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.
