Eric Burkhart

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

Disagree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Agree

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

2012 General Election, 2012 Republican Primary, 2016 General Election, 2016 Republican Primary

I do not support abortion under any circumstances.

A nation is only as secure as the weakest part of its border. We must interdict persons attempting to enter our country illegally, and remove them from the United States by the most expedited method possible. As security measures at Port of Entries, including airports, prove more successful, terrorists will attempt to infiltrate the United States by crossing the border undetected. We must give Border Patrol the tools and authority necessary to do their job, and the completion of a Border Wall will send a message to all would-be lawbreakers that we respect our and will defend our border. In addition, we must stay vigilant outside the United States. Our intelligence agencies must continue to pursue and collect information on extremist/fundamentalist groups internationally, and our military must always be prepared to strike at these groups when the opportunity arises. If necessary, we must confront the enemy in their own communities.

The Founding Fathers were determined to use the lessons learned living under tyrannical governments, to provide for a political system that would allow for the least amount of government intrusion into people's lives as possible. Every page, every sentence and every word in both the Constitution and Declaration of Independence show a clear reliance on faith and the Creator. The Founding Fathers were concerned with both the misuse of religious authority and the right to worship as one chooses.

I was raised as a Christian in a Christian household, and I am fortunate to say that I have never been without the security and strength of my faith. I have spent my life in defense of my country, both domestically and overseas, and in 2001 was purposely poisoned while working in Kosovo. My faith and the love of my family were the essential elements in my recovery. My particular career choices have allowed me access to details which have revealed the intensity and determination of our enemies. They agitate their own communities against America by blaming our way of life for their poverty, mistrust, and the darkness which has taken root in their souls. Until we can eliminate those who deliver this message, we will have to defend ourselves from Islamic terrorism. We will prevail, because the bedrock of our Constitution is the Holy Bible. All that is required is a simple reading to realize the influence of faith on every page, every sentence, and every word.

Very Conservative

In 2015, I published my memoir, "Mukhabarat, Baby!", which details my life from childhood to present day. I do not shy away from describing the impact of my faith on every challenge that life has presented. In addition, my book focuses on September 11, 2001, and the personal struggle I experienced watching so many innocent people suffer. My faith provided me with the conviction and strength I needed to stay grounded and focus on the job at hand, which was to find those responsible. Following my retirement and the publishing of my memoir, I was interviewed by many radio and television programs. A number of these interviews are available online through a simple Google search. I have always welcomed the opportunity to discuss my faith, in particular following the poisoning event and subsequent medial issues. To some it may be a bit contradictory, but my faith gives me both peace and strength, and its a message I have shared many times during my interviews and book readings

Obamacare has left a huge mess for the American people to address. Although it is possible, in fact essential, that Obamacare is repealed, it will take years to break down and fix all the pieces of our health care system that have been impacted. We need to change insurance regulations to allow small businesses, credit unions, and professional organizations to create insurance pools, which would increase options and coverage, and lower costs. The insurance company bailouts provided by Obamacare which were designed to backfill losses that insurers suffered in the exchanges, ended up increasing their profits; those bailouts should be eliminated. I believe we should end the Continuous Coverage Requirement in Obamacare; its just another version of the Individual Mandate and will lead to increased premiums. We must find free-market options to replace Obamacare, but the key is to get the process started, and that begins with repealing Obamacare.

The US government has an obligation to provide a stable economic environment for American businesses. Fiscal health is a vital part of a stable economy, and our government has borrowed itself into dangerous territory. Some debt is healthy, as the ability to payback obligations in advance can lead to greater borrowing capacity. But sound economic policy should recognize when continued debt is no longer healthy, and streamline expectations and expenditures accordingly. Too much debt will weaken economic foundations, and negatively impact growth. Sound economic policies should find the right balance between healthy and burdensome national debt, which will bring credibility that will allow the US economy to flourish.

The recent Republican tax plan took steps to being tax relief to the American people, but as each day passed, it appeared that negotiations were watering-down the original proposal. The American people have been asking for a simplified system for years, and at the beginning of the process, with talk about three options as opposed to seven, and a return that can fit on a postage stamp, there was optimism that we were moving in the right direction (its telling that the final manifestation includes eight options). I think the time is right for Congress to strongly consider a flat tax, or consumer tax, although I believe that the 2017 Republican plan is built for future adjustments. If the republican Congressional leadership stays true to its word (and stays in the majority), this tax plan can act as a springboard to larger-scale tax reform down the road.

As I previously mentioned, bringing down unemployment is about creating jobs. Businesses must have the resources to expand and hire more employees. A stagnant or over-taxed economy will continue to suffer from high unemployment, although pseudo-socialist governments in Europe have tried to address the issue by creating a generation of government jobs; this approach failed. Simply put, a healthy economy depends on the continued growth of the business sector, which leads to jobs, jobs, jobs. The American people made a wise choice in electing Donald Trump. President Trump has already started the vital process of rolling-back unnecessary regulations on business, and the results are already apparent. In addition, we must re-negotiate terrible trade agreements made during the Obama Administration, that cripple US businesses attempts to compete internationally. These issues all impact the availability of not only jobs, but good jobs.

The American people have been waiting for half a century for Congress to address the long-feared "D-Day" for Social Security, when the system runs out of money. In reality, the system has already reached that point, but Congress continues to find ways to fund the system without delivering what promises to be a politically painful resolution. The American people must end the era of the career politician, who will never have the courage to make the tough choices necessary to make Social Security solvent. I believe that introducing individual accounts that can be invested is an idea that should be seriously considered, but Congress does not have the conviction to research any proposal that might create a potentially negative response. Simply put, the American people need to elect Congressmen who will make decisions not based on polling or re-election fears. Fixing Social Security will require tough decision making, which won't necessarily be popular. It will require courage.

During my lifetime of service to my country, I have dealt with every issue that the 116th Congress will address. I graduated with honors from the Immigration Academy and served on the border, before being promoted and assigned to processing foreign national felons for deportation. My knowledge of Immigration Law has proven invaluable throughout my careers. As a career CIA Operations Officer, I studied issues of National Security, Extremism, Diplomacy, and Terrorism. I speak four languages and served in Finland, Iraq, Jordan, South Africa, Mexico and Iraq. My job was to penetrate terror cells and recruit persons with access to valuable intelligence. From 2006 to 2008 I served as CIA liaison to the San Antonio Joint Terrorism Task Force. In addition, I lived in DC for a number of years, and budgetary issues were a big part of my job. I have a degree in Urban Planning, which focuses on Community Administration. I wrote my memoir in 2015, and continue to write a successful blog.

mainzac1@gmail.com; (210) 618-5447

Like many Americans, I have grown more frustrated every year by the apparent dysfunction of Congress. Having studied the intent of the Founding Fathers, and observed Congress during my careers, I recognize the damaging part being played by career politicians. Currently Congress enjoys a disturbing 95% incumbency re-election rate. They hire a staff who are tasked to access resources available only to Members of Congress in order to raise money, and the rest of us back home have no chance of seriously challenging the incumbent. Most professional, career politicians lack the conviction to lead on the difficult issues. I have signed a pledge to serve six years, and return to Texas. According to the Founding Fathers, in order for Congress to thrive, participation by the people must be encouraged. The voters have a choice between the one candidate who entered the race before November and is not a politician, and 17 others who are fighting to be the next 20 or 30 year incumbent.