Brian Keene

Brian Keene served in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 2014. Keene graduated from Meridian High School. Keene earned a bachelor's degree from Boise State University in 1987, a graduate degree from the University of Utah in 1991, and a Ph.D. from the University of Idaho in 2003. Keene's career experience includes working in education management.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up on a dairy farm between Meridian and Kuna, Idaho, graduated from Meridian High School, served in both the US Navy and the US Army, attended Boise State University, where I completed the requirements to become certified as a mathematics and physical education teacher. I later went on to complete a Biology degree at the College of Southern Nevada, a master's degree in Educational Psychology at the University of Utah, and both an EdS and a PhD in Educational Administration at the University of Idaho. I received post-doctoral certifications in Cross-Cultural Communications, combining work from California State University and the University of Nevada Las Vegas and in Emergency and Disaster Management at American Military University. Having retired from the Army Reserve after 32 years of service (7 years active duty and 25 years reserve, plus service in two wars) and from public education after nearly 40 years, I currently serve as an adjunct math instructor at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.

Having worked on farms in high school. served in business management in the retail industry as a young man, served in both the Navy and the Army, and having served in public education for a long and successful career as a math teacher, science teacher, coach, school counselor, vice principal, principal, and central office administrator, I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to my bid to represent southern and eastern Idaho in Congressional District 2.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Our nation is in crisis. To restore the Founding Fathers' vision for the basis of our government and the guiding principles of that government, we need to hold ALL three branches of the government accountable both to the people they represent and to their oaths of office.

We must restore the checks and balances that the Founding Fathers put in place with the Constitution. The President must NOT be allowed to act in isolation without accountability to the people and to the other branches of the government (legislative and judicial). The legislature must be held accountable to the people they represent, and the Supreme Court must remain accountable to the Constitution.Every election cycle, we hear politicians promise to cut taxes. We already know that they’re NOT going to cut our taxes or if they cut them one year, they’ll just go back up the next year and probably even higher than they were BEFORE the tax cut. We need to stop this Tax Cut bait and switch game.

I'm proposing a Stable Maintenance and Responsible Taxation (SMART) Amendment to establish a fair and equitable tax code which respects small businesses, family farms, and the middle class, and further guarantees that Congress shall pass NO laws increasing taxes unless there have been five or more years of budget deficits, and requiring that they submit a balanced budget based upon the forecasted revenue.The national debt has grown from around $5 trillion thirty years ago to nearly $40 trillion today, while Congress has repeatedly failed to balance a budget, provided large tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy, and increased taxes on small businesses, family farms, and the middle class. Ultimately, the middle class, our children, and our grandchildren will bear the burden of this debt if we don’t act NOW.

I'm proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment that establishes strict deadlines for Congress and President to present and approve a balanced budget. Failure to meet deadlines should result in accountability for politicians NOT the taxpayers. If necessary, the President must be enabled to use a line-item veto to balance the budget.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Personally, I feel that we need to address accountability across the board, but especially in terms of corruption, fair taxation, balanced budgets, and protecting human rights.

As the Republican Party, we need to return to the progressive values that we held dear from the 1850s until the 1970s. As a nation, we need to unite to address issues that are important to Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike. Issues such as the economy, inflation, salaries, tariffs, cost of living, housing, medical care, taxes, access to healthcare, homelessness, immigration, gun violence, abortion, inequality, and government corruption are important to the American people regardless of political party and must be addressed with bipartisan cooperation.