Campaign Issues

Faced with a staggering $14.4 trillion national debt and an exploding national deficit eating up an estimated 40% of our federal budget, Americans are responding with a resounding voice saying “Enough!” The federal deficit this coming year (projected at $1.3 trillion, on top of a $1.6 trillion deficit last year) is putting our great nation on a “road to bankruptcy.”

It is projected by the Congressional Budget Office that over the coming decade, our federal government will add nearly $7 trillion to the federal debt. The leadership in Washington, D.C. acts as if they had a giant, unlimited credit card for which re-payments, penalty and interest never comes due. But it will come due. If we don’t address this reckless pattern of runaway government spending now, then the future of social security, medicare, national defense and other important obligations of the federal government will be threatened.

We are literally “passing the buck” to a future generation of Americans who will get stuck with the bill of this out-of-control spending. This is basic math and a basic message: “Don’t spend more than you make.” Individuals have to live by it. Families have to live by it. Businesses have to live by it. The state of Arkansas has to live by it. It’s time the federal government had to live by it. Americans are demanding that Congress lives within its means, and we can start by working toward a balanced budget.

As a small business owner and entrepreneur, I have witnessed the federal government adding regulation after regulation, tax after tax, and over-bearing paperwork burdens that seem to never end.

The free-enterprise system is the incredible economic engine that created the American economy and gave birth to the most powerful & generous nation on earth. It is absolutely essential for government to respect the magic of the free-market system. We must remember that government does not create jobs. Government’s proper role is to create an environment that fuels the creation of jobs by the private sector.

The most important responsibility of our federal government is ensuring the national security of the United States of America. It is absolutely essential that America dedicates the resources necessary to be sure our armed forces are strong and our borders are secure. America faces enemies today who are dedicated to destroying our way of life, and we must be vigilant and determined in our defense of freedom and liberty. We will not apologize for being strong. We will not apologize for being prepared. And we will not apologize for treating a terrorist like a terrorist.

Our nation today has the finest health care in the world. People come from the world over to seek quality medical care at our hospitals and medical centers in the U.S. It is absolutely essential that we do not turn control of this vital medical system over to the federal government. The current health care “reform” is seriously flawed, and the real costs of Obamacare are almost impossible to determine.

Americans agree health care reform is needed, but there are ways to accomplish this task without transforming our system into socialized medicine. Four ideas include:

• The ability to purchase health insurance across state lines.
• Medical malpractice reform
• Dollar-for-dollar tax credit for those workers who purchase their own insurance (reducing taxes $1.00 for every $1.00 spent on medical insurance).
• Employee Insurance Portability

Taxes for your average American worker are simply too high. If our goal is to create more jobs and put more people to work, then let’s create an incentive to work by allowing workers to actually keep more of the money they earn. The tax structure is too complex, too complicated, too unfair and too punishing for the average American worker. The philosophy of punishing “work” by over-taxing the worker will eventually back-fire with catastrophic economic results. We cannot tax this nation into prosperity, and we cannot spend this nation into prosperity. We can, however, relieve the burden of bloated taxes and clear the way for the American entrepreneur to propel this nation into prosperity.

I was proud to be a member of the Huckabee Administration in Arkansas that led the charge to index our state’s income tax brackets to inflation, double the standard deduction, and eliminate the marriage penalty (Act 328).

The right to life is a cherished, powerful issue that defines the moral fibre of a nation. A life-long pro-life advocate, I will continue to speak for the rights of the unborn to live.

I have always loved and honored America’s veterans. The Armed Forces of the United States is a volunteer force. My two brothers (Spc. John Rankin and 2nd Lt. Curtice Rankin, an Iraq War Veteran) serve in the Arkansas Army National Guard. Each and every member of the military who steps forward, accepts the mantle and responsibility of service and protects the American people needs to rest assured that the people of America will in turn support them both during their tours of duty and upon returning home.

I am a Life Member of the National Rifle Association and a proud gun owner. The right to keep and bear arms by ordinary, law-abiding citizens is a fundamental component of our freedom as Americans. This constitutionally-protected right ensures Americans the ability to protect themselves and their families, and I will fight for the continued protection of this right for citizens.

As a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music and the daughter of a university economics & finance professor, I hold a strong and unwavering commitment to excellence in education at all levels. What I have discovered is that centrally-controlled, heavily-regulated “one-size-fits-all” models fail to achieve the levels of distinction and academic success that more locally-controlled, highly-customized approaches to education have attained.

I firmly believe that local control of education is essential, and I am an advocate for states, local communities, teachers and parents to have more direct control over their education systems. The mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 have taken more control out of state and local school districts and placed it in the hands of the federal government. While the premise behind NCLB is honorable, the law itself is not realistic and is in need of significant revision. I believe that more control should be given back to local communities to educate their future leaders. Public, private, magnet/specialty, charter and home schools all have a place in our state, and care givers should be able to choose which one is most appropriate for their child.

A strong supporter of arts education, I know from first-hand experience the accuracy of research showing that students who participate in the arts are more positive about their educational community, less likely to drop out of school, and have increased academic achievement.

When our grandparents used to say, “Get your education,” they did not mean “Do well on that test the government requires,” but they meant “Go to school every day, learn how to study, apply yourself, be respectful, learn all you can about your subjects, work hard, and show respect to your peers and your teachers in order to become well-educated and productive citizens.

My desire is that every student, regardless of their socioeconomic status, becomes part of a quality education system that meets their individual needs and encourages a curiosity and passion for learning. We must work harder to return control to the state and local level and support our educators to create an academic environment that develops students who choose to become lifelong learners.

Our founding fathers devised a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We have deviated far from that guiding principal. It is time we return to the notion that the federal government works for the people and not the other way around. We need to reduce the size and scope of the federal government to a responsible level, which the original designers intended.

We need to hearken back to the days when President Reagan supported the premise that government is not the solution, it is the problem. We need to limit Washington, DC’s control in our daily lives, and return it to a mechanism that is responsive to the needs of the people. The days of social experimentation are over, and we need to reform Washington, DC so that it acts under the direction of “we the people.”

Some will say that America is on the wrong track, however they are wrong. The federal government in Washington, DC is on the wrong track, and now is the time to reform Washington not America. If the federal government will get out of the way, Americans will be able to tap into their God-given talents and get America moving forward again.