Chauncey on the Issues
Debt
I agree with the Secretary of the Department of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who both view debt as one of this nation’s primary national security threats. Of course it is a threat from within, and it is a threat of our own making. As such, it is also a threat that can be easily addressed with some political will, backbone, and intestinal fortitude. The way to tame debt is to tame spending - period. Federal outlays have grown to nearly a quarter of our economy and are projected to increase to a third of our economy. When someone says to you that of the $4 trillion we spend there is no room for savings, please challenge them. The papers are full of stories of wasteful spending coming from DC because the culture of DC is to spend money - and it’s other people’s money so it is never spent well. Whether our tax dollars are paying for GSA employees to party in Las Vegas, Justice Department employees to munch on $16 muffins in DC, or for parking garages named after Members of Congress, until we actually reduce the amount of funds available, priorities will neither be set nor met. Nothing focuses the bean counters faster than fewer beans.
Healthcare
Our healthcare system - even though it is the best in the industrialized world - is severely broken. The doctor-patient relationship has been corrupted to the point where the health of the patient (the outcome) has become secondary to the procedure. Many doctors I know say that medicine is no longer what it once was - the pursuit of disease prevention and cure - but has become a maddening tangle of box checking exercises that has little to do with their patient’s health.
How do we reestablish a doctor-patient relationship that is outcome based? The answer is not the health care bill signed by President Obama. It drives a further wedge between doctors and patients by increasing the scope and the power of the federal government in health care decision making.
I support a full repeal of this law and I support real reforms that empower the consumer (the patient) to make wise decisions in consultation with their doctor based on information that is easily obtainable. When was the last time you asked your health care provider what something would cost? Sadly, for most of us the answer is never. That is why I am a strong believer in the health savings account approach to health care in which the patient takes a more active role in cost containment.
National Security
The United States is safest when it has the capability and the will to project force. I believe in peace through strength and know that George Washington was accurate when he said, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective ways of preserving peace.” But we must not only be prepared, we have to deal with our friends as friends, our competitors as competitors, and our adversaries as adversaries. The current administration has confused who is who and as a result is alienating our allies, appeasing our adversaries, and confusing our competitors. There is such a thing as tactical ambiguity, but our current national security strategy appears to be universal ambiguity. The result is that our friends do not trust us, our adversaries do not fear us, and our competitors do not take us seriously. This saddens me because many brave men and women have given their lives for this nation, its ideals, and its values.
To squander the respect “brand USA” has earned since our founding is unacceptable to me. This country is the world’s greatest force for good. We are the “go-to” nation when someone needs help - not because we are bent on global domination - but because we are good. I don’t believe we need to be the cop on the beat for the rest of the world, but I do believe we should ready, willing, and able to assist with devastating disasters and blatant atrocities against mankind.
Seniors
We, as a nation and as a society, have made promises to our seniors, and it is not conscionable to change the rules for those at or near retirement. For younger Americans, serious substantive changes are required to save the mission of these programs. To ensure health and retirement security for our seniors, we can no longer rely on the status quo of our current programs which were designed at a different time for a different demographic. The trustees for Social Security and Medicare both warn that the programs are unsustainable. The responsible way forward is not to ignore those warnings, but to heed them and to begin now with reforms that are sensible. The longer we wait, the more painful the choices are going to be and I don’t believe that is fair to our seniors of tomorrow.
Immigration
I see immigration as a two-tiered issue, both of which the federal government has failed to solve. Dealing with illegal immigration should begin at the borders - which are too porous - and should extend to the workplace with a sophisticated E-Verify program. By plugging the borders and removing jobs available to illegals from the workforce, illegals will eventually realize moving to the United States is too difficult and does not pay off once they are here.
The second tier is legal immigration. I believe we make it too difficult for hard-working entrepreneurs to come to - and invest in - this country. We are a nation of immigrants. We should be encouraging legal immigrants who are willing to risk their capital - and their sweat equity - to come to America. We educate too many people and then send them and their skills back to their native country. By streamlining the legal immigration process, increasing the number of H-1B visas, and by hiring more adjudication officers, I believe we can add significantly to this nation’s productivity. For those who argue that this would displace American workers, I respond that the labor market is not a zero sum game. I anticipate fully that jobs will be created both for long-time Americans and newly-emigrated Americans. “Fortress America” is naive, xenophobic, and counter-productive to economic resurgence.
Environment
Having grown up in Southwest Florida, the environment is very important to me. I learned at a young age from my parents the meaning of the word stewardship. Whether it was stopping to pick up the trash thrown from the window of a car in front of us while driving down McGregor, or helping with the turtle nesting counts on the beach in the spring and summer, my parents instilled in me a deep love of - and connection to - the environment. The key to environmental policy to me is the word “stewardship.” The Bible tells us that humans are supreme over all other living creatures, but with that comes the responsibility of being good stewards - of not fouling our nests - of not needlessly wasting resources - of passing our land from one generation to the next.