Job Creation and the Economy
Lower taxes and less regulation are the surest way to get Arizonans back to work. If elected, I will advance an agenda that eliminates existing regulatory red tape, reduces the tax burden and frees individuals and businesses to unleash their entrepreneurial spirit to create jobs in Arizona.
I believe Arizona’s tax burden is too high, and I do not support the temporary tax increase on the ballot in May. With or without the temporary tax increase, state government will have to dramatically reduce spending over the next 18 months. Although these cuts will go beyond trimming the fat and will reduce state services, we simply cannot afford the size of government we grew accustomed to prior to the current recession.
Both parties lacked fiscal restraint, and now they must come together and realign government to provide only the most needed services given our projected revenues.
Healthcare
As a practicing physician, passing sensible legislation to improve patient choice, lower costs and prevent a government takeover of healthcare will be my top priorities. A key component to reducing costs will be improving choice and competition among insurance companies in Arizona. We must adopt meaningful medical malpractice reform to limit junk lawsuits.
As a primary care provider, I work with patients over the
long run to stay healthy, but I also have to guide them through the system so
they can get their recommended treatment.
More than 1 in 5 Arizonans are covered by AHCCCS, the state’s version of
Medicaid, and as a physician working with AHCCCS provides special
challenges. For me to send an AHCCCS
patient to a specialist, run diagnostic tests like MRIs, and, in many cases, to
prescribe even a generic medication, I must make a written appeal to an AHCCCS
bureaucrat for approval. Compared to
insurance providers that I work with, AHCCCS is more cumbersome, less flexible
and more intrusive. I look forward to
being a critical voice in the legislature for AHCCCS reform.
Border Security
Securing ours borders is of the utmost importance to me, particularly with the on-going drug violence in Mexico. The federal government continues to make only modest progress, and the recent failure of the multi-billion dollar “virtual fence” is yet another reminder that we cannot depend on the federal government. The state must do whatever it can to secure our southern border and eliminate illegal immigration.
Education
Over the previous decade, Arizona dramatically increased education funding, but the funding levels did not increase test scores or reduce class sizes. Arizona needs to refocus its education system.
I believe more autonomy is needed for each school and each classroom to increase the expectations of our students. Arizona cannot continue to have a second rate education system, and we must empower principals and teachers to be the driving force in this change.
