Issue Position: Budget/Taxes

Issue Position

A population that is prosperous and independent is key to smaller limited government. Keeping more money in the pockets of Tennesseans allows them to save or use to put back in our economy. State spending should continue to be reviewed and trimmed when redundant programs are discovered. One of my current initiatives is to call for a review of the Copeland Cap (budget cap), which uses a specific formula to define the level of permissible government spending. I have discovered that there may be some flaws in the formulation, which should be addressed before pushing for a Constitutional amendment. It currently penalizes the state for saving money - with the current instability of the federal budget I believe we need to have a healthy emergency fund for natural disasters or times of financial instability. I want to make sure we do this right -- which means it will take time.

I also believe our money should be focused more on improving the capabilities, skills, and literacy of our citizens to move them toward self-sufficiency, rather than on keeping them comfortable in their poverty, with a fixed ceiling of existence. State sovereignty and independence can't exist within the confines of a dependent citizenry.

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