I am running for Congress because I want to help North Alabama continue to grow economically and be a great place to live for our future generations.

The conservative values of hard work, faith and family are the bedrock of our nation’s greatness and I will take those values to Washington as your representative.

Our biggest national issues right now are security related, economic as well as military. I will work to immediately secure our borders, to find a realistic and environmentally responsible long-term solution to our energy needs and help restore fiscal responsibility in Congress.

Energy
America is blessed with abundant natural resources. At a time when oil and gas prices have gone through the roof, there is no excuse not to use the resources we have here in our own country to reduce our dependence on foreign countries for our energy needs. We must engage in responsible drilling in ANWR and in other areas where oil is abundant. Our demand for oil is not going to going away in the near future. In conjunction with this we need to remove the barriers to building new refineries and encourage investment in technology that will make us more efficient.

Nuclear power production needs to be expanded to meet our growing demand for electricity. I believe that a network of smaller, identically constructed nuclear reactors will offer the safest and most efficient use of that technology.

At the same time, we need to continue to promote conservation and invest in newer, cleaner, more efficient technologies. We do have a responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation for future generations. But it is extremely important that while we work towards those goals, we should not put ourselves and our economy at the mercy of those in other lands who do not have our best interest at heart.

National Security
National security begins with secure borders and giving law enforcement and our national intelligence agencies the tools they need to accomplish their jobs. Border security agents need the proper equipment to effectively patrol the border. We need to take a close look at the size of our standing army to make sure that it is sufficient to meet our nation’s defense needs.

Islamic terror groups continue to call for and seek the destruction of the Unites States and our allies. We have to take them at their word and our national intelligence should focus on penetrating those organizations. Our military should stand at the ready to engage terrorists groups when the use of force becomes necessary.

Our economic security is also threatened by our national debt. Currently China holds over $1 trillion dollars in American debt which poses a grave threat to our economic stability and has the potential to be used as leverage against us.

Immigration
Massive illegal immigration is a national crisis. We need to secure our borders immediately. For far too long our government has failed to enforce our existing laws against illegal immigration and has failed miserably to secure the border. That must change/stop immediately.

I support HR 1940, the Birthright Citizenship Act. Under this law, if a child is born to a foreign national who is in the United States illegally, that child would not automatically become a United States citizen. Birthright citizenship is one of the primary causes of illegal immigration into this country and creates a tremendous drain on taxpayer provided services.

Second, I would co-sponsor the bipartisan Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act. The SAVE Act is a common sense 3-part plan developed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to improve the security of our borders. The SAVE Act is a designed to drastically reduce illegal immigration by implementing stronger border security, employer verification, and interior enforcement. It will provide the tools, resources, and infrastructure necessary to enforce existing laws, increase investigative abilities of immigration enforcement, and provide assistance for state and local law enforcement.

Pro-Life Issues
I am strongly pro-life. We must respect all human life and defend the most vulnerable among us at every stage of life.

2nd Amendment
The Constitution uses the words, “shall not be infringed.” I believe the founders intended to apply that freedom to individuals and I would support a strict adherence to that language.

Education
Education is best left up to local officials and individual states. I support vouchers and tax credits for private and home schooled children.

Taxes
The federal tax code is overreaching, cumbersome and far too complicated.

I support a long-term solution that favors lowers taxes, will greatly simplify our tax code, and reduce the amount of paperwork involved in tax preparation.

I support making permanent the tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 and I support indexing the AMT to inflation in line with the original intent to correct that recurring problem.

Free Trade
Free trade has to be fair trade.

Most Americans understand that our current economy is global and we have to compete within that framework. We should always be looking for new ways to find markets for American goods and services. However, we must ensure that any trade agreement we enter into is a fair agreement that allows American exports to compete on a level playing field. Countries that unfairly restrict the market for our goods and who dump products on our shores below cost are not countries with which we should freely trade.

Health Care
The federal government has the responsibility to maintain standards in the health care arena and promote the study of science so that our researchers may continue to find treatments and cures for disease. Regulatory functions, such as the integrity of our drug supply and the accreditation of our medical schools are legitimate federal roles in our country’s health care system.

I strongly oppose government taking over 16% of our nation’s GDP. Government administered universal healthcare would be inefficient, costly and the quality of care would diminish.

Our nation’s current health care system is deeply flawed. Health insurance coverage decisions should rest more in the hands of those who are insured, not employers. This will make health care more personal and encourage a market-based approach to health care by shifting the decision-making away from third parties. This change will help employers and consumers alike. Our tax policy should not punish individuals who purchase their own health insurance rather than obtain coverage through their employer.

Health insurance policies should be more portable. American’s change jobs with much greater frequency than previous generations and our health insurance policy should be modernized to reflect this shift.

Same Sex Marriage
I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. I oppose gay marriage, civil unions and state-recognized “domestic partnerships”. Government should not force private entities to pay for insurance or other benefits for gay couples.

Ethics in Government
Trust is a vital component of any successful relationship, whether it is between a parent and child, business partners, or between citizens and their elected leaders. Unfortunately, many have lost their trust in our government. They have felt disappointment after witnessing waste, dishonesty, and broken promises from those placed in positions of power. As your representative, I will work to restore that trust. I will fight to ensure that the political process is performed transparently and efficiently.

The 5th District has unique needs that are sometimes best addressed by specific funding allocations directed to the programs that operate exclusively in our area. For this reason, I cannot pledge to abstain from ever seeking any earmark for our district. However, I recognize that earmarks often lead to wasteful federal spending and I strongly support comprehensive earmark reform that brings greater transparency and accountability to the congressional budget process. As a first step toward reining in the current out-of-control earmark process, I would support a one year moratorium on earmarks.

Iraq
We must do everything we can to ensure that Iraq has a stable, functioning government before we leave. Our national interests are too important to just leave based upon an arbitrary timetable. General Petraeus has put us on the right track with his strategy of first securing areas of the country in order to allow the political and democratic process to function.

Lost in much of the negativity surrounding Iraq and Afghanistan, is the fact that we have had some success. Saddam Hussien is no longer with us and al Qaeda in Iraq is currently in retreat. Terrorists no longer can enjoy a guaranteed, open safe haven in that country.

Social Security
I support the passage of the Securing America’s Future Economy (SAFE) Commission Act. The SAFE legislation would require Congress to accept or reject, on an up-or-down vote, the recommendations of a bipartisan 16-member commission on programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The SAFE Act will ensure that the funding issues associated with these programs are confronted in a responsible manner.

NASA
Marshall’s Ares 1 and Ares 5 will be the backbone for a long term return to the moon and further manned space exploration to Mars. Space exploration must be a national priority, and we must work with the administration and key members of Congress to ensure appropriate funding.

It was encouraging to see the NASA reauthorization clear its first hurdle when it was approved by the House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. The legislation would authorize 19.2 billion in fiscal 2009. This bill includes provisions that would authorize additional funding to accelerate the Constellation Program that replaces the shuttle program and includes Ares rockets.

NASA must have a budget that is consistent with the Constellation Program and our return to the moon. Manned space exploration has always provided the greatest return in terms of research and development along with countless advances in technology.

Redstone Arsenal
My family has watched Huntsville’s transformation from a quiet Alabama town to one of the most recognized cities in the South. Huntsville is consistently ranked as a one of the best places to live, a top technology city and a leading city for business. Not only are we famous for our contributions to defense and technology, but these industries are vital to our economy.

Redstone Arsenal directly employs over 14,000 federal employees and more are on the way. While the recent BRAC decisions have favored our area in a magnitude that is unprecedented, we cannot rest on our past success. We must continue to fight for the resources we need to ensure that Redstone Arsenal continues to lead in providing defense technology for our great country and a strong economic base for the 5th district.

The Shoals
Roosevelt and TVA brought the Shoals into the modern age and provided a source of good jobs for generations.

The Shoals area is right now in the process of a second great transformation that can have just as great an impact. The boxcar plant and North American Lighting are the just the beginning. The TVA reservation site offers great potential and must be followed through.

Republicans currently occupy all of the positions on the TVA Board of Directors. We need a Republican representative from the 5th Congressional District to work with that board.

I will work with TVA, local and state leaders like Gov. Riley to complete the TVA transfer, recruit new industry, make sure we are educating the work force for these new jobs and make sure the necessary infrastructure is in place for new industries to use.