Economy

Ohio suffers one of the highest tax burdens of any state in the nation. These crushing taxes have only exaggerated the downturn in the national economy, to the severe detriment of millions of Ohioans. The regulatory and bureaucratic burdens imposed by the state government on businesses operating or trying to form in Ohio have also contributed greatly to significant job losses.

Just as bad, the dependance upon the local and state governments in Ohio on taxing your earnings have left them extremely vulnerable to fluctuations in employment levels. We are constantly hearing about how "revenue" (i.e. your income tax) levels are falling short of projections. This in turn causes our current leadership to look for additional ways to extract money from your pocketbook.

As a Libertarian, I understand that small businesses provide the vast majority of job growth and employment in Ohio. I would work to eliminate or reduce regulations that hamper business productivity, cut jobs, and create barriers to business start-ups. Ohioans should be able to start their own business and provide for their families without the threat of excessive and intrusive government regulations. I will support real changes that will help every Ohioan who wants a job to find one.

As your State Representative, I will do the following:

Work to eliminate or reduce damaging regulation
Work to eliminate state income tax
Introduce a bill to repeal ALL income taxes in Ohio

As a Libertarian legislator, I will NOT vote to increase taxes or create state debt that our children and grandchildren will have to pay off. Both Republicans and Democrats in Ohio have increased taxes and assumed significant debt on your behalf, helping to soften the economic conditions in Ohio by taking an increasing portion of your paycheck. I will be a true voice of small government at the statehouse.

I WILL work to ensure that you keep more of YOUR paycheck.

Education

Ohio's school funding has been deemed unconstitutional on four separate occasions. Those tasked with correcting this issue have not done so. I will work to fix Ohio's school funding system to put parents and students in charge of their education and improve the overall quality of education in Ohio by:

Funding students directly and allowing parents to determine which school gets funded for their child
Expanding the popular state education vouchers to be used for public, private, or charter schools or for home-schooling materials
Creating incentives to improve the quality of education for everyone
Working to ensure that higher education remains a strong resource for Ohio's future
Directing the State Board of Education to set MINIMUM standards for education that would allow for school districts to tailor their curriculum to the best advantage of their students and the local community
Removing unfunded mandates that the state currently imposes on school districts, leading to the need for numerous and significant property tax levies that have torn apart our communities

I will NOT compromise your child's education in favor of special interest groups.

I WILL promote policies that create competition and improvement in all levels of education in Ohio.

Energy

Excessive reliance on fossil fuels has proven to be a failure as an energy policy. Government regulations have blocked and slowed the development of modern energy sources for long enough. As your State Representative I will:

Work to remove barriers to alternative energy sources including hydro, solar, wind, and nuclear power
Work to make Ohio energy independent within 10 years
Work to repeal environmentally destructive government incentives for ethanol production
Hold ALL polluters responsible for their actions, including governmental entities

I will NOT vote for any plan that gives an unfair advantage to any individual or company with state dollars for any reason. The playing field MUST be fair for Ohio to achieve the most cost-effective and efficient energy production and distribution system in the nation.

Civil Rights

In too many instances, the government discriminates based upon preferences selected by politicians and bureaucrats. As a Libertarian, I will fight any discrimination that is proposed and will work to remove discrimination that currently exists. There is no room in a civilized society for any type of bigotry or discrimination against any individual or group.

Government Spending

Ohio's government has increased spending dramatically in almost every area. At the same time, our state economy has tanked and people have fled our state's oppressive tax rates.

Gambling

In the 2009, Ohio's "leaders" decided that they couldn't trust the citizens of Ohio to understand the issue of gambling and the impact that it would have in our state. Governor Strickland, the Democrats in the Ohio House and the Republicans in the Ohio Senate conspired to ignore the will of the voters, ignore their long-state principles, and twist our state Constitution until they could give special interests access to an underpriced gambling monopoly.

State Issue 3 passed in November 2009. It has granted a monopoly power in the state Constitution for specific business interests, forces a casino into the city of Columbus over the will of central Ohio voters, and defines low licensing fees and tax rates for the casinos. If elected, I will work to introduce an amendment to level the playing field. I will work to eliminate the tax loophole enacted by both parties in the legislature to allow irresponsible gamblers to be reimbursed for their losses out of the state's tax revenues.

Health Care

Health care costs have been increasing in direct proportion to the number of regulations directed at the industry. This is not a coincidence. Government involvement has tied the hands of our medical professionals to treat our sick and injured citizens effectively. Government involvement has increased costs to the point where many Ohioans can no longer afford to seek proper medical treatment in a safe environment.

As a Libertarian, I believe that you own your own person. This means that YOU are best qualified to make your own choices about medical care with YOUR doctor. If elected, I will address health care costs by:

Working to reduce regulations that increase the costs of health care. Ohio currently has mandates on insurance that increase the cost of insurance by 20%
Fighting for your right to make decisions about YOUR OWN medical care without government involvement
Working to make health care affordable for EVERY Ohioan