Issues

Republicans and Democrats need to be working together to create public policy solutions worthy of our great nation. There are legitimate differences of opinion and perspective, but finding a way to disagree without being disagreeable is essential for progress on important issues.

We need to change the culture in Washington to one of civility, restraint and mutual respect.

Taxes

Americans are already taxed too much by Washington, and higher taxes are on the way.

The 2001 tax cuts, which proved quite successful in stimulating economic growth after the dot com bust and the September 11^th attacks, are set to expire.

Unless Congress acts, in 2011, income taxes will increase by 3 and 4.5 percentage points in each bracket. The estate tax or “death tax” will increase to 60%! Tax rates of capital gains and dividends are also set to automatically increase.

Congress needs to act now to make the 2001 tax cuts permanent. Low tax rates and a predictable tax structure are critical to a growing, job creating economy. Making the tax cuts permanent sooner rather than later will provide families and businesses the opportunity to make well informed decisions based on future tax rates.

Congress should reject any and all attempts to increase taxes.

Immigration

The federal government must secure America’s borders. Deficient border security not only enables illegal immigration, it permits the smuggling of narcotics and creates an opening for would-be terrorists.

There are real challenges presented by illegal immigration that require a thoughtful, bi-partisan approach. Unfortunately, the political environment on this issue is poisoned, making civil discussion and consensus difficult. Many Americans have lost faith in the federal government’s willingness and ability to act on this issue, and it shows in debate filled with rancor.

Securing the border and stopping illegal immigration is a pre-requisite to immigration reform. A secure border would change the political environment to one where consensus could be reached on immigration issues.

America is the most humanitarian nation in the history of the planet. We should find ways for more Americans to be involved in helping people living in Latin America. Improved living conditions and increased opportunities for the people of Latin America will result in less illegal immigration.

Health Care

Voters across the nation are concerned about the cost of health care. There is an urgency for more people to have insurance and for health care to be more affordable.

Several states have already restructured their systems to provide health care for larger numbers of people. These plans are so new that the results are not in yet.

The approach I support is to look at the reason WHY health care costs are so high. One reason is because of malpractice insurance required by doctors who are afraid of being sued. Without reasonable caps on damage awards, this insurance is very costly which means that those costs have to be passed on to the patients. In the Arizona Legislature, I have supported and voted for caps on the awards allowed for punitive damages a number of times. Unfortunately, the legislation is defeated by the lobbying efforts of the trial lawyers who enrich themselves from outrageous law suits.

Another reason for the high cost of health care is the uncompensated care that hospitals are required to provide to those who cannot afford to pay. Those costs have to be covered by the patients who DO have insurance and can afford to pay. If more people were insured, so that uncompensated care was reduced, then the overall cost of health care could decrease.

This leads to the question of how to insure more people. Insuring more people spreads the risk and increases the ratio of healthy people to sick people in an insurance plan, which means that the overall premiums should decrease. One state, Massachusetts, mandated insurance coverage for all its citizens similar to the car insurance that is mandated here in Arizona.

I oppose government-run health care. I favor keeping insurance in the private market even though it is a highly-regulated industry. I favor a variety of incentives to encourage people to get insurance, along with tort reform and border security. This combination will reduce the costs of health care and lead to better care for our citizens.

Finally, I favor much more emphasis on nutrition and exercise in our public schools. Childhood obesity is a serious threat to our health care system and it needs to be addressed in the schools.

Education

Many of our nation’s children do not have access to a quality education. This is a tragedy and it is unacceptable. Substandard schools put children at a huge disadvantage, and adversely affect not only the children at those, but also their communities and the nation at large.

Providing parents with school choice is key to ensuring every child has access to a quality education. The factors that result in substandard education can vary and are not resolvable with any one top-down solution. That is why empowering parents is key. Giving parents the ability to move their children from a substandard school to a quality school will guarantee that no child languishes in a bad learning environment.

All parents (not just the affluent) should be empowered with the opportunity to choose the best school for their child, whether a traditional public school, a charter school or a private school. It’s a fact: market forces and competition can improve upon services traditionally offered only by government. For example, the existence of FedEx and UPS not only gives consumers shipping choices besides the U.S. Postal Service, but it also forces the government-operated Post Office to provide services at a competitive quality and price.

Representative Anderson was the prime sponsor of the tuition tax credit legislation, which gives a $500 tax credit to anyone donating to a tuition scholarship organization that provides scholarships to children to attend private and religious schools. The law was upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ethics Reform

In the past couple of years, we’ve heard some pretty distributing reports about ethical misconduct by our Representatives and Senators: shady business dealings, bribery, predatory conduct towards Congressional pages, prostitution, stacks of illicit cash kept in a freezer. A recent summary of Representatives and Senators under investigation can be found here.

Much of the misconduct (whether proved, admitted or alleged) is already illegal or against House or Senate rules. So, in wanting to clean up Washington , where do we go from here?

Representative Anderson thinks it would be helpful to look at strategies that have been successful in curbing misconduct elsewhere. In 1982, criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling proposed an approach to reducing crime in urban areas that would come to be known as the “broken windows theory.”

Broken windows theory proposes that failure to address small problems in an area leads to bigger problems. This example is often given:

“Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside. Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars.”

The broken windows theory holds that the best way to prevent major crimes is by addressing small problems, whether broken windows or petty crimes such as public drunkenness or panhandling, public order is increased and more serious crimes are prevented. Much of law enforcement now subscribes to the broken windows theory as proactive approach to reducing crime.

How does the ‘broken windows” approach to law enforcement apply to our ethically challenged Congress?

Both houses of Congress are constitutionally empowered to policy the behavior of members and, when necessary, impose sanctions. However, in recent years, both the House and Senate ethics committees have failed in their responsibility to adequately investigate misconduct and enforce high ethical standards.

As a result, our political scene has become a proverbial bad neighborhood, with plenty of bad guys, shady operators and criminals operating in the shadows. By failing to address low level misconduct, Congress has created an unethical culture tolerant of progressively more egregious behavior.

It’s truly a bi-partisan problem: Republicans and Democrats are both looking the other way. Several Congressmen have resigned due to criminal activities, but it is the FBI – not the respective ethics committees – that push them out the door.

Although there are a number of good examples, Congressman William L. Jefferson of Louisiana is a particularly striking example of how Congress has failed to police itself. Wikipedia summarizes Jefferson’s alleged misconduct like this:

"Jefferson was videotaped accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from a Northern Virginia investor who was wearing an FBI wire, according to a search warrant affidavit. A few days later, on Aug. 3, 2005, FBI agents raided Jefferson's home in Northeast Washington and found $90,000 of the cash in the freezer, in $10,000 increments wrapped in aluminum foil and stuffed inside frozen-food containers. The money was said to have been "fresh and still crisp" due to the containers."

Congressman Jefferson has been indicted, is likely to be convicted, and may spend the rest of his life in prison. Yet, the US House ethics committee does nothing. I can assure you from my experience in the State House of Representatives, that if one of our members faced these types of charges, that member would be impeached.

If we’re going to clean up the rampant corruption in Washington , it has to start with the House and Senate aggressively policing their members in a bi-partisan, non-political fashion.

Earmark Reform

Citizens Against Government Waste estimates the federal government wasted $27.3 billion dollars on pork-barrel spending in 2006. Much of this wasteful spending comes in the form of ‘earmarks.’

Earmarks are special appropriations inserted by Congressmen directly into the federal budget without a public hearing or debate. This corrupts the process, with Congressmen earmarking money for questionable projects in their home district or for projects that benefit their campaign contributors.

As a result of earmarking, corporations have hired an army of lobbyists to grab money from the public till. A recent BusinessWeek article shows that, on average “companies generated roughly $28 in earmark revenue for every dollar they spent lobbying.”

If we can stop earmarking, many of these lobbyists will have to find other work. Most taxpayers would agree this would be a good thing.

One Arizona Congressman, Jeff Flake, has already taken the lead in fighting earmarks. He needs help, and he’s not getting it from incumbent Congressman Henry Mitchell. In fact, Mitchell has become part of the problem, proposing earmarks for 33 local projects and voting for other Congressmen’s questionable earmarks.

Spending

Federal spending is outpacing the growth of the economy. As of last year, the federal government spent 20.8 cents of every $1 the economy generated, up from 18.5 cents in 2001.

The United States is a wealthy country, and we’re fortunate that folks overseas are willing to loan us money at favorable rates due to our creditworthiness and political stability. However, our current rate of borrowing and spending is simply unsustainable in the long term.

As a short term goal, I propose Congress adjust spending as a percentage of the economy back to 2001 levels: 18.5 cents for every dollar the economy generates. This is a reasonable proposal, and even big government’s most strident proponents would find it difficult to characterize 2001 as a dark time of insufficient federal spending.

The War in Iraq

There is vigorous debate about whether or not the United States should have invaded Iraq . Most Americans now view the invasion as a foreign policy error. We can not change the past. Given that the United States military is in Iraq , the United States has security and humanitarian interests in achieving the best outcome possible. At a minimum, Iraq can’t be left as safe haven for terrorists groups like Al Qaeda. The plan set forth by General David Petraeus is the best way forward given the difficult circumstances.

Our troops in Iraq , Afghanistan and everywhere deserve the gratitude and support of their fellow citizens. We must never forget the noble sacrifices these young men and women have made for their country and the cause of freedom in the world.

Sanctity of Life

In 1983, Ronald Reagan wrote: “We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life — the unborn — without diminishing the value of all human life.”

President Reagan was right. Human life is precious. In our federal system, the states should have the authority to protect life, from conception to natural death.

Marriage

Marriage is an institution fundamental to the well being of society. Successful marriages help keep children out of poverty. When government provides welfare benefits, among the benefits offered should be marriage skills classes to help prepare couples for successful marriages. Encouraging and facilitating successful marriages can help lift children out of poverty and reduce dependence on welfare.

Terrorism

The track record of the United States in combating terrorism is mixed at best. Six years after the September 11th attacks, Osama bin Laden remains free and continues to inspire terrorists around the world. The failure of the United States to capture or kill bin Laden is a failure of leadership. Quite simply, we’ve applied insufficient resources to the task.

Enhanced security measures and military action are only partial solutions to the problem of terrorism. Changing hostile public perceptions of the United States among Muslims world-wide will enhance America’s security.

As America fights terrorism, it must remember its steadfast allies. America has no better ally in the Middle East than Israel. America and Israel must continue to stand shoulder to shoulder for freedom and democracy.

Second Amendment

Representative Anderson strongly supports Second Amendment rights.

After ratifying the Constitution, our Founding Fathers drafted ten amendments intended to safeguard American liberty. These amendments, now known as the Bill of Rights, spell out many of the rights we hold to be sacrosanct. When politicians choose to ignore the Second Amendment, they set a dangerous precedent of government trampling upon hard won liberty. Second Amendment rights deserve protection.

Civil Liberties

Protecting America from terrorism requires giving law enforcement legal tools adequate to the task. However, in the fight against terrorists, we must not give up the legal protections we have grown up with as Americans. There is no reason we can not fight terrorism AND protect civil liberties at the same time.

Paid for by Anderson for Congress