California is in a time of crisis. Our current legislature has spent far beyond our means, and recent bond measures have left our children with an enormous debt to pay. I believe we need to address the problem, rather than applying temporary fixes. As your California Assemblymember, I will work to reduce the size of government and privatize many activities now performed by government. Let companies compete for services the government now has a monopoly on, and we will see a marked reduction in costs. I will eliminate excessive regulations so bureaucracies are not required at every level of government. I will seek the release of non-violent drug offenders from prisons. A compassionate society should care for, not imprison, substance abusers. Their imprisonment comes at a great cost to our state.
Our nation is also in crisis. We must not sacrifice our liberty to gain security or the illusion thereof. Therefore, my first legislative priority is to submit a bill to the California Assembly calling on the U.S. Congress to repeal the USA PATRIOT Act, or at the very least, to not renew it when the sunset provision takes effect. Warrant-less searches, secret courts, and the perusal of library records by federal agents tear at the foundation of American liberty. Momentum is building against this deplorable act as hundreds of city councils have passed measures condemning it. Now it is time for the state of California to act to defend liberty.
We also face crises with health care. The government wrongly infringes on the rights of a patient to receive medical advice and medicine that best suits their affliction. If a doctor and patient decide that medicinal use of marijuana is the best treatment option, the government should not be involved. The citizens of California agreed when they passed proposition 215. I will serve to defend the will of California voters and the rights of patients and doctors to determine together the best treatment option. I will work to keep the sacred doctor-patient relationship free from government interference. Doctors, not federal agents, are best suited to determine the treatment a patient needs.
I support and pledge to defend every woman's right to reproductive freedom.
If a patient is unable to afford medicine sold in the United States, I believe that patient should be able to purchase the exact same medicine sold in another country for half the price. Many senior citizens are forced to either import medicine from Canada, and be labeled as criminals by their own government, or do without these life-sustaining drugs. I will work to change this.
As your Assemblymember, I will strive to ensure that your health care costs are 100% tax deductible. I support the use of tax-free Health Savings Accounts that do not expire in a year, so that working families can save money for health care costs over time, and have less of a financial burden in an emergency.
I believe that parents and teachers, and not bureaucrats, are best suited to make decisions regarding the education of children. An incredible amount of the money spent on education in California is wasted on bureaucrats. State and federal programs force a one-size-fits-all approach to education on our children, and as any one knows, each child is unique. Complying with these state and federal programs places a great financial burden on our education system. I will work to restore local control of education, so that parents and teachers working together, not distant bureaucrats, decide what is best for each child.
Our legislature must do a better job to ensure a better California is there for our children in the future. The government must not excuse polluters from their responsibilities to clean up the environment, and the government itself must be responsible for its own pollution. I will work to ensure a clean and healthy environment is part of California's future.
Thank you for taking the time to read this statement. If I am elected, I pledge to always be available to hear the concerns of the people of Assembly District 19. It would be an honor to serve as your representative.
Email Miles Gilster at: mcgilster@macconnect.com