Platform
“It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions… There are men, in all ages…who mean to govern well; but they mean to govern. They promise to be kind masters; but they mean to be masters… They think there need be but little restraint upon themselves… The love of power may sink too deep in their own hearts…”
-Daniel Webster
My Pledge as a Senator
-I promise to hold all public servants accountable to the restraints of the Constitution, regardless of party.
-I will not exempt myself from the Affordable Healthcare Act as other legislators have.
-I will not buy, sell, or trade stocks, bonds, or other financial tools while in office to avoid the appearance of "insider trading" as other legislators do.
-I will serve a maximum of 2 terms. I know we have all heard that before, but I enjoy my job as an engineer and do not believe public service should be a career.
-I will not accept any retirement plan given to legislators. The burden of retirement is for me to cover, not tax payers.
-I will always advocate for and support the Utah Caucus System.
State Lands
As a registered professional environmental engineer in Utah, I have spent my career working with coal and oil companies in Utah. I have a firsthand understanding of land issues and potential economic resources our Federal government has denied the States. As a Senator, I would bring unique perspective to Washington DC, and help Utah have a well-informed seat at the table. The land and resources of our State should be protected for We the People, and as your Senator I will be ready for the task.
EPA
The right to protect the environment and health of our State resides with the citizens of Utah. As an environmental engineer working with both the State Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Federal EPA I understand the unnecessary control the EPA puts on our DEQ. Our State DEQ and We the People should have the right to enact these regulations for the betterment of Utah. As your Senator I will use my knowledge of the environment and land issues to rein in the EPA.
Second Amendment
“…the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” I have always supported the right of We the People to bear arms. The Federal, State, and local governments have not. Native -Americans, African –Americans, and other marginalized populations within the United States have been denied this right to their peril. My experience in the minority communities of Chicago taught me just how important the right to defense is. These marginalized communities were forced to rely on an overworked and underappreciated police force to provide protections that most US citizens take for granted. 6 months after moving to Utah my wife and I obtained our Concealed Carry Permits. We love living in a State that allows us to protect our family, even when we attend school activities with our children. As your Senator I will work to protect the right of We the People to protect our families by being a vocal advocate for marginalized communities.
Education
The right to control the education of children resides with parents. The citizens of a State may allow that State to regulate education. However, the Federal Government has unnecessarily intervened in this right. Programs like Common Core, Race to the Top, and No Child Left Behind have limited our Utah teacher’s ability to creatively shape education as needed for our children. With 6 children enrolled in Utah’s public education system and as a person employed in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) career I understand the problems associated with Common Core. I have had to show my children the way individuals within STEM careers use math and science. Many of these techniques are not used with Common Core, leaving US students at a disadvantage in a world of technology. As your Senator I will use my understanding of STEM careers to advocate for an end to Common Core and national standards.
Healthcare
During the year 2017, I switched jobs twice. During this time 3 of my children needed surgery. As I moved from one provider to another my benefits changed, costing me thousands of dollars. Marginalized individuals cannot afford the unnecessary financial burden of bureaucracy. Instead of allowing individuals to seek medical insurance they feel comfortable with and can afford, We the People have to buy insurance through work or turn to expensive government marketplace options. As an individual who has spent most of his life living paycheck to paycheck I will advocate for a free-market approach to medical care that allows We the People to have choices in coverage we can afford.
Fourth Amendment
Civil Asset Forfeiture, FISA courts, NSA recording electronic communications, and Stingray phone trackers are just a few examples of Federal overreach. If we continue to justify these violations in the name of security because “only criminals have anything to hide” then, what liberty do we have when religious, political, or other speech becomes “criminal”. As your Senator I will always vote against these violations of liberty and advocate for mens rea (intent of wrong doing) laws.
Illegal Immigration
Only the Native-Americans are not immigrants, the rest of our country was settled by immigration. My mother’s family came from England on the Mayflower seeking religious freedom. My dad’s family came as Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors settling in Mexico and later moving to California. We all understand the importance of the fresh perspective on liberty that immigrants bring. However, we must know who is in this country and respect the constitutional right of the Federal government to control immigration. Some illegal immigrants’ shortcut the immigration process unfairly, stealing identities of US citizens and committing tax fraud. The US government will certainly separate US families for identity theft and tax fraud. Why should illegal immigrates receive better treatment. As the descendant of Mexican immigrants I will vote for border security and enforcement of current immigration laws.
Abortion
Whether one prescribes to evolution or creation, both agree the main purpose of sexual intercourse is to create life. To engage in an act that for 6,000 to 1.2 billion years has created new life, and then act surprised by the creation of life is the very definition of ignorance. The choice to abort a child should only apply in the following three situations, rape, incest, and if the life of the mother is endangered. As your Senator I will always advocate for life and only support judicial nominees that view innocent life as worth protecting.
Foreign Policy
The role of the US Military and foreign policy should be to serve and protect We the People. Our policy must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and must have a clear goal in mind. We should slowly phase out foreign aid, removing aid first for countries that fight against our policies. The United States must move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem within President Trumps first term to assure that future Presidents can not back-out of this agreement. We must also acknowledge that China and Russia do not have the interest of the United States in mind. They view us as a long-term threat to their power. As your Senator I promise to thoroughly consider the long term effects of our dealings with every country.