Paul McPherson

Education

I believe there is room for the federal government to redirect some of the money allocated to research grants in higher education to support teachers, curriculum, and infrastructure in K-12. Additionally, such allocations need to be equal to all school systems so that schools in low-income areas have the same opportunities as those in wealthy areas. In public school, socioeconomic status should not dictate the level of education received. Learn more

I think work needs to be done to ensure colleges and universities have the funding necessary to properly equip labs, provide necessary training for faculty, and provide open, active learning spaces for future engineers and engineering technologists. With this, I also believe more oversight needs to be implemented to ensure that when funding is provided there is some level of documented Return on Investment and that the equipment is adequately utilized to gain the skills desired by manufacturing companies. Learn more

I am a firm believer that our K-12 and post-secondary education systems need a significant overhaul. To start, I will discuss the K-12 system. I believe there needs to be a significant increase in funding for teacher salaries and an overhaul of curriculum. Learn more

A significant amount of state and federal funding needs to be approved for reestablishing vocational education for high schools, and the development of high-tech makerspaces for K-8. Getting the proper educational technology in front of kids early is key to them gaining a genuine interest in technology and learning its capabilities. Without an early introduction, kids will naturally navigate away from things that they are not exposed to in their formative years. Learn more

In order to address the decline in practitioners, we need to incentivize young people through reducing educational costs associated with the field. Learn more

Regarding curriculum in grades 7–12, more instruction needs to be given to civics and practical life skills such as a deeper dive into the function and operation of each branch of government, personal finance, taxes, cooking, and more that can prepare students to be active citizens upon graduation. Learn more

Environment / Energy

I believe more offshore wind energy is a must. It is important to understand that our society consumes power just as quickly as it is added to the grid, therefore the addition of one source is really to help offset the rate at which we are consuming the other. Learn more

Infrastructure related to energy production is also critical. I believe that there needs to be a healthy investment in all forms of energy — wind, solar, coal, and nuclear. I think that there needs to be a review of how more solar can be added to already built infrastructure and allow companies and homeowners tax credits for installation of solar. Learn more

Foreign Policy

While I agree that Hamas also needs to be stopped, the way in which Netanyahu is conducting military operations is inhumane and unwarranted. After all, Netanyahu has for years been detaining Palestinians without trial and the US has turned a blind eye. Learn more

I will first discuss the Israel and Gaza war. I believe members of the current and former administration are guilty of allowing genocide in Gaza. The US needs to do more to prevent the famine and stop supplying Israel with weapons that are devastating the Gaza Strip and killing Palestinians. Congress again needs to step in and put a stop to the resources going to Israel until there is a halt to Netanyahu's leadership. Learn more

It is my belief that the US needs to provide the weapons necessary for Ukraine to adequately defend itself against the dictatorship of Russia. Honestly, we have allowed this war to go on for far too long and while I support not putting our troops on the ground, we also need an end to this war immediately. Learn more

Next, I will address the war between Ukraine and Russia. While I do not disagree that other nations should have more involvement, the US needs to defend a fellow democracy and continue supporting Ukraine. Learn more

Government Reform

I also believe there needs to be term limits for federal judges, including the Supreme Court. Having lifetime appointments can result in multi-generational consequences for each ruling that may no longer be the popular opinion of the people. Learn more

I am a firm believer in term limits. If elected to Congress, I too would commit to no more than 3 terms. I believe there is a need to pass the torch to the next generation. I also believe changing politicians is like changing a diaper — if you do not do it regularly, they begin to stink. Learn more

Guns

As an owner of firearms, I am an avid supporter of the 2nd Amendment. I am, however, also an avid supporter of legislation that will allow for deeper, more thorough background checks on individuals to better ensure the individual should possess a firearm. I also believe that more guns are not the solution. Learn more

I am not an advocate for conceal carry or open carry for that matter, unless much more extensive training is provided. I say this because if in a public setting, one person opens fire and multiple bystanders draw their own weapon, there becomes a situation where confusion may occur on who the real bad person is and opens the opportunity for even more people to get injured unintentionally. I am an advocate for responsible gun ownership and firearms training. Learn more

Healthcare

I would propose that more be done to more strictly regulate insurance companies and the negotiated prices, the cost of medical devices and medicines, and implement a much more reasonable fixed cost to procedures not available at the above proposed facility. Learn more

In my opinion, rather than spending the 2 trillion dollars to pay whatever rates the government sets for certain procedures, it should be used to buy existing vacant infrastructure — such as malls or industrial buildings — that can then be outfitted with healthcare equipment such as x-ray, MRI, CT, dialysis machines and much more to provide general and diagnostic healthcare. Learn more

Legislation needs to be passed that would require all healthcare providers to have a system that is able to communicate with other healthcare providers so that results of previous tests can be easily reviewed. Learn more

Immigration

We need to develop a quicker path to citizenship for individuals already in the country. Many immigrants are dealing with expired visas that, despite reapplying, are still waiting for renewal because of government inefficiencies. The backlog of immigration court hearings as well as inefficiencies at the federal level need to be reviewed and legislation to help resolve these issues needs to be passed. Learn more

While I completely support the need for immigrants to come into the country legally, I also recognize that we are a country of immigrants and we have allowed our government to greatly complicate the process of being able to come to the US through legal channels. So how do we move forward? We need legislation that addresses the various issues currently present in the immigration system. Learn more

Infrastructure / Transportation

The next infrastructure project that I believe the government should focus on is ensuring high speed internet is available to everyone, including the last mile. Since the Obama administration there have been trillions spent on such an initiative and yet there are many rural areas, especially in the Midwest, that still do not have access to high-speed internet. In a world that revolves around high-speed internet, this should be a high priority. Learn more

While I believe more of the federal budget needs to be allocated to repairing roads and bridges, I also believe that there needs to be an investment in new construction methods so that when they are built, they last longer. Additionally, I believe there needs to be more oversight on the millions of dollars spent on roads, as currently the government spends anywhere between 1 million and 10 million per mile of road built. Learn more

I believe the government needs to do more to preserve farmland from urban development. The development of farmland throughout the Midwest into subdivisions and industrial complexes has driven the cost of land to a point where many who want to be farmers are unable to afford even the land, let alone the equipment. If land prices are not able to return to an affordable price, the amount of land that is in agriculture will continue to erode and squash the small farms. Learn more

Legislation

I also believe the Farm Bill needs to expand to provide more protection and assistance for cattle farmers just as much as what crop farmers have received. Finally, with the ever-rising costs of starting a farm, a new Farm Bill should include more funding for new farmers to get started. Learn more

I believe Congress needs to refund and expand the Farm Bill immediately. Additionally, the Farm Bill also provides assistance for crop farmers during times of drought, natural disasters, and losses due to high input costs. Learn more

Taxes / Budget

I am a firm believer that our tax system has become way overcomplicated. First, I strongly support re-evaluating the historical tax cuts for corporations and the top 5–10% of earners in the US. Trickle-down economics has proven not to work several times in this country because our society is a ME over WE society. While there are some that actually use the tax cuts to reinvest in their companies and employees, the majority do not — ultimately expanding income inequality and leaving those in the middle- and lower-income classes with the burden of paying more to cover the deficit that the wealthy would have otherwise paid. Learn more

Wages / Job Benefits

It is no secret that wages have not kept up with the general cost of living. From rising auto and home insurance costs, increasing rent and interest rates, and increasing food costs, we as a society need to tackle these problems head on. Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword of a topic. We want higher wages but cheap goods, which is nearly impossible. Learn more