THE ISSUES
On life...
I am unapologetically pro-life. In every instance and at any moment. A horrible decision by The US Supreme Court in the 1970s does not define or determine a human being's intrinsic right to life. Not only is abortion a clear Constitutional violation of an individual's rights of 'due process,' it is an affront to God. Human beings are created in the image of God, and each and every one of us is infinitely valuable. Simply put, life is sacred, and I will always advocate to end legalized abortion in every instance and with no exception. A child's size, geographical location, self-sustaining ability, or others' opinions about his or her existence DOES NOT make him or her less human.
On The Second Amendment...
What part of 'shall not be infringed' is so hard to understand? Clearly the right to keep and bear arms is under assault via calculated, forced erosion. It is happening slowly with some minor victories for our 'pro 2nd Amendment' side, but make no mistake: if we fail to elect leaders who will be TRUE firewalls, the media and progressive left will eviscerate our rights.
I am staunchly AGAINST any regulations, laws, and punitive taxes that restrict ammunition, magazine capacity, weapon caliber, and quantity/types of gun accessories.
I am firmly advocating for Universal or Constitutional Carry laws to be passed in Nevada and all states for that matter.
I am against gun owner registry encumbrances, burdens, and red-tape.
On the First Amendment...
The cultural, federal, and media pressure is against your 1st Amendment God-given rights. We were witness to unconstitutional attacks against houses of worship through much of 2020. We have seen small businesses in New York, Washington, and other states suffer financial devastation when operating in accordance to their moral conscience. There is a constant siege against free speech that conflates violence with statements that are disagreeable. The media and the left, aided by impotent and weak Republicans, conflate being offended with being criminally victimized. There is a huge difference, and Nevada needs strong leadership as a buttress to keep your rights intact.
On mask and vaccine mandates...
I am 100% against vaccine and mask mandates. The state and federal government have no authority to coerce it's citizenry or weaponize bureaucrats (like OSHA) against business owners and workers. I will strongly advocate for safeguards against future instances of tyranny and governor-mandated abuse of power.
Furthermore, I will push for legislation that caps our governor's ability to rule by 'executive fiat' in declaring liberty-crushing 'perpetual states of emergency.' The elected legislature votes and passes laws in our state--not the governor. And certainly not Dr. Fauci, Bill Gates, or other bureacratic tyrants. Governor Sisolak is the chief magistrate of Nevada and is tasked to sign bills passed by the legislature into law, veto them, convene special sessions of the legislature, and otherwise execute the laws as written in Nevada. He is also allowed to grant reprieves and pardons, but if he wants to make laws, then he should resign his position and run for Assembly.
On election integrity…
The universal mail-in ballots flooding our mailboxes are a disaster and direct threat to fair elections. I will work to reverse that course. We need voter ID and these mail-in ballots need to be formally requested and not automatically sent out.
On CRT (Critical Race Theory) or its Principles taught in our schools...
I am 100% against the racist ideology behind these teachings. At no time should any individual child absorb ANY notion that he or she is responsible for past or even current actions of groups who engaged in abusive and racist behavior. Racial discord has been reintroduced and magnified exponentially since I was in public school, and so much of the progress that we achieved as a result of REAL civil rights activism is being destroyed by an agenda-driven media, corporate special interest, and progressive politicians right now as you read this. You don't counteract real or perceived racism with more racism. That is not logical, and it is 100% immoral. Our kids deserve our protection.
On Water Rights and Conservation...
It is very apparent Nevadans need to conserve our valuable water resources. With Lake Mead being overly allocated to outside states and Mexico already, and drought conditions affecting Nevada and the West, we must be good stewards of our water. However, with that being said, I firmly believe that well-informed citizens in our state make good choices and exercise good stewardship of these resources without excessive government coercion and regulation.
The state water engineer's 1293A order was vociferously opposed by Pahrump (Nye County) citizens and later upheld by the Nevada Supreme Court. This was not a fair solution to our water woes. The Nevada Law clearly states that residents seeking to drill a domestic well for family/domestic use, are entitled to do so and use no more that 2 acre feet per year. Factually speaking, very few residents come close to using that allocation. The data suggests most Nevadans using domestic well water, do so in a very responsible manner.
Yes there is the provision whereby the state engineer can intervene and thereby restrict certain uses, but this sweeping and oppressive order is far too drastic. The unintended consequences of allowing a strangling restriction on folks utilizing their residential, private, and legal right to dig a personal well when no nearby utilities exist, is wrong. Meanwhile, the proposals for industrial solar farms and other commercial projects (which could use adverse amounts of our water resources) experience little-to-no governmental push-back or obvious accountability. Were it not for the many likeminded residents like myself opposing the Rough Hat Nye solar project for instance, they would be well on their way to constructing this potentially hazardous (behemoth) solar field monstrosity. The immense water quantity used for that project would solely benefit a private out of state company and Californians.
Much like gun regulation and legislation, excessive water restrictions and encumbrances seemingly victimize law-abiding average citizens. On face value, it is simply not fair. Upon closer inspection, it is equally unfair. The fact that new domestic well applicants (where no explicit earlier water rights exist) need to purchase and relinquish separate 2 acre feet/year water rights is burdensome, short-sighted, and biased. Negative effects of this 1293A order can now be felt in areas such as rural residential real estate affordability and residential rental availability. Combining this with the out of control Biden-fueled inflation, supply chain issues, and rising fuel costs damages Nevada families. If you want to elect someone who will truly advocate for Nevadans' water rights, please support my campaign.
On school choice...
I believe parents should have the right to pull their child out of a failing public school and enroll he or she in another. I feel a parent should be free to place their child in a private or charter school with ease while enjoying more choices and opportunities. I feel the state-allocated per-pupil funding should be accessible to parents who elect to enroll children in private school, vocational school, or be disbursed to offset home school materials and curriculum costs.
I believe Nevada needs to divorce itself from one-size fits all federal standards and testing. This includes ending "Common Core" participation. The needs of Clark County students may be different than in Nye County. So how different are our Nevada students' needs than the needs of students in New York or Arkansas or Washington D.C. then? Appointed bureaucrats thousands of miles away should have very little effect on our kids' education. That is common sense.
On Solar Farms...
Large-scale solar farms such as "Rough Hat Nye" have NO RIGHT to be placed near our schools, communities, and accessible public lands. Not only are they eye-sores to the residents, the unintended consequences on the environment, air quality, ambient temperatures, water table, plant life, and animal life may be dire. It is ridiculous to look at proposals having several thousands of acres of solar panel fields starting 1,000-2,000 feet from a public school or residential community. I will always oppose these solar projects being near our communities--rural and urban.
On term limits...
Do you want to see term limits on elected public officials? Does it inspire confidence in you to see Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, and others in power for decades on end? How are we ever going to enact term limits for the US Senate and US Congress? Does anyone believe they will vote themselves out of office?
Are you aware there is another Constitutional path where individual states can band together (even without the help of New York, California, Massachusetts, and like-minded states) to change the US Constitution and 'check' the power of Congress? I am an advocate of our Framers' ingenious Constitutional commitment to ensure smaller states like Nevada have a tool to curb federal government overreach. Many GOP colleagues dislike this Constitutional provision, and I honestly don't know why.
Feel free to ask my opponents their stand on the issue. If a candidate reveres the Constitution and calls himself or herself a ‘constitutional conservative,’ shouldn’t they actually like the framers’ checks and balances? All of them?
On taxes...
We do not have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem in Nevada. Period.
Our schools may perform below average, but our "per pupil" allocation of funds is not the reason. Look no further than our neighboring state Utah to see that. They spend way less per student, but the students perform at a higher level in almost every metric.
Nevada property taxes are currently higher than nearby states like Colorado. Even Hawaii has a lower property tax rate! Our sales tax is already too high compared to many states as are fuel taxes. I will push for slashing tax rates, and I've already had my pen to paper by signing the 'TAX PAYER PROTECTION PLEDGE' in both 2016 and 2018. I PROMISE never to vote for tax increases or additional tax burdens in Nevada. You have my word.
On immigration...
I am 100% for LEGAL immigration. We are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic melting pot nation and state where we thrive on our talents, abilities, and individual work ethic. However, Nevada must always be cooperative in its obligation to curb illegal immigration and sanctuary policies. Many of the immigrants illegally entering will do little to nothing to contribute to our nation. You cannot truly blame them when our federal government dangles free services, money, housing, and goodies to entice them. They are purposely creating a dependent class of citizens to shore up power indefinitely. Your country's path will lead to destruction without competent, principled opposition.
Unfettered crossings of our porous southern border in this Joe Biden administration combining with lax, progressive state policies will accelerate this crisis. Nevada's leaders must be strong from the highest state level down to local sheriff's offices and police departments.
On law enforcement...
The rule of law is crucial to any stable society. Lately law enforcement personnel have been the target of misguided animosity and resentment. It is not the state legislature's primary duty to micromanage police departments and sheriff's offices throughout Nevada. Each locality has distinct needs and deserves specialized, local control. This management should almost ALWAYS be done by local sheriffs and police chiefs. This past legislative session saw AB186 which was basically a bill outlawing ticket "quotas" from being issued or arrest quotas given. The state legislature seemingly has caved into the cultural narrative that our police officers and deputies require this excessive level of restraint. I'm not saying NCSO or LVMPD utilized quotas in the past, but I firmly believe local law enforcement leadership does not need lawmakers or the government standing in their way while they police our neighborhoods. What law enforcement needs most is assistance and not governmental restraints. Our elected state assemblyman and state senator both voted in favor of AB186 as a side note.
On crime...
Sadly criminal activity is increasing and intensifying over the last year. It is not debatable. The media-at-large and the Progressive Left have decided eviscerating law enforcement and catering to criminals keeps us safe. You see the results of their so called 'criminal justice reform' and 'bail reform.' Believe me, I've seen first hand effects of revolving jail doors that allow inmates 'get out of jail free' cards while disregarding their obligations to return to court--let alone be punished for their possible crimes. Slashing law enforcement budgets and not allowing police to be proactive while simultaneously letting defendants out of jail quickly with zero accountability IS NOT a solution.
On a side note, I am completely Second Amendment-friendly while at the same time, very much in favor of punishing gun crime. You see limiting law abiding citizens' access and use of firearms for their constitutionally enshrined protection does not prevent crime. It prevents safety. It helps criminals create victims. You see--criminals tend to disobey gun laws when committing their gun crimes.
I've seen first hand how district attorneys time and time again, side with the law-breakers and not the law-abiders who elected them. If we elect 'soft on crime' lawmakers and DAs, how do we have a shot at keeping Nevada safe?
On a Nevada state lottery...
There is little reason why Nevada does not have a lottery. It is one of the few provisions in our Nevada Constitution that needs to be amended. You see opponents of a Nevada lottery state it'll compete against casinos. Well do you know people who still drive across to California to play? Or do you drive there yourself? When looking at calottery.com/who-benefits for instance, you can see a breakdown of the revenue created for kids in our neighbor's state. Do you feel better knowing that 95 cents out of every dollar you lose, is earmarked to pay for California public school kids? Not a huge percentage would go toward the operations overhead or a lottery board. It would be nice for that money to stay in Nevada I'd say.
Republicans who object to a Nevada lottery cannot really do so in the name of "conservative" principle. They can do so in the name of industry protectionism however. Much of that is perception only though. If you're like me, you know folks who love table games, or a particular video poker game they love to dump money in. It is doubtful that spending 10 bucks on some scratch offs will negate their itch. No matter how you slice it, picking winners and losers within business industries is not principled conservativism.
The citizens and legislature have amended the Nevada Constitution before---sometimes for terrible reasons. So let's give it a go with a good idea for once!
This site is maintained and financed by the Committee to Elect Matt Sadler