Position on Key Issues

Sustainable Growth

A proactive, sustainable approach to future growth in El Paso County is necessary in order to avoid potentially calamitous consequences in the future, particularly with regard to water accessibility. Sustainable growth in the short term would allow for a well managed community over the long term, in which services and infrastructure keep pace with the needs of the population. Taxes and cost of living would remain well balanced with the income and wages of those who live in the community. Sustainable growth would enable property values to increase at a steady rate that parallels the benefits of living in this unique and attractive area.

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Accessible Water

Clean, accessible water is the future of the State of Colorado, as well as the El Paso County community and all other municipalities throughout the State. Colorado has this most valuable resource in abundance, and other regions rely upon this prized commodity for their own needs. Thus, comprehensive, responsible, long term planning is critical. Objective analysis of all possible methods for water accessibility, acquisition, transport, storage, and delivery to this community must be balanced with future needs for the entire state, as well as other states, in order to protect and ensure the desirability of this region for generations to come.

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Renewable Energy

The majority of US citizens are becoming acutely aware of the need to seriously pursue renewable, equally affordable energy alternatives to oil. Countries throughout the world have coped with oil prices up to four times greater than the cost of oil in the US and have adjusted their lifestyles accordingly. They manufacture and import vehicles with fuel efficiency far greater than those in the US - often on the very same make and model of vehicle. Highly efficient mass transit systems remove thousands of vehicles off city roads, in these countries, even in suburban areas. Nuclear energy is prevalent throughout Europe, with none of the disastrous outcomes or waste issues that have paralyzed the industry here. Wind energy has proliferated across the continent as well, with measurably positive results. And in Brazil, more than half of all vehicles on the road run on ethanol made from sugar for more than 30 years.

We can have these results here in the US once the majority of citizens get behind these types of alternatives and demand them. Our leaders would be compelled to alter our present rapacious course and propel us away from our dependency on foreign oil. If we apply a combination of renewable sources -- turbine generated (wind, geothermal, tidal), solar, ethanol, bio diesels, hydro-electric, hybrid, hydrogen, and even nuclear -- to the multitude of ways we now use fossil fuels, we can wean ourselves off of finite resources and still maintain our prosperous lifestyle.

Our future and our economy lay in renewable energy: Major investment into research and development will repair our hobbled economy by generating new business, new growth, and new jobs. Redirecting the massive coal and gas industry subsidies into renewable energy development will: ensure prosperity equaling that of the outmoded energy industries; nurture fledgling industries that have been long ignored; and cultivate the kind of innovation and entrepreneurship for which the US is world renown.

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Business Economy and Jobs

The people of El Paso County need a steady supply of reasonably secure, well paying jobs with good benefits in order to afford to stay in the area, care for their family, and be productive, self sufficient citizens. Creating incentives to keep jobs local, instead of relocating them, would decrease unemployment, increase the standard of living, and benefit the economy at all levels. We need to help new start-ups to thrive, small businesses to grow, and the existing business base to expand its production. One way to accomplish this would be to decrease the tax burden Colorado businesses face by revising the 1982 Gallagher amendment to the State Constitution, or removing it altogether. Though the amendment was fair and appropriate at the time, the formulaic complexities of the amendment, combined with the pattern of growth in the past 25 years, has caused business owners to carry an increasingly heavier burden of taxation that is both cumbersome and repellant to businesses. A combination of additional taxation has culminated in a long term negative impact that needs to be reversed and corrected in order for our business economy to flourish.

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Affordable, Available Healthcare for Everyone

Everyone, especially children, deserves affordable healthcare and access to the same medical treatment regardless of their financial status. It is our responsibility to make sure they have it.

If everyone had healthcare, and thus equal access to medical treatment, our hospital ER's would be less congested: fewer people would seek urgent care for non-emergencies, and they would seek care before medical problems become emergencies. The medical industry as a whole would be financially stronger: fewer support staff would be required to handle the more streamlined, less redundant paperwork. Coverage would be uniform and less subject to discriminatory practices, equalizing prices and resolving issues of inequality among patients and providers. Doctors and hospitals would be liberated to center on their patients' health and recovery, both in the short term and through long term preventive care measures, perpetuating a positive upward spiral of health and wellness.

Governor Ritter's 208 Commission recently concluded its research of the top five most viable options for universal healthcare coverage in the State by recommending a single payer healthcare system as the most financially efficient means of providing healthcare for all Colorado residents. Though it is unlikely that any new healthcare program will be initiated this year, it remains a top priority for this Governor and his administration which I fully support.

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Education

Every child deserves an education that will prepare them for life as independent, contributing citizens. The public education system is still a valuable, required tool for the welfare and future of El Paso County and Colorado. Vouchers, though appealing on the surface, would cripple the public school system irreparably while inadequately covering the cost of private education for low income families. Public schools would be forced to close for lack of funding while no viable alternative exists to take their place, leaving students with insufficient education facilities. It is better to repair the existing system than it is to throw it away and start over.

A streamlined approach to public school administration in metropolitan areas with multiple school districts would reduce red tape and redundancy while increasing efficiency on a broader scale. Mandated tests that are as brief yet accurate as SAT's, for example, would make the system leaner and more efficient.

A return to curriculums that engage and stimulate students so that they enjoy learning is crucial to keeping students interested in school. Reinstituting and embellishing hands-on arts programs and trade disciplines, rather than cutting these programs in favor of expanded academic requirements, will serve both our long term economy and the future wage earners of this county and state.

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Protected Open Spaces

The State of Colorado is known worldwide for its magnificent and expansive open spaces. Visitors from around the globe are attracted each year to the myriad outdoor recreation opportunities, making tourism Colorado's leading source of annual revenue. Clean air and water and healthy ecosystems are critical to the future of Colorado and it greatest asset, the environment. The degradation of our open lands and waterways due to toxins, pollutants and negligent business practices could destabilize the State economy for decades. So it is crucial that the benefits of extracting resources from the land be balanced with the long term protection of wilderness areas.

The established funding for designated parklands must be combined with: sustainable growth policies; vigilant protection of all open spaces (regardless of their designated status); and a long term vision for the future, to ensure Colorado continues as a global destination. As stewards of this land, not its vanquishers, we have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure the lasting integrity of this invaluable resource for the generations that follow us.

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Immigration

Illegal immigration is a function of the basic economic principle of supply and demand: A well documented correlation exists between the decrease in federal investigations of companies that hire illegal immigrants and the increase in the number of immigrants entering the country illegally each year. Ultimately, the demand for cheap labor must be curtailed to solve the problem. If we decrease the demand by policing the companies who use illegal immigrant employees, then the supply will also decrease by nature. But in doing so, all consumers must be prepared to pay substantially higher prices for everything from produce to hotel rooms in order to attract indigenous labor, which may set off rapid inflation.

Colorado's agricultural economy depends heavily on seasonal workers. A guest worker program is essential in order to sustain the vitality of this industry. An unanticipated result of the new immigration legislation enacted in July of 2006 was a dearth of legitimate farm labor due to heightened fears of deportation. Crops rotted in the field as farmers were forced to choose which crops to harvest with skeleton crew. Scarcity may be another negative outcome of expanded immigration laws, further weakening the State economy and the vitality of local agriculture.

Building an exorbitantly expensive yet porous wall will not alleviate this complex issue when a significant number of illegal immigrants entered the country legally. Many immigrants cannot get work visas renewed before they expire, through no fault of their own. When administrative flaws do not lie with the immigrant, disrupting families with children who are US citizens is not a humane solution.

The least problematic, most economically sound solutions create a win-win for both sides: Curtail the current rate of illegal immigration by implementing improved border protection systems that already exist; redirect funding from construction of an inefficient wall to making jobs safer and more attractive for indigenous workers; establish business incentives for industries and employers to utilize an indigenous workforce; improve the administrative system for legal immigrants, or make allowances for inherent faults in the system; and finally, reduce the financial burden of states' economies by properly enforcing the existing federal immigration laws.

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Public Transportation

Safe, affordable, reliable, and comprehensive mass transit has proven to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, and dependency on foreign oil. Redistributing a percentage of infrastructural expansion costs, and subsequent future maintenance costs, to more environmentally friendly sources of transportation would help to realize Colorado's goal of being a forerunner in renewable energy and environmental stewardship, while simultaneously reducing commuters' stress levels.

New Mexico's new Rail Runner project, which has cost significantly less than anticipated and will eventually extend from Belen (south of Albuquerque) all the way to Santa Fe, is an excellent example of what can be accomplished when the goal of commuter rail transit is set. Denver's new light rail system, if extended south through Colorado Springs and Pueblo, and north to Boulder and Fort Collins, could economically benefit multiple municipalities statewide. It would make Colorado more appealing to new and relocating business enterprises, and increase the probability that a better educated workforce would choose to stay in Colorado. I envision, encourage, and promote a future that makes extensive light rail transit through Colorado a reality.

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Discrimination

Every lawful person, regardless of age, gender, ethnic background, religion, or sexual orientation, has the right to fair, equal, and unbiased treatment, as well as equal protection under the law; without exception. Any deviation from this principle constitutes illegal discrimination. All established laws against discrimination must be enforced to the fullest; and hate crimes should be prosecuted as the violent crimes that they are. The US constitution stipulates that "All men are created equal" and deserve to be treated with equal respect. No one is above the law, and no one is beneath the protection of it.

Our community and its leaders must actively work to reverse the reputation this community has for being discriminatory and intolerant. This reputation, whether genuine or perceived, is at least in part responsible for discouraging businesses from relocating to this area. Recent positive steps have been taken to counteract this negative trend, but we have a long way to go. I actively support organizations that work to abolish of all types of discrimination and promote diversity and equal rights.

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Women's Choice

The right for any person to make their own decisions with regard to their body is sacrosanct, and must not be undermined. Illegalizing abortion will not end the practice any more than prohibition ended the imbibing of liquor.

Better sex education in schools has been proven to be effective in preventing teenage pregnancies, as well as sexually transmitted diseases, especially in areas with a high rate of poverty. Conversely, abstinence only programs have been proven repeatedly to be ineffective, with a failure rate in excess of 80% within the first year among teens who pledged abstinence. Federal funding of ineffective abstinence only programs is money that would have been better used to provide educational assistance to schools in at risk areas with high incidence of teenage pregnancy. Federal funding in support of science based sex education in public schools will reap dividends in the following ways: decreased need for public assistance for unwed mothers; decreased costs for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases; a lower high school drop-out rate; a lower rate of unemployment; reduced incidents of domestic violence and child abuse, neglect, or abandonment; and reduction of the generational cycle of poverty. There are few instances where federal funding reaps so many benefits from every dollar invested.

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Religious Freedom

Religious freedom is the very foundational principle which caused our European ancestors to risk everything by sailing to the new world and settling here en masse. Their emigration for the sake of religious freedom was the catalyst for the formation of the United States of America and its Constitution. Still, the drafters of our Constitution took great pains compose a binding document that kept religion and government separate form each other. In reverence to the huge sacrifices made to create our Constitution and protect our freedom over the centuries, we are compelled to keep our government free of theocracy and remain vigilant against manipulation and subjugation of our rights and liberties in the name of religion.

The US was created as a melting pot of peoples from every area of the globe; we have an obligation to respect all people's religious beliefs, not infringe upon them. Equally, religion belongs outside the boundaries of public lands, public buildings, public schools and their curriculums. Churches, private property owners, private businesses and private institutions should have the freedom to display, promote, and solicit religious doctrine as they see fit. Churches, private schools and private institutions should be the domain of dogmatic religious teachings. Public institutions of higher education should have the freedom, the right, and even the obligation, to offer curricula which expose, analyze, compare, contrast, evaluate and critique all types of religion.

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Accountable, Transparent, Responsive Government

Ours is a system of governance that is emulated throughout the world in forming nascent democratic republics. Ours system was designed "By the people, for the people." This is what record breaking numbers of voters in Colorado and throughout the nation are fighting to reinstate by becoming far more involved in the democratic process than they have been in decades.

The constituency is responsible for making their elected officials aware of what is most important to them. When constituents remain silent and passive, representatives base decisions solely on their own knowledge and opinion, or rely on information and opinions provided by lobbyists; often with unpopular results. Attention, input, vigilance, and involvement from constituents are crucial to protecting and upholding the democratic process, accountability, and transparency in government. In return, every leader in our government must be required to listen to the public and take action with the welfare of the majority in mind, or risk being rightfully voted out of office.

The State of Colorado has been evolving for the past four years from a conservative majority to a more moderate majority. This transformation has been exciting to promote and to watch; there is a level of energy I have not witnessed before in the dozen years I have lived in El Paso County. I am a candidate for Colorado State Representative because I am compelled to promote the transition that is occurring within the State. I have a desire to listen to and serve the people of El Paso County and Colorado, and to protect the precious natural resources that are so abundant yet also at risk. We are at a turning point in the State's history, and El Paso County voters will have a decisive voice this year in which direction we go from here. We can stay on the present course and risk exponential, perhaps irreparable, harm from unchecked aggressive growth, a strangulated business economy, environmental degradation, inadequate public services, depletion of finite resources and intolerance. Or, we can turn toward sustainability, accountability, responsibility, renewability, and stewardship.

As Representative of House District 20, I would promote the changes necessary to restore environmental and economic balance while enhancing the opportunity for businesses to develop, grow and thrive. I would continue to advocate strongly for equal rights and greater diversity, while protecting individual rights and freedoms. And I would endorse technological advances in energy production, distribution, transportation, and human services. Most importantly, I would actively listen to the residents of the district with an open mind and a desire to do what is right and best for the future of Colorado and those who live here.

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