U.S. House of RepresentativesCandidate for District 50

It is reasonable to expect that if a person is allowed to immigrate to the US, their spouse and children would be allowed to follow.  Chain migration practices however have allowed for bringing parents and siblings along as well.  These persons are allowed to enter the US without consideration of their ability to be employed or their financial status.  This invariably puts the U.S. taxpayers at risk of significantly increasing the burden on the entitlement system. It may be that there are circumstances such as political persecution or war when these family members may need to be brought to the U.S.,  it should not be systematic.  Extended family members should be granted immigration status based upon the merits of their own individual cases whenever possible.  It is prudent for any government to protect its borders, language and culture.  We should be diligent in protecting the soverignty of our borders.  We should be diligent in vetting potential immigrants to ensure that they are willing and able to assimilate into American culture.  We should be as sure as we can be that we are not admitting people who show propensity for violence or crminal acts.  

The border wall here in San Diego has been successful. It has significantly decreased crime and the porousness of the border.  Israel also has a border wall and attributes a significant decrease in suicide bombings to its existence. The U.S. government has an obligation to keep the border safe and to stop criminal activity such as drug smuggling, human trafficking and illegal immigration.  Though it has been politically demonized, the wall is a logical tool for helping to achieve this goal.  Other technologies can also be employed, along with law enforcement officers to even further work towards this end.  The result will be increased safety for our officers, people attempting to cross the border and the public as a whole. 

 Any additional regulations on gun ownership should be considered only through the lens of the necessity to protect the Second Amendment and by extension the Constitution as a whole.  This is vital and not negotiable, except through the amendment process.  There are situations however when it is reasonable to restrict certain persons from purchasing or possessing a firearm.  Convicted felons should not be allowed to possess guns.  I also believe that persons who have had to be committed to a psychiatric hospital should not be allowed to possess firearms and that they should be subject to a background check.  

Though NAFTA has flaws and needs to be modernized, especially in regards to energy policy, I do think that the U.S. should remain in it.  Statistically those nations which we have trade agreements with have a significantly lower trade deficit than our trading partners with no set agreement.  Like smart businesses, the U.S. should regularly seek to better their trading situation if possible through modernization and renegotiation. It is the governments responsibility to put the needs of U.S. citizens and businesses above those of foreign governments or businesses.  However, the U.S. is a world leader and we should always act in ways that honor the law and justice.  

I do not support raising the federal gas tax to improve transportation infrastructure.  The current taxes should currently be more than enough to achieve this goal but most government programs focus on non car related projects such as bike lanes, mass transit and high speed rail, even though very few Americans are interested in using these types of transportation options.  This is done in response to the political decision to try and force Americans out of their cars.  Raising taxes even higher than they already are is an example of this tactic.  Americans want to drive cars and governments should not engage in social engineering attempts to force a way of life on people that they do not want.  

The Affordable Care Act was a massive overreach by the federal government that created instability and uncertantity in the American health care system.  It also inadvertently created a redistribution of wealth by providing supplements for low income and non working persons and significantly increasing the costs for the working.  To make the system work, the free market must be allowed to shape the system.  Though there should be provisions for those who can not pay, there should also be some limitations on what is and is not covered. Consumers should not be allowed to game the pre-existing condition clauses so that they only have to purchase health care coverage when they become ill.  Young healthy people should be allowed to purchase catastrophic event coverage with high deductibles if they choose to. Also, any system that punishes the middle class in an artificial scheme to redistribute wealth should be avoided.