Values and Platform

VALUES

“TRUTH WILL Not Hurt Americans, But Lies Do” – Helen Thomas Whitehouse Correspondent
When I was a kid, my Dad taught me to tell the TRUTH. He said “The Only Thing Worst than a Liar is a Rattlesnake”. We all make mistakes, that’s Life, make decisions with not enough or poor information that can be interpreted as a Lie. I try to “Inspect What I Expect” before I reach a conclusion. Can I be wrong? You bet but I admit when I am wrong and correct. Besides the teaching of my Dad, my Military Service, employed in the Corporate arena 32 years at IBM, and Financial Service 13 years, telling the Truth and sometimes accused of being “Brutally Truthful” has served me and others well. If elected, I will tell the “Brutal Truth”. Too much lying in Politics that hurt People.

I also believe in what I was taught in Church. I will Not give people Fish to Eat, but I will Teach People how to Fish. My Financial Clients appreciated me teaching them about Money with changing financial laws every time Congress is in Session. I learned how to “Follow the Money” to find the Truth with skills obtained from IBM and Thrivent Financial.

PLATFORM

Great Schools
Fund Pre-Kindergarten. K-12 State Education Funding is #51 Lowest in America. Idaho is Not Poor, just Politically Poorly Managed. Reviewing Sales Tax exemption and the 2006 Tax Shift that raised Sales Taxes 20% and has starved Public Education. Provide School Districts with pre 2006 level of funding. Improve Teacher Morale and new teacher recruitment with more State Funded Resources without raising taxes through Property Tax Levies. The 37% GO ON Rate in some School Districts is an indication of Students graduating not prepared for Higher Education and 6,000 STEM jobs unfilled. Corporations who are expanding their business will bypass Idaho because their key employees will Not enroll their kids in Idaho Schools.

Tax Relief
The Conservative Republican Super Majority has given Tax Cuts to Corporations and a minority of Large Land Owners that has Shifted Taxes to everyone else who can least afford taxes like Seniors and the Low Income wage earner. The High Resident Property Taxes is no accident, the Majority Party has made it so. The Conversation needs to start, as children cannot wait.

Affordable Health Care
The Conservative Republicans rejected Medicaid Expansion for 6 years turning down $400,000,000 each year a total of $2,400,000,000. Thanks to 2,000 unpaid Volunteers, Idaho, 62,000 Low Income families have affordable health insurance like 39 states including DC. The attack on the Law passed by Citizen Initiatives has been under assault to make it difficult to access the Federal Taxes. I will Fight to protect ACA. I have traveled to many counties that believe Health Care is a basic Right, not an engine for Profit. The United States is the Only Country that permits a family going Broke as punishment for being Sick.

Better Jobs and Wages
Idaho has Not raised the Minimum Wage $7.25 since 2009 and purchasing power has dropped 21%.or $5.73 today. Oregon has raised the Minimum wage to $12.00 an hour $4.75 higher than Idaho. Unfounded Rumors of a higher priced McDonalds Big Mac is not True. The average minimum wage employee is 31. The $7.25 an hour base is Corporate Welfare. About half the families according to United Way are at or below the Federal Poverty Guidelines. 13,000 people are supported by the local food bank in Bannock County before COVID. Businesses don’t go out of business with a higher minimum wage, they go out of business because of many more circumstances. The State Investment in Education is the key to better jobs and wages.

Access to Public Lands
When I was born in Pocatello, there were about 500,000 in Idaho and 132 million in America. Idaho has grown proportionately to America, 1,700,000 and 328 million in America. Many of the old homesteads and farms are being bought up by wealthy folks and have little relationship with the land. They ignore laws, hire lawyers, and restrict land access from Idahoans who have had access to public Lands for decades. Small Land owners need someone to Speak for them. I will do that. I will help Conservation Organizations have a voice in the Idaho Legislature.

Guns
I do NOT support Banning guns as it will create a Black Market for Bad Guys. I Do Not Think Children should worry about being murdered at School as my generation had no worries of that type. We were more worried about grades. Doing nothing is Not an option but rest assured, the Government will Not take your or my guns.

Abortion
I believe in the sanctity of life and support the present Laws that protect the Unborn.