I support our service members wherever they may be but stationing them in 132 nations around the world does not make us safer and adds to our economic burden. I believe the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were illegal, not necessary and counter-productive. They have created a threat to citizens who travel abroad as well as our own domestic security. In addition, they have jeopardized our vital international interests throughout the world. We should not get involved in the internal politics or cultures of other nations. Lets concentrate our efforts on improving the quality of life in our own nation.

Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing the federal budget.

In order to balance the budget,

Attracting professional teachers requires better pay and better benefits. Without good teachers in our classrooms, our children will fall behind I support a debt forgiveness clause for education loans, providing that the degree sort was completed and the individual was employed in the profession for a period of time. The greater one's education, the greater their earnings and therefore they will pay more tax over a lifetime. The end result is the student receives a free education, society benefits while the government receives an excellent return on their investment through increased tax revenues resulting in a win-win situation.

I personally dislike guns, but I know tougher gun control laws are not the answer. What we need is to improve education in the safety and handling of all firearms. New laws would just make it more difficult and more expensive for law abiding citizens.

As the greatest nation in the world our citizens should be entitled to the very best affordable health care available, regardless of their current health condition or their economic status.

If it were up to me, I would modify the Medicare bill to allow anyone to ?buy? in. This would reduce the overall cost of the plan since the it would now be subject to a younger and healthier pool. Those over the age of 65 would be subject to the existing terms and conditions.

Employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers need to be held accountable.

For those millions already here, (they?re not going back) we need a voluntary registration program which includes fines and penalties which lead immigrants down a path towards leagalization and eventual citizenship. From a practical standpoint, there is no way of processing them, nor are there funds to do so as our constitution forbids us to brand them as criminals without first affording them their constitutional rights to due process. It is far better to know who and where they are then to ignore them and pretend they don?t exist.

All people, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender or sexual orientation deserve the right to the pursuit of happiness. I believe this includes, but is not limited to, the right to equal pay for equal work, the ability to decide who to marry and the ability to decide when to have children.

I am over the age of sixty-five, on Social Security and Medicare. Although the system is vastly under-funded, I am not overly concerned since it is no longer in a trust account but a part of the general fund. So, if you believe in this country as I do, you need not worry.

The maximum social security withheld today is $6,826 based on a yearly salary of $110,100. Anyone who earns more is not taxed further but removing the lid will increase revenue and help correct the deficit.

Spending

Indicate what federal spending levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category; you can use a number more than once.

Taxes

Indicate what federal tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category; you can use a number more than once.

We don't need tax increases or major cuts, we need an increase in revenue by putting Americans back to work.

I don?t believe in bail outs or stimulus funds. These funds should have been used to fund the SBA and provide loans to small businesses which are the lifeline of this country. They create new jobs. Today more than ever, we need to encourage American entrepreneurship.

I plawill sponsor a bill that would create a new savings bond which would be used to fund small business loans. The maximum loan amount would be based on the number of jobs created.