4th District Priorities

We must create a guest worker program that allows the agricultural industry of Central Washington to have a predictable and consistent labor pool.

Local orchardist and farmers should not be the ones responsible if the American Government can't properly manage the issue of "legal" and "illegal" immigrants.Remove the penalties on local businesses and farmers for employing illegal immigrants. If the farmer/businessman has checked the identification papers and apparently legal forms of I.D. have been presented, the employer will not be held responsible if the documents are ultimately not authentic. It must become the job of the Federal government to better manage our borders and the immigration across those borders.

Transportation and shipping of Central Washington products.

The TSA and other regulatory agencies should set up procedures / offices / agents operating in Central Washington that would be able to certify packing and shipping so as to avoid having to unpack and repack at ports of departure. This adds cost and affects the quality of farm products shipped from Central Washington.

Central Washington Enterprise Zone

Develop a Central Washington enterprise zone that builds on our abundant power base to attract industries and businesses to bases in Central Washington.

Education

First we must minimize the size and the role of the Federal government in education. The Federal government operates no schools, hires no teachers, and is too many steps removed from the classroom to effectively influence the educational process. We must refocus our educational efforts and dollars as close to the classroom as possible. I will work to keep the cost of higher education affordable to all who qualify and who wish to attend. For America to compete in a 21st century world we must have highly educated citizens.

I will personally fund a scholarship program in Congressional District 4 with 10% of my after-tax earnings, should I be elected to represent this District, and I will challenge everyone in the District who has an annual income equal to or higher than the salary of a congressman to do the same. This fund will be awarded based on need and will be to foster attendance at our local community colleges. An independent committee of citizens from the 4th District will manage this fund.