Statement on the Issues

This is where I stand on key national issues. 


Economy
First and foremost I will concentrate on creating jobs as I know our economy is a disaster. Things such as gas and food keep getting more expensive and wages are decreasing. This is a nightmare of a combination and we have a double digit percentage of unemployed with an even higher percentage of underemployed. 

Guns!

I believe that the 2nd Ammendment guarantees all Americans to bear arms and I feel that criminals will always find a way to arm themselves and that having good law abiding citizens armed only prevents crime. I believe that we should make it easier for law abiding patriotic citizens to arm themselves and I want to repeal the assault rifle ban. 

Foreign Policy and National Defense
I believe that we should withdraw all of our troops immediately from Afghanistan, Iraq, and our C.I.A advisors, drones and money from Libya.  I believe this because we are spending billions of dollars on an unpopular war that is not accomplishing anything but further bankrupting our country and getting Americans killed and maimed. The war also distracts us from our number one priority which is fixing our economy. 


Osama Bin Laden is dead and most of the remaining Al Qaeda have fled to Pakistan, it's time for Afghanistan and President Karzai to take control of their county. 


Stem Cell Research
I'm against stem cell research unless it is an embryo that is already damaged and has no chance of ever becoming a human life. I think we should not play God and shouldn't create the beginnings of human life simply to destroy it in order to use it for science or medical benefits. I think that it is immoral to do so. I do see the value of stem cells to patients and thats why I feel that the embryo's that have no chance at becoming humans can be used to try and find cures for certain diseases. 


Abortion
I think abortion is wrong but I know Roe Vs Wade will never be repealed. I will vote to make all girls under 18 have to get parental consent to get an abortion and make it mandatory to view sonograms and for them to have classes on adoption as well as talk to counselors about the ramifications of their decision. If this embarasses the girls of makes them reconsider then so be it, I don't want abortion to be used as a form of birth control. I am not God and can't say when human life is created but I know if a baby can survive on it's own outside of it's Mother's womb and is killed then thats just wrong anyway you look at it. 


Technology
I believe that highspeed rail is an innovation that should be pursued and will create jobs, provide cheaper and clean environmentally friendly transportation. 


Personal Liberty
I think the government should stay out of people love lives. I think that marriage is a legal contract between two consenting adults and if they of the same sex it shouldn't matter. I think it's not the governments job to tell you who you can marry. So I would vote to legalize same sex marriage. 


States Rights, Overcriminalization and the Nanny State
Our prisons are overcrowded, many people in jail are there for drug crimes, we spend a massive amount of money keeping these people incarcerated. I have talked to experts about legalizing and taxing marijuana and I think it would help weaken drug cartels as well as bring in much needed revenue if we legalize pot. So I would vote to make it up to each individual state on whether or not they want to legalize marijuana. 


I think that we need to tighten our border with Mexico and Canada. We can do this by using our technology such as drones and by punishing corporations who recruit undocumented workers. 


Not all un-documentated workers are malicious in fact most of them are hardworking people who just want to provide a decent living for their families. The first U.S Marine killed in the Iraq war was an "illegal alien". 


We need to work with Canada and Mexico on fixing our borders. Mexico is extremely dangerous and corrupt and this will not be easy but can be done with mutually benefitting diplomacy. Our Canadian border is also a concern of mine as it is often forgotten about.  


I will attempt on reducing taxes to as little as possible, however education and public safety must never be slashed or compromised.   


I am running as an independent because just like my constituents I know nothing is black and white.  Both parties have screwed up and are to blame for our recent foreign and domestic policy mistakes.  I am not against our government as many conservative tea parties are but I am not supportive of the nanny state of beauracracy as many liberals are.  I am in the middle, I am my own man who is not a puppet to any political party.  I will never vote along party lines but will infact vote in the best interest of the American people.


IMDB
http://www.andrew-mclaren.com/