A Vote for Doug Cloud is a Vote for:

1. A Strong Private Economy - Without a thriving private economy our entire society is affected through less innovation and wealth creation and ultimately, less individual freedom. The government creates no wealth and innovates very slowly, if at all.

2. Lower Taxes - The quickest way to kill economic and political freedom is to impose high taxation, especially when taxes are taken from some and given to others who at the moment are more politically popular.

3. Less Governmental Regulation of the Economy - The most binding economic straight jacket is a heavy layer of regulation and taxation which suppresses effort and initiative.

4. Smaller Government - We cannot have a strong economy when the governmental sector continues to crowd out private enterprise. Government can create no real economic growth. An ever larger public sector of the economy is relying upon an ever shrinking private sector. That trend is not sustainable without a substantial reduction in our standard of living.

5. Racial Equality for All by Ending Racial Preferences - Racial preferences of any sort are demeaning to both majority and minority and are contrary to the American ideal of equal protection under the law. A truly free enterprise economy will not sustain Racism in any form. Racism, in reality, has usually been the creature of Government. In fact, the racism is a product of collectivism and can only truly be combated with a respect for the integrity of every individual. Protection of Individual Liberty is the essence of our U.S. Constitution, however imperfect it has been in the past.

6. Secure Borders / No Welfare for Illegal Aliens - We must secure our borders for National Security reasons, as well as for our own self interest. Unfortunately, there are radical Islamic terrorists afoot who have a suicidal urge to destroy Western culture and society. This is simply not acceptable and we must protect our citizens and culture from terrorists, potentially nuclear armed, simply walking across our borders. We will not solve the world’s problems by importing them to our shores.

7. Realistic Energy Solutions - If allowed to work unfettered, the free market will solve the “energy crises”. Already the run up in the price of oil has spurred the development of new sources of energy; higher prices lead to higher supplies and less demand. Ultimately, as new sources come to market, the price of energy will come down. If the market is not allowed to work we will be left with shortages of energy and a less prosperous economy, like that of the 1970’s, with long gas lines and de-facto rationing.

8. Skepticism of the Global Warming Theory - Despite the Liberal mantra that man-caused global warming is fact it remains at best a theory, one that is tenuous because of its reliance upon computer modeling of numerous variables. Modeling of this sort has not resulted in accurate long range weather forecasting, so why should we rely upon it to predict something far more complex?. Weather has always been cyclical and I am not convinced that we should run the economy off the cliff in the name of an unproven theory. Certainly, we can ameliorate greenhouse gases by using alternative energy, such as wind, solar, clean coal and nuclear. Pollution should always be discouraged but we cannot endanger our economy and way of life in the name of a popular theory.

9. A Sound and Stable Currency - Inflation is the hidden tax that we all pay, as result of the constantly inflating money and credit supply, fostered by a debt ridden Federal Government that in a sense, pays some of it’s debts by putting more money in circulation. This needs to be stopped and all governments, Local, State and Federal, must truly balance their budgets and quit making false promises to the people.

10. A Strong and Sovereign United States - The United States of America, our Constitution and our culture are worth preserving. We must resist the drive toward World Government while still favoring free trade. Our concept of right and wrong, of freedom and liberty and of private property are part of our common values. We cannot descend back to primitive socialism or give in to Islamic extremists who so irrationally target us. Although I did not support the decision to invade Iraq I do support a strong response to terrorism. We must set a flexible timetable for withdrawal from Iraq while keeping a wary eye on and delivering a firm and deadly response to Al Quaida. Our military might must not be dissipated. The high price of oil is a crutch to radical Islam. Alternative energy development, such as greatly expanded nuclear power would hit the oil exporting countries right in their most vulnerable spot, the pocketbook.