Below are my initial thoughts and positions on issues of importance to the people of the 11^th district. Over the next few weeks and months I will be providing additional details and my plans to create jobs, begin economic recovery, and rein in out of control spending.

Job Creation and Economic Recovery

Small businesses are the primary job creator of the American economy. The main goal of government should be to ensure small businesses are able to grow and not be constrained by burdensome regulation and taxes.

As a Chief Financial Officer of small businesses for most of my career, I understand the struggles that small business owners have meeting their payroll each month, and the burden that federal taxes and regulations have on their business and their ability to hire quality employees.

I believe the best way to keep our economy moving and create more jobs is to stop taking money out of the pockets of small businesses and allow them to invest in new ideas to spur economic development and ensure job creation.

As a Congressman, I will work to reduce federal mandates and regulations on small businesses that will inspire innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit of the job creators in our economy. I will also work to help small businesses have greater access to capital, so that they can have the tools they need to grow and succeed.

As Ronald Reagan said, “Government is not the answer to the problem, government is the problem.” Out of control government spending does not spur real job development or economic recovery, nor is it conducive to long term stability or success. We need to be implementing policies now that lower burdensome regulation and over taxation on businesses of all sizes.

Rein in Out of Control Spending

Irresponsible spending has led to a national debt that is one of the greatest threats facing America in the 21^st century. The federal deficit- over $1 trillion dollars in 2009 – will delay our economic recovery and mortgages the future of our children and grandchildren. As a nation we must deal with this issue as it is critical for our long term financial security.

As a Supervisor, I have led the fight to cut spending in the County. As a congressman, I will do the same at the federal level.

As an accountant and Chief Financial Officer for the last 25 years I have experience setting priorities, cutting costs and balancing budgets.  I will work tirelessly to curb government spending and will work to get America on sound financial footing.

Taxes

As a nation we have a spending problem not a revenue problem.  Accordingly, I have signed the taxpayers’ protection pledge.

The only way to a healthy economy is by keeping taxes low and as a Supervisor I have been a fierce proponent of protecting taxpayers from the unnecessary burden of new and higher taxes. In congress, I will do the same.

The current tax code is too complicated and burdensome. It is time Congress revamps our tax code and works to create a simplified process. Americans should not be double and tripled taxed.

Health Care

America’s healthcare system is the best in the world, and while it needs reform, it does not need a major overhaul.  The current bill would add trillions to the federal deficit, creates new taxes on the American people, saddle our businesses with new penalties and requirements, and will destroy the high quality of healthcare that Americans currently enjoy.

It is time for Washington to listen and start this process over with common sense proposals to improve our current system. The key to healthcare reform is less bureaucracy by cutting costs and returning healthcare decisions and choices to the consumers.

As your representative I will fight for:

• free market solutions such as health savings accounts and pooling by small businesses and cooperatives to allow all Americans access to affordable, private healthcare,
• implementation of tort reform to reduce the presence of frivolous lawsuits which drive up the cost of insurance for medical practitioners,
• eliminating the restrictions on competition between health insurance companies in different states and expand the portability of plans, and
• using technology to reduce the fraud and waste in the system.

Healthcare reform should not increase the federal deficit and the government should not be making health care decisions. Those choices are best left between patients and their doctors.  To see my version of the health care plan click here.

Communicate with Constituents

I believe you cannot claim to represent the people if you do not communicate with your constituents.

As a Supervisor, I have held nine widely publicized town hall meetings; and I promise to do hold regular, open town hall meetings in Fairfax and Prince William counties as your Representative.

As an Elected Official, I serve you, the people. To that end, communication is an important component to my service to you. As Springfield Supervisor, I have published a monthly newsletter, the Herrity Report that keeps citizens up to date on my positions and encourages feedback. As your congressman, I will continue to have open, honest, two-way communication with all of my constituents. I will continue to reach out and work in a bi-partisan fashion with all elected officials.

As an elected official I have made constituent support a key responsibility and as your congressman I will continue to make my constituent service my number one priority.

Energy

Our nation can no longer afford to be dependent on foreign nations for our energy. Energy independence is critical to both our national security as well as our financial freedom.

I believe America’s long-term energy independence will be a combination of the development of alternative energy sources as well as more efficient use of existing energy sources such as natural gas, nuclear, clean coal and domestic oil.

As your Congressman, I will:

• Vigorously oppose legislation such as “Cap and Trade” which stifles American energy growth and creates unnecessary taxes on American families;
• Support offshore drilling and encourage the development of energy in Virginia and work with Governor Bob McDonnell to make Virginia the “Energy Capital of the East Coast.”
• Work to help spur the development of alternative energy sources and support tax credits for those Americans who choose to utilize clean, alternative energy sources.

Education

As a parent, civic leader and local Elected Official I have always championed focusing our education resources in the classroom, and I will take that philosophy to the Congress.

As your Congressman, I will support:

• Allowing parents to have the freedom to choose how their children are educated and where their children will go to school.
• Vouchers and other innovative options such as magnet and charter schools which have been proven to help increase competition and educational development
• Demanding accountability to ensure that are students are learning and that our school’s are providing our children with the highest quality of education.

No Child Left Behind was a policy that had the best of intentions but has unfortunately damaged education in this country. As your Congressman, I will work to help reform the education system and fight to return education to the locality’s, where it belongs.

Family Issues

I believe that the family is a core institution to our society. As a father of two wonderful children and as an adoptive parent I believe we should support and encourage adoption. As a practicing Catholic, I am pro-life and I support the Defense of Marriage Act

Environment

As a society, we owe it to future generations to be responsible stewards of our environment and natural resources. It is important that we work to strike a balance between protecting the environment and the cost of those protections is critical so that we do not put American businesses and jobs at a competitive disadvantage in the global economy.

We do not have to choose between a clean environment and a thriving economy.

Card Check

On the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors I have been a staunch defender of Virginia’s Right to Work laws. Card Check hurts workers by forcing them to accept mandatory arbitration and I believe employees have a right to choose through secret ballots.

As your Congressman, I will:

• Vigorously oppose the Employee Free Choice Act and oppose any attempt to end secret ballots in voting to form a union.
• Oppose attempts to force unionization – it hurts job creation and negatively affects our ability to compete in a global market.

National Security

Our government’s number one responsibility is the safety of its citizens against all enemies. Our nation faces many threats and now is not the time to let our guard down.

As your Representative, I will:

• Ensure that our Armed Forces receive the necessary funding to do their job safely and effectively.
• Ensure that our military has the resources it needs to carry out our missions in Afghanistan and Iraq
• Work to ensure that terrorists are not given the rights of American citizens or be allowed to be tried under our criminal justice system but should be treated as enemy combatants of the United States.

As we move forward in the 21^st Century, we as a nation must realize that we are engaged in a Global War on Terror, and America must remain vigilant to the risk posed by terrorists and extremists who threaten our citizens both home and abroad.

Veterans

As Springfield Supervisor, I led the effort in Fairfax County to make sure that the votes of those serving abroad and using the Federal Write in Absentee Ballot were counted in the 2008 election; and I will continue to work to protect the voting rights of the men and women serving our country.

The sacrifice that our men and women in uniform have made for our nation should not go unappreciated. As congressman, I will support providing proper funding to care for our veterans, especially those injured in service to our nation.

I believe we as a nation must do a better job to lend a hand to our returning heroes. That is why I will support programs that assist our veterans in starting small businesses, gaining access to capital and utilizing their skills in the private marketplace.

Immigration

Immigration reform must start with securing our border. Our lack of a secured border is a national security issue first and foremost and it must be dealt with quickly and correctly.

I believe our immigration policy should be a wide gate and a high fence, whereby we support legal immigration but ensure that we have a secured border in place.

I support an increase in the number of H-1B visas for highly educated in demand technology workers and believe that a common sense approach to immigration reform that rewards those who have followed our naturalization process and have waited their turn to become American citizens is the best policy.

As a Supervisor in Fairfax County, I have pushed to ensure illegal aliens that have committed crimes are turned over to proper authorities to be deported. As a congressman, I will ensure that we help stop illegal immigration and instead work to develop a system that protects our borders and allows for legal immigration and naturalization.

We must always remember that we are a nation of immigrants and our diversity is one of our great strengths.

Crime

As a civic and elected leader, I have been at the forefront of keeping our communities safe and our neighborhoods protected. I understand how important it is for our children to live in a safe community and I have been a vigorous proponent of ensuring a fair but strict criminal justice system.

As our community continues to change, the safety of the residents will continue to be one of my top priorities. I will promote and work with other leaders to ensure that we have laws on the books that ensure the safety of all citizens.

Trade

We live in a global economy and we need to make sure that the United States is able to maintain is ability to compete in that economy. America must support business friendly policies if it intends to maintain a leader in the 21^st century, global economy. As a congressman, I will:

• Support free trade and maintaining a level playing field between the United States and other countries.
• Oppose any tax that puts American business at a competitive disadvantage in the global economy.

The Second Amendment

I believe that the Bill of Rights and the 2^nd Amendment protect the rights of all law-biding citizens to “keep and bear arms.” As a congressman, I will be a proud defender of this Right.

Government Transparency

As a Supervisor, I have fought to have Fairfax County’s checkbook published online and will bring the same philosophy of fiscal transparency to the federal government. As taxpayers you have the right to know where your money is going, and as your Congressman I will work to make that happen.

I will also work to increase transparency in the appropriations process so that you know how and where your tax dollars are being spent.

Lyme Disease

I led the effort to pilot the 4 poster deer bait station in Fairfax County which safely applies a tickicide to deer, killing ticks that carry Lyme disease.

I worked with Delegates Tim Hugo and Barbara Comstock to get Virginia to protect doctors’ options to treat Lyme disease.

I led the effort to have the County’s Health Department educate our local doctors and health professionals on Lyme disease.

As a Congressman I will work with other leaders such as Rep. Frank Wolf to increase funding for Lyme disease research and I will push for increased monitoring and tracking of victims of Lyme disease by the Center for Disease Control.