0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8d4a0009Race: U.S. SenateParty: RepublicanPolitical Experience:1984-1990 - U.S. House of Representatives1990-2002 - U.S. SenatePersonal: Married, three children; lives in MerrimackEducation: Bachelor’s, Lafayette CollegeCampaign WebsiteIssuesSmith supports a complete overhaul of the federal tax system, including repeal of the income tax. Smith would institute a flat tax and a national sales tax to be collected by businesses, allowing for the elimination of the IRS.“We inherited the current income tax system with the passage of the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the code has grown larger and more complex as the years have gone by. Unfortunately, the growth was more like the erratic growth of a cancer cell, than sustained and reasonable evolution. I equate the current code to an old appliance. Sometimes it gets to the point where repairing is not an option and we must discard it and get a new one.”Smith says “illegal immigration” is a threat to American culture and economic solvency and “opens our communities up to drug traffickers, terrorist and those in search of a free ride.” He opposes granting citizenship to children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants and supports a vigorous deportation policy.“My position is clear. Our borders must be secured and I will oppose any effort which offers amnesty or a path to citizenship to those who broke our laws and disregarded our nation’s sovereignty when they illegally entered the United States.“I will advocate for legislation that will deny benefits to illegal immigrants. In addition, I will advocate for legislation that will require that all US government business be conducted in English and that any responsibility for providing translators, except in criminal cases, be borne by the individual.”Smith says President Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush, share the blame for problems in the Middle East, and that the U.S. foreign policy needs to recognize democracy “cannot be imposed on countries whose religions and cultures don’t share our belief in human dignity and the rights of man."“And so the question really gets down to this: is nation building what our armed forces were trained to do? The answer is no.”