Cap and TradeIf this is signed it would become the largest tax on the American family in the history of the country. This will effect everyone who turns on a light or plugs something into a wall. It is predicted that by 2015 the average households energy bill would be almost $1800 a year higher and by 2030 that number would go to almost $7000. It is also predicted that 5,000,000 jobs would get moved overseas because of energy costs.
We all support clean air and a cleaner environment, but I believe that there is a responsible way of getting there that will not tie our hands and cripple our economy.
Immigration
I am 100% committed to securing our borders. Nearly all of the illegal drugs are coming across the border, criminals from Mexico and of course illegal workers. I would eliminate the automatic citizenship for those who are born in the country. We cannot and I will not continue to support those who do not wish to follow our rules. If detained they should be immediately deported, period. If they have warrants they should be immediately returned and then turned over to authorities in Mexico.
We need to empty our prisons of illegal's and return them to the Mexican government so they can detain them or reduce our federal aid to their country to pay for them in our system. We have to make it so that there is little to no reason for them to come to our country and we need to force the Mexican government to step up and support our efforts to stop the border crossings. If you have high speed internet, then you need to watch this video - click here
Gas/Fuel:
This item continues to cripple the economy from the truck driver spending $1600 to fill their tanks to the homeowner who is spending $70 to fill their tank. This is a real issue. There are many who are blaming the big oil companies, there are many who are blaming the speculators but the truth is it is congress. They continue to block exploration and they continue to block refinery capacity. The truth is the oil companies make about $.08 per gallon where the federal government make about $.22 a gallon on that same gallon of gas. Now those in congress want to impose a win fall profits tax on the oil companies. This was repealed back in the 80's because it had the opposite effect on the market.
To me the answer is to remove it from the commodities market and purchase oil at a fair market price. Right now OPEC is saying that number is about $65 a barrel and the oil companies are saying between $60 - $85 a barrel. The only way to do this is the supply has to be greater then demand.
We continue to read about the huge oil reserves in Alaska, the OCS, and the oil fields in North Dakota. We need to start taking advantage of these large oil deposits to help with our supply problem in this country.
I would also create tax incentives for individuals who would purchase high mpg vehicles. It is difficult for the American family to purchase large ticket items, but by creating meaningful tax breaks for individuals and families it makes the purchase more affordable. This creates meaningful assistance plus the benefit of reduced gas use. This also creates jobs as our auto makers will retool and start making cars again.
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Cummins for Senate
7727 Sod Road
Brook Park, MN 55007
My Son Daniel - 82nd Air Borne
My 17 year old Son Samuel,
he can drive a boat
but has no desire to drive a car.
Abigail in Princeton at the Cross
Country meet in September.
Talking at the
North Branch Tea Party
September 20th, 2009.
Our Budget in the next Biennium
Free Market solutions will get Minnesota back on the right track.
We are coming into a budget cycle where the numbers just are not going to add up. The 5.8 billion dollar budget shortfall in the next biennium assumes we need to keep spending without being accountable for the debt. We can no longer keep piling on debt hoping that we can climb out of our economic hole. Our deficit and heavy debt are a result of politicians not being capable of cutting spending and subsidizing their special interest groups. These interest groups are closely focused on the self-protection of their budget instead of sacrificing like we all do.
Since 1990, our state budget has grown an average of 17% each biennium. Our expectation for government services has to be reduced along with the size of government.
The only way to get our budget under control is to reduce taxes on businesses and on individuals. This will be made up with all of the added revenue from the growth of business, industry and revenues generated by Minnesota’s other 36 taxes.
I will not support any tax increases.
Education
The 2,000-year-old model of a teacher, a classroom and 12 years of teaching to the de facto lowest common denominator is obsolete. Education is the only sector of our economy where computers have not driven wholesale changes in economy and levels of production.
Minnesota schools use computers as an add-on to the same tired model of learning. Massive market-driven and technology-enabled changes are coming to education whether Education MN, school boards, the legislature or the special interest social planners like it or not.
The present system of spending more and more for less and less is flatly unsustainable. Arguments about funding are specious because there is little direct relationship between academic production and the amount spent per student.
A range of educational choices far beyond what is seen today must be presented by a free market system to parents and teachers. This includes the traditional classroom experience in both traditional and charter schools, home teaching, public on-line opportunities, for profit on-line opportunities, early technical training and early college-level opportunities from public, private for-profit and private not-for-profit universities. All credits must be directly transferable in a system where state money follows the student---never the institution.
Health Care
The Health Care debate has been going on for more then 40 years and the issue is not about health care but about who is in control of you and your families freedoms. Why is it that some people believe that it is a right to have health in this country. That is like saying that everyone has a right to 50" big screen Televisions so that they can watch the news at night.
I am self employed and have to purchase my families health care, it does not cost me a lot and it is a great policy. We need to open our borders to allow other plans come in and offer their plans. We currently have over 1300 insurance groups across the country and yet in Minnesota there are only about 5 that I can choose from, that is just wrong. We need to make all expenses, tax deductable for small business and set limits for individuals. We all know that competition between companies lowers cost and improves benefits, this is the right way to make it happen.
Pro Life
Growing up I was always taught that life is precious and that it started at conception. There are a number of people who would allow an abortion if it endangers the mothers life. That is just an easy out since there is virtually no time that the mothers life is in danger. If we have the ability to remove the baby, perform open heart surgery and then put the baby back into the mother, does this mean that the fetus is not human, then human and then back to non human.
God has made it very clear that he knew us when we were being knitted together in our mother womb. I was a delegate for our church when at the national convention discussed the issue of life. There were a few who wanted to push their own liberal agenda on when life begins, but we (pro-life) would not hear of it.
You will never have to be concerned about my position on life, either at the beginning or at the end. All life is precious and cherished by God and myself.
Pro Family
Marriage is not the coupling of two people for the sake of benefits from the Federal or State Government, or from an employer. It is the union from God for (1) Man and (1) Woman to commit for their lives to honor and cherish each other until death do they part. Civil Unions, Gay Marriage are just liberal agenda items to promote a persons sinful life style.
I will never support any legislation that will forward this life style.
Energy
It is ironic that we continue to do things backwards in this country. We are now starting to convert some of our coal plants to natural gas. Is it any wonder that we continue to see energy costs rising as much as 50% over the previous year. While coal is one way to produce energy, it is cheap and in great supply. Natural Gas on the other hand is considered a much cleaner method for generating electricity but it is also what most of America uses to heat their homes. Over the past decade we have seen natural gas prices and home heating go thru the roof making it difficult for American families.
Another source for producing electricity is to start building nuclear power plants. Right now in France more the 80% of their electricity is being produced by nuclear plants. In the United States we currently have about 100 nuclear plants in operation. In the U.S. nuclear energy accounts for about 19.7% of the electrical supply. This is a clean source and it does not take away from our natural gas supplies in the country. The amount of employment that would be created in the construction of plants would be a huge stimulus that would make a difference for everyone for years to come.
Our Military
My son is in the 82nd Air Borne so I have a real stake in the support of our military. We need to support our men and women in the field and back at home. Families are under an enormous stress and we need to step up and make it easier for them. Housing, training, education, support in the field all have to be apart of our commitment to the troops and their families.
Support in not just in the field, but when they get home, therapy for physical and emotional trauma. We can never allow our men and women to feel isolated.