Spotlight on the LA 3rd Congressional District

• BS, Environmental and Sustainable Resources, University of Southwestern Louisiana
• JD, Loyola University
• Former Aide, Louisiana State Senate
• Former Employee, Saint Martin Economic Development Authority
• Former Sheriff's Deputy, Saint Martin Parish
• Sergeant, United States Army
• Former Police Officer, Village of Parks
• Small Business Owner, Oil/Gas Industry
• Member: American Bar Association, American Legion, Ducks Unlimited, Federal Bar Association, Knights of Columbus, National Environmental Professionals, National Rifle Association (NRA), World Billfish Foundation, Iberia Parish Republican Executive Committee

ISSUES

• FIghting Deficits and Wasteful Spending: To fight this problem I have endorsed these common sense solutions: A balanced budget amendment to the constitution, to force Congress to live within its means; A new 2/3 vote of the Congress to raise taxes, so that it is more difficult for liberal politicians to keep spending and then just pass the debt onto the taxpayers, our children and grandchildren; A push for smaller government that is more responsive to the people and less responsive to special interests.
• Growing Our Economy: Our small business owners and Louisiana based businesses want to grow. If we work to eliminate government red tape, taxes and other disincentives that slow down small businesses, our businesses will create more jobs, improve wages and grow our economy. Good paying jobs and economic growth will be near the top of my agenda each and every day. Consistent with my plan to create jobs and my budget reforms that will make it harder for a liberal Congress to raise taxes, I will oppose efforts to raise taxes.
• Healthcare: I oppose nationalized health care efforts that will reduce the quality of care, lead to rationing, put a bureaucrat between you and your doctor and spend our nation further and further into debt. I do support efforts to allow insurance to be purchased across state lines, increasing competition. Competition that will increase services and lower costs. I believe that government mandates to provide service that patients do not want or do not need increase costs. I support reducing these mandates and putting the choices back in the hands of the patients and the doctors.
• Bailouts & Stimulus: Bank bailouts, which led to taxpayer money directly or indirectly going into multi-million dollar bonuses, left almost everyone in our nation rightfully disgusted. Government should not pick winners and losers in our free market system. We do not need more bailouts or misplaced stimulus plans. I believe we should adopt the type of reforms President Reagan used to fix a teetering economy in the 1980’s. Instead the liberals in Congress passed massively wasteful stimulus plans.
• Conservative Values: I am Pro-Life. I believe life is a gift from God. I support efforts to end all federal funding of abortion. We must ensure we permanently ban partial-birth abortion. We should encourage adoption, not abortion. I believe in traditional marriage. I support keeping the definition of marriage as one man and one woman. I believe that the family is and always has been and will continue to be the backbone of American life. As a member of Congress, I would pursue policies that strengthen the family and oppose those that weaken it.
• 2nd Amendment: I am a life long hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman. It is a way of life for many of us here in South Louisiana. I am a lifetime member of the NRA and Ducks Unlimited. I will fight to preserve and protect the Second Amendment rights guaranteed by our Constitution. I believe in conservation, not big government environmentalism.
• War on Terror/Veterans: The way to successfully end the war on terrorism is to win the war. We must ensure that our nation remains free and that we protect our citizens from acts of terrorism. Our troops and our intelligence agencies need the proper tools to protect them from harm and help our nation be successful. As a veteran of Desert Storm, who left the military with the rank of Sergeant, I have a deep and abiding respect for those who have served our nation. I will ensure our veterans get the treatment, respect and care they deserve. 
• Cap and Trade: Cap and Trade, commonly called emissions trading, will have a devastating impact on the economies that depend on oil and gas. I oppose it. We should allow a greater flexibility to harvest those resources that we have here in the United States while we move toward other sources of energy at the same time. We need to drill here, drill now. We simply cannot drop all dependence on fossil fuels… it is a unrealistic approach. 
• Protecting Our Coast: Our coastline is vital to our industries, our jobs and our way of life. This great natural resource has given so much to Louisiana. We need to preserve this treasure for future generations. I grew up right here in south Louisiana – and like so many of you – I have witnessed the coastal erosion that threatens hundreds of thousands of livelihoods. I will do everything I can to protect and preserve our coast.
• Quality Education: We need to adopt policies that empower parents to make decisions about their own child’s education – including home school, charter schools, church-based schools and other alternatives. We need schools that reward success, both of the students and the teachers. We need to make sure the school system’s priority is quality students, not unions or bureaucracies.
• Social Security and Medicare: I will not ignore threats to the solvency of Social Security or Medicare. I also understand that there is a need for a modernized secured retirement system that gives more freedom to today’s workers. A system that workers can use to build secure wealth and prosperity for their retirement and their posterity. As a member of Congress, I will work to ensure that all Americans have an opportunity for a secure retirement. Simply put, I will protect Social Security and Medicare and help ensure we have a strong retirement system in our nation for decades to come.
• Securing Our Borders: ...during times of economic hardship, wars, or famine, the United States has provided a safe haven for those who sought a better opportunity. If we fail in this experiment called the United States, there will be no place left to go. The United States represents the last frontier. But we must not be a frontier with open borders and I will support efforts to enforce existing laws to close our borders and keep our nation safe.
•