Update on Tea Party March on Annapolis from Americans for Prosperity

If you have not pre-registered or signed up for a spot on a local bus for the “1-13: March On Annapolis” TEA Party, please take a moment to do so at our special “March on Annapolis” website. In order for this rally to be a success, we have to show power in numbers. That means we need you, your family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to attend and make their voices heard. I know it’s going to be cold. I know it might be an hour-long bus ride down to the State House, and I know you feel as you have been ignored for too long. But now is the time to take our government back!

Here are a few ways to recruit more people to the TEA Party:

Talk Radio

Call into your favorite talk radio show today and let the host know about the TEA Party. Tell them you will be going to Annapolis on Wednesday at 7pm, and if listeners want to pre-register or need a bus ride down, go to http://www.MarchOnAnnapolis.com. I will be on the air over the next couple of days to promote the event. Feel free to join me by calling in at the following times (click on the links to listen live): * “The C4 Radio Show” – WBAL 1090AM – Today, 2:30pm * “Sean and Frank in the Morning” – WCBM 680AM – Tomorrow, 8:30am * “The Ehrlichs Radio Show” – WBAL 1090AM – Saturday, 10:30am

Emails and Phone Calls

Nothing beats a good, old fashioned phone call to friends and family. Just yesterday, I called my mom to remind her to pre-register and sign up for a bus. Pull out the rolodex this week and start making calls. Emailing a link to the website and the Facebook page to all of your contacts is also very helpful. If anyone has questions about specific budget issues why we are holding the TEA Party, you can direct them to our “Facts” page of the website.

Spread the Word at Social Events

Help spread the word at youth basketball games, church, dinner parties, or even at the Sunday night family dinner. Like you and I, many Marylanders are not happy about a $2 billion deficit, high taxes, and massive government growth. Now is the perfect time to invite new friends to get active with AFP-Maryland. Do not hesitate to reach out. The “March On Annapolis” TEA Party is a great way to introduce folks to our movement.

I appreciate all of your help in making this event a success. We must let the politicians know we are not happy with the direction of the state and country. The only way to accomplish that is to demonstrate “en masse”. Have a great weekend, and I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday in Annapolis!

Dave Schwartz

State Director

Americans for Prosperity

If you have not pre-registered or signed up for a spot on a local bus for the “1-13: March On Annapolis” TEA Party, please take a moment to do so at our special “March on Annapolis” website. In order for this rally to be a success, we have to show power in numbers. That means we need you, your family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to attend and make their voices heard. I know it’s going to be cold. I know it might be an hour-long bus ride down to the State House, and I know you feel as you have been ignored for too long. But now is the time to take our government back!Here are a few ways to recruit more people to the TEA Party:
Talk RadioCall into your favorite talk radio show today and let the host know about the TEA Party. Tell them you will be going to Annapolis on Wednesday at 7pm, and if listeners want to pre-register or need a bus ride down, go to http://www.MarchOnAnnapolis.com. I will be on the air over the next couple of days to promote the event. Feel free to join me by calling in at the following times (click on the links to listen live): * “The C4 Radio Show” – WBAL 1090AM – Today, 2:30pm * “Sean and Frank in the Morning” – WCBM 680AM – Tomorrow, 8:30am * “The Ehrlichs Radio Show” – WBAL 1090AM – Saturday, 10:30am

Emails and Phone Calls Nothing beats a good, old fashioned phone call to friends and family. Just yesterday, I called my mom to remind her to pre-register and sign up for a bus. Pull out the rolodex this week and start making calls. Emailing a link to the website and the Facebook page to all of your contacts is also very helpful. If anyone has questions about specific budget issues why we are holding the TEA Party, you can direct them to our “Facts” page of the website.

Spread the Word at Social Events Help spread the word at youth basketball games, church, dinner parties, or even at the Sunday night family dinner. Like you and I, many Marylanders are not happy about a $2 billion deficit, high taxes, and massive government growth. Now is the perfect time to invite new friends to get active with AFP-Maryland. Do not hesitate to reach out. The “March On Annapolis” TEA Party is a great way to introduce folks to our movement.I appreciate all of your help in making this event a success. We must let the politicians know we are not happy with the direction of the state and country. The only way to accomplish that is to demonstrate “en masse”. Have a great weekend, and I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday in Annapolis! Dave SchwartzState DirectorAmericans for Prosperity

Pelosi Tells C-Span to Drop Dead -Mark Tapscott: Pelosi’s health care message to public: Drop dead

Mark Tapscott: Pelosi’s health care message to public: Drop dead

By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
January 7, 2010

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Pelosi_s-health-care-message-to-public_-Drop-dead-8727003-80795527.html

In a city full of career politicians obsessed with projecting selfless devotion to “the folks back home,” hardly a day goes by without truckloads of the crudest half-truths, willful misrepresentations, and blatant exaggerations being passed off as certified fact.

Most of the time, we greying ink-stained wretches just shake our heads in weary amusement that these groveling minions of transparent flattery can say this stuff with a straight face and think we don’t see through their self-serving humbuggery.

Mark Tapscott is editorial page editor of The Washington Examiner and proprietor of Tapscott’s Copy Desk blog on washingtonexaminer.com.

Meet Candidate Corrogan Vaughn for U.S. Senate vying for Mikulski’s Seat

Corrogan R. Vaughn

Candidate, U.S. Senate, from Maryland

Born on March 8, 1966 in Lynchburg, Virginia, Corrogan Vaughn is the only son of Rev. Dr. Alfred Corrogan Daniel Vaughn and Dr. Lillian Purnell Vaughn.  Upon the death of his grandfather some nine months after his birth, his parents returned to his grandfather’s home in Baltimore, Maryland so that his father could help with his thirteen siblings.  Even so, Corrogan’s father continued to minister at Promise Land Baptist Church in southwestern Virginia on weekends.  His father became pastor of Grace Memorial Baptist Church in 1968; in 1986 Dr. Vaughn was called back to pastor his home church, the historical Sharon Baptist Church in Baltimore, where he ministers to this day.

Corrogan’s parents entrusted his formal education to the Baltimore Public Schools of Callaway Elementary, Green Spring Jr. High, and Northwestern Senior High, graduating in 1984. Corrogan is currently completing a Bachelors of Science in Business at the Virginia University at Lynchburg.

Raised in the strong faith of his parents and family, and instilled with the admonitions from his teachers to give back to his community, Corrogan went to work, settling on a career with the U.S. Airways Group, where he remained until 2002.

It is important to know that Corrogan has had bumps in his road of life, first being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1990, which brought his commercial pilot training to a temporary halt.  Because of his strong belief system, the faith and prayers of his friends and family, and his strong work ethic, Corrogan was able to remain at US Airways.

Like so many others, Corrogan found himself laid off from US Airways, after sixteen years of service, mostly as a result of the aftermath of September 11. As a dedicated employee of US Airways, he saw the company’s presence dwindle from 2,000 down to 50 employees at Thurgood Marshal BWI Airport in a period of only a few years.

Corrogan is intimately acquainted with the workings of the unemployment benefits system and the pressure of being on the other side of the work force. Corrogan understands the pain of those who are unemployed and underemployed because he lived through it himself. However, because of his strong belief in the wisdom of God and the faith instilled from birth by his family and friends, he has continued to grow spiritually and never wavered in his adherence to the belief of giving back to the community.
Throughout his life, Corrogan has worked in faith-based communities as a member of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.  He was the first lay leader to be elected as First Vice President of the Convention for the State of Maryland and, as such, he pushed for the Convention to take amore active role in the registration of voters.  Prior to that, Corrogan served on the Political Action Concern Board of the Convention, the Executive Board (proxy for Maryland), and as a member of the National Arrangement Committee.   Closer to his home, he has been a leader in reaching out to underprivileged children and families, including those who are incarcerated and their families.  As a member of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., Corrogan served on the committee to elect Dr. W. Franklin Richardson Sr., President, and he then served as Transportation Director to airlift Dr. Richardson’s delegation to the 1999 National Baptist Convention in Tampa, Florida.

Corrogan presently serves as a deacon and lay leader at his father’s church, Sharon Baptist, now in its 121^st year ministering in Baltimore.  He also serves as an Executive Board member for the largest interfaith organization in the world, the Hampton Ministers Conference and Music Guild.

Corrogan has always been active politically and his mentors include the late Dr. Aris T. Allen, the first African-American leader of the Maryland GOP; Gov. William Donald Schaefer, former Democrat Governor of Maryland and Baltimore Mayor, Corrogan’s godfather, the late Dr. Ralph David Abernathy (co-author with Dr. Martin Luther King of the Civil Rights Movement), the late Dr. Thomas Holmes, pastor of the Community Baptist Church of New Haven. Other significant mentors include: Dr. Harold A. Carter Sr., pastor of the New Shiloh Baptist Church of Baltimore; the late Dr. Eddie R. Wilson Jr., pastor of the Leaden Hall Baptist Church of Baltimore, and Dr. Gardner C. Taylor and Bishop John R. Bryant, both among Corrigan’s key spiritual mentors.

Corrogan’s father, Rev. Dr. A.C.D. Vaughn, the first recipient of the Rosa Parks’ Medal of Freedom in 1989, was his first mentor.  His father’s example as a passionate and faithful servant to the community has guided Corrogan throughout his personal, professional and political life.

Politically, over the years Corrogan has worked on numerous campaigns including Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. and Lt. Governor Michael S. Steele in 2002.  He also helped other candidates throughout Maryland in their campaigns to represent the citizens of their respective districts. Friendships established as a result of those campaigns broadened his understanding of the problems facing Maryland citizens from Oakland to Ocean City; from Garrett County down to St. Mary’s County, and Cecil County down to Somerset County.
Corrogan’s experiences as a faith-based leader, a small business owner, and a dutiful, long-term employee of a major corporation, have uniquely equipped him to have a positive impact on the political scene in Maryland.  He co-hosted two radio shows, “Lunchtime with the Maryland GOP,” designed to familiarize Marylanders with the Republican Party, and “Rockin’ D Vote,” designed to increase voter registrations, familiarize the listeners with current political events, and bring about the restoration of rights to non-violent ex-offenders.

Corrogan’s campaign raises a simple but crucial question, “Do we, as a nation, want to keep sending back to Washington, elitist, career politicians who have not only been a part of, but even created many of our country’s problems?” Shouldn’t we instead send a true Statesman like Corrogan Vaughn who shares the views and values of so many Marylanders and Americans? Isn’t that what the Founding Fathers envisioned?

At the end of the day Corrogan is truly about “People and Principles!” He will dutifully serve God and protect our nation and families in the U.S. Senate. Corrogan will not be just another follower with a go-along-to-get-along style. He will set an example, while using the position to hold others accountable for their oath to faithfully defend and uphold the Constitution and be a force to change the collection of corruption in the Capital.

Senate Candidate Corrogan Vaughn Hosting MLK Breakfast at the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore, Please contact Candidate Vaughn at

Corrogan Vaughn or

Jim Crawford

You are Invited to a celebratory breakfast on January 15, 2010 at the Belvedere Hotel

Commemorate Martin Luther Kings Birthday while supporting U.S. Senate, hopeful, Corrorgan R. Vaughn!
Enjoy an American style, full breakfast buffet while being part of history in the making: The announcement of Corrogan R. Vaughn’s candidacy for U.S. Senate

Corrogan R. Vaughn is about “People & Principles”

Support a strong candidate whose vision not only involves change but enrichment of the values our forefathers designed for this Nation:

(Fiscal Responsibility  Building a solid, Family-friendly, American Economy

Energy Independence  Traditional FamilyValues-upholding their constitutionalism

Strong National Defense New Business and JOB Opportunities

and the focus on our future – Developing the Best & Brightest children to one day lead our Nation!)

Give your small donation of $45 to support the change you want to see and enjoy a commemorative day celebrating American history and her history in the making.

Become a sponsor for this event: contact a Vaughn4America representative today at _________

OR

(Sponsorship Levels)

Gold Sponsor – $500

• 2 table accommodations for 20 guests
• Your provided signage posted in event area
• Marketing materials provided for each guest
• Logo and/or name mention during media coverage

Silver Sponsor – $250

• 1 table accommodations for 10 guests
• Marketing materials provided for each guest

Join Us on January 15, 2010 from 9am – 12pm

at the Belvedere Hotel in Historic Mount Vernon for

Corrogan R. Vaughn’s MLK Day/Candidate Breakfast

Help Save Maryland Sponsor’s up with AFP for Tea Party March on Annapolis Jan. 13th

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Help Save Maryland Action Alert

Help Save Maryland has become a sponsor of the January 13, 2010 Tea Party rally in Annapolis and will be one of the many speakers that evening. We have $1.4 billion reasons to participate – that’s how much O’Malley and his cronies across the state spend on education, emergency healthcare and jail costs for aliens each year.  And that number is growing rapidly!  We can’t afford illegal immigration in Maryland anymore.   See the full costs by county on www.helpsavemaryland.com It is important that we help support the great efforts of Americans for Prosperity and the other MD groups co-sponsoring the rally. Please go to the rally website and sign up.  http://site.marchonannapolis.com/ Location – Lawyers Mall – 7:00PM -8:30PM. The mall surrounded by the State House, Governor’s Mansion, and the Mike Miller Senate Office Building. Make sure you bring your photo ID. This is the same location of HSM’s 2009 rally. Transportation – Also take advantage of the buses that have been setup on the website.  Buses are leaving from about 12 counties, some with multiple locations. Its cheap and reliable transportation to get you safety to and from the rally.  Sign up for bus transportation on the website. Bring signs, flags, snacks, lots of clothing, hats, gloves, etc. If you are driving: Parking Park at the Navy Marine Corps Stadium – Lot D. Enter through Gate 6 off of Taylor Avenue. Shuttle A FREE shuttle bus will be provided to and from the parking lot. Directions From Baltimore: I-97 South to US 50/301 East – Toward the Bay Bridge Take Rowe Blvd (MD70) Exit – Toward Historic Annapolis R on Taylor Ave From Washington DC: Capitol Beltway to US 50 East – Toward Bay Bridge Take Rowe Blvd (MD70) Exit – Toward Historic Annapolis R on Taylor Ave From Eastern Shore: Take US 50 West – Cross Bay Bridge Take Rowe Blvd (MD70) Exit – Toward Historic Annapolis R on Taylor Ave From Southern Maryland: Take US 301 North to US 50 East – Toward Bay Bridge Take Rowe Blvd (MD70) Exit – Toward Historic Annapolis R on Taylor Ave From Western Maryland: Take I-70 East to Exit 80 (MD32-S) Take I-97 South to US50/301 East – Toward the Bay Bridge Take Rowe Blvd (MD70) Exit – Toward Historic Annapolis R on Taylor Ave IT IS GOING TO BE VERY COLD.  COLDER TEMPERATURES THAN WE EXPERIENCED AT THE HSM RALLY IN 2009.  DRESS PROPERLY! Brad Botwin, Director, Help Save Maryland

Candidate Profile – Larry Hogan – Possible run for Governor of Maryland

Larry Hogan is a lifelong Marylander who loves this great state. He is a successful small businessman and former Maryland Cabinet Secretary, who has spent his entire life fighting for Maryland as a civic leader and a grassroots reformer. He co-chaired a bipartisan campaign to reform county government. He has been active in citizen referendums to limit taxes. He has fought against the special interests, and challenged the status quo. Larry has always stood up for working families, and small businesses.

Larry Hogan is not a professional politician. He has not spent his entire career in elective office. He does have a decade of public service experience, having held several important positions at the federal, state, and local level but, more importantly he has 25 years of real world experience in the private sector, founding and running several successful small businesses. Larry knows what it’s like to work hard every day, to struggle to meet a payroll, to balance a budget, and to create jobs.

Larry Hogan has never walked away from a tough challenge, he has always believed that nothing is impossible. Larry is no stranger to Maryland politics. His last campaign was an even tougher challenge against a more powerful opponent. In an overwhelmingly Democratic District, outspent 7 to 1 against a leader of Congress, Larry defeated Congressman Steny Hoyer in four out of five Counties in Maryland’s Fifth Congressional District. Hoyer called it the toughest race of his entire political career.

Larry is the founder, President and CEO of the Hogan Companies. He lives in Annapolis with his wife Yumi, an artist and vocalist. They have three daughters and are active in many civic, community and charitable organizations. Larry’s father, Lawrence J. Hogan, Sr. is a former Prince George’s County Executive and Member of Congress who gave up his seat to run for Governor of Maryland in 1974.

Larry Hogan News Links

Washington Post: Maryland governor’s race could feature 2 from Ehrlich team

STRIKING OUT — State’s special ‘hiring’ committee disbands amid controversy

Larry Hogan on the WBAL C4 show

Listen online to Larry’s interview with Adam Avery of Seniors Talk Radio

Baltimore Sun: Hogan Appears Close to Gubernatorial Bid

Poll: O’Malley leads Ehrlich but could be vulnerable

Clarus Poll: Gov. O’Malley Could Face Trouble in 2010 Election

Baltimore Sun: Pappas drops gubernatorial bid and backs Hogan

Washington Post: Hogan to claim support of Pappas in Md. governor’s race

Southern Maryland News: Pappas pulls out of governor race, backs Hogan

ExploreBaltimoreCounty.com: Pappas ends run for governor

Larry Hogan profile from the Baltimore Examiner

Washington Post:
“Hogan is regarded by many Republicans as the most credible alternative to Ehrlich…”

Politics1.com:
“Hogan has emerged as the number one backup for Maryland Republicans if Ehrlich doesn’t run.”

The Gazette:
“Hogan has been a fierce critic of O’Malley and the Democratic leadership, which he called “an arrogant monopoly.”

Baltimore Sun:
“Larry Hogan, a former state Cabinet secretary, announced last week that he would start “testing the waters” for a gubernatorial bid. …’Somebody simply must step up to the challenge’.”.

National Journal Hotline:
Headline: “Hogan, the GOP Hero?”

Washington Times:
Headline: “Hogan to Test Waters for Md. Governor’s Race”

Annapolis Capital:
“Hogan said he’s going to test the waters for support in the event that Ehrlich decides against a rematch with Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley in 2010. Hogan said he would launch a “Hogan for Maryland” committee to begin gauging support.”

Red Maryland (Leading State GOP Blog):
“…(Hogan) nearly pulled off the impossible in 1992: beating Steny Hoyer. Hogan challenged Hoyer for his father’s old congressional seat. Hoyer, who won with only 51% of the vote, called it the “toughest race of his entire political career.”

Hogan, who founded a successful commercial real estate brokerage, understands the threats to small business, taxpayers, and working families from O’Malley’s reckless spending, taxation, and mindless regulation.”

Candidate Profile – Ron Miller for State Senator – Vying for Senator Mike Miller’s seat

Ron Miller of Huntingtown, Maryland is a Republican candidate for the Maryland Senate in 2010. Ron is a consultant in the information technology field and a nine-year plus veteran of the U.S. Air Force. The married father of three writes columns for Southern Maryland Online, Red County, RegularFolksUnited.com, American Thinker, and his own website, TeamRonMiller.com, in his spare time.

Ron is an outspoken advocate for free enterprise, low taxes and reasonable regulation, limited and effective government focused on national security, public safety and administering justice, traditional two-parent families and the sanctity of human life. He also writes extensively about identity politics and the repercussions of placing race above values, emphasizing the harmful effects of liberal policies on the black community.

Ron served in the federal government from 2001 to 2004 as a senior executive with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. During that time, he was recognized by Federal Computer Week in 2002 and 2003 as one of the “Federal 100″ leaders in government information technology. Ron was cited both years for his technology leadership in the homeland security arena. Since 2004, he has held senior management positions with the American Red Cross and in the private sector and is currently a homeland security principal for a major technology professional services firm.

Prior to joining the federal government, Ron was a senior requirements analyst, project manager, and division manager in the private sector from 1992 to 2001, and served in the U.S. Air Force as an air intelligence officer from 1983 to 1992, attaining the rank of Captain. His military honors include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Mr. Miller holds a B.A. in Political Science from Texas Tech University and a M.S. in International Relations from Troy State University. Mr. Miller is active in various ministries at Chesapeake Church in Huntingtown, Maryland, and serves as the communications director for the Calvert County Republican Party. He was a Republican candidate for the Maryland Senate in 2006 and will seek that office again in 2010. Mr. Miller has been married for 25 years to the former Annik (ah-NEEK) Aeschbach of Hegenheim, France and they are the proud parents of two daughters and a son.

Ron Miller’s Solutions

We all know what the problems are. Maryland’s report card is dismal; 4th highest tax burden in the nation, 5th least friendly to businesses, 6th highest in cost of living. Yet our government in Annapolis has no plan or solutions for our state’s long-term fiscal health. Every year, they spend more money despite the economic climate and hope for a rescue. In 2007, it was the rainy day fund that Governor Ehrlich had built up to well over a billion dollars. In 2008, it was a $1.4 billion tax increase, the largest in state history. In 2009, it was more than $1.4 billion from the federal government’s so-called “stimulus” package where they’re spending money borrowed from our children and grandchildren with no guarantee of repayment. Let’s not forget they strong-armed the voters into putting slot machines in the Maryland Constitution as a source of revenue. How’s that working out so far? They increased spending in the fiscal year 2010 budget by $1.1 billion despite the fiscal crisis in which we find ourselves. The projected deficit for fiscal year 2011 is at least $1 billion, and they have no idea how they’re going to deal with it. Maybe they’re hoping we won’t notice and will re-elect them before they have to raise taxes or make dramatic program cuts, or they’re hoping for yet another rescue of undetermined origin. We can’t keep kicking the can down the road. Leadership requires honesty with the people about our problems and collaboration with them to find sound and lasting solutions. For all their years of experience, the one-party monopoly in Annapolis has failed the people when it comes to leadership. It’s time to turn the page. Here is what I will advocate if I am elected. LET THE PEOPLE KEEP MORE OF THEIR OWN MONEY When people keep more of the money they earn, they spend it, save it, invest it or pay their debts, directly stimulating the economy. We don’t need government as a middleman doing these things for us. We need a Taxpayer Bill of Rights to protect Marylanders from the greed of their government. It’s your money. LIMIT GOVERNMENT SO IT ACTUALLY WORKS Government spends and wastes too much of our hard-earned dollars on things the government shouldn’t be doing. They don’t track what they spend and they don’t demand results or else. We need to put Annapolis on a diet. Everything they do beyond keeping order, providing infrastructure and administering justice ought to be critically reviewed. It may be a worthy cause but is it something government should be doing? The budget is a mess – it’s time to zero it out and start from scratch. Programs need to define the public interest outcome they’re hoping to achieve, develop measures to define success, and report on their progress to us. If they aren’t delivering results, they should be terminated. My solutions are zero-based budgeting, performance and risk measurement and management for every program, regular progress reports and sunset laws to terminate programs that aren’t working. That’s good government. CREATE A FRIENDLY CLIMATE FOR BUSINESSES Maryland has the 9th most educated workforce in America, world-class institutions of higher learning, major waterways for commerce, and proximity to the nation’s capital and major cities in the northeastern corridor. Businesses should be flocking here and creating jobs and dignity for thousands of Marylanders, but they don’t. The Democrats have rolled up the welcome mat with some of the highest taxes and most burdensome regulations in the country. Taxes should be reexamined with the objective of attracting businesses that not only bring in additional revenue but create jobs, thereby adding to the public treasury by subtracting people from government assistance and adding their taxes to the pot. Higher corporate taxes and taxes on the wealthy, most of whom own businesses, keep new businesses away and force existing businesses to raise their prices, cut jobs, or move out of the state, all of which hurt the people, not the intended targets of the higher tax rates. Regulations should increase transparency and accountability, promote competition, ensure fairness and equal opportunity in the workplace, and protect the public. Everything beyond that is unnecessary and needs to be eliminated. Small business regulations should be minimized to the maximum extent possible; holding them to the same standards as larger firms costs them too much and drives them out of business. PARENTS, NOT BUREAUCRATS, SHOULD BE IN CHARGE OF THEIR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION We should not rest until all Maryland’s children have access to a quality education. More choices and more accountability are the key. Parents should be able to send their children to a school where they can learn and not be forced into a poor school because of where they live or who they are. Charter schools, home schools, private schools – all these options and any others that expand choices for parents and their children must be supported. Schools must be held accountable for our children’s success and the money spent on education must show demonstrable results. The bias in the educational bureaucracy toward their own preservation will not be tolerated. The children come first and we must give them choices today, not somewhere down the road while we wait for the public schools to improve. We cannot lose another generation to hopelessness. HEALTH CARE MUST BE BOTH ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE Expanding health coverage to more people does no good if costs aren’t first addressed. On the legal front, establish health courts for medical malpractice litigation to protect the rights of the patient and the doctor and eliminate the onerous costs of medical malpractice insurance. Fewer regulations on health insurance providers will expand options and spur competition, lowering prices. Partnerships between government, non-profits, and businesses are already expanding care options and providing low cost drugs for people without health insurance. Tackle the costs first; only then can coverage be addressed intelligently. There is no single magic bullet for health care; solutions must be developed for each component of the health care system, and anyone who claims to have a one-size-fits-all solution is selling snake oil. ALL HUMAN LIFE IS PRECIOUS AND WORTHY OF OUR PROTECTION Thomas Jefferson declared to a group of Maryland Republicans in 1809 that “The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government.” We are a moral and just society and we do not exclude any human being from their birthrights of life, liberty and opportunity. Where there is doubt, we must always err on the side that advances our inherent rights rather than denies them. If this philosophy is applied universally, we will have the answers to some of society’s most challenging ethical dilemmas. While there may be such a thing as an unwanted pregnancy, there is no such thing as an unwanted child. Both the child and the mother should be given the opportunity to live and thrive. Prenatal care for the mother and child, childbirth assistance for mothers without health insurance, and adoption placement services should be provided. Only in this manner can the mother continue to pursue her dreams and the child grow up in a loving home and realize the plan for his or her life. PROTECTION OF TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE AND THE RIGHTS OF CONSENTING ADULTS TO CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE While marriage is exclusive to a man and a woman for the purpose of providing the best possible environment for raising, nurturing and modeling responsible male & female behavior for a child, consenting adults in permanent living arrangements should be able to make life decisions for one another. This could include adults caring for older or disabled family members or friends, siblings living together, or any other combination of consenting adults imaginable. This policy is not based on orientation or gender so it is free from the baggage of that debate. If the legal instruments currently in place to authorize reciprocal beneficiary agreements aren’t in place, they should be established. No one should be discriminated against in the workplace for consensual and legal behavior conducted in private. That is antithetical to our nation and state’s guarantees of liberty and opportunity. LAW-ABIDING GUN OWNERS SHOULD NOT HAVE THEIR RIGHTS VIOLATED The right for individuals to own guns for personal and family safety, hunting and recreation or as collectibles is clearly established in the law of the land and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in 2008. Gun laws that take weapons from the hands of law-abiding citizens only aid criminals and put the safety of our communities at risk. Treat the lawbreakers with guns like criminals, not law-abiding citizens. www.teamronmiller.com