The Issues...

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Jobs and Prosperity

The government cannot make any significant positive impact on this... only the private sector can. Ever increasing tax rates and regulations have strangled the private sector in California, where we experienced a prolonged mostly regional recession in the early 1990’s. California suffered while the rest of the nation experienced recovery. That recession was triggered primarily because of the closure of many military bases. The overnight loss of 40,000 jobs took a major toll.

Over Three Million jobs have been lost in California in just the last three years. Imagine the impact of that. Massive action needs to be taken to reverse this trend. Raising taxes will continue to kill California’s economy.  I will focus on reducing tax rates, regulations and spending.

This is where you can make a difference. Because every vote counts - your vote counts in sending Ken Hunter to the Assembly to represent your voice. There is power in your vote.

Taxes

Constantly raising tax rates will lead to less revenue. The way to increase revenues over time is to maintain very low tax rates that attract business to our state, keep more of the tax payer’s own money in their pockets. This alone will keep the economy stimulated and vibrant. Lowering tax rates has worked every time to stimulate the economy, support job growth and prosperity for citizens - Why has it not been implemented today?  The current majority party has control of the purse strings, the agenda, the legislative committees and are as a whole committed to spending more and more money to support bigger and bigger government. The taxpayers are not in control of anything - except their vote. They continue to be victims of an out of control Government. My vision is to push for and support substantial reductions in the tax rates including sales tax and the car tax. Joining and supporting our campaign today is how you can make a difference.

"Look, there is only one real time-tested, sure-fire way to create jobs, particularly in a recession," conservative radio host Monica Crowley told Fox News. "That is to restrain government, which is the exact opposite of what the Democrats have been doing, and to lower the tax burden on individuals and small businesses and perhaps even lower the corporate tax rate."

Fees

This is a different word for tax. Taxes are called fees in order to avoid the requirement for tax payer’s approval and consent. This convenient government deception makes me madder than a wet chicken.

Downsizing Government

If you went back in time to 1957, and reviewed the list of all the California State Departments and agencies, there would be few willing to argue that any more than those listed would be needed to for a well functioning state government today.

The concept of ever increasing size of State government originally grew out of hand by trying to mirror and mimic what the Federal Government was doing. Every time the Feds created a new department or agency, California saw a new “opportunity” to do the same.

Just because the feds have decided to push forward with their blind ambitions for unsustainable and undesired expansion does not mean that California should do that also. It has now become patently obvious that instead of following this bad example, we should stand up for ourselves and head into the opposite direction.  We need to establish our own goals building our state upon sound economic principals as a good example, creating a path and template for other states to envy and emulate.

As your assemblyman, I will take every opportunity to build a coalition of legislators who have a renewed vision of limited government and economic strength to the benefit of us all.

Voter ID

I am suspicious of the motives of the individuals or organizations that have been or now are against a reasonable Voter ID initiative, such as Senator George Runner’s proposed ballot initiative known as VoteSAFE. Nearly 100 countries in the world have some type of Voter ID policy in place including Mexico.

Here's what: In Mexico, to cast a ballot, the voter - all of the voters - must prove citizenship and eligibility by presenting the federally issued Mexican voter ID card - which not only bears the photo of the potential voter, but a fingerprint, a barcode and a holographic image to deter tampering. Oh my. No photo voter ID card - no voting. Si?  After having voted, the voter's finger is dipped in ink to prevent repeat - or three-peat - voting. To no one's surprise, nobody in Mexico gets very far with the argument that this is somehow unfair, excludes the poor or discriminates against English-speaking voters.

The VoteSAFE iniative is much less onerous than Mexico’s requirement.  As the Latino population is becoming more politically astute as many assert, then we indeed should look to Mexico as a role model in implementing a secure Voter ID policy.

Illegal Immigration (bad for everyone)

We are talking about real human beings who need love, respect and direction. All too often these people strive to come here to make a better life for themselves and then run smack into reality. The cost of living here is unsustainable on the low and intermittent pay they receive. They suffer from loneliness, depression, anxiety and often succumb to the debilitating effects of alcohol, drugs and violence. Their families back home suffer. Illegal immigration unnecessarily destroys families and hurts children.   

The massive influx of illegal immigrants into California bleeds the tax payer’s resources and does more harm than imaginable to both.  We should move forward with an effective advertising and education campaign in Mexico and other Latin America countries to let them know that the personal dangers and emptiness of family separation is just not worth it on any level.

Just walking up to an illegal immigrant who is waiting on the sidewalk for work, handing him a paper that says he is a US citizen now and slapping a social security number on his or hers back-will not change their circumstances. This is why amnesty could be the worst thing possible for many of these very fragile people and the ones they love. Amnesty will only create a tidal wave of more victims to be lured into this empty trap.

Guns

I support the constitutional rights of law abiding gun owners and sportsmen.  If guns are outlawed, then only outlaws will own guns. Our founding fathers had more than just target shooting in mind when constructing the second amendment. Don’t let government abridge, squash or step on your rights. At the same time DO be a responsible and safe gun owner, take gun and hunting safety courses, store and operate firearms safely. Gun control is not about guns, it is only about control. Guns have two enemies- rust and politicians.

Water

The answer here is not focusing on the scarcity but rather the creation of expanded water supplies.

Many people are not aware that nearly 40% of all water resources in California are used to sustain four main agricultural uses. The practices used in our distribution system are being used to strangle urbanized area water users in the form of ever increasing water bills that do not enlarge the water supply sources.

We need more water storage sources in Northern California. That means dams and reservoirs. Without that, we will continue to fight over scarcity issues until water costs fifty dollars a cup.

The new $11 Billion Dollar Water Bond proposal is not the best way to increase our water supply and lower the cost of water. It is full of pork and waste.

Climate Change aka Global Warming

In 2001, over 17,000 scientists signed a petition asking the United States government to not agree to the Kyoto treaty. These distinguished researchers said: "There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate."

Too often, when congress and state legislators are asked to pass environmental legislation, the legislation is based on emotional junk science rather than data based on reproducible, rigorous, tested, peer-reviewed results.  In no area has this been more obvious than climate change. Because the passage of AB32 in particular and much of the suggested environmental legislation would decimate jobs in southern California, constituents may be interested to learn of the growing scientific consensus that global warming is not manmade, if it is in fact even occurring.

In November 2009, a whistle blower releases documents indicating that Global Warming and Climate Change science is bogus and was promoted for political manipulation, control and the expansion of government using fear tactics for the express purpose of limiting our freedoms.

Think about it…If only three years ago you went to your psychologist and told him that you thought the weather was out to kill you unless the government spent trillions of dollars immediately to save you and the world, you would be placed in a mental health facility for a minimum 72 hour hold to see if you would respond to psychoactive medications and to examine if you are a threat to yourself or others. Other people besides Al Gore have suffered from this condition.

“I was born with a chronic anxiety about the weather.”- John Burroughs (1877).

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Reduction of Regulations

Absolutely necessary to restart our economic recovery and sustain it. The continued punishment of business in this state is exactly equal to the concept of biting the hand that feeds you.

Education

We all know about the public option. It consumes approx. 40% of California’s budget while wanting and demanding more. I believe that parents should more and more control over every aspect of their children’s education including content. This will improve the quality of the public option schools and best results for our children.  In Europe, many governments simply take your children away from you if you choose other education methods besides the public option. Are you ready for that here?

Private schools and home schooling should be equally encouraged and respected. Public option schools still work well for most and can be most successful when moderated with good and exceptional parenting at home and in partnership with teachers.

Marriage

Marriage is between one man and one woman. The other types of relationships are something different. I voted yes on Proposition 8.

Energy

In 1914, the Bureau of Mines said U.S. oil reserves would be exhausted by 1924. In 1939, the Interior Department said the world had 13 years of petroleum reserves. Then a global war was fought and the post war boom fueled, and in 1951 the Interior reported that the world had... 13 years of reserves. In 1970, the world’s proven oil reserves were an estimated 612 million barrels. By 2006, more than 767 billion barrels had been pumped and proven reserves were 1.2 trillion barrels. In 1977, scold in Chief Jimmy Carter predicted that mankind "could use up all the proven reserves of oil in the world by the end of the next decade." Since then the world has consumed three times more oil than there was then in the world’s proven reserves.

Today, wind and solar power sources combined are just one sixth of 1 percent of American energy consumption. Nuclear? The United States and other rich nations endorsed reducing world carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. But according to Oliver Morton, a science writer says that if nuclear is to supply just 10 percent of the necessary carbon-free energy, the world must build more than 50 nuclear power plants a year. Currently, five a year are being built.

Oil and natural gas reserves are now more than enough to last another 80 years. Such good news horrifies people who relish scarcity because it requires - or so they say - government to ration what is scarce and generally boss people to mend their behavior. "This is the police! Put down that incandescent bulb and step away from the lamp with your hands up!"

Today there is a name for the political doctrine that rejoices in scarcity of everything except government. The name is environmentalism.