Attack ads drive people crazy during election season, but they will never go away. Can you spot an attack ad? Look for the following characteristics: The opponent’s picture is a candid, grayed-out shot that makes him or her look sinister and having evil intent. The “facts” are deliberately misstated, taken completely out of context, or only contain a partial truth. In contrast, the candidate’s photo is polished and friendly looking, with rosy sounding promises. Does this sound familiar? It has been my policy to not attack my opponent with negative ads. Unfortunately, some opponents generate many negative and inaccurate attack ads, calling them ‘infographics’, with the promise of more to come. If you need an inoculation of the truth, check out my policies on my website.

I am often criticized because I always defend life, which means standing up for the unborn, the elderly, and the terminally ill. Some have also said I should not be a champion for the timeless institutions of marriage and the family. These are badges I am honored to wear, but even so, when my legislative record is considered, it is still a very small fraction of all of my work in the Colorado Legislature. The vast majority of the measures I have introduced focused on economic and regulatory issues and have nothing to do with cultural issues.

Of the 177 measures I have introduced in the legislature, the majority were specifically designed to empower the citizen and limit the size and scope of government. The measures I have introduced to reduce the size and control of government include educational tax credit bills, Medicaid reform bills, bills and constitutional ballot measures to create a long term savings system for the state (requiring the state to not spend all of our money in the annual budget), bills to end the government prohibition on deep discounts for gas and prescription drugs, bills placing limits on the use of red light cameras, the S.I.P. bill I ran to try to save Colorado citizens hundreds of millions of dollars in increased electric utility costs, bills to return a portion of severance taxes to the taxpayer, a resolution to urge Congress to stop earmarking, another resolution urging Congress to fix their policy that has prematurely terminated the tax-exempt status of tens of thousands of non-profit charities, a bill to require the TSA to fully disclose our rights as Colorado citizens when being electronically “strip searched” at airports, eliminating onerous rules by the state for citizens copying and distributing Colorado statutes, rolling back the excessive fees (taxes) on our cars, and sponsoring bills to stop the expensive and ineffectual emissions testing in Northern Colorado. This is just a small portion of the things I have tackled in the state legislature to reduce the size and scope of government.

Often negative press comes as a result of my not voting exactly how somebody wanted on a piece of legislation. I will always stand strong on conservative principles and vote accordingly. As a Republican conservative in Colorado, one cannot expect to get glowing press reports in the mainstream media.