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Issues, a quick summary:

  • I believe in term limits for elected officials and would serve a maximum of 1 term
  • I would not take a pension
  • The Lt. Gov. salary is approx. $124,000/yr. I would take a reduced salary of less than $98,000. If forced by law to take the full salary, I would donate the difference to my favorite non-profit pro-family groups.

    The lieutenant Governor does not generate legislation, but works with, encourages and supports legislators who do craft bills. Here are little known facts about the office from the Constitution: ... Read More

    Part the Second, Chapter II, Section II, Article I of the Massachusetts Constitution originally read,
    There shall be annually elected a lieutenant governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, whose title shall be, His Honor and who shall be qualified, in point of [religion, property], and residence in the commonwealth, in the same manner with the governor: and the day and manner of his election, and the qualifications of the electors, shall be the same as are required in the election of a governor.
    (bracketed [..] items have been removed or amended)

    From Wikipedia: "The lieutenant governor serves in place of the governor when he is outside the borders of Massachusetts. Historically also a one-year term, the office of lieutenant governor now carries a four-year term the same as that of the governor. Noted in the article above are religious, property, and residency requirements for both the office of governor and lieutenant governor, of which only the residency requirement remains in effect. To be eligible for either office, a candidate must have lived in Massachusetts for at least seven years immediately preceding his election, and originally also had to be a Christian owning at least £1,000 worth of real property."

    Likewise, the Constitution says of the Governor: Article II. The governor shall be chosen [annually]; and no person shall be eligible to this office, unless at the time of his election, he shall have been an inhabitant of this commonwealth for seven years next preceding; [and unless he shall at the same time, be seised in his own right, of a freehold within the commonwealth of the value of one thousand pounds; and unless he shall declare himself to be of the Christian religion.]

    Also, from Part the First of the Mass. Constitution:
    Article II. It is the right as well as the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated seasons to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; or for his religious profession or sentiments; provided he doth not disturb the public peace, or obstruct others in their religious worship. [See Amendments, Arts. XLVI and XLVIII.]

    Originally, the Constitution also read:
    Article III. [As the happiness of a people, and the good order and preservation of civil government, essentially depend upon piety, religion and morality; and as these cannot be generally diffused through a community, but by the institution of the public worship of God, and of public instructions in piety, religion and morality: Therefore, to promote their happiness and to secure the good order and preservation of their government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require, and the legislature shall, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies politic, or religious societies, to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the institution of the public worship of God, and for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion and morality, in all cases where such provision shall not be made voluntarily.]
    .... Finished Reading, Close Text

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    The Life and Family Issues:

    • "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are:
      Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"
      • Marriage is a life issue
      • Life begins at conception. Every baby has a God-given and Constitutional right to be born and to be raised by its biological parents.
      • I am FOR stem cell research and AGAINST embryonic stem cell research and human cloning
      • God created marriage - as between a man and a woman. Mankind cannot redefine natural law.
      • I would fully support another petition initiative in accordance with Article 48 that would let the voters decide to amend the Constitution to define marriage. In the previous effort, citizens were deprived of their right to so vote when these legislators
        • Rep. Alicea, Geraldo (D) Brockton (newly elected*)
        • Rep. Canavan, Christine (D) Brockton
        • Rep. Kujawski, Paul (D) Webster
        • Rep. Loscocco, Paul (R) Holliston - Current candidate for Lt. Gov. (U)
        • Rep. Nyman, Robert (D) Hanover
        • Rep. Puppolo, Angelo (D) Springfield (newly elected*)
        • Rep. Ross, Richard (R) Wrentham
        • Rep. Vallee, James (D) Franklin
        • Sen. Candaras, Gale (D) Wilbraham (newly elected*)
        • Sen. Morrissey, Michael (D) Quincy
        .... Finished Reading, Close Text

        changed their original or promised* vote. Sen. Richard Tisei (R) Wakefield, current candidate for Lieutenant Governor, twice voted "NO" to let the people vote on the marriage amendment, plus voted to delay and obstruct the process at almost every opportunity. For all of the legislators' votes on the marriage petition initiative, Click here
      • I oppose Senate Bill 23 and its equivalent, House Bill 3537, which would add wording to Article 48 of the State Constitution that would effectively shut down the citizen petition initiative process. ... Read More   

        Currently, Article 48 of the Massachusetts Constitution does not allow an initiative petition concerning certain specific subjects: religion, the judiciary, petitions affecting only particular districts, or appropriating money from the Treasury.

        However, Senate Bill 23, sponsored by Senator Cynthia Creem (D-Newton), and its equivalent, House Bill 3537, sponsored by Reps. Alice Wolf (D-Cambridge) and Byron Rushing (D-Boston), would add the following prohibited subjects: “The rights to freedom and equality; the right of each individual to be protected by society in the enjoyment of life, liberty and property, according to standing laws.”
        If approved, this broad, undefined language would guarantee that virtually no initiative petition could pass muster, since all laws or public policy proposals have some impact on life, liberty or property. For example, other proposed amendments being considered on Thursday that would limit the state’s ability to take land by eminent domain, would not be allowed in the future if S23/S3537 were to pass. In addition, the proposed constitutional revision would make the initiative petition process subject to “standing laws,” which are much more easily changed, thus overturning the preeminence and stability of Article 48 of the Massachusetts Constitution. Source: Mass Family Institute
        .... Finished Reading, Close Text

      • I oppose Bill H1728: “Transgender Rights & Hate Crimes” - also know as "the Bathroom Bill." State Sen. Richard Tisei, current candidate for Lieutenant Governor, supports this legislation
        In a somewhat bizarre and confusing set of circumstances, while Sen. Tisei supports this legislation, the gubernatorial candidate he is running with does not. Charlie Baker (R) says that if he were to be elected governor, he would veto the Bathroom Bill if it were to pass.
        .... Finished Reading, Close Text
      • Schools need "Opt-In" for programs, workshops or courses that parents deem inappropriate for their children. "Opt-Out" is insufficient.
      • Parental Rights trump social agendas every time!
      • It takes a family, not a village, to raise a child
      • Personal Responsibility, not Entitlement!

    Positions Massachusetts Issues:


    • Reduce the State government by a minimum of 10%, with more reduction in the future.
      See the list of 500+ agencies, departments, commissions and offices that want to run every aspect of our lives
    • Roll back the State Sales Tax - I support the 3% ballot initiative. If that fails to pass, immediately reduce the rate to 5%
    • Return the State Income Tax rate to 5%; stop ignoring the voters!
    • Term limits - 2-3 terms per office. Legislators need to go back to private life to live under the laws they've created and have the insurance and the pension plans their voters have
    • No pension for elected officials. Offer 401K type plans instead
    • Remove all toll booths west of Rt. 128
    • The Judiciary - Judges should be re-certified every 4 years
    • Education - Shrink the public school system. Encourage vouchers and growth of private schools and home schooling
    • Healthcare - The Massachusetts "reform miracle" is not working, is hurting small businesses and the self-employed and allows for publicly funded abortions.
    • Strengthen sex offender laws, join the states that have a "Jessica's law"
    • Restore the spiritual, religious and libertarian writings of the Founding Fathers to the American History classes in our public schools
    • Bypassing the Electoral College - Needs public debate. Also, ... Read More   
      From the Boston Globe:
      July 27, 2010 05:09 PM
      By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff
      "The Massachusetts Legislature has approved a new law intended to bypass the Electoral College system and ensure that the winner of the presidential election is determined by the national popular vote."

      With this law, under certain circumstances, the State's 12 electoral votes would go to the presidential Candidate who wins the popular vote nationwide but loses in the popular vote in Massachusetts.

      An important issue such as this needs public education and input. Who knew of the House and Senate votes? Maybe the Electoral College, formed to protect states' rights, is archaic, but is this the way to go?

      Also from the Globe:
      "[State Senator Richard] Tisei also criticized the proponents for not following the normal procedures to seek a constitutional amendment.
      "The thing about this that bothers me the most is it's so sneaky. This is the way that liberals do things a lot of times, very sneaky," he said. "This is sort of an end run around the Constitution."

      Sen. Tisei may be right, but where was his concern when the State Supreme Court did an "end run" around the Constituiton by creating marriage law? His concern for constitutional procedures comes after he voted twice to deny the voters their Article 48 right to vote on the definition of marriage.
      .... Finished Reading, Close Text

    • End "Informal Sessions" at the State House. They are unconstitutional and illegal!
    • Vote Core Values candidate ratings

    Views on National Issues:


    • The U.S. Constitution is not a "living document"
    • Our country was founded by God loving and God fearing leaders
    • Abolish the departments of education, energy, transportation, agriculture and the EPA
      These agencies:
      • employ tens of thousands of people, yet produce nothing!
      • are a huge tax burden
      • withhold Federal funds for related state projects if the State doesn't conform to federally mandated rules
      • ... If they didn't exist, we would get along just fine. Promote individual and corporate responsibility at the local level instead
    • Cap & Trade and National Healthcare are nothing more than the redistribution of wealth
    • Bailouts do not stimulate the economy. Taxcuts to small businesses & consumers do!
    • I support the Second Amendment right for individuals to keep and bear arms and for states to form well-regulated militias
    • Immigration - enforce existing laws, support & encourage legal immigration ... Read More   
      Legal immigration is absolutely needed. We need to grow our country from within by encouraging and stengthening the traditional family, stopping the wholesale slaughter of the unborn, and by welcoming immigrants from around the world who follow the immigration laws of both their own country and the U.S.
      The intentional arrival of an immigrant who bypasses these laws for the purpose of having an "anchor baby", (whose delivery and care are paid for by the U.S. taxpayer), totally violates the spirit and intent of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. ... Read further ...
      Immigration "reform" is nothing more than a Democratic voter registraion drive.
      Natural-born citizen defined
      .... Finished Reading, Close Text
    • Keep the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
    • Keep Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) for the military
    • Repeal Federal Healthcare
    • No federal funding for abortions
    • I oppose ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
    • Disband the IRS and the federal income tax as we've known it. Institute a flat tax and/or a consumption tax instead

    Commentary
    Our state and country have reached a breaking point. Those who work, provide employment and pay taxes have been stretched to the absolute limit and can no longer support an ever-expanding and intrusive government and unchecked social programs.

    Here's the National Debt Clock and
    the Massachusetts Debt Clock

    At the same time, we are in a culture war. The secular world sets moral standards based not on God's law, but on human authority. Since what is acceptable behavior can vary widely from one person to another, these standards ultimately come into conflict with each other.

    Realizing that all people cannot realistically achieve the highest of standards, the bar is instead brought down to the lowest common denominator so that all people can meet some minimum level of moral acceptance. This belief that "I'm OK, you're OK" carries over into the public education system where competition in learning, as it is in sports, where "there are no losers," tries to put everyone at the level of the lowest achiever. Fortunately, some teachers and students rise above the fray to work and learn outside this restrictive box. These restrictions in achievement are stripped away in the private and home school settings.


    The Judeo-Christian belief looks to the unimpeachable source, God, for moral standards and natural laws. The bar is set and kept high. Just because we often fall short of this difficult goal, it doesn't mean we abandon the effort.

    The two worlds of culture and economy collide at the point of legislation. To see this in action, a trip to the State House in Boston to attend committee hearings on upcoming legislation will reveal this connection. On issues dealing with children, education, families, parental rights, marriage, sexuality, personal liberties, etc., the forces arrayed on both sides of the issues are pretty much the same. On one side, it's common to see Planned Parenthood, several pro-gay groups, public sector unions, the ACLU, etc., fighting for bills that control of our lives, take away parental rights, restrict our freedoms and create a larger bureaucracy, and thus higher taxes. On the other side of the issues are the pro-family, pro-life and religious groups advocating for parental rights, self-reliance, fathers rights, and personal responsibility.

    I believe that one cannot be both socially liberal and fiscally conservative, as social liberalism causes the need for the tax and spend mentality that fiscal conservatives constantly are at odds with.

    I also believe that one cannot not be both pro-gay marriage and pro-life. Both of these issues come into direct conflict, especially in legislation.

    Finally, one cannot be socially liberal on only one or two of these issues. The social/moral issues are intrinsically linked.

    The social/moral issues are rarely addressed on candidate web sites and don't come up in discussion unless brought up by a voter. These hot button subjects are considered poison-pill issues that politicians feel might sink their campaign.

    Is our country in for a period of great spiritual and economic tribulation? Possibly so. Regardless, let's look for an even greater revival!