Voter's Edge California Voter Guide
Get the facts before you vote.
Brought to you by
MapLight
League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Tuesday June 7, 2022 — California Primary Election
Invest in unbiased information

With your support, we can reach and inform more voters.

Donate now to spread the word.

United States

U.S. House of RepresentativesCandidate for District 16

Photo of Benjamin Thomas Solomon

Benjamin Thomas Solomon

Fintech Startup Owner
2,657 votes (1.6%)
Use tab to activate the candidate button. Use "return" to select this candidate. You can access your list by navigating to 'My Choices'.
For more in-depth information on this candidate, follow the links for each tab in this section. For most screenreaders, you can hit Return or Enter to enter a tab and read the content within.
Candidate has provided information.
Thank candidate for sharing their information on Voter's Edge.

My Top 3 Priorities

  • Fiscal accountability and balanced budgets is the only way to control inflation which is now at 8.5%. Inflation reached 7.9% in February 2022 before the Russia-Ukraine war (began 02/24/22). This inflation mess is due to bad US policies.
  • Ensure safe neighborhoods and education excellence, the basis for economic growth. A dud education produces unemployable adults. Better paying, good employers can tell. Police need to be refunded to ensure safe neighborhoods & prevent economic decay.
  • Accountable Congress. Climate alarmist insists that seal levels must rise 200ft when Antarctica melts. 85% of Antarctica melts and freezes every summer & winter but sea levels don’t rise and fall by 170ft every year. Why didn’t our Congress verify ?

Experience

Experience

Profession:Have STEM, Finance & Economics background
Candidate, US House of Representatives, CA Congressional District 16, Solomon4Congress (2021–current)
Salesperson, Culver City Honda (2016–2018)
Contract Credit Analyst, reporting to the Vice President, Superior, CO, Key Bank (2013–2013)
Senior Credit Analyst, reporting to the Senior Vice President, Denver, CO, UMB Bank (2011–2013)
Technical Resource Manager, reporting to Senior Vice President, Denver, CO, Capmark Capital (2004–2006)

Education

University College Dublin, Ireland Master of Business Studies (Banking & Finance), Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Analysis, Options, Unsystematic Risk, Strategy (1995)
University of Lancaster, United Kingdom Master of Arts, Operations Research, Statistics, Algorithms, Optimization (1982)
University of Aston, United Kingdom Bachelor of Science (Electrical & Electronics Engineering), Electrical engineering, electronics engineering, programming (1979)

Community Activities

Committee Member, Nuclear & Future Flight Propulsion Technical Committee, American Institute of Aeronautics Astronautics (AIAA) (2015–2016)
Senior Member, American Institute of Aeronautics Astronautics (AIAA) (2012–2016)
Volunteer, Reader & Chalice Bearer, Mother Cabrini Shrine, Colorado (2012–2013)
College Prep Coach, Daniel's Fund (2001–2003)
Mensa member, The Malaysian Mensa Society (1990–1990)

Biography

As an outsider, I bring 40+ years of working across many industries from finance to international seaport logistics and sales, including writing the Quarterly US Economic Report for a regional US bank. Unlike my peers who are contesting CD16, I have a STEM, Finance and Economics background. My innovative strategic thinking was instrumental to Malaysia's Westport growth from a $1 billion (1995) seaport infrastructure project to the 6th largest container port worldwide (2006). I expect similar outcomes as a Congressperson for California Congressional District 16.

It is very important to understand how to use data, but it is even more important to understand how data can be abused i.e., lying with statistics. In my opinion, climate alarmist are very polished at abusing data, primarily by not telling the whole story.

During the COVID lockdown, I reworked my credit risk and Commercial & Industrial lending experience into 2 monographs:

[1]    A Critique of Dodd-Frank: Forecasting Securitized Mortgage Credit & Default Risk, Scholar’s Press, 2021

[2]    Real World Data Modeling:  Applications in Statistics, Physics & Medicine, Scholar’s Press, 2021

 

I discovered that our Public Health Policies with regard to Infectious Disease Spread was based on the Reproduction R0 model which I found to be highly misleading, based on erroneous statistical analyses and grossly exaggerated disastrous outcomes. Worse, it only forecasts hospitalizations, but says nothing about the disease spread. The correct model which I proposed should show probability of infections, recovery, and mortality. That is why I support the Great Barrington Declaration. We should have followed Sweden’s example, not China’s. Without lockdowns, Sweden had half the death rate the US had, and 350,000 Americans would still be alive today.

During this time, I invented a new bank product, Home Equity Line of Credit for Self-Insured Servicing (HELSIS). It can reduce home mortgage defaults by up to 70% without penalizing either the borrowers or the banks, but it needs Congress to make some small changes to the reverse mortgage regulations. I reached out to our politicians in Silicon Valley, but nobody was interested. Shocking! Therefore, I’m now running for Congress.

I even investigated Dodd-Frank’s Risk Retention regulation. It is a clumsy piece of legislation that is so ambiguous that it cannot be implemented or enforced. Our laws need to be market savvy not legislatively intense. Its not about showing how much Congress has accomplished after the fact. It is about preventing disasters and enforcing market disciple. Our record these past 100+ year is, Congress 0, market crash 7.

I’ve accomplished much more, but this is enough for now.

Questions & Answers

Questions from League of Women Voters of California (4)

The Federal Government plays a part in California water allocation and use through a variety of projects and laws.  What, if any, new programs or projects or reforms to existing programs and projects would you support in an effort to handle water shortages caused by the current and any future drought?
Answer from Benjamin Thomas Solomon:

Given the deplorable condition of California’s infrastructure – power black outs, roads that are only acceptable in a third world country, expensive tollways, filth and homelessness, and a Governor who is focused on plastic forks and knives – it is very doubtful that California’s water problem can be solved under the current regime. 

 

The Federal Government needs to take over these projects because water is a multi-state issue with a substantial amount of Southern California’s water coming from Colorado.

 

 

 

Should immigration laws be changed?  What changes would you support?  Please explain why.
Answer from Benjamin Thomas Solomon:

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-36) the Lord explains how to deal with the disadvantaged. The good Samaritan was a merciful man with a medical background, as he knew how to treat wounds and was willing to do so. He knew how long these wounds would take to heal. He thought of himself as fairly wealthy as (i) he paid or would pay the inn keeper whatever it took for the wounded stranger to heal and recover, and (ii) he owned a donkey and could afford its upkeep.

The priest and the Levite both thought of themselves as poor and did not want to be associated with any future troubles relating to the wounded stranger.

But the main lesson here is that the good Samaritan did not bring this stranger into his house, in order to help the stranger. The Bible does not say why the stranger had been attacked. It could have been criminals attacking an innocent man or good, angry people seeking vengeance upon a criminal.

The good Samaritan showed that when you have a good heart you have to exercise your brains, too.

And so, it should be with illegals. We should not allow them into our country under the guise of mercy but help them in their own country. The Lord has allowed hardship in everyone’s lives. Some more than others. Instead of using their hardships to build their own country, these illegals use their hardships as an excuse to come to this country, our US; whose generations of peoples sacrificed their lives and endured hardships to build this country. That is, a free lunch demanded by foreigners of our taxpayer’s hard-earned incomes.

Worse, Progressives claim abortion is rightful, but it is wrong to house farm animals in cramped quarters? How does that make sense?

By encouraging illegals to enter into this country, the Progressives have caused a very big mess which is both a source of drug trafficking and child sex trade. Thus, whomever who promotes illegals will have to share in these four sins, (i) child sex trafficking, (ii) drug trafficking, (iii) denying the accountability of these governments towards their citizens and (iv) denying the development of these countries by their own people. 

We have to tighten our immigration laws.

As Congress Member what, if any, policies or legislation would you support to preserve democracy for all US residents?
Answer from Benjamin Thomas Solomon:

 

We are all one people. This nation guarantees us equal rights and freedoms in pursuit of happiness but with that comes responsibilities. There are two primary responsibilities that our taxpayer funded civil servants and Congress needs to ensure for the preservation of democracy for all Americans:

1.       A good education for all of our children, irrespective of race, gender, or wealth. That means removal of the teaching of Marxist/Communist based doctrines like,

  • Identity Politics, which teaches racial hatred, as Marxism needs to divide us either by class or by race to thrive.
  • Critical Race Theory, which is the University & public-school curriculum version of Identity Politics.
  • Wokism, which is fashionable-ideology-based justice and not based on the law, i.e., today it is for a select demographic, and tomorrow, when the “in” politics changes, it will against that demographic.
  • Genderism, where the State is forcing boys to become girls and girls to become boys. 

We entrust our academics, teachers and civil servants to be good stewards of our taxpayer funds, to propose, decide and implement policies and projects that enable us, and our children live good fruitful lives, but what are they doing now? Why are they twisting our children’s minds?

 

2.      Fiscal responsibility is key to an unburdened taxpayer’s wellbeing, but no, our Progressive dominated Congress believes money grows on trees. The fantastical budget explosion to show that the Progressive Congress is accomplishing something – even if it is irresponsible – will come back to bite our children as an enormous tax burden.

I have proposed 5 Rules for Federal Budget Management, that ensure that we never burden our taxpayers. My analysis shows that the Build Back Better Act will increase our taxes by 2.6x.

Correcting for CBO's GDP growth, using the 30-year average of 1.98%, public debt interest payments as a proportion of Federal Receipts is no longer feasible even with small increase, 3.00%, in interest rates. You wonder why CBO’s forecast interest rate is 2.63% at most. 

Given that inflation has hit 8.5%, interest rates must go up. At 3.00% the Net Interest on Public Debt will exceed 26% of Federal Receipts and therefore, limits how much a government can borrow. The Federal Government would be forced to substantially cut back on budgeted programs or even worse substantially layoff government employees. You could say that the government could borrow more to pay that additional interest, but that would be like borrowing from a loan shark to pay the bank!  

The irony here is that when interest payment defaults, the Progressive’s push for big government at any cost, will force the substantial contraction of the government’s ability to meet Net Interest on Public Debt. The Progressives have an alternative, that is to massively increase our taxes. With the proposed social spending programs, my estimate is that taxes will increase by 2.6x for everyone across the board. Unless, of course, they intend to chase out the wealthy who proved that the American dream is possible.

 

What legislation, if any, would you support to reduce American greenhouse gas production?  Please explain the reasons for your position.
Answer from Benjamin Thomas Solomon:

First, lets get the facts right. Emissions CO2 (0.005 ppm), which is almost all of the greenhouse gas emissions, accounts for only 0.001% of the CO2 in the atmosphere, Atmospheric CO2 (409 ppm). So how can clean policies targeted at only Emissions CO2 have any consequential impact on global warming? Almost anyone with a STEM background can do these calculations, but nobody did. Why?

Climate alarmist scientists insists that seal levels must rise 200ft when Antarctica melts. 85% of Antarctica melts and refreezes every summer & winter but sea levels don’t rise and fall by 170ft every year. Do they? That means our climate alarmist scientist are making false claims. Why didn’t our Congress verify this before setting aside billions of dollars of our taxpayer funds to fight a non-existent cause?

Analysis shows that every 32ppm rise in Atmospheric CO2, now at 409 ppm, is caused by 1 sq km of deforestation, but our current Emissions accounts for only 0.005 ppm! Why have our climate alarmist scientist been lying & misleading us for 50 years? Is there no accountability in either our scientific or political communities?

Worse, these climate alarmist scientists make the claim that “the trees do act as a temporary CO2 storage system but a very inefficient one”. What? Name me a CO2 storage that is better. Trees are the only natural source of CO2 storage, and human activity that deforests the planet is 10,000x more destructive than human activity that causes emissions. Therefore, I infer that modern day climate alarmist scientists are anti-ecologists. Why?

Sure, our climate alarmist scientist use complex statistical, mathematical and computer models to make their claims, but you know what they in computer science? Garbage in, garbage out. This garbage out is being used to drive our Progressive dominated Congressional policy decisions and the allocation of our taxpayer monies! So now we have a $550 billion, 10% of our taxpayer funded Federal Budget, allocated to garbage policies. What a gigantic waste of our hard-earned income! 

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Total money raised: $6,319

Top contributors that gave money to support the candidate, by organization:

1
Benjamin Thomas Solomon
$6,020
2
Employees of Juido Llc
$299

More information about contributions

By State:

California 100.00%
100.00%

By Size:

Large contributions (100.00%)
Small contributions (0.00%)
100.00%

By Type:

From organizations (0.00%)
From individuals (100.00%)
100.00%
Source: MapLight analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission.

Political Beliefs

Political Philosophy

I was born in Malaysia, one year after it “independence” from the British Empire. In 1970 after the May 13th, 1969, race riots between the Muslim Malays and the local Chinese, the Muslim Malay dominated government implemented what is today known as Identity Politics. That is, in 1970 I became a second-class citizen of the country of my birth.

These Muslim Malays gave themselves special privileges and called themselves “Bumiputra”, Prince of the Earth. To ensure this dominance both the police and military almost solely consists of Muslim Malays. At that time, it was labeled “affirmative action” with the support of American academics, but the structure of this “affirmative action” revealed its true self of Identity politics. Identity Politics requires that individuals get promotions and have access to job privileges because of the color of their skin and not by the quality of your mind, heart, and experience.

So, what happened? Malaysia went from one of the cleanest countries in the world to one of the most corrupt, in under a generation. That must be a world record.

The then Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib, was at the center on the largest financial scandal in the world. For that to happen, the entire political and public service machinery had been corrupted by Identity Politics. Is this what we want in the US?

I learnt that, for a nation and a people to succeed everyone must have equal rights and with these rights comes responsibilities. We must be fair to everyone, and not have the State mandate who can and cannot do what.  The State’s responsibility is to facilitate the economy through robust education, effective services and market savvy laws and regulations; to encourage free markets.

In the 1970s, at most 25 teenagers had 6 A’s at 8th grade, today there are 25,000 A’s. So, has Malaysia become the foremost innovator in the sciences and the arts? No. What they did was to indiscriminately dish out A’s to kids of a select demographic. The Malaysian standardized examinations results are worthless, brains not necessary. Do we want this state of affairs in the US?

Correctly implemented Affirmative Action is different from Identity Politics (which is Marxism/Communism). Correct Affirmative Action starts at the beginning of the child-to-adult development process, not at the end of it. Identity Politics is when a select group of adults are given special advancement privileges because of the color of their skin, and not because of the quality of their hearts, minds, and experience.

Affirmative Action is about leveling the playing field at the beginning of the child-to-adult development process. While still children, all children should be given the same mentoring and nutritional requirements as those from more advantaged backgrounds. We don’t do that in California.

It is the State’s responsibility to facilitate the economy through robust education, effective services and market savvy laws and regulations. To encourage free markets. We don’t see this in California, with its third world roads, regular power black outs, filth, urine, drug menace and tax increases that are squandered. California is so third world, now.

Worse, our State & Local governments have failed our children by teaching Identity Politics (racial bias at the workplace), Critical Race Theory (racial hatred in schools), Wokism (justice based on ideology not the law) and Genderism (how to mess a child’s gender identity). That is, the State now teach that it is the state that determines our children’s lives, not our children themselves. At best, these are of no value to the future of an economically strong US or any other country for that matter, as third world Malaysia has proved.

Please share this site to help others research their voting choices.

PUBLISHING: SERVER:PRODUCTION