Friday, July 15, 2016

US Representative


US Representative

Here we go again. There are 5 candidates for Representative. Of the 5, there are 2 to be taken seriously, Rick Larsen and Mike Lapointe. I have a lot of trouble with Rick Larsen’s love of the military and jobs at any price – like promoting the oil port proposal at Bellingham because it will (theoretically) create jobs. Oh, and he loves TPP, which will hand national sovereignty to multi-national corporations. I really like just about everything Mike LaPointe has to say. So we’re left once again with the voter’s conundrum. I will happily vote for Mike Lapointe.

The candidates:


Marc Hennemann    R         emhennemann@aol.com
education: George Washington U  BA in Political Science, U of Oklahoma MA in Public Administration
Viet Nam vet, career military, then high school teacher
issues: supports active duty military; opposes reducing military; supports veterans’ access to health care; supports free trade; supports trade agreements so long as they do not export jobs; staunch supporter of Israel; opposes the nuclear deal with Iran; US must destroy ISIS; America must LEAD; cut wasteful frivolous spending; pro-2nd amendment; wants to balance between exploitation and environmental protection; wans to promote growth, expand jobs, and preserve our environment at the same time.
Bottom line: a classic R



Rick Larsen   D         rick@ricklarsen.org
Rick is the incumbent. We have long had serious differences. I have made those differences clear to him. He is unmoved. His current focus: invest in infrastructure & small business; grow the clean energy economy; increase access to education, in part by “bringing more financial security to students” re debt, so supports free community college. Fighting for women’s rights, LGBT rights, strengthen the voting rights act; wants to overturn Citizens United; wants to pass real immigration reform and support refugees; deal with addiction and homelessness.

My heartburn comes with his uncritical support for the military and “economic development.”

Candidate’s statement:
Elected Experience: It is my privilege to serve as the Representative for Washington’s 2nd Congressional District. I’ve also served on the Snohomish County Council.
Other Professional Experience: Prior to working as a public official I was employed by the Port of Everett and the Washington State Dental Association.
Education: I graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in Washington state and have a masters degree from the University of Minnesota.

I’m working to raise the national minimum wage, combat income inequality, create jobs in our community, and fix our broken immigration system.

Income inequality has been called the “defining challenge of our time.” We need to rise to this challenge and build a ladder for those seeking to break into the middle class. There’s no better place to start than by raising the minimum wage.

I’m also working to put people back to work. The best way to create jobs is to invest in our transportation systems. Building and repairing our roads, bridges and highways will grow our economy and immediately put people to work.

And I’m committed to expanding opportunities for everyone to participate in our economy and democracy. We must reform America’s broken immigration laws by establishing a clear pathway to citizenship, destroy any barrier that prevents people who are registered to vote from exercising that right, extend unemployment benefits to the long-term unemployed and support efforts that ensure marriage equality exists in every state.

None of this will be easy, but I’m up for the challenge.

Endorsed by FUSE Progressive Voters.

I have had too many disagreements with Rick Larsen to be able to support him. He loves the military and does not seem to understand that they are destroying the very communities they’re supposed to be protecting. He’s all in favor of TPP, which will suck the last of our country’s sovereignty away and give it to the multi-national corporations. We’re seeing that right now with Trans Canada Corp suing the US in the WTO for its denial of permits to build the Keystone pipeline. While he talks about the environment and climate change, he’s supporting various coal and oil export facilities in the name of jobs. He hasn’t figured out yet that there are no jobs on a dead planet, and the quickest way to kill this planet is by mining, transporting, and burning more fossil fuels.

I readily acknowledge that he has done some very good things. I just can’t forgive the very very bad things he’s done.







Kari Ilonummi                      no preference            kari@nospinnewssource.com
www.nospinnewssource.com
education: WSU
He’s running to stop TPP; put citizens back to work; revamp outdated infrastructure; pass Glass-Steagall; make tuition affordable; increase funding for veterans, schools, Medicaid, and Social Security. Proposes an “economic new deal while protecting the environment”. Running as an independent to drive home that he works for the public and not for Wall Street or corporations. Will audit the Federal Reserve; bring troops home; impose a moratorium on home foreclosures; end the depression/heroin epidemic; repeal UN Agenda 21. Supports 2nd Amendment. Predicts the looting of personal savings to pay the national debt. “The system is rigged!”

Well, he started out sounding fairly reasonable. Then he went over the edge.



Brian Luke       Libertarian       luke-4-congress@frontier.com
education: MA in International Studies (Middle East focus), BA in History, Classical Studies, Comparative Religion.
Former R, switched to Libertarian Party this year.
issues: avoid foreign entanglements; opposes trade agreements/TPP; wants to cut spending to pay down debt; legalize marijuana nationally; greater sovereignty for native tribes; reduce spending on military by bringing troops home; no problem with gay marriage; opposes federal funding of Planned Parenthood, since no one who objects to abortion should have to help pay for it.

Again, your classic right wing libertarian.







Mike Lapointe           D         mike@mikelapointe.org
Lifelong leftie, union member, defender of workers’ rights, activist. Has been actively fighting the proposed coal terminal, demonstrating, testifying. Currently co-owner of Firewheel Community Coffeehouse in Everett. Favors $15.00/hr minimum wage, and has good ideas for how to make small businesses able to pay that minimum wage. Follows in the footsteps of Pete Seeger and Martin Luther King as an ardent proponent of peace. This includes reducing the military budget. Objects to the actions of both Israel & Palestine and wants to work to overcome their differences. Wants to impose a moratorium on sale of US weapons abroad. Wants to re-allocate the bloated military budget to support veterans, education, energy, jobs, infrastructure, environmental protection, and national deployment of green energy solutions.

Mike’s my guy.




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