Protecting Michigan
Protecting Michigan: Children
I believe the most profound value anyone can have is the respect and gratitude for God given life. Not just our own life, but the lives of our family and friends and the world around us. And for people like me, this is best illustrated by the most precious, yet most vulnerable among us, the unborn.
As a senator, I wrote the legislation that led to the creation of the Child Protection Registry (CPR). CPR protects children from unsolicited, inappropriate email and internet predators. It was the first of its kind nationwide and has since been studied and replicated in states across the country.
Protecting Michigan: Gun Owners
"A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." -2nd Amendment of the US Constitution
"Every person has a right to keep and bear arms for the defense of himself and the state." -Article I, Section 6 of the Michigan Constitution.
I believe strongly in our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. In fact, my desire to protect the US Constitution and the rights of individual under the 2nd Amendment and Article 1, Section 6 of the Michigan Constitution, led me to run for public office in the first place. I am a gun owner and I do have a CPL.
This issue was the catalyst that led me to public office. I was a local prosecutor and when I made application for a concealed pistol license with the local gun board, I was questioned like a criminal and told that the gun board, not the individual, has all the rights under the 2nd Amendment. I ran for public office and within 2 years, my colleagues and I amended Michigan law to one of the most 2nd Amendment friendly law ("shall issue") in the entire country. Meanwhile, I have consistently maintained an A/A+ rating with the NRA. To this day, I exercise my right to keep and bear arms and maintain my CPL license with the state.
Protecting Michigan: Great Lakes - Asian Carp
I believe we should be doing everything we can to address this crisis given the potential damage to our state.
First, we need an Attorney General to be a leader. Anyone can file a lawsuit, but we need results and not political brownie points. This means that every effort should be made to bring together all the states of the Great Lakes basin and Canada, especially the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec. All of us need to work together to address this crisis and speak with a united voice.
While working with all the interested parties of the Great Lakes community in aggressive negotiations to bring this matter to a successful and fair outcome, I intend to maintain the current lawsuit and demand that the state of Illinois stop the threat caused by the shipping lanes.
The suit is a classic interstate nuisance dispute, and the legal issues involved are fairly well-settled. The Supreme Court will need to apply a balancing test between the competing interests of Illinois in keeping the Chicago Ship Canal open for shipping against the interests of Michigan in protecting the lakes and their fisheries from the invasive species.
While closing the locks will cost the shipping industry tens of millions of dollars, the potential cost to the Michigan fisheries and tourism industry runs is insurmountable. I would argue that Michigan and all of our neighbors along the Great Lakes basin can clearly demonstrate that the potential harm from the Asian carp invading the Great Lakes far outweighs the costs and burdens of closing the canal locks.
Protecting Michigan: Individual Liberty
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences of too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." -Thomas Jefferson (1791)
I believe that smaller government is better government and moreover, that government is not (and never will be) the answer to all of the world's problems. Throughout my career in the legislature I have advocated for government to stay true to its core function, which is to protect and preserve the God given rights of our citizens, ascribed by our Constitution.
As a Michigan legislator, I have voted to reduce the size and scope of government and legislation aimed at intruding upon the private lives of our citizens and business like mandatory seatbelts laws and smoking bans. I am proud to have received the endorsement of ABATE of Michigan, a group dedicated to preserving the personal freedom of motorcyclists. I am also proud to be the sponsor of the constitutional amendment to make Michigan a part time legislature.
The core function of government is also to protect citizens by enforcing laws and contracts. As a senator, I authored the Identify Theft Protection Act, which made identity theft a felony in our state and provides a multitude of resources for law enforcement and the judiciary to prosecute one of our nation's fastest growing crimes.
Protecting Michigan: State Sovereignty
I believe we are in the midst of Constitutional crisis in our country. The federal government continues to arrogantly pass laws to increase the size and scope of government. In the past two years we've seen the federal government steamroll the personal rights of our citizens and blatantly ignore the rights of the states. We need strong leadership to stand up to government that has gone completely out of control. We need to be aggressive and dedicated to our support and defense of our constitution and send a very clear message that we will not tolerate excessive and runaway government.
Obamacare
I believe the federal healthcare bill passed by our US government is the most sweeping invasion of personal liberty in U.S. history. I wholeheartedly support the opposition who believe that this mandate is unconstitutional and unenforceable. As Attorney General, I will vehemently continue the prosecution of Michigan's lawsuit challenging Obamacare and as sworn member of the bar of the US Supreme Court, I look forward to arguing the case myself in the highest court in the land.
Arizona immigration law
I believe the core function of government is to protect the people. The federal government has failed to fulfill its duty by refusing to pass even the most remedial immigration reform. Somehow the feds have not figured out what the word "illegal" means and continue their political correctness to avoid the issue entirely. Meanwhile, the boarder states are being deluged by waves of illegals coming into our country. It threatens our nation's fragile economy and threatens the safety of our families.
I spoke personally with Chuck Gray, Arizona's Senate Majority Leader, who told me of the atrocities along his southern border and the growing danger for the citizens of his states. The federal government has failed to fulfill its core function, to protect people. It is therefore the right, indeed the obligation, of the Arizona legislature to do whatever they need to do to protect their citizens. Instead of supporting their effort, the United State of America is suing Arizona, using our tax dollars. Absurd and despicable abuse of our nation's Constitution and the rights of all of our states.
Unfunded Mandates
I believe the huge debt, laid at the feet our children and future generations; massive tax increases; taxpayer dollars spent on corporate bailouts; government takeover of private business; unconstitutional mandates; a fleecing of our personal wealth, is intended to steal our freedom and make us dependent upon government. The insanity of big government must stop. We cannot spend our way into prosperity. As Senate Majority Leader, I've led the charge to make government live with in its means and balance the budget without tax increases.
