Troy Ray

Civil Rights

Personally, I think the odds are against the payment of reparations, but let's begin the conversation by agreeing on a strategy.  The first part of the discussion determines if slavery had long-term effects on the descendants of slaves.  Second, we need to decide if our federal government is guilty of a violation of law.  If found guilty, the next discussion formulates the appropriate remedy for the victims.  Once the appropriate remedy has been determined, then we begin the monumental task of establishing who is eligible to receive payment. Learn more

Our Constitutional right to freedom of religion does not include the right to legislate morality according to our personal religious beliefs. Learn more

Criminal Justice / Public Safety

We should eliminate the plea bargain. Learn more

We should improve the quality of court-provided legal representation for criminal defendants. Learn more

For example, I support the death penalty and the killing of anyone convicted of murder or other heinous activities. Learn more

Cameras should also be located on all police vehicles with at least one facing forward and another showing the vehicle's interior while suspects are being transported.  Any holding facility or processing facility should have cameras in every cell and hallway so that movements can be tracked at all times.  We should also allow unfettered filming of public actions by the police by anyone at any time. Learn more

We also need to remove authority from local judges and hand-picked grand juries when an unarmed suspect is killed by a law enforcement officer.  Charges should automatically be filed against a law enforcement officer who kills an unarmed suspect.  If the killing was justified, then the officer has nothing to worry about.  If a law enforcement officer is found guilty of murder or a hate crime, I believe that person should be sentenced to life in prison without parole. Learn more

ameras provide the best method of recording the public's interaction with law enforcement, so we should mandate that all officers wear body cameras at all times while on duty. Learn more

We should start by eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenders Learn more

, restore all human rights to felons who have completed their sentences Learn more

We should increase the use of alternatives to incarceration such as monitoring, improve community corrections systems to minimize recidivism, and minimize the frequency or severity of probation and parole violations by increasing the swiftness and certainty of judicial responses to such violations. Learn more

We should eliminate the plea barga Learn more

Defense / Veterans

I support the use of our military to achieve security for our homeland, knowing that our capability and willingness to commit mass murder is undoubtedly the primary component of our military strength. Learn more

Drug Policy

We must remove marijuana from the federal drug schedule and allow states to decide legality Learn more

Economy

provide access to basic financial services by expanding our credit union system, Learn more

Education

All teachers and school administrators should be subject to a performance review system to identify weaknesses and strengths, and add an element of accountability which is found in every other profession.  Schools and school districts should have the flexibility to restructure their teaching staffs or administration as needed in order to achieve the minimum required education standards. Learn more

Free testing materials should be available for all grade levels and subjects. Learn more

We will remove the administrative function of the US Department of Education (DOE), and restore authority for education decisions back to the individual states. Learn more

Free electronic textbooks should be available for all grade levels and subjects. Learn more

We will benefit from increased parental choice in school selection including magnet schools, private schools, charter schools, home school, or transferring across school district lines and state lines. Learn more

We should support increased wages, free college tuition and free graduate education for all teachers and prospective teachers.  Teachers should receive a salary which is commensurate with their required education level. Learn more

We need uniform standards for all teachers including minimum education levels and specific training.  All teachers should have a minimum of a Masters degree in the subject they are teaching. Learn more

We should have a minimum education standard for all high school graduates, similar to the ACT or GED, to guarantee every student in every state an adequate education. Learn more

Our education problems can be solved by establishing higher standards for our K-12 graduates and educators, increasing choice and competition within our education system, and finding more efficient uses of federal taxpayer dollars. Learn more

We should start by improving education through increased funding to our public school system Learn more

Foreign Policy

Selective foreign policies of regime change and nation building only reinforce these perceptions.  I've written a whole chapter on Foreign Policy so I won't cover it here.  I'm only asking you to realize that other countries view us as being very religious and very Christian, while the rest of the world is predominantly Muslim. Learn more

Government Reform

There is no such thing as separation of church and state. Learn more

The House should follow a regular schedule of legislative activity instead of using crisis management as a method of operation.  Debate and voting on upcoming legislation should be scheduled well in advance, allowing time for everyone to read and discuss each piece of legislation before the bill hits the House floor.  Maintaining a regular schedule of debate, voting, as well as other activities helps lawmakers make the best use of their time between legislative activities and constituent services. Learn more

We should limit all new bills to a maximum of 5 pages.  The Declaration of Independence is only 4 pages, and the Constitution is 20 pages.  If our nation was built on less than 25 pages, why should we have bills that are thousands of pages in length?  Limiting the length of bills will encourage more public participation and discussion, as well as providing accountability for lawmakers. Learn more

Voting districts should follow established county and city boundary lines for federal election purposes.  Gerrymandering will still be acceptable for any state regarding their statewide and other election cycles, but Congress should not be subject to this corrupting influence.  District lines for U.S. House seats should include all citizens within a city or county, not removing one or two neighborhoods to be included with a distant group of voters, thereby shifting political power towards one political party over another. Learn more

Amendments should only be allowed for issues directly related to the underlying legislation.  A lawmaker should not be able to attach the cost of “a bridge to nowhere” when Congress is voting on extending the debt ceiling.  Amendments should always be allowed, both in the House and Senate. Learn more

We should never have a shutdown of our government for any reason.  We should never allow our government to default on it's debts, or give the appearance that our creditworthiness is less than perfect.  If members of Congress fail to pass required legislation in a timely manner resulting in a government shutdown, every member of Congress should be fined $50,000 per day for each day of government shutdown.  We cannot continue to allow a few elected officials to hold our nation hostage as they promote their individual agendas. Learn more

Every elected lawmaker should be required to vote every time a vote has been ordered.  Lawmakers who fail to vote should be subject to substantial monetary fines, and repeat offenders should lose their right to vote on any issue for the remainder of their term. Learn more

Our business community will benefit from having fewer regulatory agencies requiring both reporting and compliance, a result of better sharing of common information among similar governmental functions.  This will reduce the cost of compliance and raise profitability for all businesses. Learn more

We should create a federal voter registry based on Social Security numbers to circumvent voter suppression laws passed by certain states.  Voter fraud can also be minimized by creating a standard list of registered voters for federal offices.  This will also allow students, or anyone who has recently moved from one state to another, to participate in federal elections regardless of the timing of the move, or state-imposed deadlines for registration.  This federal voter registry will only apply to federal elections, each individual state can still impose their own regulations regarding the election of state and local officials, as well as approved voter lists. Learn more

We should improve the voting process by implementing modern technology to eliminate paper ballots and complicated voting machines.  Any voter with a smart phone or other device should be able to download their ballot before election day, select a candidate or position on an issue, then submit that ballot electronically at their local polling place on election day.  This will greatly reduce wait times at polling places, increase accuracy in the election process, and eliminate the cost of ballots and voting machines. Learn more

Federal election day and primary day should be federal holidays.  We will never achieve a reasonable amount of voter participation as long as employers control access to the voting process. Learn more

Every member of Congress should be subject to term limits.  A maximum of three terms, or 12 years, should be the maximum allowable term of office.  I realize this will be a difficult bill to pass, so we'll need to include a grandfather clause which exempts all current elected members of Congress, otherwise it will never become law. Learn more

All members of Congress should have their election day on the same day as the Presidential election instead of having off-year elections.  Off-year elections never receive as much participation from voters, even though those elections are equally important.  The best way to increase voter participation in every Congressional district is to eliminate the need for mid-term elections. Learn more

All members of Congress should serve a four year term. Learn more

We should address the procedural issues affecting our lawmaking process and the underlying election structure.  I believe we have simple solutions to these issues, and most of them can be implemented now. Learn more

I am suggesting a substantial change in our government's departmental structure to remove unnecessary layers of administration, eliminate overlap of services and expenses, and create a narrow organizational chart which is less expensive to operate Learn more

Healthcare

I also support those states who have passed assisted suicide laws, allowing families to control end-of-life decisions when necessary. Learn more

require all states to implement the Medicaid expansion to provide basic healthcare for working poor families, Learn more

Social Services

.  I'm talking about consolidating dozens of programs and departments, and putting all government assistance under one roof.  I believe we should abandon the one-size-fits-all programs which do not address the issues of why the individual is suffering from poverty or unemployment. Learn more

can reduce the number of individuals who rely on assistance by implementing a welfare-to-work program which will create opportunities for sustainable employment.  Achieving this goal will significantly decrease our budget deficit, trigger significant growth in our economy, and provide for our long-term growth and stability as a nation. Our welfare-to-work program should address all of the issues related to an individual's need for assistance, and create opportunities for individual growth that will qualify the individual for sustainable employment.  This welfare-to-work (WTW) program should provide free education and workforce training, while addressing other barriers to employment including child care, transportation, and relocation Learn more

provide child care for working families living in poverty, and move toward our targeted poverty rate of one percent or less. Learn more

I believe Social Security taxes should be optional for the self-employed and small business owners. Learn more

Taxes / Budget

I would suggest that our flat tax system should recognize the difference in income levels, and be less of a burden to lower income taxpayers and those who are reducing their need for government assistance.  The flat tax would therefore be on a sliding scale, with higher income taxpayers paying a higher percentage of their incomes. Learn more

I believe we should repeal the inheritance tax, commonly known as the death tax, because it causes an undue burden on family farms and small business owners.  We should also abolish the alternative minimum tax since it will no longer be needed in a flat tax system. Learn more

I believe the best replacement for our bloated tax code is a small flat tax on income for individuals and businesses, along with a small consumption tax on goods and services.  A small consumption tax will ensure that everyone who benefits from our economy and way of life is contributing their fair share of taxes. Learn more

I believe Social Security taxes should be optional for the self-employed and small business owners. Learn more