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Center for Public Integrity Open Secrets Public Campaign The Century Foundation
Debt Awareness Foundation Impact on California Office of Management and Budget
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Citizens against Gov't. Waste Taxpayers for Common Sense Corporate Welfare Center 
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I believe that any war we fight we should fight to win. I believe that President Bush is failing in Iraq as Commander in Chief. To be a commander, you must be a leader, and, I do not see that as of late from the President. I believe that the United States made a grave error by not sending more troops to Iraq. There are not enough troops on the ground to secure the country, and, the Iraqi Defense Forces are not up to the job as of yet. Iraq should not have been an "experiment" in what is possible with the least amount of troops. I believe that 100 to 200 thousand more troops should have been on the ground in order to have a presence in all areas of the country, especially in the border areas of Syria and Iran. Foreign fighters are coming in from Syria, and, we do not have the man power to stop them there thus our military personnel are dying. If I am elected, it may be too late to call for a troop strength increase as we have been hearing that some troops will be coming home. I will call to attention this failure to those in Washington upon my election. Our borders both North and South must be secured. Our President has obviously looked in the other direction with regards to this issue thus leaving innocent Americans open to the possibility that terrorists are entering the country with intent to harm them. The President has failed to be the leader he was elected to be with regards to border security. Once elected I will call for a dramatic increase in border security funding for personnel on the ground. In order to protect Sacramento from devasting floods which would result in billions of dollars in damage to residents, businesses, and the government, we should begin construction on the Auburn Dam if new research shows that the dam will be significant in reducing future flood threats. Our current system of levees puts Sacramento residents at risk of catastrophic flooding due to their age, and, the fact that their reinforcement structures are not embedded in bedrock. Constructing the Auburn Dam would not only give Sacramento 500 year protection from flooding, but, would also generate much needed Hydro-Electric power for the region.
Regardless of whether the Auburn dam is found to be necessary, upon my election I will bring $1 Billion back to Sacramento for flood protection projects. I will do this in my first year as your Representative. Some will ask "how do you think you be able to pull that off?" Simple. Last year, Congress approved a landmark $286 billion transportation bill. Within that bill, there were many projects which may or may not serve the public good. One of the projects funded by the bill allocates $250 million for a bridge in Alaska. The bridge will connect the mainland to an island with a population of... 50 people. Some call this the "Bridge to Nowhere." Representative Don Young (R-Alaska) made this funding possible. And, further to the point, "Citizens Against Government Waste, a watchdog group, estimates that the transportation bill funded $24 billion of special projects, which means over 8 percent of that budget went to pork" (ABC News). With all this "Pork" floating around, who would argue with a freshman congressman for writing $1 Billion into the next budget for flood protection for an area which many scientists say will be the next "New Orleans"? Very few to say the least. Do you think Ms. Matsui can pull this off? I highly doubt it. She just doesn't possess the moxy needed to get something like this done, no disrespect intended. Another reason I believe that I will be able to procure this amount of money in my first year, is, many Republicans see this district as "not worth competing in" since it is so heavily Democratic. As a "moderate" or, a "Socially liberal, Fiscally Conservative" Republican with a background as an Independent in Ross Perot's "Reform Party," we are running a different kind of race which is seeking moderate Democrat, and Independent's votes. Winning this race would bring much favor from the leadership in Washington despite the fact they prefer Conservatives win races. If this race is won, you can expect good placement on important committees, plus, a desire from the leadership to work with me to accomplish the things I wish to do for Sacramento. If you want more for this city, put a moderate Republican in Congress, and, watch what we do for the Sacramento area.
The Democrats want Social Security left intact, and, our current administration wants to open it up to private accounts. While I will not be campaigning on this point, I believe that both views of what should be done with Social Security tell the American people that we are too "stupid" to be trusted to plan for the day when we are no longer able to a part of the work force. I do not believe that Americans need the federal government to "hold their hands" throughout their lives in order for them to survive in this world. I give us much more credit than that. I believe that most of us are intelligent enough to secure what we need for our futures if Social Security were ended forthright. If that were to happen, it WOULD have to be phased out over about a 20-25 year period so as not to put too much of a strain on the national debt as S.S. tax incomes would dwindle, but, it could be done. I do believe of course that for those who truly ARE unable to provide for themselves such as the disabled, and, those who fall between the cracks in our society, that a tax should be kept in place to help them meet their needs throughout their lives.
Again, I will not be campaigning on this point of view, I will though sound off to various groups to see what the populace thinks. When I am elected I will call for more freedom to invest on our OWN without government oversight if Social Security reforms are to go through. If reforms fail to gather support, I will consider other ways in which to fund the Social Security account. One final note, Social Security was begun in a national emergency, and, our leaders learned what worked and what didn't. If Social Security is ever dismantled, and, Americans are allowed to determine their economic futures, it could always be started up again in the case of a national or worldwide depression. It's as simple as that. Nothing has to be forever. Our elected officials should have all means at their disposal with which to ensure our citizens well being. I do believe however that politicians of all stripes are merely thumbing their noses at the majority of us by telling us that we need their help to live out our lives prosperously, and healthily. Maybe someday they will realize that we are not idiots after all.
"For Profit" corporations watch the amount of money they lose to theft, lost inventory, unproductive practices and unwise decisions very closely. Working for a large electronics corporation, I know that this is the case, and, I have seen the actions taken once the money losing problems have been illuminated. Government, which is NOT for profit, typically reacts in a much different way. The federal government (along with state and local) fund their projects by taxes they collect from people and businesses. If the government needs more money, they can always raise taxes. The incentive to be thrifty, even frugal and efficient is lacking because government merely collects money by Constitutional authority, and then appropriates that money for spending. Our government should look at the way they handle our money in the same way a business does... that by cutting out wasteful spending, theft, duplicative programs, and inefficiency, they will save money which can then either be returned to the tax base (citizenry and business), or re-allocated to programs which the public has deemed very important such as education and crime prevention. I believe that the government is rife with wasteful spending projects designed merely to ensure that certain politicians are re-elected. Our government also wastes money by giving large for-profit corporations subsidies, and, tax breaks not afforded to the average citizen. "Corporate Welfare" defined as being government subsidies to corporations has been slated to run in the tens of billions of dollars per year. When elected I will seek to cut out all unnecessary subsidies to them, and, cut back on the billions lost to theft and duplicative programs unless they can be shown to benefit the greater good for American citizens and the country.
A majority of Police chiefs around the country have stated that the sale and use of drugs such as methamphetamine are a bigger threat to American society than terrorism is. Those same police chiefs are saying that they do not receive the funding necessary to combat the drug dealers and the gangs which traffic in illegal narcotics. The National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations (NAGIA) laid out in their 2005 report on the situation a two pronged approach to solving the drug problem. One step is to make sure there are ample educational opportunities available to at risk youth, especially in the inner-cities. NAGIA also states that law enforcement MUST have the resources and manpower to do their job. If I am elected I will seek funding for new schools, and, school improvements for inner-cities. If I am elected I will seek to greatly increase federal spending for local anti-gang task forces, and, for local police narcotics divisions. I have seen what illegal drugs such as methamphetamine do to families and individuals, and I have experienced the destructive nature of the gangs involved in the trafficking of illegal drugs. Twenty years of a failed "War on Drugs" is enough. This situation MUST be addressed posthaste for the good of our families, our communities, and the country.
More must be done to control our borders. It is estimated that there are between 11-13 million illegal aliens living in the United States at this time. The U.S. Border Patrol does not have the manpower to stem the tide of illegal aliens coming in from our southern neighbor. I will seek funding SPECIFICALLY for more border patrol agents to be hired and placed on our border with Mexico. The current administration has done NOTHING to correct this problem as they are worried that a source of cheap labor will dry up. If people come from other countries to work in the United States, they should be paid appropriately for their work. The American people are fed up with what is going on on our southern border. They want something done about it. If I am elected, I will raise the issue REPEATEDLY from the floor of the House of Representatives, and I will seek for more funding for the Border Patrol. I will not vote to raise taxes on the American people, or, American businesses. The United States is one of only four nations which have a drinking age over eighteen. I believe that the "Minimum Drinking Age Law" of 1984 should be repealed. I will work to this end if I am elected. I believe that states should have the right to decide when a person is old enough to drink. There are different ways being proposed to change the drinking age. One is the "Graduated" drinking age where at eighteen a person can drink beer but not hard liquor. I favor this idea most. I do believe though that by age nineteen a person should be able to purchase all types of alcohol. I believe that the current drinking age fosters binge drinking on college campus' and dangerous behaviors by teens who resort to unsupervised partying because they are considered not responsible enough to handle alcohol. Large numbers of teens drink despite the current law. Some say that it is easier for kids to get drugs than it is to obtain alcohol. We must move to a more responsible system which includes parents educating their children and young adults on the dangers of drunk driving and alcohol abuse. If the National Minimum Drinking Age Act is not repealed, I will propose a bill in the U.S. Congress that would allow citizens reaching the age of 18 to join the armed forces yet not be put into combat until they reach the age of 21. Either a person has the ability to make rational life decisions beginning at the age of 18, or they have the ability to make rational life decisions beginning at 21. It cannot be both ways. A person becomes an adult at the age of 18 according to our government. I believe that all rights of adulthood should be extended to persons upon reaching this age. This includes the ability to choose whether or not one wishes to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages. Not extending this right is hypocrisy. When a person reaches the age of 18 they are considered responsible enough to fight and die in wars for the United States government. At the age of 18 all persons are charged as adults for crimes committed, and can receive either the death penalty, or life imprisonment as punishment. The Califonia State Supreme Court recently gave prosecutors the authority to charge minors as young as 14 as adults for crimes committed. At the age of 18 a person has the right to vote in the leaders of this country at all levels of government. At the age of 18 a person can choose to leave their parents home, and can also be kicked out. At 18 two adults can start a family and be responsible not only for their lives, but also for life they bring into the world. At the age of 18 a citizen can adopt a baby or a minor as their own. The adopter is responsible for the safety and well being of the adopted. At the age of 18 a person can purchase a firearm. I believe that teenagers reaching the age of 18 must be informed by their parents of the dangers, and the responsibility of being able to purchase alcoholic beverages. Schools should also be involved in communicating this to students reaching the age of 18. |
