Agriculture
As the U.S. looks to diversify its energy industry, Louisiana must lead the way in alternative bio-energy research and development – our farmers must be at the forefront of this emerging market.
Expanding trade and opening up new markets for our agriculture products will maintain a vibrant rural community and support high-paying American workers.
As we continue to learn of tainted food entering the U.S. from overseas, we must ensure a strong local farming community in order to have the safest and most abundant food supply in the world.
Health Care
Make health care and health insurance more affordable. Promoting competition among plans by permitting individuals to purchase coverage across state lines will lower insurance costs for families and small businesses. Medical malpractice reform is also critical to preventing defensive medicine. Finally, proposals that would force Americans to lose their employer provided coverage must be taken off the table.
To make coverage available to all Americans, we should permit individuals to deduct their medical expenses and provide a voucher to help individual who can’t otherwise afford private coverage.
Protecting patients’ access to lifesaving care and keeping personal medical decisions in the hands of informed doctors and patients – not government bureaucrats - is critical. Medicare cuts impede access for those who often need help the most.
Coastal Restoration
We must expedite completion of the Southwest Coastal Louisiana Hurricane Protection study and pave the way for accelerated implementation of the critical restoration projects that were identified to give the most effective plan to protect and restore Vermilion, Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes.
We must clear the backlog of water resources projects and immediately begin repairing and reconstructing canals, levees and breakwaters that will prevent saltwater intrusion from eroding our wetlands.
We must use common-sense solutions to restoring our wetlands by recycling our fertile, dredged resources, known as “spoil”, to restore our wetlands.
We must use oil and gas royalties to fund projects designed to protect our eroding coastline from hurricanes.
National Security
The U.S. must build upon the successes in Iraq and work with our regional allies to bring about greater stability in Afghanistan.
We must work together to create a system on handling suspected terrorists that follows the rule of law, without jeopardizing American lives.
We must ensure our military personnel and their families continue to receive the resources and support they need to be successful.
Energy Independance
America needs to take advantage of the vast domestic resources this country has to offer, including oil and gas in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), coal in the Midwest and natural gas around the country.
Keeping taxes low for our domestic energy producers will save jobs and provide low fuel prices for the hard working people in this country.
Along with expanding capacity of traditional forms of energy, we need to increase the development of alternative fuels by providing the private sector with the necessary tools to bring their innovations to the market.
If Louisiana wants to excel in our changing economy we need to become an energy state - not just an oil and gas state.
Stopping Wasteful Spending
While I wholeheartedly believe that adjustments need to be made in the way that we operate our government, I fundamentally disagree that more government spending and control is the solution.
Congress needs to step back from its spending spree and thoroughly examine what works and what doesn’t and create legislation that accurately reflects the needs of Americans – not the bureaurocratic organizations in Washington.
Education
The American education system is central to the success of our country and our future prosperity and I am dedicated to ensuring that we give our children the best education possible.
America needs a system that empowers teachers, gives choice to parents, and encourages American children to become the best students in the world.
We can begin by shifting decision-making power and money from Washington back to people who know the children’s names.
Values
Americans have a long history of hunting, self-protection and firearm enthusiasts and I believe the Federal government should help protect our Second Amendment rights, not impede on them.
As a pro-life physician, I believe it’s wrong to destroy nescient human life, especially on the massive scale we’ve seen since the U.S. Supreme Court decided legalized abortion-on-demand in 1973.
I believe marriage and families are the fundamental building block of our society. A majority of voters support the traditional definition of marriage and I will continue to oppose the efforts of activist judges who seek to redefine it.