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Why is Andy Caldwell running for Congress?

November 29, 2019

Andy Caldwell

OPINION by ANDY CALDWELL

Something happened that has caused me to do something I never intended to do, and that is declare my candidacy to be your representative in Congress.

It all has to do with Ronald Reagan’s famous words, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

Looking at what Congress is doing to us today, it struck me: the freedom extinction generation is here today! Socialism is on the march in America.  I am running for Congress because America is dangling on this precipice of socialism, and if we fail to stand up and fight to preserve our freedom and liberty, it may be lost forever. We can’t let that happen.

The push for socialism is being led by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez with the explicit support of our Congressman Salud Carbajal. These politicians are pandering to loud voices and protesters who prefer the convenient lie of socialism to the hard truth of freedom. They believe socialism promotes equality — but history has shown that socialism strips away freedom and dignity, while delivering only poverty and totalitarian control.

As Winston Churchill put it, “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.”

I have been fighting against such corruption and waste for almost 30 years, as the executive director of The Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business of Santa Barbara County (COLAB).

COLAB is a non-partisan coalition that has benefited from the participation of nearly every union in this county, as well as, farmers, ranchers, manufacturers and industrialists, with a special focus on locally owned businesses. I have managed to keep the coalition together by focusing on policy, not politics, and I intend to do the same in the halls of Congress.

I am the son of a career U.S. military veteran, who was subjected to unimaginable brutality during the Bataan Death March, and an Austrian immigrant who suffered during World War II before arriving in America as a war bride. I will not allow those sacrifices to become meaningless on my watch.

America gave my family freedom, but it came at a steep price. I am running for Congress to preserve the freedom for which they suffered and the liberty which gave them hope.

I have been a public figure on the Central Coast for nearly 30 years. I have shared my values and opinions on the radio, television and in newsprint, in a manner that hopefully demonstrates that I am not a partisan. Frankly, I don’t think either party is serving our country well right now, and I would like the opportunity to help change that.

America needs more statesmen who will promote policy, not politics, while attempting to appeal to common sense, reason, traditional values and constitutional principles. If you support me, I pledge to keep doing what I have always been doing, and that is fighting to preserve the ideals of this great nation.

In Congress, I will fight to put an end to corruption and partisan bickering, work to drive down prescription costs with transparency and increased competition, preserve private insurance like MediCare supplements, protect individual rights and liberties, and stand against efforts to gut our Constitution.

I still believe America is a shining light on a hill, a beacon of liberty for the whole world to see and hopefully emulate. I value our heritage as a nation of immigrants and the melting pot of the world.

This election is no longer between Republican and Democrats, because the Democratic Party that I was once a member of is gone, having been replaced by progressive socialists who want to tear down our institutions and tear up our Constitution.

I know what I believe and why I am running — and I challenge Salud Carbajal to debate in every community in the district. Let’s speak in our own voices and give voters the opportunity to compare the American ideals that I will fight for, versus the socialist agenda Salud has championed that includes the Green New Deal and a Medicare-For-All plan that will crush our freedoms and bankrupt America.

For more information please visit my campaign website.


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And the push for Nazism is being led by Trump and Putin


-6

I wonder if anyone has perused Andy’s website? Totally amateurish. Not surprised at this since Andy probably has ZERO dollars to run his campaign. And that’s not to mention Andy’s non-existent position on immigration:


https://www.andycaldwell2020.com/issues/immigration


Although he doesn’t bother to give his opinion on immigration, we already know what it is. On one hand he could give a rip how many illegals were in SB or SLO county to pick berries, broccoli, lettuce, etc. He and his big ag masters love illegals. They take less pay and never complain. Andy has made a good living on their backs for many years.


But, on the other hand, Andy, and Donald Trump (who Andy supports), want to convince their base—quite a few in SLO county—to believe that Latino/Asian/African immigrants are the enemy, even though they add far more to our economy than lower class whites.


Ronald Reagan was a champion of immigration. He signed the most sweeping amnesty bill in the history of the United States in order to allow Latino immigrants to pursue their dreams in the U.S. He was also the star of a Death Valley Days episode which pointed out the discrimination of Chinese workers in California in the late 1800’s. Reagan understood the importance of immigrants in making our country the most vital, innovative and hard-working nation in the world.


I challenge Andy to post a website page which repudiates Trump’s policy on immigration and affirms his Reaganite roots that immigrants are a blessing. This would mean supporting a comprehensive immigration bill, already supported by Congressman Carbajal, which would encourage immigrant workers and reaffirm DACA.


Be pro-immigrant, Andy, and you could definitely challenge Carbajal. Otherwise, languish, speak to small crowds, appeal to a disappearing base in California, and ultimately lose by 7-10 points.


-6

A few questions Andy.


“In Congress, I will fight to put an end to corruption and partisan bickering”

, —-how specifically do intend to do this? Simply being non-partisan and incorruptible is not enough. Tell us how you intend to change the culture in DC.


“‘work to drive down prescription costs with transparency and increased competition”

— OK hard to argue with, but it is a generic statement to say the least.


“preserve private insurance like MediCare supplements”

-So the Medicare part is good? You know the socialist part.

What about Soc. Security and the VA? Are they keepers?


“protect individual rights and liberties”

-Which ones are you most concerned about-specifically?,


“and stand against efforts to gut our Constitution”

-What parts are being gutted, and what do you hope to restore?


8

As soon as you see someone old enough to collect Social Security saying Socialism is bad; an oxymoron ignoramus, you know they’re out for money and lack morals and ignore the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. No thanks DJ Jockey. Get a real job and work like everyone else.


-16

Hey Old Timer, Social Security is a type of economic safety net but is not socialism. Unlike welfare, in Social Security one pays into it, for decades, and then gets some of it back when when


One would be hard pressed to name a successful, purely socialist nation, past or present. And please, don’t come back at me with Sweden,Denmark, France and the like because they are not truly socialist nations, that’s a popular misconception about Western Europe. I’ve spent a lot of time there and I can tell you there is plenty of capitalism going on. Granted they are accustomed to a greater social safety net but that’s not the same as being a socialist nation.


Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not against dabbling in creative, sustainable strategies to provide more and improved “safety nets” but to migrate from a system of mixed capitalism and a free-market based economy to a socialist, command and control system is a mistake and history shows that.


Just a historical fact,


6

Awkward reference to Winston Churchill, since Great Britain has Universal Health Care and is still a major player in the world economy. Also, GND just represents a transition within the Energy and Transportation sectors. There are plenty of growth opportunities in the GND, as responsible Energy and Transportation policies SHOULD transition away from fossil fuels, dirty air, risks to shrinking water resources, and contributions to climate chaos. You really believe the United States isn’t capable of doing these things. Really?


-15

@mercut. And so Salud’s voice is like James Earl Jones, right? Regardless of Andy’s physical voice, his political voice is Solid… not Salud. Please vote this dufus stooge Salud out… and get a common sense guy like Andy …. in.


20

Ah, Salud is a veteran and has an education. So, have some respect, or are you like every other right winger who hates the Military, the only political party who slanders our family in arms lately; Republicans are slandering so many who serve lately, including you, rude. Andy is a radio Jockey. What’s next, slandering first responders who run for office?


-18

Salud’s voice on his DC office answering machine is as annoying as it gets, as is his service to constituents. I got a hold of his SB staff regarding the local National Weather Service website that has not been functioning for a year, at the urging of an NWS Oxnard employee (hope Salud doesn’t get her fired) who said they couldn’t get support from headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. Given the weather it would be a nice function of the federal government if it did. His rep could not have been more disinterested. She said they have nothing to do with the NWS. I said I was having an issue with the failure of a federal government agency and Carbajal was my representative. She reiterated that Carbajal’s office has nothing to do with any federal agency other than his own office. She sounded incredibly irritated throughout the conversation and could not understand the concept that Carbajal was my representative.


9

You’re right, criticizing Andy’s voice was a cheap shot, but I stand by the likability part. I have met both men, Carbajal when he was a county supervisor and Caldwell at the Santa Maria Post Office where he would often hold court with like minded businessman of the area. To be buttonholed by Andy while at the PO was a privilege for some, I think.


Mr. Carbajal was low-key and listened to the people around him. He actually seemed to care about individuals rather than being a slave to an ideology. Andy has always spouted anti-government rhetoric which never seemed helpful to solving any problems. To put someone into government who has total disdain for the institution is a mistake.


-15

Andy’s reference to the quote from RR, has given me a sense of hope. The more our nation moves towards socialism, the more often that quote has returned to in my mind. Of course, never thought it would happen but almost 40 yrs later…..here we are. Policy and not politics is exactly what our nation needs. My husband and I will be attending the Dec 7 rally, with the hope that Andy’s words and character are a match.


20

Where do I send money?


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