Tom Leppert On The Issues
Spending | Washington's Destructive Spending | Taxes | Economy and Jobs | Immigration | ObamaCare | The Constitution | 2nd Amendment | National Security | Abortion | Marriage | Death Penalty | Cap and Trade
Spending
The federal government must rein in spending and make real cuts to discretionary spending. Rolling discretionary spending back to 2008 levels and freezing it there until we get our debt under control is only a first step. It is time to put real discipline in the system through a Balanced Budget Amendment. This is essential to controlling our nation's debt in the future.
I also support forcing the federal government to switch to zero-based budgeting. Rather than using prior spending levels as a base, government departments will be forced to justify all expenditures, which will prevent government waste. And if Congress creates a new program, it needs to be designed so it eliminates itself, expiring after a short-term. As things stand in Washington now, Congress creates programs that live on forever, regardless of whether they're necessary or not.
In the Senate, I will ask the same question before I vote on any bill: "Does this reduce the impact of Washington on our families and businesses?" The answer must be "yes" to get my vote.
In business, cutting costs is essential to being able to turn a profit. When I was in the home building business, I consolidated our model types to save our company money. I put my experience into practice as Mayor by privatizing programs and saving the city millions of dollars.
Congress can reduce spending, but we need to elect someone with a track record of success in budgeting and cost cutting to get us back into the black.
Washington's Destructive Spending
I oppose and would have voted against the TARP legislation that Congress passed in 2008, and I also would have opposed and voted against the federal bailouts for the US auto manufacturers and others passed by Congress in 2009.
The stimulus did not work and was a mistake. It is a perfect example of government overstretching and failing to understand how the economy really works. Further, it showed a lack of fiscal discipline as the vast majority of the spending went to short-term political programs with no impact on the greater economy. I would have voted against the stimulus as it ran up the debt just to grow the government. Washington should have incentivized the private sector instead of growing government.
Taxes
The Bush tax cuts should be extended permanently. While the two-year extension may boost consumer spending in the short term, it will not have the intended impact on business investment and job creation because of the continued uncertainty of tax rates in the longer term. Unfortunately, this is an example of government having little understanding of how business works.
Our goal should be to identify additional tax reductions for consumers and employers so they can grow and hire. Raising taxes stifles investment and job growth, and it hurts small businesses. In addition, it is time to simplify the tax code, making it fairer and more straightforward.
I have a record of fighting tax increases here in Dallas. When the City Council passed a 7% tax increase, I objected because it would slow our economic growth and cost us jobs. And when it was clear Dallas needed to expand its police force to reduce crime, I cut spending in other areas to avoid raising taxes.
I will take my experience fighting taxes to Washington, and I pledge to vote against any new taxes.
Economy and Jobs
While it is critical to restrain federal spending, it is just as important that we have a strong, growing economy. This requires revisions in our tax policy, regulatory structure, property rights and litigation.
It's essential we elect someone with business experience to the U.S. Senate so that we can put Texas back to work. I spent most of my career growing businesses, and I'm still a businessman at heart. I understand the roadblocks that government has set up stalling job growth. Businesses are struggling to create jobs because they are over-taxed and over-regulated.
As Mayor of Dallas, I brought over 50 new firms to the city. We kept taxes low and cut bureaucratic red tape that was holding back growth.
In the Senate, a good first step to boosting our economy is to cut corporate tax rates. Combining state and federal taxes, America has the world's highest corporate tax structure. We need to reduce rates to make America more competitive with the rest of the world. Being more competitive in the world market will put us on the path to job creation.
Immigration
I do not support any form of amnesty. I support legal immigration and recognize our nation's greatness has come in part from those who have come here legally for years. A policy must begin with adequate control of the borders. Without that, as we have seen in the past, any policy is doomed to failure. I believe we are a nation of laws and that those who wish to come here must first respect our laws.
ObamaCare
I would vote to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with market-based solutions. ObamaCare is unconstitutional, forcing families to purchase health insurance or pay a fine. It also places new mandates on small businesses that will cost even more jobs. Even though Washington claimed ObamaCare would cut health care costs, in reality it adds trillions in spending, increases our debt and raises premiums on working families.
We must pass meaningful lawsuit reform, allow for competition across state lines, allow businesses to band together to purchase insurance, ensure the consumer has a more active role and reduce the federal mandates that increase costs. I am opposed to single payer, government run health care.
The Constitution
The Constitution is the law, plain and simple. It contains the principles that have guided our country for generations. In the Senate, I will ensure that any legislation that receives my support is fundamentally accountable to and consistent with our founding document. I will stand in opposition to any legislation or judicial nominee that fails to meet this measure.
The Constitution today is under assault on all sides, and so are our rights as Texans. The 10th Amendment holds that the powers not granted to the Federal government nor otherwise prohibited by the Constitution are reserved to Texas and its people. For too long, Congress has manipulated provisions like the Commerce Clause to take from Texans our constitutional right to decide for ourselves our way forward in areas as fundamental as education and healthcare.
2nd Amendment
I support and will fight to defend Americans' right to bear arms.
National Security
One of the most important responsibilities of government is to keep our country safe from threats around the world. We must provide our troops with the equipment and support they need to succeed in their mission, stay safe and come home to their families as quickly as possible.
Once back home, we must give our veterans the gratitude they deserve for defending our freedom. I will fight to fulfill the promises our government made to veterans.
Abortion
I am proudly pro-life. This is first and foremost a faith issue to me and my beliefs are dictated by the Word. Throughout both my public and private sector experiences, I have boldly stood for life. Life is sacred, and I believe abortion is the wrong choice. I will consistently fight to defend innocent life and will vote against any taxpayer funding for organizations that provide abortions. The Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade should be overturned.
Marriage
This is first and foremost a faith issue to me. Marriage should be defined as between one man and one woman. I oppose legalizing same sex marriage and government-sanctioned civil unions. In the Senate, I will fight to protect the institution of marriage and strengthen the traditional values that serve as a foundation for our country.
Death Penalty
The death penalty is a justifiable punishment for the most heinous crimes. I support Texas law, which allows capital murderers to be sentenced to death. It is important that we improve the appellate process in order to ensure just and efficient outcomes in our judicial system.
Cap and Trade
I oppose Cap and Trade as it is a national energy tax that will kill jobs and cost every American dearly. We cannot put our country on a path to energy independence by adding taxes to the energy we produce.
There are ways that we can keep the environment healthy, reducing pollution and energy use, without raising taxes or hiking spending. As Mayor, I worked with businesses and taxpayers to make Dallas the first large city to adopt green building standards. We are now one of the top sustainable cities in the country.
It's also essential that we reduce our country's use of foreign oil. Government needs to open up more domestic energy exploration and encourage the use of natural gas. Additionally, we should increase our use of nuclear power.
