Transportation

As a member of the House Transportation Committee, I have a thorough, working knowledge of our transportation needs. In 2004 I sponsored or co-sponsored nine bills related to transportation. These are three of my major concerns:


-The stretch of I-25 between the Longmont and Wellington exits is congested and hazardous. Adding a third lane to I-25 is the most cost-effective and sensible solution.

-Under the current public transit system, Loveland loses more than $600,000 annually. The public would benefit if mass transit was funded and managed by private enterprise.

-Regarding the federal gas tax: I join with other lawmakers in calling for reform in the way this tax is managed. We need to maintain state control over these much-needed funds.

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Economy

Our economy will thrive under a free-enterprise system that is committed to such principles as less government and lower taxes. It is the government's job to provide essential services and infrastructure in a cost-effective manner. It is the hard-working individual citizen that is in the best position to create jobs and keep our economy vital and strong. As much money as possible should be left in the hands of the taxpayer. We must determine where and how we can cut our spending to balance our budget.

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Education

Students in Northern Colorado deserve the best education possible. This is being achieved through a mix of options, such as public, private, charter, online and home schooling. This subject is of special interest. My first job out of college was to teach all of the math and physics courses at a small high school. My wife Claudia has taught foreign languages for more than twenty years. She currently teaches at a high school in Loveland.

Improving our educational system continues to be a priority. Special areas of concern include an unacceptably high drop out rate in certain student populations, and academic bias and discrimination in higher education.

Educational funding is a primary concern. I will continue to fight for our fair share of the educational budget. But reform is needed. I condone the use of vouchers and tax credits to give parents and their children a choice in where they go to school. Amendment 23 needs to be modified. The adjustment for inflation, and the 1% increase, should be capped for five years. No other part of our budget is tied to inflation and a more equitable distribution of funds is needed. Higher education should be allocated some of the funds that are currently earmarked for K-12 under Amendment 23

Healthcare

The cost of healthcare for individuals and businesses has risen dramatically in the last few years. This is due to factors such as an aging population, excessive malpractice payments, the high cost of research, and too many government regulations.

More competition in health care would help level out these costs. This could include free market surgery centers, lowering the patent protection on new drugs from nineteen to seven years, importation of safe and affordable drugs, and allowing individuals to deduct their health care premiums. Creative ways to lower premiums include medical savings accounts and using higher deductibles.

The Medicaid system needs reform. The state of Colorado spends 1.9 billion in Medicaid expenditures. An independent task force or a joint legislative committee should be appointed to investigate abuses of the system and recommend strategies to reduce the cost.

Prison Reform

Our jails and prisons are full. I believe that we should only imprison violent criminals, drug dealers, and habitual offenders. Each prisoner costs taxpayers $30,000 per year; can this expense be justified for non-violent offenders? We need to consider alternative sentencing measures. We also need to allow "faith based" organizations increased access to all of our jails and prisons. Caring individuals in these organizations have been successful in leading prisoners to a better way of life; only 10% of these prisoners will return to prison. This is in sharp contrast to the 70-80% recidivism rate for prisoners without this type of intervention.

Family Values

Protection from Internet Pornography
Internet filters are needed to protect schoolchildren from accidentally downloading pornography while on computers in our libraries and schools. I co-sponsored legislation on this issue; it did not become law. This issue remains vitally important. I will support all efforts to put commonsense and decent restraints in place to protect our young people.

Federal Marriage Amendment
Coloradoans spoke on this issue before when they passed the Defense of Marriage Act. I also support the Federal Marriage Amendment. I believe that marriage is meant to be between one man and one woman. This amendment needs to be added to the Constitution. It does not diminish the civil rights of gays and lesbians; it protects the definition of traditional marriage, which is the backbone of our great nation.

The Right-to-Life
According to statistics from October, 2003 to July, 2004, every month in the Planned Parenthood clinic in Fort Collins, Colorado, an average of 131 unborn babies are aborted. This practice is legal, but it is not right, moral, or just. Life begins at conception. The decision to make abortion legal in this country should be overturned. We need to value and protect all human life.

Water

Water is a precious commodity for Colorado. We are the only state other than Hawaii that has no water flowing into it. All of our water flows out. Agriculture is a vital part of our state's economy. Ninety percent of our water is used by agriculture, 5% by residences, and 5% by industries. Colorado's need for water is increasing, but we don't have adequate storage. Right now, 30% of the total volume of our water is flowing out of Colorado, to neighboring states, and we are not able to use it because we don't have enough storage. Colorado has the legal right to keep this excess water that flows out of our state. Therefore, we need to do the following:

Don't change our current water laws with other states or the federal government. From everything I have heard or read, changes in water law by the federal government or neighboring states are detrimental to Colorado.

Build more water storage.

Encourage water conservation by improving farming methods by xeriscaping, and using any other cost-effective techniques that businesses and communities can do without increasing taxes or costs.

Visit www.leg.state.co.us for current legislative status