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Issues

Jobs:
For most of my life, I have started my summer by going out to our family’s fields and cutting hay — just as so many families here in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan have done for generations. Bringing jobs back to our area means not only supporting our traditional methods of working, but also investing in the industries of tomorrow. We can create jobs right here in Michigan by harnessing the power of our greatest commodities — our natural resources — in a safe and environmentally sustainable way. And it doesn’t end there: To prepare for the future, we need to make sure that our universities and hospitals are top notch so we can attract the best and the brightest to our area.

Education:
In order to get the UP and Northern Michigan growing again, we must make sure our schools are second to none. Our first order of business has to be getting back to the basics, and refocusing on K-12 education. Being a Yooper, I know firsthand that our children are raised not just by their parents, but their community, both inside and outside of the classroom. Building on traditional K-12 education, we need to make sure our children have opportunities for alternative education as well, including training in growth fields like green jobs, weatherization and IT.

Trade:
We need to take a step back from free trade deals and take a close look at how we can get American manufacturing going again. For generations, American middle-class families prospered when America created and built what it consumed. Manufacturing jobs are the backbone of the American Dream. My parents worked hard to make sure that I had it better than they did, and I worked for UPS for 33 years for the same reason — to give my daughters opportunities I couldn’t have imagined for myself growing up.

Healthcare:
Our communities thrive off of hard work and neighbor-to-neighbor support, and when we talk about fixing our broken health care system, that’s where we need to start. More than 20 years ago, I became a volunteer firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician, and I have seen firsthand the areas where our system succeeds and where it needs work. This is our chance to get it right. The new health care law isn’t perfect, and we need to make adjustments to get it right, but having witnessed the shortcomings of our system up close, I know that inaction isn’t an option.

Guns:
As a lifelong sportsman and member of the Drummond Island Sportsman Club, I know that hunting is a part of our way of life in the UP and Northern Michigan. I will fight to protect every citizen’s right to keep and bear arms that is guaranteed in the Second Amendment.

Social Security:
I am absolutely committed to protecting Social Security for today’s seniors and future generations, which is why I pledged to oppose any and all efforts to privatize Social Security, reduce benefits or raise the retirement age.  Social Security is a sacred trust for all Americans but it is particularly important here in Michigan's First Congressional District, where 26 percent of all residents receive Social Security benefits. I know the benefits that Social Security provides get put right back into our communities and I will do everything I can to protect those benefits.