Jeff Bell in Survey of 2014 Senate campaign websites
On Abortion:
Supports pre-birth personhood; and limitations on abortion
Abortion is one of the saddest facts of modern America: over 53 million since Roe v. Wade enabled abortion on demand in 1973. In NJ, the abortion rate is 26%.Abortion is not only tragic on its own terms: it violates the founding principle of a right
to life. The need to apply this self-evident truth to the unborn has become much more apparent in the last four decades because of discoveries in the field of DNA and advances in the technology of the sonogram.
Even the Supreme Court of 40 years ago in
Roe acknowledged that if it were factually established that an unborn baby is a "person," pro-life legislation would have to be upheld by the courts. If elected I will support legislation recognizing the unborn as persons entitled to the right to life
under the terms of the 14th amendment.
I will also vote in the Senate for legislation that seeks to reduce the number of abortions. Two examples are the ban on abortions after 20 weeks and the ban on abortions for the purpose of sex selection.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Budget & Economy:
Quantitative Easing causes inflation; erodes social contract
America was founded on the idea that hard work gets you ahead. But that social contract has withered away owing to dysfunctional government policy that favors the wealthy while necessitating huge budget deficits to provide a safety net large enough to
support those left behind. Despite advances in technology that have improved the standard of living, it has become harder for working people to support a family and for young people to establish a career. The next NJ Senator must be a tireless advocate
for solutions that restore the middle-class prosperity that was once a hallmark of this nation.The most important hindrance to middle-class prosperity is the condition of the US dollar. Since 1994 it has lost over 1/3 of its value, and lost
10% in the last five years alone since the Federal Reserve began its "Quantitative Easing" program of creating new dollars. The effect of rising prices is felt everywhere: at the grocery store, the gas pump, in medical costs, and school tuition.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Budget & Economy:
Gold standard helps people & small business
Instead of serving the people, our money serves the federal government, whose trillion-dollar borrowing is the main cause of the Fed's money creation. To restore the money supply in the hands of the people, we need a dollar whose value is backed by gold.
The gold standard is the proven way to encourage stable long-term prices and preserve limited government. This is why the Constitution in Article I, Section 10 directs Congress to "coin money" and "regulate the value thereof."
While Washington has gotten free financing from the Fed, everyone else has fallen behind.
This is the direct result of the Fed's policy of near zero interest rates, now in its 6th year. The suppression of interest rates below the market level has also
broken down the traditional banking system, in which small businesses borrow from their local banks. The total value of all small bank business loans is approximately half of what it was when "zero interest rates" was adopted.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Civil Rights:
Support traditional marriage: don't let courts define it
Marriage began as a religious concept, but now the courts have decided that its definition is up to them rather than the people. If this trend continues, how long will it be before our churches can no longer act according to their beliefs on marriage?
Cory Booker implied that those who believe in traditional marriage are akin to the segregationists who tried to keep Jackie Robinson from playing baseball. Is that what it has come to--a Senator who compares believing in traditional marriage with racism?
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Drugs:
Opposes drug legalization and marijuana decriminalization
The mini-wave of state laws to encourage marijuana use and distribution is one of the stupider trends in recent American public policy. Decriminalizing or legalizing pot will produce many more pot users. This will hurt our schools, our neighborhoods, our
places of work, and families. We must view narcotics as an integral threat to society because they risk harm not just for the user, but those around him. In that light, it is extremely disappointing that the Obama Justice Department is ignoring federal
law by allowing two states, Colorado and Washington, to proceed in legalizing marijuana. Congress must insist on the enforcement of the federal prohibition on narcotics. Otherwise we risk a society that is further broken by drug use when drugs are
freely available for abuse.Just like with marijuana, we should not relax our laws against cocaine. Cocaine is more potent and transferable in crack rather than powder form, which is why penalties for crack possession have always been harsher.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Education:
Expand school choice through vouchers and credits
The opportunity for a quality education should not depend on where a child lives. That's why programs to expand school choice, through vouchers and tax credits, have been worthwhile for those states that have done it.I believe Education Savings
Accounts make the most sense as the appropriate vehicle for school choice. These provide parents with a pre-funded account (in Arizona, where it was first implemented, it's 90% of average student spending) that can be used to purchase tuition, but also
textbooks, education therapies, and tutoring. This provides for a holistic funding mechanism for education where we fund children rather than institutions and spending decisions are in the hands of parents, not bureaucracies.
Education will be at the top of my list of areas from which the federal government needs to withdraw. There should be no further movement to impose national standards, which includes the bogus Common Core curriculum that waters down math and literature.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Energy & Oil:
Supports fracking & Keystone pipeline
I'm glad to see that President Obama has become vocally supportive of natural gas exploration, and by extension fracking. This technology has resulted in lower energy prices, more jobs, and much less carbon dioxide emission. Natural-gas-fired power plans
emit half of much as coal-fired ones, according to the EPA. The Department of energy has found that since 2008, the cost of natural gas delivered to homes is 20% cheaper. Employment in oil and gas extraction have expanded by 18% during that
same period, with several times more jobs created in industries that support this growth. Finishing the Keystone pipeline is also critical to our nation's long-term energy plan. It will allow us to efficiently import oil from
Canada and use our refineries to bring that oil to market. Not only will this help reduce gas prices, it will decrease our oil imports from Venezuelan and other unstable countries.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Foreign Policy:
Statehood for Puerto Rico, with full Congressional voting
I have been a long-time advocate for Puerto Rico to become the 51st state because it would be good for the people of Puerto Rico and good for America. As a US territory, the island lacks voting representation in
Congress and its economy is underserved by private investment because of the ambiguity that comes with territorial status. The "triple exemption" loophole in the IRS code for Puerto Rico municipal bonds has also contributed to
a debt crisis there that threatens public services if it is not addressed. President Obama's task force on Puerto Rico drew the right conclusions:- Puerto Rico's status and its economy are linked
-
The status question must be resolved soon in order to for Puerto Rico's economy to improve.
Along those lines, I support current legislation in Congress that makes Puerto Rico a state if its residents approve this in a binding election.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Health Care:
Real universal healthcare: replace Obamacare with tax credit
How is it, so many ask, that America is the richest country in the world and so many people here can't afford healthcare? This is because we have essentially priced ourselves out of a marketplace for healthcare. The emphasis on employer-based insurance
at the expense of individually-owned coverage has destroyed the prospects for competitive pricing. We must change this by enabling individuals to purchase and control their own health insurance with a tax credit.We should repeal Obamacare and redirect
its subsidies into a refundable tax credit generous enough to enable everyone to afford catastrophic health insurance. This universal healthcare model would:
- create a competitive marketplace for routine healthcare that could be affordable without
having to use insurance
- allow individuals to own and control their own health insurance and
- give a public insurance option to those with chronic illness and preexisting conditions who need government support to become insured.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Homeland Security:
Maintain strong defense; don't scale back anti-terrorism
We must maintain a strong national defense and also promote democracy and freedom where we can when we can.I agree with Gov. Chris Christie's rebuke of those who want to scale back our
anti-terror efforts. It is vital that our government institutions have the resources and ability to do their jobs aimed at protecting us. Our free society is dependent on our national security.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Immigration:
Earned path to legalization for 11 million illegals here now
Immigration has always been a key strength of this country, both culturally and economically. Our current system is badly broken and needs fixing in a manner that secures our borders and encourages future immigrants to come here legally.
We should not only welcome the highly-skilled and educated from abroad, but also those who are comparatively low-skilled and desire to come to America and work hard. We should provide an earned path to legalization and citizenship for the roughly
11 million people here illegally, with fines and payment of back taxes a requirement for obtaining legal status.To prevent recurrence of the undocumented immigrant buildup of recent decades, immigration reform
must include a generous guest worker program with state-by-state flexibility to exceed any nationwide limits or quotas specified by federal policy.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Principles & Values:
Religious freedom is under attack by government
It is dismaying that religious freedom is under attack by government. Whether it's Obamacare's HHS mandate or judges overruling voters on the definition of marriage, it has become harder than ever to be a person of faith in this country without
the government abrogating those beliefs. The institution of marriage in particular has been subject to this trend.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On Technology:
Opposes Internet gambling as immoral, including lottery
Bringing access to gambling into our homes and places of work is a terrible idea, and it is unfortunate that the New Jersey legislature allowed it to happen.
Congress was right to effectively ban online gambling in 2006, but since then the Obama Justice Department and three states have sidestepped this law and in the case of New Jersey, evaded the state constitution.
I would therefore support a new federal ban on online gambling, including prohibiting the sale of lottery tickets over the Internet. We should not be encouraging access to gambling where people are most vulnerable to abusing it.
It is immoral for the state to try and make money off of a business model based upon widespread gambling.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
On War & Peace:
US leadership on Iran nukes & on isolating Cuba
America is a force for good around the globe, and the world would be a lot worse off if we withdrew from that leadership. We must maintain a strong national defense and also promote democracy and freedom where we can when we can.Unfortunately, the
Obama administration has abdicated on many important longstanding American foreign policy goals: a nuclear-free Iran, Middle East conflict resolution, and isolation of the Castro regime in Cuba. If elected I would work to restore these efforts.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, Bell2014.com, "Issues"
May 2, 2014
Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018