The tragic events on Saturday, July 13th , show the many things that have
diminished our institutions and created fear in our county. The breakdown of our
faith in our institutions has created fear and frustration. We no longer feel that
we can look to our government to solve the problems that are too big for us to
solve alone. When violence becomes an answer to our problems, we have
regressed to times when “might makes right.”
We no longer live in the Wild West with little or no community to solve problems too big to solve ourselves. Our government has been slowly dismantled over the last 50 years and can no longer redress grievances promised by the 1st Amendment to the Constitution. One-
party domination of public policy has led to a legislature no longer functioning as
it once did.
The 92 nd Assembly district until this year was so gerrymandered that only one
party would ever elect the representative to the seat. That representative was
chosen during the August republican primary. The November general election has
been a simple formality for decades.
The GOP leadership was elected from increasingly dark red areas of the state. As
they tightened control, they held sway over rural northern republican legislators.
Those local GOP representatives offered that leadership their votes to remain in
office. That leadership and their followers up north began changing public policy
that at one time advanced the middle class. From the decline of unions to
consumer protection, banking rules, and conservation of water resources, the
GOP changed protective standards for the benefit of their wealthy contributors.
The middle class was hammered and defeated.
The GOP’s well-oiled and financed media voices used both attitudes and budget cuts, weakening the agencies that were created to protect us and our resources from unscrupulous people and enterprises and weakening our regulations and standards that keep us safe and protect our environment. And it is obvious today our free public schools have been under GOP partisan-led policies set to create havoc in our schools. They want privatization of all forms of government. Downgrading education serves the
purpose of those wanting to control all aspects of our people’s lives.
To make our government ineffective, they have cut funding, so fewer people can
hear our grievances. Local sheriffs do not have the funds to protect us from drug
gangs operating in the rural areas of our counties. Our roads are deteriorating
faster than our local governments can repair and maintain them. Our schools are
being attacked and underfunded so that our children are only educated to work
and not engage in community and civic responsibility.
When I was in the legislature, I was available to everyone. If re-elected, I will
return the office to its primary fundamental purpose: working for people—all of
them. Equally important is being able to carry out the will of the people. I know
how to work effectively in the legislature to reverse the dismantling of our
government. I am compelled to return to the legislature and work to reverse the
damage done during the last 30 years to our great state. My experience, integrity,
and independence will help bring back our First Amendment Rights.