LIFE

The 2022 General Assembly session attempted to pass one of the most egregious abortion laws in the country. SB 669 (HB 626) would legalize the killing of unborn and newly born babies for any reason, including the termination of babies up to 4 weeks after birth. (SB 669 used the term perinatal which includes the period of 28 days after birth.) In contrast, SB 672 (HB 1420) imposes up to 3 years in jail for neglecting an animal that leads to its death. The liberal “progressives” say it’s OK to set a newborn baby off to the side on a cart until it dies, but they’ll put you in jail for treating a newborn puppy the same way. To be clear, the mistreatment of animals should not be condoned, but the current General Assembly leaders have lost their moral compass and have placed a higher value on animals than on human life. As for “choice”, Abortionists market this issue as a “choice” because freedom and choice are at the core of American values. But it’s not just the mother’s body that is at stake. The baby has a life, too, and is an innocent victim when an abortion is carried out. I believe abortion is morally wrong because a pre-born baby is still a human being, created in God’s image. I will oppose the expansion of unrestricted abortions and will push for policies to provide alternatives for mothers in distress and to more fully engage the fathers. I will oppose the use of tax dollars to pay for abortions and to fund abortionist training.

SAFETY

Police and community relations are strained, and it will take time and a concerted effort to restore trust. We need to increase the number of officers, ensure they are well trained, and ensure the police accountability boards are fair for all parties involved.

DRUG ABUSE and MENTAL HEALTH

Drug overdoses have become epidemic. The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reports that 4.7% of all deaths in MD are from drug overdoses – this is the highest percentage in the nation. Maryland ranks 6th for drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people according to the CDC. We have a growing drug problem and need to address it on multiple fronts. First, track down the dealers and close the pipelines that are bringing in drugs. Second, replace programs that enable continued drug abuse (clean needles) with programs that help people get off drugs and stay clean. Third, adopt proven and effective drug awareness programs in our schools. Most of us have faced some level of anxiety over the past two years, and some have struggled with depression or other mental health issues for many years. While counseling services are available through county services and private organizations, we need to evaluate if there are enough resources. There is a marked increase in adolescent depression and anxiety disorders, so this area in particular needs attention. I applaud the new Maryland Suicide Fatality Review Committee that was created by SB0094 and will begin this October. This issue is linked to our drug problem and I would propose that the Committee meet bi-weekly or monthly rather than quarterly to accelerate their initial fact finding due to the urgency of this issue.

2ND AMENDMENT

The 2nd Amendment says we have a right “to keep and bear arms”. It places no stipulations on the type and size of the gun. More gun control laws will not stop shootings like Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, NY. The problem is not what type of weapon they used or how many rounds they carried. The real problem is why they chose to deal with their situation by killing others. What went wrong in their lives that made such violence their “best option”? In some cases, there may be signals – verbal threats, social media postings, etc. – that violence may be eminent. But I have great concerns over the red flag laws. While they may sound good and “reasonable”, I believe there will be far too many cases of people being denied their rights without due process. These laws rely on the perceptions of one person about the intentions of another, and we are just not perfect judges in this way.

ELECTION INTEGRITY

Election integrity is vitally important at all levels – local, state, and national. My goal is simple: “Easy to Vote. Hard to Cheat.” If elected, I will oppose any attempt at a mass-mailing of ballots like what was done during 2020. I will oppose further attempts to loosen validity checks on mail-in ballots and will seek to reinstate some of these checks that have been stripped away. I will push to institute ID checks at the polls. To suggest that this disenfranchises minority voters is disingenuous and insulting to minorities who have no problem showing an ID to board an airplane, see a doctor, or get a grocery store rewards card.

TERM LIMITS

I support a limit of two consecutive terms for our state legislators.

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