The Issues
Congress’ approval ratings are at an all time low. Americans are realizing that elected officials in Washington are doing more harm than good. The citizens of our district recognize the need to hold these officials accountable by voting for new leaders in 2010.
Traditional Republican values combined with fresh ideas and a disciplined approach to government spending can reinvigorate our district and our country. Unlike our current representatives, Wes is not a career politician. He is an independent thinker committed to data-driven policy solutions – and he is not beholden to any special interests or lobbyists.
In the past two years, millions of Americans have lost jobs or seen their wages cut. It is time to reject the ineffective government policies that have hindered economic recovery and restore the conditions of entrepreneurship and free enterprise that first made our country succeed.
Small- and medium-sized businesses are the core engine of our economic growth. The ingenuity and determination of individual Americans is what will lead our recovery. Wes supports common sense policies that promote these ideals. We can strengthen our economy by fighting for sensible taxes on wages and business earnings. We can also reward businesses that create private-sector jobs and eliminate regulations that hamper growth and impose unnecessary costs.
Wes believes that the cornerstone of economic policy must be empowering the American people, not the American government.
Every year, the federal government spends trillions of dollars, much of which is wasted on redundant and ineffective government programs. We must take back Congress and impose fiscal discipline through a responsible and sustainable budget.
Our national debt now exceeds 12 trillion dollars. For decades we have lived beyond our means, spending more than we can afford by borrowing against our children’s earnings. Unless we start addressing the hard decisions ahead of us, this irresponsible spending will create a legacy of economic woe that will be inherited by future generations of Americans.
We must not default on the moral responsibility we have to leave the world a better place than we found it. It is time to tell Washington that we’ve had enough. If we are to avoid breaking government’s promise to seniors and other beneficiaries, we must act now.
Government should increase the health care options available to us rather than limiting choice, mandating coverage, and threatening the American people with fines.
The health care bill recently forced through Congress is an invasion of individuals’ rights that will increase costs on individuals and businesses while reducing the overall quality of care.
The best health care is not the same as the most health care. Instead, the aim should be to develop a robust free market for insurance that allows our citizens to choose affordable coverage for themselves and their families.
America must lead the energy revolution. This is not just an economic issue; it is also an issue of national security. The time has come to stop sending billions of dollars to volatile regions of the world that threaten our safety and well being.
Nations that develop clean and cost-effective energy solutions will lead the 21st century economy. Wes is committed to investing in alternative forms of energy and believes in the safe and responsible use of nuclear technology.
Wes believes that we must solve the energy crisis so that our children inherit a stronger, safer, and cleaner country and world.
Wes believes that the federal government can save billions of our tax dollars by embracing modern information technology. We should leverage American innovation to increase transparency and efficiency. Congress should reform government contracting to bring the system in line with less expensive, more effective private-sector technologies and practices.
Technology can also play a role in forging a more responsive and inclusive government. Wes is committed to leveraging today’s technologies to better communicate with and serve the people of eastern Connecticut.
The housing crisis and our current recession were caused in large part by predatory lenders and unscrupulous Wall Street banks who shifted the risk of their investments to third parties. These practices violated the free-market ideals that have been the backbone of the American economy for hundreds of years. Congress must take sensible action to ensure that investors cannot profit from risky bets made at the expense of the American people.
Wes believes that financial reform requires strong advocacy on behalf of regular Americans. He also believes that, consistent with the principles of small government and fiscal responsibility, regulation of complex financial markets requires government to understand the costs and effects of its actions before it passes laws.
Too often, public anger over our financial situation results in grandstanding by elected officials, who act rashly and vengefully in passing burdensome regulations. Wes embraces a modern, scientific approach to economics. Before government acts, it must know the potential costs of legislation affecting the markets that are essential to the growth and freedom of our economy.
Wes believes that America must maintain a strong national defense to protect our interests at home and abroad. Wes is humbled by the sacrifice and service of all members of our military and prays that they will come home safely. America must act forcefully against those who threaten our freedom.
Education is opportunity. We must better educate our children so that they can seize the opportunities they deserve and improve our country and our society.
Wes is dedicated to improving our public schools. We must optimize the incentives of administrators and teachers so that our schools attract the best talent and reward those who inspire students to excel. Wes knows that we must build a system where your zip code does not determine the quality of your education.
We also must provide children and their parents with more options. Wes is in favor of increasing families’ choices about education without diminishing the effectiveness of existing public schools.
States should be allowed to make their own laws defining marriage, so long as those laws reflect the views of the people, who are the source of authority in our democracy.
Wes believes that the right to love whomever we choose, without interference from the government, is a fundamental individual liberty.
Wes supports the Second Amendment and believes that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual liberty guaranteed by the Constitution.
Wes believes that impossibly difficult decisions faced by women in America should be made by individuals in consultation with their doctors, their loved ones, and their counselors. He recognizes that Americans on both sides of this issue have strongly-held views, and supports the well-settled constitutional principles that allow the individual, rather than the government, to make fundamentally personal decisions.
Wes also believes that government has the duty to reduce the number of abortions that occur in this country. He supports parental notification requirements and opposes partial birth abortion.
Wes is committed to helping build a smaller, smarter federal government. Most importantly, this includes giving state governments the powers that the founders intended them to have.
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