Bill believes it is very important for constituents to know where candidates stand on the issues and get straight, consistant answers. When he was developing the announcement of his candidacy for the 129th district, some politicians asked him if he was sure he wanted to state so clearly where he stands on the issues. His answer was "Of course.  How can a voter make an informed decision on who to vote for without knowing what he believes in."

Bill is a conservative.  His position on the important issues facing us today fits squarely within the the Missouri Republican Party Platform. To view the 2008 Missouri Party Platform click here.

Bill is pro-life and pro-family.  Bill and Ellen have four children ranging from 23 to 10 years of age.  They were adoptive foster parents and adopted two of their children via the Newton County Division of Family Services.

Bill has been endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life Political Action Committee.

Bill will defend our 2nd Amendment rights.  He served in the US Marines for four years and is a gun owner.   He has been a shooting sports director in the Boy Scouts training staff and boys in the safe and proper handling of firearms and archery equipment.  He firmly believes that the right to own and bear arms carries with it a tremendous obligation to do so responsibly.

Bill supports the "castle doctrine" that you have a right to defend your family and home.

Bill will work hard to improve the business opportunities in Missouri.  During this recession Missourians and the State of Missouri are hurting.  State's revenues are down about 14% but increasing taxes is not the answer to cover the reduction. We have to create an environment in our state where new businesses will come to Missouri, and existing Missouri businesses can expand, create new jobs,  enter new markets and start new product lines.

Bill will fight to free business from excessive government bureaucracy.   We pay for it twice, once in taxes to employ the bureaucrats, and again to cover the costs our businesses have to pay to comply with the bureaucratic mandates.

But being for business does not mean being against employees.

Bill will fight for a policy that actually creates jobs in Missouri, especially those kinds of jobs that offer benefits to employees and their families, and opportunities for advancement.

Bill and Ellen have children in both public and private schools.  He has taught various social science classes including Advanced Placement US Government and Advanced Placement US History at McAuley Catholic High School over the last six years and has experienced firsthand the strengths and weaknesses of our education system.  He will push for an education system that allows our school curriculum to teach our American values and our teachers to teach their subjects not to teach to pass a standardized test.  Bill believes we need to educate students in a way that will prepare them for the world after high school.  He is a strong proponent of a curriculum that includes sound vocational educational pathways in addition to the collegiate preparatory path.  To do this he will work to ensure that our public schools are adequately funded but with the understanding that there needs to be accountability for how that funding is spent.  Protecting parents rights to be involved in their children's education is also a priority of Bill's education policy.  This includes the right for parents to home school their children and to attend private schools as their conscience dictates while still being able to access the resources of the public school system.

Currently our hospitals, doctors, dentists, nurses, technicians, and all the others involved in healthcare provide a quality of care right here in Joplin, Missouri that the rest of the world envies.  Bill will fight for legislation that maintains this high level of quality healthcare that we have here in southwestern Missouri.  With the federal plans now being forced through congress by the Democrats, this will be extremely challenging.  We don't want that care to be diminished,  rationed , nationalized, controlled by the federal government,  or driven out of Joplin to be available only in large urban areas.

Bill will work to expand access to this high quality healthcare.  We need to provide incentives to business to have new and existing jobs with access to healthcare benefits. For businesses where it is not economically viable to offer employees  health benefits, for family and individually owned businesses, and for any other employees without benefits we need to find options to allow them to have access to insurance coverage.

Bill understands that Missouri's senior citizens are more vulnerable than most to economic hard times and government insensitivity.  He will defend the dignity and quality of life that our senior citizens worked so long and hard to have when they retire.  He will fight government actions, or in some cases inactions that "squeeze" the quality of life from our senior citizens.  Taxes should not drive people out of their homes or reduce the basic necessities that they can afford. Programs such as "Meals on Wheels"  that combine government resources and local volunteers and  help to maintain senior's independence and quality of life need to be encouraged and funded.

Bill believes we need to preserve our wilderness heritage. As our state grows we need to maintain a balanced policy of preservation of wilderness areas, maintenance of wildlife resources, and  development of recreational areas for our citizens and tourists to enjoy now and for generations to  come.

Bill believes we need to be energy independent from foreign resources.

In Missouri, we need to develop a reasonable energy policy that includes such domestic  options as clean coal, nuclear power, efficient alternative fuels, and, where realistic and cost effective, alternative energies.  I support policies that would  seek balanced, viable energy options built here in Missouri, using Missouri companies and Missouri workers, creating new Missouri jobs, and contributing to Missouri's overall economy in as many ways as possible.  Bill favors expanding Missouri's tax base instead of forcing Missouri utilities to invest outside of Missouri or in higher priced, less effective, technologies to meet bureaucratically set requirements.