Senator Coburn's Fight Against Pork

Senator Coburn has been labeled "Dr. No" in Washington and it is for good reason.  He, like many Americans, believes that government spending is ridiculously out of control.

Senator Tom Coburn and Senator John McCain have proposed government cuts to help pay for our war efforts.  This from RTT News:

Senators Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and John McCain, R-Ariz., unveiled two amendments Tuesday to pay for the supplemental spending bill that funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One of the amendments saves taxpayers $60.3 billion by cutting the budgets of members of Congress, disposing of excess and unused government property, auctioning and selling unused and unneeded equipment, and rescinding unspent and uncommitted federal funds.  The second amendment saves $59.6 billion by freezing raises, bonuses and salary increases for federal employees for one year, collecting unpaid taxes from federal employees, reducing excessive duplication, overhead and spending within the federal government, and eliminating non-essential government travel.

Read the story here.

When you elect me to Congress for Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District, you'll find that Senator Coburn has a new friend in the House of Representatives.  I support our troops and their efforts should be fully funded and government as a whole has to tighten its belt to pay for our support for the troops.

Issues: Capital Punishment

I believe there are some crimes that are so heinous that they deserve capital punishment. Our government should have the ability to impose the death penalty in cases where it is justified.

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I am the proud owner of an Oklahoma business - Game Plan Paper, LLC. Plan the dive. Dive the plan. Where winning coaches, executives, and business owners go for laminated, foldable reference guide supplies.

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As a former Navy SEAL we had a saying, “Plan your dive, dive your plan.” The problem was, the plan got wet 99% of the time. We would laminate our plans, but then, they would not fold. So we would crush the darn thing down and shove it into our wetsuit and off we would go.

After departing the Navy in 1992, during our last big recession, I found it extremely difficult to find a job, so, as a budding entrepreneur, I created my own.
I took an idea that would allow... laminated paper to fold up perfectly flat by die cutting the paper out at the folds, patented it, and began making a living laminating road maps and reference guides by the millions. Until now there was no cost effective way to do just a few. Game Plan Paper solves that problem!

Issues: Card Check

I firmly oppose card check. An employee’s decision to support or oppose unionization should be made with a private-ballot. Private ballots are a basic American right and if card check were to become law, employees would lack the ability to vote by a concealed ballot, which would open the door to bullying and other forceful tactics.

Additionally, the binding arbitration provision, which requires a government board to come in and set wages and benefits and what normally would be contract terms if an employer and newly recognized union do not reach a first contract within 120 days, serves as a disincentive for unions to bargain in good faith. It is simply not the role of government to force companies to allow the federal government to dictate terms of employment for small businesses.

Issues: Earmarks

I support adopting a moratorium on earmark requests until the process can be reformed. While I support the ability of Members of Congress to target federal funding to high-need projects in their districts, the earmarking process has become symbolic of the out-of-control spending in Washington. I look forward to reforming this process to hold Congress accountable for its spending initiatives and ensure Oklahomans’ hard earned taxpayer dollars are used wisely and frugally.

Members of Congress have a responsibility to be good stewards of the American tax dollar and when you send me to Washington, you'll have a Congressman who believes in good stewardship.  I lead by example - I have no debt myself.  If I can do it, so can our federal government.

The accountability and visibility of earmarking is essential, but the projects earmarked have far too often been regarded has wasteful spending.

Issues: Immigration

Immigration reform at the federal level is long overdue. While Washington drags its heels, states like Oklahoma are forced to adopt a patchwork of immigration laws that add to the chaos of a system already broken. For the sake of both our national and economic security, Congress should act quickly to adopt common sense solutions to close our porous borders. We cannot claim this country is safe nor can we protect American workers and taxpayers when we do not know who is here and whether or not they are working legally.

I support the creation of an employer e-verification system to confirm the legal status of employees. This will enable us to successfully control the flow of immigrants into the U.S. and discourage employers from hiring workers who have come here illegally.

We should ensure that the rule of law always prevails and those who have broken our laws intentionally are not rewarded with amnesty. Additionally, special privileges, like in-state tuition, should not be offered to those living in this country illegally nor should it be allowed for the children of these illegal immigrants.

The operative word here is "illegal."  Other candidates for Congress talk about their stand on illegal immigration when history shows that they themselves have been responsible for part of the problem and have saddled taxpayers with the additional financial burden therein. 

I say what I mean, and I mean what I say.  My resume', my positions don't change with the flow of the political and emotional tide as measured by polling numbers.  It requires leadership to accomplish real immigration reform and my friends, I am that leader.

Issues: Taxes

I will author legislation to reduce the tax burden on American families and businesses. During these difficult economic times, Oklahomans deserve to keep as much of their own hard earned money in their pocket. By doing so, they will have opportunities to send a child to college, purchase a new home or hire new employees for a family run small business. Oklahoma is made up of approximately 325,000 small businesses.

I am committed to lessening the tax burden on small businesses in an effort to create jobs and produce positive economic growth.

Our nation will recover from the current economic slowdown and a key component to that recovery is lower taxes and greater individual freedom.