The United States is the most prosperous nation on earth, but our
economic strength and security is at risk. After three decades of policies that have
favored the wealthy over the middle class, unemployment is high and economic growth is
low. The private sector, which is the primary provider of employment opportunities, is
hoarding cash. Businesses are not hiring enough.
The United States is the most prosperous nation on earth, but our economic strength and security is at risk. After three decades of policies that have favored the wealthy over the middle class, unemployment is high and growth is low. The private sector, which is the primary provider of employment opportunities, is hoarding cash. Businesses are not hiring. Consumers and families facing very uncertain futures have cut back their spending.
In our representative democracy, elected officials must constantly listen to voters in order to understand their concerns and advocate for their priorities. I welcome your input. I will add your voice to the thousands of Massachusetts voters I have heard from as a state representative and during my walk around the Commonwealth this summer. Please submit your thoughts, ideas, stories, research, and perspectives: Add your Voice!
Tom believes we are blessed to live in the United States of America, the world’s greatest nation. With that privilege comes the responsibility to maintain America’s strength as a beacon of liberty, democracy, and stability for the world.
Our reliance on foreign oil, and fossil fuels in general, is unsustainable. It’s also damaging to our environment, and undeniably affecting our foreign policy.
As the father of four young daughters, Tom believes it is our responsibility to begin to reverse the damage we have done to our environment in order to leave the world cleaner and more sustainable for our children.
Our Goal: Diversify our energy supply while preserving our environment
Tom is opposed to the death penalty. America was founded on a healthy skepticism about the power of the state, which is why our government consists of different branches that serve as checks and balances on state power. At best, the power of government to take a person’s life should not be conceded without absolute certainty of the justice of that action. The capacity to achieve such certainty must be viewed skeptically.
Thomas Jefferson got it exactly right when he said, "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people." Our history and accomplishments as a nation of educated Americans have proved this essential truth. With global economic competition increasing daily, the United States must be offering its citizens a world-class education, not only to secure our survival but also to “Win the Future” as President Obama has said.
Our Goal: #1 in the World in Educational Excellence
As a husband and father, Tom knows the importance of health care. When asked by friends how he’s doing, he invariably remarks upon the health of his daughters and wife. Many Americans do the same, and it’s a demonstration of how much value we place on maintaining good health, and having access to good, affordable health care. For most families, few other things in life are as important.
We, as a nation, need to ensure that access to educational and employment opportunities are sufficient to ensure that any American can achieve the American Dream of a decent, productive life for themselves and their families. For too long the American Dream has been allowed to slip away from Americans, as middle class incomes have stagnated, jobs have been lost, savings have been decimated and the equity in homes has plummeted.
In perhaps his most important vote in his first year in the Massachusetts legislature, Tom voted against efforts to put the question of same-sex marriage on the ballot in Massachusetts in 2008. If not for victories in 2006 by Tom and five of his pro marriage equality colleagues against opponents of marriage equality, the ballot initiative might have gone forward and reversed the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision approving same-sex marriage.
Tom believes in a woman’s right to choose and does not support initiatives to impinge on reproductive freedom or family planning access. There is a mountain of proof showing that family planning services improve the quality of life of women and their families. In addition, dozens of reports demonstrate that thorough and accurate sex education leads to more responsible decision making in teens and young adults, and that safe and confidential access to abortion ultimately saves lives.
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