RELigious freedom

America was founded on the principles of religious freedom, but today religious freedom is under siege. Democrat presidential candidates campaign on removing the tax exempt status for churches based on their religious beliefs. Liberal media outlets and radical Leftists manufacture outrage to marginalize and create controversy around mainstream religious beliefs and values.

Courts and state and local governments are threatening fines and imprisonment if Americans refuse to violate their conscience or beliefs.

As a state representative, I would use the platform to defend religious freedom and protect churches from assault by rogue judges, the LGBT movement, or anyone who tries to marginalize our First Amendment rights. 

There has been a fundamental failure to connect the dots of the wholly negative impact that rampant and unchecked illegal immigration has on the American people, the health of our society, and the rule of law. 

Our existing immigration laws are either not being enforced or are being interpreted so liberally that it mitigates the entire point of such laws.

I will go to war with anyone - Republican or Democrat - who dares sell out Alabama workers for cheap illegal labor on the backs of broken economic promises, who dares endanger Alabama families for open borders in the false name of compassion, and who dares suggest that support for a secure border and safe communities is anything other than an act of patriotism and love for one’s family and neighbors.

I strongly believe in the 2nd Amendment and its constitutional guarantee for Americans right to keep and bear arms. Period. The right to protect oneself and family is a God given right.

The Second Amendment is not up for debate or discussion. Our nation has been wracked by the evil acts of individuals and the progressive Left has gone all in on effectively repealing the Second Amendment and destroying constitutional due process rights.

The federal government continues to bury future generations of Americans further into debt. Without an immediate and sustained effort to reverse the trend, Americans will suffer dire consequences. The United States is rapidly approaching $24 trillion in national debt, a figure that doesn’t even include unfunded liabilities in excess of $100 trillion. Reigning in the national debt is one of my top priorities.

Our healthcare is a vital area of concern to all Alabamians and we have suffered with onerous and harmful federal intervention. We have just begun to see the catastrophic impact of Obamacare. Healthcare cannot be micromanaged at the national level. Obamacare must be repealed and entitlement programs like Medicaid reformed, not expanded. Healthcare reforms should be patient-doctor relationship centered.

Healthcare freedom is the only answer to address increasingly high costs, narrowing access, and diminishing quality of care. 

What is healthcare freedom? It is a patient centered system wherein patients and physicians directly interface, free from federal interference and third-party bureaucrats (government or insurance) distorting costs and inhibiting patient choice.

Life is precious and begins at conception. The unborn cannot speak for themselves, and I strongly believe that as a society we are judged by how we protect those who are the most vulnerable. There is no group more vulnerable than the unborn. Watching my children experience the miracle of life with their growing families has only further cemented my unwavering belief in safe guarding the unborn’s right to life.

Marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Marriage is the foundation of a strong family. Families are the most basic building block to a strong, vibrant community and society. The foundation of marriage should be strengthened and respected, not redefined.

Common Core standards and its implementation taught children what to think, not how to think. Gone are the classical literary texts and stories that expose our children to the values, stories, and heritage that helped make our country great and used bold colors to define our country. These bold colors are being replaced with the pale pastels of “informational texts” that treat our children as assembly line products being prepared for market.

Lastly, why were Common Core and Alabama College and Career Standards being allowed to transform our education process without any measurable metrics or proof that it even works? A rollout of this magnitude would never happen in the private sector without some type of quantifiable proof!

Our children in public, private, and home-schools are too precious to allow them to be subjected to an unproven centrally mandated process that is destined for failure.

State and local communities must maintain the authority to develop curriculum and make decisions for their students so that they can best compete in the future workplace. Education is not a “one size fits all.” Every child is different and has a unique set of needs, and parents should be able to choose the school that best meets those needs. We must empower parents by placing educational decisions in their hands and giving them a choice!