Taxes were already too high in Maryland before Governor Martin O’Malley and the Democrat controlled General Assembly decided to take more of our hard earned money by passing the largest tax increase in the history of Maryland. In less than one year, Democrats raised the sales tax, income tax, tobacco tax, and business tax. All of these taxes will cost Marylanders an additional $1.4 billion a year.

I pledge to work to rollback all of the tax increases enacted by Governor O’Malley and promise to vote against any new proposed tax increases.

Lowering taxes will bring more businesses to the state, create jobs, and lead to increased economic prosperity. You deserve to keep more of your hard earned money.

The size of Maryland’s budget has grown from $17 billion in 1999 to over $31.5 billion in 2009 (Maryland Department of Legislative Services). This represents an almost 100 percent increase in the size of government in the last 10 years.

Our state’s budget is full of wasteful spending. The State of Maryland uses your hard earned money on projects like taxpayer-funded abortion, heroin needles for drug addicts in Baltimore City, and welfare for illegal aliens. Just as families have to cut spending during hard times, the state of Maryland has to do the same instead of constantly going to taxpayers and taking more of your hard earned money.

Requiring that all future tax increases are approved by a 2/3 vote of the Maryland House and Senate. With the state facing another huge deficit next year, the Super-Majority Act will help prevent future tax increases. Currently, the General Assembly can raise taxes by a simple majority vote.

Maryland legislators receive both a pension and a 401(K) and their 90 days in Annapolis count for one year of full-time service in a pension plan. With Maryland’s pension system underfunded by almost $11 billion, all new legislators should only receive a 401 (K) plan and not a traditional pension.

Maryland is only one of two states in the nation to have both a death tax and an inheritance tax. These taxes are morally wrong and are hurting our state by causing individuals to move their estates and wealth out of Maryland.

Votes on budget bills should be prohibited until 72 hours after a bill is made publicly available on the Internet. Amendments to the budget should be posted on the Internet for 24 hours before a vote is cast. This will allow public input on the budget and will bring more transparency to government spending.

I believe high taxes and over regulation are destroying jobs in Maryland and sending employers to other states. We need to cut taxes, cut government red tape for small business owners, and work to create private-sector jobs.

Roll back the O’Malley tax increases

Competitively bid out non-essential government services to the private-sector

Establish a Business Ombudsman to assist businesses with regulations and to report on how government agencies work with businesses

Review all existing occupational licensing requirements and eliminate unnecessary ones

Exempt small businesses from unnecessary regulations

$500 tax credit on unemployment taxes for hiring a worker who has been on unemployment for more than 60 days

$1,200 income tax credit for employers who keep previously unemployed workers for more than 12 months

While the state has increased spending in every other area, it has spent too little to upgrade our roads. As a commuter to D.C., I know how frustrating it is to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic on roads carrying far more cars than they were designed for. Several of our road systems, including I-270 and Route-15, are a disgrace.

For years the General Assembly has taken the revenue from the gas and car taxes, which are supposed to be dedicated for road maintenance and repairs, and diverted that money into the state’s general fund where it is spent on non-transportation projects.

We need to put in legislative safeguards to ensure the General Assembly cannot continue to steal money from our Transportation fund. We also need to stop funding mass transit with money that is supposed to be used for building roads.

Reducing traffic congestion and building new roads will be one of my top priorities.

Our government must protect the sanctity of all human life. I am strongly pro-life and will work in the legislature to stop your tax dollars from being used to pay for abortions.

I support marriage as the union between one man and one woman.

During my time working for State Senator Alex Mooney and later as a Task Force Director at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), I have had the opportunity to work on many issues important to gun owners. I have worked to pass right-to-carry legislation in Maryland and around the country and worked to pass “castle doctrine” legislation which allows law-abiding citizens to protect their homes and property.

During the 2008 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly, I testified in front of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in support of Senate Bill 944 which would have prevented the seizure of firearms from law-abiding citizens during declared emergencies.

I am an NRA member and have been interviewed twice on NRA radio to talk about the second amendment rights of Americans.

I believe immigrants who come to this country legally are a great asset and make this nation stronger. However, illegal immigration has become a huge problem as the federal government has been unwilling to enforce our borders. Unfortunately, our state has enacted numerous policies which only reward and encourage illegal immigration. I am opposed to providing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Maryland is currently one of only six states which still grant licenses to illegal aliens. I also support making English the official language of the State.

I am also opposed to government welfare benefits and taxpayer handouts for illegal immigrants.

We need to continue to work ensure the pace of school construction matches the pace of residential development. I will work to control overcrowding in our classrooms.

I will also make it a priority to ensure we maintain quality teachers in our schools. Finally our state needs to maintain policies that respect the choice of parents who choose to home school their children or send them to private schools.

We are blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the state surrounded by mountains, farms, and rivers. We need to balance the need to build new homes and businesses with the need to preserve our region and our quality of life.

Hunting and fishing have long been traditions in my family; I want to make sure our streams and forests are preserved so the next generation can enjoy them.