We do not live in a democracy. The wisdom of our founding fathers was most evident in their pursuit of a constitutional republic as opposed to a pure democracy. A pure democracy is really a mob-ocracy. A government in which the majority makes all the rules and decision to the detriment of the minority. A constitutional republic, on the other hand, protects the minority through the use of a strong and supreme law of the land (Constitution) and representation of smaller segments of society through the people's house, the US House of Representatives.

I believe that the Constitution, that document so important to the protection of God given rights and the continuance of our constitutional republic, is being subverted in Washington. Very few in congress really believe in their oath of office. I promise, when in Congress, my first question for every issue will be

"Is this action constitutional?"

Taxes are an issue in that every one likes to talk about lowering them. I agree. Taxes are too high. Lowering them allows working Americans to make more financial decisions for themselves, better investments for the future, and greater prosperity for their family. The real problem however, is spending.

Republican lawmakers who give lip service to lower taxes are among the worst offenders for cutting spending. Congress cannot seam to use the same type of financial sense that Americans use in their own home. Americans understand that expenditures cannot be more than income. We understand that when income drops we must make hard sacrifices in spending. We also understand that in time of family emergency we may need to take on the responsibility of debt, to deficit spend if you will, but that it is a greater responsibility and greater importance to pay that debt off and return to a balanced household budget once the emergency situation has passed. I promise to bring this sanity to the legislative branch.

There is an emotional connection between the sweat of our brow and the fruits of our labor. We recognize that our car represents our past labor or the next few years of our labor. In Congress they do not sit back and recognize that a "bridge to nowhere" represents days, weeks, or even lifetimes of our hourly labor. I promise to always understand that government has no money or means of earning without receiving from the public.

Real conservatives have always supported low taxes and low spending. We cannot continue to allow private banks, wasteful agencies, lobbyists, corporations on welfare, and governments collecting foreign aid to dictate the size of our ballooning budget. We need a new method to prioritize our spending. It's called

The Constitution of the United States.

Today, the federal government burdens us with one of the most dangerous taxes it can impose - the inflation tax. When the federal government finds that it cannot afford its out-of-control spending, and is unwilling to directly tax the public, it resorts simply to creating the money out of thin air.

Inflating the money supply is the easiest form of financing the government. The Federal Reserve, an unelected and unaccountable private organization, pumps more dollars into the economy whenever it chooses. Because the public is forced to accept these bills, the Fed essentially gets away with legally counterfeiting. We cannot possibly expect the government to control spending when it has a blank checkbook.

This greatly benefits the politicians and special interests - they are able to finance the massive welfare-warfare state. But how does this inflation affect you?

Day by day, every dollar you have is being devalued. You pay an inflation tax without even realizing it because you are forced by a falling dollar to pay more for goods and services.

Basic economics tells us that the more there is of a good, the less valuable it becomes. This is also true of money. The dollar is worth four cents of what it was when the Federal Reserve was created in 1913.

The disastrous fiscal policies of our own government, marked by shameless deficit spending and Federal Reserve currency devaluation, are some of the greatest threats facing our nation today. It is this one-two punch - Congress spending more than it can tax or borrow, and the Treasury printing money to make up the difference - that threatens to impoverish us by further destroying the value of our dollars.

By legalizing competing currencies, we can end the Federal Reserve's stranglehold on our money supply and begin to restore value to the dollar. But Congress will continue to spend extravagantly until we the people make our views known at the ballot box.

A humble foreign policy is not one of isolationism. It is one that respects the absolute sovereignty of individual nations. Since World War II we have treated the rest of the world like vassal states. We have acted like policemen and enforcers for our way of life. Ronald Reagan once said that America should be a "beacon on a hill." We should spread the message of democracy and liberty through our honorable and successful example. People will yearn for the promise of America and through their anger at unjust regimes rise up to claim their God-given liberties.

Because of these values I call for:

• The immediate, orderly, and safe withdraw of all military troops from Iraq. In Iraq, we are the invaders.
• The staged return of all military in "stabilized" countries, i.e. Germany, Japan, England, Italy, etc.
• Respect for the will of the people of South Korea, and a time line for eventual withdrawal.
• The cessation of all politically motivated foreign aid. It is just as wrong to use dollars as opposed to bullets to achieve our goals
• A continuation in the search and eventual capture and prosecution of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, using all Constitutional tools including marks of reprisal and letters of marquees

The social security promise to Americans is on the road to complete failure. For decades politicians have been 'borrowing' from Social Security surpluses to fund their extravagant pet programs and writing IOU's back to the fund - but they NEVER pay the money back. At the current rate, the system will eventually implode from the financial burden, sooner than later, leaving millions of seniors in the lurch. Higher taxes and inflation (the 'hidden' tax) are eroding the benefits of Social Security to the point of worthlessness. We must enact real Social Security reform immediately.

I promise that any reform I sponsor or support will absolutely honor the promises made to older Americans. No senior receiving Social Security will have their benefits cut. No older American nearing retirement will be forgotten. Americans, as a nation, will absolutely keep our word to American citizens.

I am a firm believer in public education. It is in the best interest of the country to educate our children and young people. As a society we must affirm the importance of good education, an education that is competitive in the world marketplace, and an education that recognizes the individuality of every student. The supreme decider with regard to a child's education is the child's parents, but we as society must band together to support the parent's decision.

I believe the best way to do that as a country is to empower teachers, local schools, and local governments to educate children in cooperation with parents. The federal government has no authority, constitutional or moral, to regulate or control the education of your children.

1. America has been and always should be a nation that welcomes immigrants with open arms. I still believe those immortal words on Liberty Island, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. . ." I also believe in the rule of law and the need, albeit clumsy, for regulated immigration. I oppose all forms of amnesty; too, I oppose a Blitz Krieg type extradition of illegal immigrants. I support increased border security to safeguard our way of life, but I oppose a wall around this country. The only thing that would be stopped by a border wall would be our chief export -- liberty and freedom.

Illegal immigration is a problem because we encourage it though our domestic policies. Our social welfare system pays people to come to this country and not strive for excellence. This must end, not only for illegal immigrants, but for all people; citizen and guests alike.