Issues

Where Lori Stands on the issues

TAXES: I oppose increasing taxes on Arizona’s hardworking families or businesses. In fact, I will work to lower the tax burden on Arizona’s families and businesses, including our business property taxes that are the 4th highest in the nation. If we are going to grow our economy and create jobs, we must pursue pro-growth policies that attract employers. My opponent and I disagree on this issue. He supports an 18% increase in our state sales tax while I believe that increasing taxes during these difficult times is exactly the wrong thing to do.

SPENDING: Governor Napolitano grew state spending at an irresponsible and unsustainable rate. We need to cut spending and use the same rules in government that we use in our own homes and businesses. We cannot spend more than we have. Our State Constitution actually prohibits our state government from taking on debt, yet that is exactly what current and past politicians are doing. I will work to identify areas where government can cut spending, create efficiency, halt redundancy and unnecessary expenses, privatize and make government processes open and accessible to citizens and officials who are held accountable for their actions.

PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS: As a board member of the Orange Coalition, a grassroots Private Property Rights organization, and as the former Executive Director of Proposition 207 that, in 2008, gave Arizona the best private property rights law in the country, you can count on me to look after your rights and to protect you from any government efforts to encroach on your property rights.

LIFE & FAMILY ISSUES: I am 100% pro-life and pro-family. I believe that we need to protect life at every stage, and promote adoption and abortion alternatives to encourage a culture of life. I believe in marriage between one man and one woman and that the family is the fundamental building block of society.

SECOND AMENDMENT: Our Constitution is clear, yet politicians continue to try to ignore “Shall Not Infringe. ” I will continue to protect your right to legally keep and bear arms, without exception.

OUR CONSTITUTION & ARIZONA'S STATES RIGHTS: I will work to protect and strengthen the protections laid out in our U.S. and Arizona Constitutions, and I will work to reassert our state’s rights as defined in the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

UNFUNDED MANDATES: I oppose any unfunded mandates forced on Arizona by our federal government.

HEALTH CARE: I have a long record of fighting to protect our personal health care rights, and I will continue this work in the Arizona State Senate. I have been working to create very strong rights, enshrined in our state’s constitution, that allow you to choose not to participate in government-approved or dictated health insurance schemes. Your right to choose your doctor and your care is fundamental and should not be infringed upon. You should not ever be forced to purchase government healthcare.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: I believe we must enforce our laws, secure our border at all costs, and prohibit sanctuary city policies. I oppose amnesty for illegal aliens and support legislation that prohibits those here illegally from receiving any taxpayer funded benefits. I support the good work that Sheriff Joe Arpaio, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, State Senator Russell Pearce and others are doing to protect our state, in spite of the massive failures by our federal government to do the same.

LAW ENFORCEMENT: Government’s first purpose is to provide for the protection of its citizens. Supporting law enforcement and our first responders is key to this.

EDUCATION: I support merit pay for teachers, charter schools, tuition tax credits and corporate tax credits, parental choice and involvement including homeschooling, and creative ways to make sure that our tax dollars are going to the teachers and the classrooms, rather than a top heavy bureaucracy.

 

Lessons Learned

A couple of years ago, on my way home from an event, I was pulled over for speeding. The officer asked me if I had had anything to drink that night. I had two glasses of wine so I said "yes" and agreed to take a breathalyzer test. I wasn’t terribly concerned because I had consumed the glasses over a long period of time and I felt fine.

So you can imagine how I felt when he said that my blood alcohol content was at .08—the legal definition of a DUI. Stunned, shocked, and embarrassed just to start. As the mother of three teenaged boys, I always had imagined how I would handle it when the call came from them in the middle of night. Now I was the one making the phone call. It turns out that losing fifty pounds and being in ketosis, as well as having a slower metabolism is not a good combination if you are going to drink wine, even with dinner.

It only took me a short while to realize that as embarrassing as this was, I was actually quite lucky. I might not have felt impaired, but the limit is set at .08 for a reason, and the evening could very well have ended tragically for me, my family, or even someone else’s family.

Since that night, I’ve used the event to warn and teach my friends and family about the importance of not having even that first drink if you know you will be driving later on. Get a designated driver or order the iced tea.

Some people are surprised by my willingness to talk about this event, but what good is learning a lesson the hard way if you can’t share it and help others with the lesson learned? For more information on the dangers of drinking and driving, please visit www.drinkinganddriving.org, and for information on how to talk to your kids about alcohol/drugs, please visit www.theantidrug.com.