CHAD'S STANCE ON THE ISSUES FACING OUR COMMUNITY
One thing that I want to express is that while these are my opinions, I don't have all of the answers, my job as YOUR State Representative would be to represent and vote YOUR interest and concerns according to the way YOU want me to. To fight for your interest is my only priority and together we can come to a sensable solution.
Property Taxes: As a real estate professional, I'm on the front lines in the war over property taxes. While this tax does fund various services we take for granted from law enforcement to our local school districts, I believe that this tax which has, since the first re-assessment several years ago, caused a lot of middle class home-owners and even commercial and residential rental property owners extreme distress and should be completely overhauled. I really don't believe that sending our citizens a lump sum bill every six months for the previous year is a productive way of conducting business. Those who can afford to move to a different state are doing so and this is also keeping new businesses from relocating to our state and current residing businesses from growing.
Education: This is an issue that never gets old and never seems to get fixed. With the introduction of charter schools, we have barely scratched the surface on this topic. As a nation, we have fallen behind the rest of the world in education. In Indiana, we have gotten a little better, however, I would support a total education system reform and research the education system in our private and charter schools in order to come up with ways to better improve our public educational system. Additionally, if we want to keep children from dropping out of school and attend college, they need some sort of incentive to stay in school.
Employment: With all of the good manufacturing jobs that have left the state in the last two decades only to be replaced by an influx of low paying retail jobs that actually keeps their employees below the poverty line, I believe we need to bring those manufacturing jobs we lost back to the state. I congratulate Governor Mitch Daniels for getting companies to commit to building new plants and bring those jobs to Indiana and I believe we're on the right track, but at the same time we need to attract and bring more high tech and better paying jobs to Indianapolis and I would work with the governor to make this a reality, thus eliminating the "Brain Drain". I also support making it easier for people to start their own businesses and getting funding and education to do so, thus empowering them to build their own dreams and help keep the economy moving.
Crime: While this tends to be more of a municipal issue, the recent rise in crime nationwide makes this problem a national epidemic. I believe that Mayor Ballard is correct in the sense that the mayor, not the county sheriff should be in control of the city police department. Not just for practical reasons, but the simple fact that having all of that power over the largest law enforcement agency in the county should not rest with one man with no oversight. As anyone who has either worked for the sheriff's department or knows much about it, can tell how political it really is. I've spoken with many police officers that have personally told me how much they felt demoralized since the merger. As a corrections officer at one of the numerous incarceration facilities we have in downtown Indianapolis, I have seen a revolving door for people who have had a brush with the law and the problem is that the offenders keep getting younger and younger. Incarceration is not working when these people serve their time without some kind of reform; they come out physically stronger and more powerful criminally than when they went in. We need to reform these individuals and not just ship them off to a "networking for criminals" camp. We need to offer companies that offer high and better pay a tax credit for giving offenders a chance to become better citizens and turn their lives around.
Welfare Reform: I strongly agree with the old phrase: Feed a man a fish and feed him for a day or Feed and Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. My parents made sure I understood the concept of working in order to satisfy my needs and wants. Today, there are many people who are on our every growing welfare system. With respect to those that work and truly need help to make ends meet and put food on the table for their family, there are those that don't even try to work and believe that they can just live off of the taxpayer instead of pulling their own weight. I believe to institute true welfare reform, we need to give people who are in the welfare system and are able to work a reasonable time limit to be in the system. This way they can gain the skills needed through expanded welfare to work programs and grant them a form of state sponsored childcare credit (if needed) in order to be able to go out into the workforce and be able to have their children taken care of while they are in the program. I feel that this will help develop a more skilled workforce and curb the massive spending in the current welfare system.
Amending the State Constitution to cap Property Taxes: I believe that property taxes should be capped since the reassessments over the past several years have forced homeowners into selling or losing their homes completely because they could not afford to pay the government. The old system is simply not working and something needs to be done. Amending the constitution solidifies this. Home and property ownership is the single biggest freedom that we as Americans take for granted everyday and everything should be done to protect that freedom. I believe that SJR 1 was a very good beginning to fix this problem.
I-69 Expansion: This interstate is a federal project spanning multiple states from Canada to Mexico and the idea that the states have to find ways to fund it is simply ludicrous. I believe the federal government should pick up a good majority of the funding for the project and working with our congressional representatives ensures cooperation between the state and federal governments to allow this expansion to move forward.
Hoosier Lottery: The lottery was set up to help fund state services and cut down other expenses the taxpayers were paying at the time. I believe privatizing this program should be examined thoroughly due to the fact that the money generated would need to go to help taxpayers as it has for some time.
Privatizing State Programs: I don't believe the state should be expected to pay for everything. Money is not infinite and inflation only works one way. Too much money going out and not enough coming in leads to an eventual bankruptcy, even on a governmental level. If something can be privatized doesn't mean it should and these should be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
Constitutional Amendment on Marriage Definition: I don't believe that marriage is something that needs an amendment to the constitution in order to be defined. Constitutions are meant to be a government's Standard Operating Procedure on what a government can and can't as well as ensure the freedoms of all it's citizens not a select group of people, nor should it be used to penalize or single out a select group.
Gambaling Expansion: I believe gambling has done a lot of good in Indiana, however, we do not need this industry like certain other states as the driving force of our economy. I think we should examine and evaluate the effects and benefits to gambling expansion and not allow it to get out-of-control.
Government Consolidation: While I agree that some areas of government are redundant. I think we should look at these carefully and not rush into this any type of consolidation. As a taxpayer that was affected by the police consolidation of IPD and the MCSD not just in my pocket but in my immediate family this is not a subject that should be taken lightly. It should be carefully examined and thoroughly checked before implemented. I believe that the Kernan-Shepard Report (a non-partisan study of state government consolidation) was an excellent look at where we need to consolidate because having over three thousand different government entities with taxing ability is clearly uncalled for. We need to bring our state system of government into the twenty-first century without constituent or civil service shortfalls and not keep it in the mid nineteenth century.
Environment: I am an advocate for a cleaner, healthier environment for the simple reason that we have to take care of not just our constructed homes, but our global home. I don't want my decedents to have to suffer with an environment that our generation created due to negligence.