Issue Position: Values

Issue Position

Values should never be used to cast stones at others because we all fail.
The following is the entire passage from John 8 in the Bible: ""Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.' And once more he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus looked up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.'"
We should not dismiss values or hold them as entirely private. For example, many communities raise more than 50% of their children without a father in the home. How are children, who come from broken homes, going to learn values if we remain silent? I've seen teachers, coaches, pastors, and step-parents doing wonderful jobs in an attempt to fill the massive values gap, but even more needs to be done. A father in the home correlates strongly to a child's education level, their interaction with law enforcement, and future prosperity. If we as leaders care, then we cannot be silent on values. Once again, we all fail and so we talk about values from the standpoint of humility, admitting that we don't measure up to the very standards we preach.

Pro-Life

I am pro-life and have supported pro-life issues. Most recently, my family and I walked through San Francisco with tens of thousands of Catholics and other Christians from around the bay area. While it has become increasingly popular to be pro-life especially in our district, pro-life does not mean just voting for the Right to Life, it also means supporting adoption, and caring for the single moms and their beautiful newborns. When my wife and I were first married, having no money and living in a tiny apartment, we traveled to the local crisis pregnancy center and repaired and cleaned the donated cribs and high chairs.
My Republican opponent's, 24 year old Ricky Gill, website states that he is pro-life and for the Hyde amendment. However, recently in an event he finally made it clear that pro-life is his personal view and that he is politically pro-choice. This helps explain why he has not made the public commitments verbally or in writing that define a pro-life candidate. His mother also performed abortions and made pro-choice statements to the press. Source Lodi News-Sentinel. His parents also claim to have always been pro-life.

Broken Homes

The break up of the American family is a serious problem spiritually, intellectually, and economically. There is little in Washington DC that is going to fix this problem. There is no comparable time in American history to what we are witnessing in the awful family statistics. The solution starts in each of our hearts with repentance and a renewed commitment to God, our spouses, our children, our churches, and our community -- starting with myself.

Marriage

A marriage covenant is a contract between a man, a woman, and their God. It also contains a right that few ever discuss, and that is the right of a child to have the best chance at having both a mother and a father. In our uniquely American way, we discuss the "rights" of marriage. However, almost everything in the marriage covenant is a responsibility. It is the responsibility for the man to give his all, up to and including his life, if necessary, for the mother and child. In return, the mother goes through the life-endangering process of birth. And yes, I nearly lost my wife in child birth. It is the responsibility to pay for all the bills of the other spouse, mutually care for the children, care for each other, stay faithful, and make the heart-rending end of life decisions for one's spouse. Through all the trouble I've caused in my own marriage of 21 years, my wife is still amazing and amazingly forgiving. A government may recognize a marriage and limit certain types of marriage with the best interest of the offspring in mind. A good government supports marriage. However, marriage is not a government institution and no government has the right to re-define it no matter how many folks in black robes with serious looks on their faces, arrogantly think they can. Governments may come and go, but marriages, hopefully, last till death do us part.

All are created equal

There is no place for racism in America. Most recently we have witnessed the rise of anti-Semitism in the American left. The shameful comments in the recent Occupy Wall Street movement should be repudiated. In a few weeks, there will likely be a different group needing to be repudiated.

There is no place for classism in America. Pete Sessions (R-TX) recently implied that California's 9th district doesn't need an experienced Congress-person because it is comprised of agricultural workers and the unemployed. An education from an elite university is experience enough for Pete Sessions. These types of comments are not appreciated by those who are not as well off as Pete Sessions. Pete Sessions needs to be reminded that thousands of elitists with Ivy-league educations helped drive this country into the economic ditch we find ourselves.

2nd Amendment

I support the 2nd Amendment fully and have been a long time member of the NRA.

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