League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Ventura, Los Angeles County, CA June 3, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues United States Representative; District 26

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Economy and Jobs, Health Care, Energy Policy, National Security, Immigration Reform Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. In this time of high unemployment and budget deficits, what are the most important steps that should be taken to improve our nation’s economy and sustain job creation? Answer from Douglas William "Ambassador" (Kmiec) Kmiec: Recognizing that in the decades after World War II labor unions had given workers the bargaining power they needed to get a proportionate share of the national income; this was the building of a solid middle-class, the kind of middle class that everyone from Aristotle onwards sees is necessary for the success of democracy; so the first step is to return the middle class to the middle By ensuring that the national income is indeed distributed in a way that will promote new investment, the return of America to the manufacturing of goods informed by 21st century technology and chain of supply theory takes full advantage of the assembly of a product in a way that is both respectful of the economic contribution of tlabor, the value of the environment that is placed at risk, and the need to maintain standards that promote human dignity Recognize that partisanship and political division does nothing to address our economic plight indeed, there is a direct correlation between widening income inequality and increased partisanship; recent congresses most especially the most recent Congress has done little more than indulge the blame game finding a scapegoat big government or big business or new immigrants or global trade but it's really political parties that have been facilitating the blame game If one maps are economic fortunes on finds that when the greatest maldistribution of wealth is taken place + 1928 and 2007 where the top 1% received the highest percentage of total income our economy was at its most fragile moment; we have to move back from this melt distribution we have to break up the concentration of wealth at the top same way the Teddy Roosevelt needed to be a trust buster; this is a particularly unhealthy situation now because the Supreme Court has opened the door to unlimited contributions Answer from Rafael Alberto Dagnesses: The most important steps that should be taken to improve our nation's economy and sustain job creation are to remove government roadblocks for businesses. Washington must let innovators grow their companies. For instance, we have energy resources right here in our own backyard. By lifting obstacles on our reserves, we could access our natural gas and oil resources, build refineries and employ more Americans. While allowing our entrepreneurs continue to seek out alternative forms of energy. If we can have a common sense, coherent energy policy, the direct and indirect benefits are endless. In Congress, a top priority will be to reform the tax code so that it's simple, understandable and fair. If businesses don't balance budgets and pay their bills, collection companies and the IRS will be knocking on their doors. Why should the federal government be any different? 2. What, if any, changes should be made to federal health care policies or programs? Answer from Douglas William "Ambassador" (Kmiec) Kmiec: Congress has to stop wasting our time attempting to repeal the law; Americans by the millions are already taking advantage of the healthcare reforms with insurance w/o regard to pre-existing condition; ensure children and their parents policies to the age of 26; to create insurance exchanges and at least in some cases if not most has made the price of insurance more competitive We need however to ensure two things: first, that the administrative glitches that anybody who has ever known a laptop in their life knows realistically that these machines are less reliable than they proclaim to be; so our deadlines have to be reasonable and our efforts have to be devoted to achieving the greatest good and not waiting until all is perfect. The affordable care act which puts insurance companies at the center; Congress now needs to remind chief executives of these companies that the point of the law is not just to give insurance CEOs a convenient golden goose unwarranted bonuses without any increase in the quality of care. That's the key right now --the quality of care; the greatest bonus should follow and reward those models of care where unnecessary testing is not done; where diagnosis is more accurate and where accessibility is all very positive. Answer from Rafael Alberto Dagnesses: I will fight to repeal Obamacare. Obamacare lacks common sense and leads us to government control of our health care which will be disastrous for our citizens and our country. We must focus on a new patient-centered system of consumer choice. With market-based health care solutions, we will have lower costs and better quality of care. One of many solutions can start with removing barriers for medical insurance companies to sell across state lines. We must also fix Medicare for our seniors. Under Obamacare, our physicians are faced with unsustainable Medicare payment systems that contradict the supply and demand market-based system. Since the big expansion in federal entitlement spending, unfunded liabilities within our Medicare program have grown. Medicare patients must be given the opportunity to choose their Medicare plans and health care providers. 3. What are your priorities with respect to our nation’s energy policy? Answer from Rafael Alberto Dagnesses: Our country has sustainable energy sources that we must tap into in order to build an affordable domestic energy program. I support removing and streamlining regulations to open doors for our companies to invest in our own oil and natural gas supply. We will unleash the American entrepreneurial spirit once we no longer depend on foreign countries who do not share our same principles of freedom and liberties. America's national security and job creation directly coincides with our energy policy. Let's protect our country and our free enterprise by building more domestic oil productions and refineries, and investing in our own renewable energy. We should simultaneously encourage entrepreneurs to continue research and development in alternative sources of energy without government interference picking winners and losers, like Sylondra. Imagine an America who no longer relies on others and instead becomes an exporter. We can substantially reduce the cost of fuel at the gas pump while improving our National Security. Answer from Douglas William "Ambassador" (Kmiec) Kmiec: Firms dedicated to sustainable forms of energy. As I walked the Promenade and stopped at the tables to hear about the latest developments solar power, wind power and in other forms of nonfossil based fuels, not only were the products being sold of great quality and reasonable price but also they were being sold by, in many cases, some of the most respected families in the community, like the Harrison family for example involved in recycled and recyclable goods and the proper disposal of waste in environmentally safe ways respectful of the beauty of Ventura County. we cannot continue to have reliance upon fossil fuels as this endangers energy security and our national security since most of the sources of fossil fuels with an occasional rare exception Entangles us with some of the most unreliable And disreputable oppressive governments, suppressing their own people,and would not give democracy the time of day. Almost everyone notices that the price at the pump goes up unexplainably; my investigation of this suggests that it goes up in proportion to the desire for quarterly profits by oil company investors: this is unacceptable, this is the oil companies themselves is not committed to alternative fuels, sustainable fuels, we must do it for them so instead of allowing the price of a gallon of gas to go up right into the pocket of the oil fatcats; that Price gouging right off the top Needs to go to R&D and the elimination of reliance upon carbon-based fuels 4. What, if any, changes should be made with respect to our nation’s security, including our national defense or anti-terrorism measures? Answer from Rafael Alberto Dagnesses: Peace through strength must be a critical component of our defense strategy. Unfortunately I believe our nation's military has regressed in strength. By maintaining an advanced military, our enemies will think twice before initiating any harmful action. Incidents like Benghazi, which had an incoherent and possibly criminal response from our government, are the types of incidents that encourage our enemies and discourage those present and future guardians from stepping forward. As our only democratic ally in the Middle East, it is imperative that we partner with Israel to ensure both countries are safe and secure from terrorism. I also believe that we must have a wall built in order to protect our citizens from terrorists entering through our borders. Answer from Douglas William "Ambassador" (Kmiec) Kmiec: Having witnessed this firsthand In the foreign service in the Middle East; I fully realize the extent of the challenge. When your opponent engages an asymmetrical warfare, out of uniform, targeting civilian population, thinking of nothing of using mustard gas and all the other chemical weapons Presents the most formidable foe because it knows neither civility nor human boundary. That said, we cannot live our life looking over our shoulder; we need to be looking forward; we need to be dealing with this challenge openly and not covertly where we're spying upon our own people and disregarding basic civil rights. human intelligence often comes at great personal cost, as the life ofmy friend and colleague Chris Stevens illustrated by paying the ultimate price. After human intelligence, the best posture for the United States against those who would threaten us is to eliminate the ability to perceive us as a threat; that means substituting trade and investment and interaction on those matters rather than waiting for Al Qaeda recruiters to spin a tale unfavorable to the United States. It is a win-win when our goods and services find their way into new markets; it's a win because we sustain jobs at home that way and our products becomes a greater proportion of the world's national product, but more than that when we allow are manufactured goods to raise the standard of living of others but not so that they substitute happiness they've known from their own culture; we know that mere materialism is emptiness, and we should Al Qaeda has the higher ground on this as we have our own good perspective if it is understood. 5. What is your position on the issue of immigration reform? What, if any, changes to legislation or policy would you support? Answer from Rafael Alberto Dagnesses: I believe current politicians are weakening our immigration laws. The issue regarding our borders is more of a national security issue than an immigration issue. Securing the border to prevent illegal smuggling, drug cartels, gangs and even terrorists from infiltrating our country is critical. As an immigrant myself who fled Communist Cuba, and waited almost two decades to gain citizenship while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, I understand why many want to come to the greatest nation in the world. However, I witnessed first-hand how government dependency has cultivated crime, poverty and drug abuse in low income areas. I was raised in the Rampart area of Los Angeles. I am a former Los Angeles Police Officer who worked some of the most dangerous areas in our state. As a father of three sons, I do not want them to witness what I have seen. I want them to live in a safe and productive society. I do not support amnesty. Answer from Douglas William "Ambassador" (Kmiec) Kmiec: I briefly address this above but let me say a few additional things because it is a topic of enormous importance to the district; the topic has much in common with my own general approach to what is most important among issues we face. immigration reform that destroys families or that continues the separation of children from parents is not reform but an invitation to disaster. House of Representatives shows no particular interest in the plight of these human beings among us; members of the house have shown no particular respect for an entitlement to a fair family wage; have not shown any particular respect even to the needs of the farm owner who needs reliable help, but gets caught up in the Byzantine rules changes in immigration policy and its labeled no most denigrating way. So immigration reform has to respect the integrity of families by: respect the labor needs of the United States and fulfill needs with a combination of opportunities for citizenship as well as opportunities for guest workers where there's no desire on the part of the foreign worker for citizenship and if that's the case then we merely need a mechanism by which they contribute to services that they take advantage of, such as education, while they are here. Immigration matters can be handled and handled well, but not when we have a do-nothing Congress; as I told Martin Sheen I want to do something Congress; I'm running for this office to prove that wealth is not the sole determinant of whom its public office and also to fulfill the inclination of our founding fathers and mothers wanted new blood every two years to spur on those who are lazy and complacent. the present Congress is a body deserves that fair criticism; with respect,they have not merited a return: it does no particular good simply return the same people year in and year out that the political parties put forward when these political parties don't know how to form a government after they get elected. My experience in the executive branch as the head of legal counsel and as someone who knows what it takes to motivate executive officers to fulfill their duty ought to be put to use for the people of the 26th district, and frankly, because 26 district so well motivated the accomplishments of our national purposes the same time. it's time to make history it's time for an independent to go to Congress echoing the sentiments of George Washington, and perhaps the whimsical remarks of Thomas Jefferson that if he had to go to heaven in the company of a political party, he would just as soon not go. I don't intend to sacrifice my small chance for eternity quite that easily, but I do intend to work hard here in this present life remembering as John Kennedy told us that "here on earth God's work must truly be our own." Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.