Life begins at conception, and the primary purpose of government is to protect life -- thus there is no "right" to elective abortion. Furthermore, Roe v. Wade is an unconstitutional decision, as it is outside of the Supreme Court's constitutional jurisdiction. As your Congressman, I will work to legislatively overturn Roe v. Wade and return the abortion issue to our states, where we can take control of this critical issue and through efforts to protect life, support women with unwanted pregnancies, and end taxpayer financing of abortions and "family planning".

I will also work at the federal level to end taxpayer funding for abortions/"family planning" and support legislation defining life as beginning at conception.

The family is the foundation of our prosperity and security. Marriage and religion are related in that marriage is a sacred covenant between myself, my spouse, and our God made in the presence of God within our community of faith. I separate marriage as a holy commitment from the legal contract that engages our civil codes, and do not support giving the federal government more of a role in defining the sacrament of marriage -- defining marriage is the job of churches, not of government. The issue of community property and family law is a state issue, not a federal one, and should remain at the state level.

I believe freedom of religion is under threat by government, and specifically our oppressive form of income taxation. Churches trade their ability to speak freely and work for positive social change for the tax "benefits" of 501c3 status -- thus effectively muzzling what should be one of our greatest advocates for positive social change.

So called "faith-based initiatives" are one of most insidious dangers -- churches can literally become dependent on government funding instead of voluntary tithes and donations to carry out their missions.

We need to take back our communities, and not "outsource" welfare and social justice to the government. Buildng a just community with well-developed safety nets is where our churches need to shine, and compete on an open playing field for the hearts and minds of people trying to improve their lives by living their faith.

I believe we need smaller government and larger charities, simply because government relies on coercive force and taking through taxation, while charities bring change through voluntary association and charitable giving. I will work to enact economic policies that free us to do a better job helping ourselves and each other through our communities of faith.