He is against the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier to unionize and contained a provision hated by the business community allowing employees to form unions without secret-ballot elections.

He doesn't endorse or support the distribution of TARP funds or government bailouts.

Bucshon opposes privatizing Social Security, but has said he does believe seniors should have the freedom to invest in private accounts.

He believes that the most effective way to create jobs is to cut taxes, reduce the federal deficit and balance the federal budget.

Health Care and Insurance

As a heart surgeon, Bucshon speaks from personal as well as professional experience on some issues relating to health care.

He is against the Obama administration's health-care reform bill as he believes it will lead to an unfairly two-tiered medical system and a physician shortage. He believes reform is necessary to lower health-insurance costs, but that it must be done in a different way. He believes in both insurance and tort reform. He calls the private sector "the backbone of the American economy."

Bucshon believes in tort reform to decrease the way some physicians practice "defensive medicine," performing unnecessary tests and procedures for fear of being sued if they do not. He believes insurers must cover people with preexisting conditions for a reasonable fee and should not be allowed to drop coverage of clients who are sick or injured.

He proposes several ways that health insurance companies can be more competitive and ultimately offer cheaper coverage. Bucshon states that insurance companies must be more transparent about cost and prices. He believes people should be allowed to purchase health insurance across state lines to keep rates competitive. If dependent coverage is offered by an insurance plan, dependents should be covered until they turn 26. He thinks small businesses should be allowed to band together and purchase health insurance through associated health plans. Bucshon also believes in increasing the accessibility of health-savings accounts.

Veterans' Health Care

Bucshon believes that even if veterans wish to seek private medical care outside of the VA system, that care should nonetheless be covered by Veterans Affairs.

Interstate 69

Bucshon supports completing construction on Interstate 69, which he believes will foster economic growth and provide regional construction jobs.

He argues that Indiana is a "donor state," paying more in taxes to Washington for highways and roads than it receives in return, and that Indiana therefore deserves to have I-69 completed.

Energy and Climate Change

As the son of a coal miner, Bucshon is against emissions trading and opposes the Obama administration's "cap-and-trade" legislation, in part because he doesn't believe there is scientific evidence showing the connection between carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. He contends that "The temperature of the Earth has been changing over centuries with warmer and colder periods throughout history."

Bucshon believes the U.S. must become energy independent for both economic and national-security reasons. He supports "clean coal" initiatives and expanded use of nuclear energy, as well as wind and solar power.

Taxes

Bucshon has pledged not to raise taxes while in office.

He wants to permanently extend the 2001 and 2003 Bush administration tax cuts and repeal estate tax.

He seeks to lower personal-income taxes to between 5 and 10 percent, and wants to lower the tax rate for businesses to 20 percent. He wants to permanently slash capital-gains taxes. He doesn't believe unemployment benefits should ever be taxed. He opposes value-added taxes of any kind.

Abortion Rights

Bucshon is against abortion rights and wants to overturn Roe v. Wade. He believes abortion should be available only to save a woman's life in an emergency, but also says he opposes all late-term abortions. He supports the Hyde Amendment and related legislation.

Bucshon believes in denying federal funding to domestic and international organizations that promote abortion as a form of birth control. He does not specify which if any organizations that would include.

He is against using embryonic stem cells for medical research; he favors using adult stem cells instead.

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