Candidate for
US Representative; District 5

Thompson Energy Game Plan

Energy is the lifeblood of our economy. As prices go up for fuel, the price of everything goes up. We must work for energy independence and stop sending our vast resources to foreign countries. We are a part of the largest shift of wealth in history as we send billions overseas and some of that money goes to countries that would wish us harm. There are many facets to my game plan to secure America's future through energy independence.

Utilize - We must utilize all available resources to help lower the price immediately. This includes drilling off the Outer Continental Shelf, drilling in ANWR and seeking other sources to help us solve our immediate energy crisis. It is vital that there is an expansion of our current refining capacities. Many of our facilities are outdated and unable to cope with new demands. If we are to outlast this energy crisis we must first stabilize our resources and improve our output.

Envision - We must seek viable alternatives for the future. Many other countries are far ahead of us in many capacities of energy production. We must bring nuclear power online and do so quickly, we must expand our clean coal technologies, and we must invest in new research that will help us work towards a secure future. Wind, solar and hydro power are strong possibilities but currently comprise one percent of our needed energy. If our investments are to be affective, they must be cost effective and efficient.

Improve - Our vast 5th District has many valuable and available energy resources. As we move forward the natural energy that we have available right here in our homes must be utilized. Natural Gas has many exciting possibilities for a valuable boom in our areas. Many companies use Natural Gas in their processes and we can lower their costs and provide family sustaining jobs right here by drilling and marketing ourselves as the energy district. This reduction in costs and increase in resource development could provide billions of dollars to our economy.

Thompson Prescription for America's Health

Rural Healthcares is a vital piece of our economic engine. The jobs help keep us economically healthy and quality practitioners keep us physically healthy. Many of the hospitals across the district are on a thin line of sustainability. A combination of many factors keeps them playing a constant game of providing quality care to those in need while remaining solvent. Many things need to be addressed to keep our hospitals as a strong backbone for our rural communities.

Improving Medicare payouts for rural providers. The discrepancy between payouts for urban and rural providers is stark and needs to be corrected. Many of the patients in rural hospitals rely on Medicare and Medicaid for their coverage and as our population ages, the contrast will become more apparent. If we do not improve the payout system some of our hospitals run the risk of closing and as transit time increases we add unnecessary cost and risk to patients in need of care.

Lower costs to providers. Our liability systems make physician retention difficult. Our Universities provide some of the finest medical school training in the nation but few of those students remain in Pennsylvania to practice. One of the factors is the burden of malpractice insurance. If we are to retain the best providers then our system must make sense and encourage physician retention.

Extend Rural Health Initiatives to physician practices. Currently there is one physician for every 1,316 residents in rural areas. (Pennsylvania Rural Health Association) In talking with a friend that lives in our district, he told me that he travels to New York City to visit a dermatologist because finding specialist care is so difficult in our area. If we are to attract economic development and improve our region overall this underdevelopment of services must improve.

Universal Health Care is not the answer. A policy that increases the bureaucratic burden on providers and limits the development of the best new technology is not the answer. We can extend healthcare to more folks if we limit some of the unwieldy cost systems that exist in our health practices. We have the best technology, the best doctors and the ability to deliver the care effectively but to do so our systems need to improve.

Maintain Medicare solvency. As our population continues to age and the population paying into Medicare dwindles, we must stop raiding the fund and adding unnecessary costs to the program. Our burden is to provide quality care to our elderly and that must be done in an efficient manner so that the fund does not run out. As our baby boom generation retires the dialogue to improve Medicare must begin immediately.

Thompson Plan to Lower Your Tax Burden

We continue to see a bloated federal government increase in size and take more of your money, this cycle cannot continue. Your money should remain just that, your money. The more that government takes the less you have for your needs. With gasoline almost $4 a gallon and heating oil expected to double from last winter, we cannot afford for Washington to take more of your hard earned money. As your Congressman you can count on me to work hard to lower bloated Washington spending and keep more of your money in your pocket.

Eliminate the death tax - Families should be allowed to keep their property and not be subject to exorbitant taxes that force them to sell. People work hard for their properties and should be allowed to hand them down without an undue burden.

Make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent - If the tax cuts are allowed to expire it will be the single largest tax increase in American history. We cannot allow that to happen. The lowest tax bracket will be put back on the tax rolls and our small businesses will see a marked increase in their burden. To spur economic development we must decrease taxes not be regressive in our tax system.

Simplify the tax code - The process of enforcing our current tax code places a huge and unnecessary burden on our system. The IRS is bloated and a flat tax would simplify the process and lower the burden on all tax payers. We must improve our tax system if we are to truly ease the weight that the common taxpayer feels.