MURPHY FOR U.S. SENATE 2024

I believe America needs a system of taxation that provides economic security for our middle-class, social mobility for our working poor, reward for business and job creation, and risk taking.  As citizens, our relationship with the federal government is defined by our system of taxation.  When government takes excessive amounts of what we create, produce, and earn, that relationship is strained.  I advocate a Flat-Tax rate of 12%, eventually sliding down to 10%, to promote the economic growth needed in coming decades as we face more potent global competition.  I believe we should abolish the capital gains tax in its entirety, all estate and death taxes (when you leave this earth, the IRS should not follow you), and the AMT. 

Americans’ are laboring under record high inflation, high interest rates, record high credit card debt, record high car repossessions, record high federal debt and federal deficits.  To change the direction of America’s economy, we need pro-growth policies, balanced budgets, and American energy independence.

America’s military should always remain second-to-none. As we were made painfully aware on October 7^th, 2023, radical islamic terrorism is still a threat to civilized nations.  The hard truth is that America faces an array of hostile foreign threats: Communist government of China; Iran, North Korea, and Iran.  Human development is being threatened by terrorists and communist dictators that share the objective of knocking off America as the World’s Super Power.  America’s military should have the capacity to fight and win two wars simultaneously.

There is no greater crisis threatening America today, than the Biden administration’s open border policies.  I believe Americans’ want our borders secured.  Understanding this, I believe we should conclude construction of the southern border wall started by the Trump Administration.  I also believe in securing our northern border with Canada, and drastically reforming our VISA system to be able to track VISA holders including students.  I believe in withholding federal aid to cities and states that declare themselves ‘sanctuary for illegal aliens’.  I support section 287 (g) of the INA (Immigration & Nationality Act) to permit more state and local law enforcement involvement in immigration enforcement.  Further, given the Biden Administration’s border policy has resulted in drug cartels controlling the southern border with Mexico, I believe we need to station the U.S. Military on our border to regain control.

I am pro-life; I believe life begins at conception, and there is inherent value in each individual life.  My exceptions are the life of the mother, and the rape/incest exceptions.  I believe our government should promote a culture that values innocent human life.  I oppose tax dollars funding abortion.  I support parental notification, the ban on partial birth abortion, and pro adoption policies.

American cities should be centers of vibrant commerce, culture, and social life.  However, Urban America is deteriorating with business and citizen flight, crime, homelessness, drugs, and filth.  Urban residents are experiencing a declining quality of life.  Sanctuary cities serve as a magnet for illegal aliens and criminal activity.  The crime issue is complex, however, we can make great strides in reducing crime and violence afflicting American cities: Secure our border; stop the flow of fentanyl; deport criminal aliens; bring federal charges against criminals when state and local prosecutors fail to enforce criminal codes.

I agree with those who want universal health coverage for Americans, however, I adamantly oppose government-run healthcare.  I believe the principles of privacy, quality, accessibility, and affordability should be the basis for any healthcare policy. I will advocate legislation that:

Ensures every American should own a Health Savings Account – these health care tools are portable, not employer owned, private, and can be left to the owners’ heirs as a way of insuring family members

Promotes Competition – allow all Americans to purchase health insurance from any insurance company in the country, creating a national insurance market. Currently Americans’ and their employers are constrained by having access only to insurers in their home states.  We need competition nationally.  Competition raises quality and reduces costs.

Seriously Combats Waste, Fraud, and Abuse – It is estimated that Medicare and Medicaid are afflicted with approximately 100-billion dollars a year in Fraud and Abuse.  This astronomical amount of money siphoned from our health care system is unconscionable. We need to create a special Medicare & Medicaid Fraud Unit, provide substantial financial rewards for information leading to a Fraud conviction, and enact severe penalties for abuse of the system.  All dollars recouped from fraud and abuse should be recycled into the Medicare system to keep Medicare solvent.

I will oppose any attempt by the government that threatens to take away our Constitutional right to bear arms and protect ourselves, our families, and our property.  I will oppose all attempts to suppress 2A rights whether from domestic or international bodies.

Given the attempt by the left to sexualize children through public school curriculum, the Republican Party has an extraordinary opportunity to establish itself as the ‘Party-of-Parents.’  Parents control their children’s education – there is no co-parenting arrangement between government and parents, period.  I am pro education; we have no future without a vibrant public education system.  I believe in school choice and competition between all schools as a way to strengthen our education system.  Competition works, and has made the American economy the most successful known to human civilization.  I advocate the complete abolition of the Federal Department of Education, and that their annual budget of approximately 100-billion dollars be equally divided among each individual and local school board, solely for public education funding.  This would inject billions-of-dollars directly into public education for each state.  This would provide a real solution for New Jersey’s problem of over-reliance on property taxes to fund public education. 

I believe we should develop the almost limitless sources of energy known to be located right here in America.  Specifically, in just three states in the American West (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming) America has in shale oil three times the amount of proven oil reserves in Saudi Arabia.  Trillions of dollars of assets that could be added to our economy are instead being sent overseas greatly aggravating our trade imbalance and weakening our dollar.  Tens-of-thousands of union blue-collar jobs are not being created because we refuse to develop our own energy supplies.  I want to create wealth for our economy, and create these jobs so our middle class has the economic opportunity and security they deserve.  We need to safely extract these resources to forever end our dependence on foreign oil, especially from the Middle East.  I also support the development of alternative fuel production technologies and the continued development of solar power.  I also strongly support the expansion of nuclear power in the U.S.  If development of domestic energy sources cannot be accomplished in an environmentally responsible manner, I will not support development of that particular source/project.

I want to establish a Grace Commission, similar to the one President Reagan created in 1981, to identify waste, fraud, and beauacratic duplication.  The results will be submitted to congress in a manner similar to the successful BRAC (Base Realignment).  Congress would vote up or down on the recommendations.  BRAC was successful in removing waste from the DOD budget; we need to do the same for federal spending. I support a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.