Guns – Second amendment advocates believe every American citizen should have the right to own a gun. I own guns but criminals and the mentally ill do not need guns. We must develop some checks and balances that will help save us from movie theatre, school and mall shootings. Not everybody is qualified to drive a car in America and not everyone is qualified to carry a gun.

 

English – People from around the world are flooding into our country. I understand they have different language backgrounds. I accept that. However, we cannot have 25 different languages on every highway sign in America. I respect my Spanish friends but what about my friends from France (Mollette)? On one sign we could have STOP written in English, Spanish, French and ten other languages. It\’s only common sense that we focus on one national language – English.

 

Taxes – Demanding more income taxes from anyone is killing this nation. Regardless of your income you can\’t afford to pay out more federal or state income tax. Our government must reform the current Internal Revenue Service.  Every year Americans try to figure out how they can keep some of their hard earned money. People itemize and try to come up with a zillion ways to keep or get a little money back. This is pathetic. Common sense calls for a simple flat sales tax of eight to ten percent.  Can you imagine what you might buy if you did not have to pay federal income tax? You might be able to afford a new car. You might buy some clothes or new furniture. Yes, you would pay tax on your purchases but you would have a lot more money with which to make the purchases. If you want to drive a $60,000 car then you pay the tax. If you want to drive a $16,000 car then you only pay the tax on the amount spent and not on what the IRS wants.  The tax is only on what you spend but at least you would have something to spend.  Our economy would boom with people having more available cash.

 

Immigration – Amnesty is ignorant. Why should we reward people with citizenship who have been breaking our laws for years? Let\’s use some common sense. Millions of these people are great, hard working people. I\’m all for giving immigrants citizenship based on the following: All illegal immigrants should A. Pay a fine for entering our country illegally. B. Pay taxes on the years they have lived in our country. (We\’ve all been paying taxes to this point). C. Have a clean record. We don\’t want them to stay in the country if they have committed other crimes while living here. D.  Pass an English and Civics test. E. Show they have been involved in a five-year process of education and training so they can take care of themselves. We don\’t need more people on government assistance.  Each of them should fill out the paperwork putting them on a five-year citizenship path. They receive their permit to work, are legal and free to pursue their dreams.

 

Our President and Congress need to sit down and work toward reasonable common sense solutions. That\’s why we sent them to Washington.