Responsive
Government
District 22 is one of the fastest growing districts in the country, and we
need full-time representation right here to help resolve the many pressing issues that confront us. Campaign finance reforms are urgently needed to
curb corporate influence on our elected officials and to return the reins of
government to the people. As your Congressman, my priorities will always be
the people and the needs of our district, with a special focus on supporting
small businesses and American jobs. I will hold regular town meetings to
speak directly with you about the things important to you, and pledge to
work in a bi-partisan spirit to represent all constituents of our district,
regardless of political affiliation.
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Transportation Choices and Sustainable Growth
If my fellow residents of District 22 think we have traffic
problems now, they should wait until the "Grand Parkway"
is built out the way Beltway 8 and Highway 6 have been built
out on the west side of the District. We have every reason
to believe the results will be the same, because we're not
doing anything differently. Currently, there are plans to
widen the Katy Freeway from its current 13 lanes (including
feeder lanes) to a whopping 22 lanes! I drive the Katy Freeway
every workday. I can tell you that this increase might have
significantly reduced congestion four years ago, but it
would be insufficient even today, and will hardly be noticed
four to six years from now when the work is completed. The
frustrating Southwest Freeway work will be similarly outdated
before its completion. We cannot build roads and add lanes
fast enough to keep up with our transportation needs.
The other essential component to relieving our chronic traffic problems is to connect our communities with transportation corridors. In addition to automobile traffic, these corridors need to support viable alternatives to traveling by car. The modes of alternative transportation - light rail, commuter buses, "Park and Ride" stops - should be left up to the community. Many communities have even been able to connect these corridors with "Hike and Bike" trails and "green spaces." Other areas offer choices; why can't we?
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Quality Education
Next to liberty, and a loving home environment, a good education is perhaps the greatest gift we can offer our children and young people. My promise to the citizens of District 22 is that if they will send their children to school prepared to learn, we will provide an educational opportunity that is second to none. The President's "No Child Left Behind" initiative responds very well to the essential aspects of education reform. I am genuinely enthusiastic about the initiative, and I strongly support it.
The President's initiative makes schools accountable and offers students the choice of moving from a school that is unable to provide a learning environment. It provides sufficient funding to schools that are behind now, so that they will have the tools to match the performance of schools where students are scoring well. It strongly promotes early reading using the proven phonetic method. And it helps teachers to be the well-prepared professionals we want them to be for our children.
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Social Security and Prescription Drugs
In these volatile times, many who rely on Social Security payments worry that some part of their payments may be used or borrowed against to shore up another part of the federal budget. I am against putting any portion of Social Security at risk. At a time when their lives should be getting easier rather than more difficult, many seniors are being forced to choose between paying for their prescription medications and putting food on the table. I will do everything I can to ensure that seniors have access to affordable medication.
We must also look at the financial costs borne by all of us when uninsured patients require expensive medical procedures - often including emergency room visits - that could have been avoided if they had received routine health care, or even basic prescription medications. More than 42 million people in this country have no health coverage at all. I promise to work closely with health care professionals, the pharmaceutical industry, and both sides of the congressional aisle, to find fair, effective solutions to our health care crisis.
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Please Join Us!
In the coming months, we will be describing several other issues of great importance to this district, and the solutions we intend to promote through our campaign. I hope you will join us in this important dialogue - because dialogue is the root of Democracy. Please let us know about the issues important to you by sending a message to me through the "Let us hear from you" page. I hope we have the chance to meet -- not just on the campaign trail -- but at a coffee shop, at the town square, or even on a commuter train!
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