THE FIRST AMENDMENT:
The founders of our great nation ratified the Bill of Rights in 1791 to expand upon our Constitution. Among the ten amendments to the Constitution are the first amendment, which is the Freedom of religion, speech and the press; and rights of assembly and petition.  The second amendment guarantees our right to bear arms, and the ninth and tenth amendments define rights retained by the people and powers retained by the states and the people.  When the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, we witnessed assaults on our freedoms as defined in the bill of rights through lockdowns of schools, houses of worship, family gatherings at weddings, funerals, graduations and more. What was done in the name of public safety was an affront to the rights guaranteed to all American citizens by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I see these attacks on our liberties as governmental over-reach.  Citizens at the local level must be empowered to assert their first amendment rights. Never again should we allow our governmental institutions to shutter churches and free speech through coordinated attacks on speech in social media.

THE SECOND AMENDMENT: To read my position on the 2nd Amendment click HERE.

THE NINTH & TENTH AMENDMENT:
The ninth and tenth amendments define rights retained by the people, and the powers retained by the states and the people.  The Covid-19 pandemic is an example of the federal government attacking our rights defined by these amendments. Individual states and people are empowered and responsible for our actions and policies regarding public safety in the light of this pandemic.  Nationwide mask mandates and employer mandated vaccines, without regard to individual health conditions (such as pregnancy, and serious illness) as a condition of employment are examples government overreach in this regard.  I have friends in the Navy whose careers were ended because their religious exemption requests were denied by the Department of Defense.  And we have all seen numerous examples of first responders who have been fired for refusing the Covid vaccine, even though many of these same people have or had natural immunity to Covid. 

These are just several examples of the federal and state executives who believe their powers are greater than individual citizens, who are truly endowed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. As your elected State Representative, I will fight for your individual rights as defined by our nation’s founders.