Issues and Actions
Bring Jobs to the District
We need to promote
clean jobs that will protect the beauty of our district. We have a
well-educated work force and vast areas in which technological businesses
could locate. To draw these businesses we need to rebuild our deteriorating
infrastructure and develop broadband capability, which will also create
jobs. As your Congressman, I will work to bring in the types of businesses
that complement our lifestyle and can bring prosperity to our district.
Bring Money Back to the District
The job of a Congressman
is to bring your tax dollars back into the district according to that
district’s needs. This pays for police and fire protection as well
as education and roads. Refusing to bring your tax dollars back does
not reduce your taxes. It simply allows your money to be used in other
states where the Congressman actually cares about the district. My
opponent stands on the principal that he earmarks no funds for this
district, applies for no federal incentive programs, and writes no
legislation that would benefit the district. I am amazed that he is
so proud of doing absolutely nothing. While we all know that Mr. Doolittle
was corrupt but he did bring money to this district and worked to make
it a better. I will bring money into the district so that the elected
officials of the counties can provide the services our citizens need.
I will legislate to make sure that our concerns are voiced and protected.
Protect Our Water
Water and water-rights
issues have the potential to become a full-fledged crisis. The new
Water Bond on the November ballot proposes to build a peripheral canal
that will be capable of carrying four times as much water awar from
Northern California as the current technology. Even worse, it will
not only take our water but will divert the water from the delta (causing
it to dry up) and deliver it into now semi-desert land presently owned
by several billionaires. It will essentially make the delta land worthless
and transfer the land value to a privileged few. It will also modify
the way that water is distributed and essentially turn it into a commodity
which can be purchased and hoarded by the highest bidder. We need
to restore our meadows so that we can slow the flow away form Northern
California and help reduce our drought conditions. We need to rebuild
the delta levies before they fail and cover the canals which could
potentially reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation by as much
as twenty percent. By doing this we can increase our usable water
and retain our control over our water supply.
Protect Recreational Areas
The Auburn State
Recreation Area provides enjoyment for approximately a million visitors
a year. It provides for hiking, horseback riding, swimming, boating,
fishing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, and other activities.
It is now threatened because its funding is linked to Bureau of Reclamation
instead of the National Park Service. Reduced funding from the Bureau
of Reclamation will cause the area to deteriorate and likely result
in areas becoming inaccessible to the public. This is due mainly to
the fact that the land was dedicated to the never-to- be- built Auburn
Dam. It is time for everyone to accept that the dam will not be built
and change its control to the National Park Service. This will keep
the area open and allow for the infrastructure to be improved and
developed. Working within the majority party, this should be something
that can be accomplished within the first year of my Congressional
term.
Bring Broadband to the District
I will utilize the
available federal funds as well as seek additional sources in order
to locate towers and fiber optics throughout this district. This will
not only provide our citizens with increased connectivity for recreational
and communication use but also open up the district to improvements
in tele-medicine and provide incentives for technological businesses
to locate here.
Continue the Fight for Verifiable Elections
I have been involved
in the election integrity movement since 2004. While California under
Debra Bowen has done a very good job of addressing this issue, the
problem still exists in many states in this country. We need to eliminate
the use of all non-verifiable systems and force the use of equipment
(such as a paper ballot) that can be physically recounted and verified.
We’ve recently seen, in the Senate primary in South Carolina, how
these machines and their hackable software can cause questionable
results. The machine totals (unverifiable) were completely opposite
of absentee (verifiable) ballots. I have encouraged Vic Rawl, the
Democratic candidate who lost to the mystery candidate Alvin Greene,
to investigate these abnormalities with an on-the-ground canvass of
precincts where the discrepancies occurred. Maybe this will help to
put a stop to the use of these unverifiable machines forever.
Do Not Allow the Destruction of Social
Security
Social Security
is one of the most successful programs this country has ever known.
Mr. McClintock, who has lobbied against Social Security for four decades,
has called the program a “...theft of youth’s future earnings to pay
for the avarice of the New Establishment.” If Social Security had
been privatized under the Bush Administration, many of our retired
citizens would be left penniless. I will fight to protect the Social
Security system and make sure that it is never pilfered by the privileged
few who feel they have a right to everything. We dodged this privatization
scheme under President Bush but the "Tea Party" candidates
still have their sights on your retirement savings. I will do everything
I can do to stop them.
Stop the Political Bickering
In order to make
the best decisions, we need to bring all reasonable viewpoints to
the table, including those of not just the Democrats but the Republicans,
Libertarians, Greens, and American Independents as well. We must bring
sane dialogue back to the table. It is easy to chant one-liners like
“drill-baby-drill” without ever considering the consequences of failure.
It is easy for Mr. McClintock to quote Teddy Roosevelt's speech about
immigrants who were not assimilating fast enough to suit him, while
never considering the fact that Mr. Roosevelt was not talking about
Mexican immigrant but Italian and Irish immigrants. Mr. Roosevelt
was complaining about Mr. McClintock’s ancestors. It would be amusing
if it were not for the fact that the bigotry once heaped on the Irish
is now flowing from one of their own. Working together, we can get
past this. But everyone must be involved. Working together is the
only way we can move beyond the mistakes of the past and lead our
country forward into a better tomorrow.
Include Everyone in the Decision-making
Process
In my Congressional
Office I will bring in representatives from all the political parties across
District 4. We will work as a team on a day-to-day basis in order
to reach the best possible solutions for ALL the citizens of District
4. Together, we can openly exchange ideas and work toward solutions
that work for everyone.