Full Name:
Brian Downs
Gender:
Male
Family:
3 Children
BS, Engineering, University of Michigan
Law Degree
Candidate, Michigan State House of Representatives, District 73, 2014
No caucus information on file.
Patent Attorney
Engineer
Volunteer Election Watcher
Republican Election Inspector
Precinct Delegate, Canon Township
Reason for Seeking Public Office:
I am afraid for my children's future and all Michigan citizen's future.
We are at a crucial juncture. We can either continue the status quo of big government and continue to watch our prosperity and freedoms disappear, or, we can move to reduce harmful big government intrusions, restore freedom, and start to rebuild the prosperity of our state.
Big government brings poverty, freedom brings prosperity.
When the people of Michigan are free and unencumbered by government meddling and over regulation, then Michigan will recover. If we remain on the same path, then even West Michigan will continue to slide toward what is happening to Detroit. It is coming as sure as the sun rise.
Here are just a few examples of what I am talking about:
Michigan incarcerates a larger percentage of it's citizens than any other country on the planet, more than China and more than Russia. This is not only expensive and non-productive, but harms our citizen's chances of having good jobs and being productive. Lets be clear, I am not talking about dangerous criminals, we need to incarcerate them. I am talking about the vast majority of people who are incarcerated for long periods and labeled with criminal histories for offenses that were historically minor and where there were no victims and no one was hurt, for offenses that would not require jail time 50 years ago. It costs $30,000 per year to incarcerate a person. Couldn't that money be better spend? Perhaps on college education? Or to reduce taxes?
A society cannot be productive and successful when such a large portion of the population is incarcerated.
Another example is the problem of failing children who drop out of school, get in trouble with the law, get involved with drugs and gangs, teen pregnancy, and the like. It is an epidemic. But the most significant solution is rarely discussed. Studies conclusively show that the single most significant factor of a child's success is if both parents are involved with the child. Yet we have laws and financial incentives to separate children from one or both parents, even when there is no evidence the parents are bad. Michigan spends millions of dollars on such harmful programs.
We are shooting ourselves in the foot. Every year this kind of policy continues, thousands more children are harmed for life.
Yet another example are our veterans. Many of the veterans in our state qualify for significant Federal benefits for their service, especially if they are disabled. However, navigating the complex forms has caused many of them to have their requests for benefits rejected. These veterans are left to struggle to survive. This is not morally right and is not necessary. Other states, such as Florida, have programs to help ensure disabled veterans file the correct paperwork and qualify for their full benefits. When this is done, these veterans can support themselves and contribute the the community. These veterans than spend this money in Michigan and help the economy.
When veterans get their full rightful benefits, millions of dollars flow into our state and our veterans are secure.
I could go on and on to discuss issues such as how Michigan has brought back abhorrent laws like debtor's prison and strict liability laws, but this is getting too long. I hope I can discuss these with you when we meet. I care about all our freedoms and the future Michigan. Please elect me as your employee in the Michigan House of Representatives and I will try to watch out for your rights.