end. We are the United States of America, and it is time to act like we are united.
Live Life as You Want
So long as you live life without harm to others.
Immigration Reform
America is a nation founded and built by immigrants. But our borders are insecure, and the path to citizenship is muddied. Rational reform of our broken immigration system is decades overdue. I have a proposal for how we might reform immigration comprehensively and fairly.
States’ Rights and Ethical Government
The federal government has a proper role in America, but it must be managed and kept from being over-expanded. States’ rights are enshrined in our American Constitution and must be nurtured as our nation marches into the 21st century. A healthy debate on what is appropriate for the federal government to address and how it can be made more manageable will get us to decision points that will make America more secure. Balance and perspective must be our guideposts, and Florida must be a beneficiary. My proposal for ensuring states’ rights is found here.
Judicial Reform
It must be comprehensive, and it must be started now. My proposal for reforming our judicial ethics is found here. My thoughts on judicial and congressional terms limits is found here in the attached July news release following President Biden’s announcement.
Congressional & White House Ethics Reform
Nothing is more critical that reforming the ethics of our legislative and executive branches of government. My proposal for those recommended reforms is found here.