Why do you want to be a U.S. Senator?  
To give the people of Colorado an actual citizen representative. An individual who is willing to listen and respond to the state’s citizens; who is willing to stand strong for his principles against lobby organizations and special interests. I believe the citizens of this state want a representative not interested in becoming a career politician, someone who will live with the same laws they vote in for our state, someone who will respect our military and act in their best interests. My trips to visit our House and Senate representatives have convinced me we/I can do better.

What are the most pressing problems facing our country that you hope to address as a member of the U.S. Senate?
Security, Economy, Energy and Jobs. I do believe in Drill here – Drill now.

As a member of the Senate what specifically would you do to help the country recover from the recession?
Lower taxes and let the FREE enterprise system of this great country make the necessary corrections. Those corrections are sometimes painful but have proven effective in the past. Reducing government regulation and red tape is essential. We need to work toward energy independence which will include some unpopular ideas such as drilling in this country; nuclear power while we pursue supplemental power such as hydroelectric, solar and wind. The looming threat of $4.00/gallon gas is continuing to make us nervous and makes recovery slower.

What do you think is the most egregious thing your Democratic opponent has done that you plan to oppose if elected in 2010?
Continuing to push for an all-inclusive bill toward socialist government despite the strong majority against it. Senator Bennett’s blind support of  the one two thousand pages or more bill with “legalize” unreadable language largely open to interpretation just because the party demands it while totally ignoring the voices of his constituents is unacceptable on so many levels.

Has the Republican Party failed to live up to its stated ideals in the past several years? If so, how?
Absolutely. They abandoned their conservative values for greed. They threw their principles and caution out the window. They enjoyed the attention of lobbyists and gave in to special interest groups. They ignored their constituents warning them they were overstepping. They destroyed the trust given them by their constituents. Trust once destroyed is very difficult to get back.

What do you bring to the job of Senator that your primary opponents do not?
I presently do the same job for the people of the Mancos valley that will be required of me in the Senate-to balance the budget while keeping the country working in a tax level they can live with. I have D.C. experience: 3 bills have been passed for the betterment of our district under my tenure. I work with and for the people who do the day-to-day jobs that keep this country fed, the mail delivered, the groceries stocked, etc. My directors have enough faith in me to allow me to campaign while maintaining my job.

What should the federal government’s role be in reducing the cost of healthcare?
Get out of the way – allow the free market system create competition.

What specific things would you propose or support?
 Removing restricting regulations; allow insurance companies to sell over state boundary lines which will increase competition; torte reform. Competition has been restricted allowing the few remaining to do as they will – premiums out of control, coverage limitations, pre-existing conditions list growing. Medicare needs to be vastly improved-I am not against privatization as a part of that improvement. This is what the Republican Party should have been working on instead of having their own spending party.

What kind of laws would you oppose?

 Government run health care in any form and anything that restricts or destroys free market competition, raises taxes and creates more regulation.  

How are you going to deal with the federal government’s deficit spending?

1. Each bureau and agency must be audited for efficiency and cuts made accordingly. (Many agencies could be dissolved or would be more efficient in the private sector.)
2.  Identify and remove wasteful spending in every facet of government.
3. DEMAND accountability. We are not holding any of our federal agencies accountable for anything they do.

What specifically would you cut to balance the budget?
 This is a difficult question to answer. I cannot do anything alone. I will work hard to do what I listed above because I strongly believe that is a huge part of federal overspending. There is too much repetition in all agencies – we don’t need new ones, we don’t even need many of those established. We definitely do not need czars – I repeat, every individual, bureau or agency must be held accountable.  I will look to the residents of Colorado to advise me where they would like me to put an emphasis.

Would you raise taxes?
Raising taxes should never be easy or done without time or thorough investigation of alternatives. Identifying and eliminating wasteful spending will save tax payers a lot of money but is difficult due to laws and restrictions voted in that protect those in federal employment. These cuts may involve law suits and are unpopular so they are avoided. Therefore, it’s easier to raise taxes BUT it never should be that easy.

What are your thoughts on Global Warming and what do you think about the cap and trade legislation pending before Congress as a solution to deal with the problem?
I don’t believe in man-made global warming. The planet has been evolving and changing since before man made his appearance here. We cannot predict the change-we cannot control it. Creating a program that forces our citizens to change their lives and takes away their rights and freedom while forcing them to pay more in taxes will not change one thing. It could drive more business (and jobs) overseas and will not improve the economy in any way. Americans are aware of our environment and do what we can in our way to protect it.

What judge currently on the US Supreme Court most accurately reflects the type of judge you would like to see placed on this court in the future and why?
I don’t favor one judge more than another. I’ve agreed with one, turned around and disagreed with the same one. I would support someone who would stand strong by their principles, would uphold the foundation that is the Constitution, and who would not legislate from the bench. I did not support appointment of Judge Sotomayer- her record did not show she had set any of these examples. .

Do you think there is a Constitutional right to abortion?
A Constitutional right – no .

Explain your answer?
I do not believe the founding fathers even considered abortion when they created our Constitution. For that reason, it has been, and is, open to interpretation.

 Would you vote to make abortion illegal?
Illegal as in paid for by tax payers, yes. I would hesitate to return to the days when doctors or non-professionals were performing illegal abortions in back alleys with dirty instruments as portrayed in movies; and being a man, I cannot honestly put myself in a position of having to make the decision that, for whatever reason, a woman does. I strongly oppose abortion as a taxpayer funded alternative.

Would you have exceptions?
I hesitate to say yes to exceptions but there most definitely are extenuating circumstances. I believe, however, that organizations or foundations could, and may already be formed, to help with the extenuating circumstances which should be funded with non-federal dollars.

Do you think government has an obligation to legally recognize same-sex relationships with a marriage license or some other form of official recognition?
No.

Explain your reasoning.
I believe marriage is a union between a man and woman. I do not believe the federal government has any obligation to recognize same-sex relationships.

What do you think is the most pressing foreign policy problem facing this country and what do you think the federal government should do about it?
Iran and N. Korea. As for Afghanistan – make a decision. I would prefer to send in enough troops to make an immediate impact and take care of the problem or pull them all out. Whatever we do, we CANNOT leave those already there to carry the burden alone or to be sacrificed with indecision. Fighting terrorism is a new and challenging issue. Honestly without more information, I cannot make a good opinion and I sometimes think it may be better to pull all our troops out of Afghanistan and prepare them to defend our country in our country.

How would you deal with illegal immigration?
Absolutely no amnesty. They should have 6 months to return to their country of origin and file the necessary paperwork to return. If they have not done so in 6 months, they are not allowed back into this country. That being said, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration needs to be fully audited, and the red tape that creates confusion and allows fraud needs to be eliminated along with the financial waste it creates. If immigrants truly want to be in this country, they should be able to file the necessary papers in a fair, timely and efficient manner.

What do you think the government should do with all the illegal immigrants living in this country?
Ship them out as stated above. We need to simplify and eliminate the red tape allowing fraud for work visas. We also need to rethink citizenship by birth in this country. That is being used heavily as an excuse to allow the family to stay. Americans don’t want to tear families apart and they are being taken advantage of because of that.

Do you think gun ownership in this country is over regulated or under regulated?
Over.

Explain your answer.
Our founding fathers were concerned with this issue. Therefore, the Constitution gives every citizen the right to own and bear arms. We have to be careful that we don’t create regulations that aid criminals instead of honest citizens.