Local Issues
Crime – a policing crisis: Crime is increasing in our district. Police officers are scared to do their jobs due to the “anti-police” movement currently happening in Democratic districts. Props 47, 57, and AB109 have also redefined crime and punishment and have hamstrung police from properly dealing with the problem. Opioid addiction and homelessness also correlate with the issue.
Homelessness – a new problem: Homelessness has exploded in our district in the past few years. This is a new problem, not an old one, and is a result of our policing crisis above. The Democrats’ answer was to pass measures HHH and H to raise taxes to deal with the problem.
Predatory Taxation: Gas tax hike, registration hikes, Prop 13 repeal, Costa Hawkins repeal, parcel taxes, service tax… the list goes on and on. Government feeds more government, ever increasing government needs ever increasing taxes. There’s no part of our lives that the Democrats aren’t looking to tax more. We don’t need expensive solutions to cheap problems, we don’t need government subsidizing our problems.
Education – make it relevant: Trade Schools should be promoted more, education should match the need for labor. The student loan crisis needs to be resolved, right now it exploits the young more than it provides a benefit. Burdening our children with crippling, unforgivable debt before they ever get a career going is crippling our society.
Business – too much red tape: We have too much red tape when it comes to owning and operating a business in L.A. County. The problem is an administration that cozies up to big business while distrusting any small operators. We need government that encourages businesses and helps them start, not one that throws unnecessary hurdles at them.
National Issues
Immigration – returning to a lawful system: Immigration must have a consistent legal framework. If you hate the laws, let’s have a discussion to change them. Attacking the president for enforcing the laws on the books isn’t in good faith. We can debate a wall, but do you want border security? We can debate family separations, but what’s the alternative? Letting them loose in the country with a promise to appear is open borders.
Healthcare – reviving American enterprise: Obamacare wound up being a tax on the young, poor and healthy. People were paying a tax for the privilege of not having health insurance, and it was legally dubious at best. Meanwhile health care red tape is killing the industry. We need to let doctors practice again, and not subject them to endless meaningless regulations.
Foreign Policy – reviving American values: Revive Arab Spring, support our allies, help countries make their way out of the muck and develop their economies. It’s in this nurturing foreign policy that we can easily support Israel. They are a nation with western values and should be supported.
To move forward, we need to combat this “outrage industrial complex” – foundations and NGOs that manufacture atrocities while ignoring real ones.
Defense – looking towards the future: Today’s conflicts aren’t just about brick and mortar. They’re about information. Cyber security plays an important role in our national defense strategy and should be taken seriously. Countries which can’t use internet commerce safely will surrender to countries that dominate the internet.
Trade – maintaining our status: We need free trade. But we need fair trade, we need smart trade. We can’t use trade as a loophole for our own regulations and laws, taking production where pollution, lawlessness, and exploitation run rampant. Meanwhile, our district is a major beneficiary of free trade and the pan-Asian trade network. I will make sure we remain this way.