What’s the solution?

My solution: Stop selling our congressional seats to the highest bidder.

     Since I started expressing some of my values and opinions about significant issues of the day, people have started asking me, “What’s my solution”.  It’s a fair question.  It’s easy to identify problems.  It’s far more difficult to identify solutions.  I’m a Quality Assurance analyst.  My focus is on the analysis of complex systems and the processes that manage those systems.  I’m not focused on fixing problems.  My focus is on how to fix problems and more importantly on how to prevent problems.  We love computers and machines for their repeatability and predictability but the most critical element in any successful process is the people.

     Nowhere is this more relevant than Government.  Government is not a business.   Government is not about creating wealth or even creating jobs.  Ours is a government of the people.  Creating meaningful solutions that are fair and equitable requires open debate and adequate representation. 

     Of course when people ask me for my solution, they want to know if I support their solution.  If they are pro-life they will not vote for me because I recognize that illegal abortion creates more social problems than it solves.  My solution to abortion is preventing unwanted pregnancies, respecting women, and the value of reproductive health.  Successful solutions have all focused on education and to me the idea of eliminating Planned Parenthood is absurd. The moral values of pro-life individuals also demand abstinence which has clearly proven to be a very ineffective form of birth control.  Groups will not engage in meaningful solutions if they have an absolute truth that requires them to impose their values on everyone else.

     This creates an environment where politicians avoid presenting a clear position on anything. There are no debates, no clear policy statements, and no strong platform statements.  Campaigns hide behind marketing strategies focused on creating images of patriotism and outstanding moral character; more often than not they are focused on attacking the other party.  I’m telling you where I stand on the issues.  What I need from you as a representative is how my position compares to yours.  That’s government of the people, that’s negotiation, that’s meaningful representation; something we have not had in this district for a very long time.

     I’m focused on changing our election process.  Washington is crumbling under the weight of corporate political investment, campaign finance and an army of overpaid lobbyists representing special interests.  That is not government of the people.  That’s rule by the rich.  Try reading the tax codes  yourself if you don’t believe it. Our candidates for the congressional seat in our district promise to spend 4 to 5 $million campaigning in 2014.  That’s somewhere between $11.00 and $13.00 per vote.  I’m committed to doing it for $3.00 per vote.  It won’t solve the problem but it’s a great start. It’s a testament to my faith in the people of this district.