
WHAT CHASE STANDS FOR

REFORMING IMMIGRATION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
I think most people can agree that our nation’s immigration system is a mess. We need a President who will break the partisan logjam and bring people from all parties together to reform and modernize it. There are few better examples of “bad government” than the overly complex current laws and regulations involving immigration. The President needs to take the lead and work with Congress to radically simplify our immigration system so people can come here, work, and become members of our communities without being relegated to the shadows. Immigrants built this country and they can help keep it growing and prospering for future generations of Americans.

EMPOWERING PEOPLE THROUGH JUSTICE REFORM
It is long past time we address the problems with our criminal justice system. From Courts to police, to prisons, we need reforms in every area with one goal in mind, empower people, not the government. That means ending qualified immunity for federal law enforcement so those abused or harmed by law enforcement can have their day in court. It means ending mandatory minimum sentencing which ties the hands of judges and compels even some who are innocent to plead guilty to avoid the possibility of lengthy incarceration. It means ending the prosecution of victimless crimes and instead placing the focus of law enforcement on investigating and prosecuting crimes of violence, theft, fraud, or coercion.

MAKING IT EASIER TO GET TO WORK
The next President must make it easier for Americans to find a good job to provide for themselves and their families. I will start by going line by line through the tax and regulatory codes to free the market and make it easier to start a new business. We must end the subsidies and advantages that giant firms have purchased through lobbying and make it easier for small businesses to compete, innovate, and thrive. People create jobs, not the Government. The best I can do as President is to keep the government out of your way.

END THE FAILED WAR ON DRUGS INDEFINITELY
As the failed war on drugs drags into its fifth long decade, we can all see that the policies of strict prohibition and prison need to change. I will immediately act to remove all federal laws criminalizing cannabis and end burdensome regulatory hurdles like federal banking regulations, placed on the cannabis industry. As President, I will deschedule cannabis with the stroke of a pen – legislation isn’t required. I will also issue full pardons for persons who were convicted solely for non-violent drug offenses, and urge every governor to do the same. It’s time to end more than two generations of regressive, harmful, and unproductive drug policy and move America into a new chapter.

RESPECTING AND DEFENDING YOUR RIGHT TO PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES
It is often the case that the worst government abuses come disguised as protection from danger and harm. If you feel in danger, it becomes easy for the government to have you trade your liberty for the illusion of security. We have warrantless wiretaps, abuses of the FISA courts, and an overarching Patriot Act to name a few. Even worse, we attempt to imprison those who expose the hard truths we need to hear. As President, I will fight to end these programs which eat away at your constitutionally protected privacy and civil liberties and pardon those who have blown the whistle on abuse and illegal actions of our government.

ENDING WARS & SUPPORTING PEACE
My entire adult life, our nation has been at war somewhere in the world. I have friends and loved ones who have served, and come home with the visible and invisible scars of combat. I’ve seen them mourn their brothers and sisters who didn’t come home. I meet more and more anti-war veterans every day, and they know more than anyone about the cost of war. It’s time we focus our foreign policy on Peace. We should end our policy of sending drones around the world and instead foster international goodwill by defending free trade and free markets. Our nation has long had the moniker ‘leader of the free world.’ It is time we earn that distinction by insisting that Peace is the way forward. End the wars. End the drones. End the policy of constant intervention. It’s easy to drop a bomb, it’s much harder to serve as a beacon of Peace. We must take the more difficult but necessary path.

RESPECTING INDIVIDUAL CHOICE ON TOUGH ISSUES
I recognize the complexity of this issue and how there can be good faith positions on both sides of the abortion debate. I am supportive of leaving these decisions out of the hands of the government and letting this decision rest with individuals in consultation with their doctors. I am pro-choice and will support efforts to protect bodily autonomy while also advocating for the Hyde Amendment which prevents federal dollars from funding abortions.

EMPOWER PARENTS & STUDENTS IN EDUCATION
At the federal level, the best policy on education is to remove the federal government’s involvement in education. I support abolishing the Department of Education and block granting those funds back to states to be returned to taxpayers. I also support getting the government out of the student loan business so market forces can lower the cost of higher education over time.

ENDING THE STUDENT DEBT CRISIS TO ASSIST IN INDIVIDUAL FINANCIAL AND RETIREMENT SECURITY
At this critical moment in time in our economy, millions of people find themselves saddled with an average of $28,950 in student loan debt. This puts them behind the eight-ball before they have even gotten started. 92% of all student loan debt is held or backed by our federal government, with some $1.61 trillion out of $1.75 trillion outstanding. This is a burden that neither students nor the taxpayers responsible for these guarantees can continue to bear. The skyrocketing costs of college education can be directly placed at the feet of this massive boondoggle, which creates perverse incentives to raise the costs of tuition by artificially inflating demand beyond that which the market would normally provide.
I will immediately end the Federal backing of student loans by asking Congress to make all current loans interest-free, while simultaneously ending all future government-guaranteed loans. I would then make the discharge of interest revenue neutral by requiring the Department of Defense to cut costs by closing overseas bases and installations and bringing our troops home, instead of engaging in expensive nation-building and peacekeeping missions abroad. It is only right that the DoD bear part of the cost, as mounting debt is as big a threat to our security as any foreign enemy, Finally, I would allow students to stabilize their financial situations by allowing student loan debt to be dischargeable in bankruptcy just like any other loan. I want a well-educated populace that can compete with the minds of any other nation, but not at the cost of our nation's financial and retirement security.

REPLACING THE DEATH PENALTY WITH HUMANE ALTERNATIVES
I am an opponent of the death penalty. In too many instances the government has carried out an execution and it was later found out that the convicted were actually innocent of their crimes. It also does not deter crime, and the act itself is both cruel and does nothing to restore what was lost by the victims.

CHAMPIONING GUN RIGHTS FOR ALL
I support the right of every person to defend themselves from violence and aggression. I will not support any new gun restrictions and will look to repeal the restrictions that exist today. Gun control throughout our history has been used to limit the ability of vulnerable populations to defend themselves. Armed people are harder to oppress and harder to attack.

LOWERING THE COST OF HEALTHCARE THROUGH MARKET & INNOVATION
Healthcare is too expensive because of government overregulation. We should advocate for market alternatives to heavily regulated employer-provided insurance such as the Direct Primary Care model. We should also reform how we bring new drugs to market and end practices such as patent evergreening which keep the cost of too many drugs artificially high. With more choices and free market forces, we will see a drop in the cost of healthcare overall.
