Vic Meyers, running for Congress in Colorado's 4th Congressional District.
There has been an interesting development in the CO-04 and U.S. Senate races in Colorado where two-term incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman in Colorado's 4th Congressional District, Cory Gardner, is now running for the U.S. Senate and even more right-wing Ken Buck, has switched from running for the U.S. Senate to running for CO-04. Not sure if this was a discussion between Buck & Gardner, the RNC and NRSC & NRCC but it is an interesting dynamic.
However, Washington Post and other news outlets have been drinking the Inside-the-Beltway kool aid by being quick to point out any "credibility" Rep. Cory Gardner has in being able to unseat U.S. Senator Mark Udall without carefully examining his history in sucking up to lobbyists. In addition, not even the MSNBC has bothered to provide a single a bit of coverage or even go through the liberty of researching CO-04 Democratic Candidate Vic Meyers.
Rather than get caught up in the hype of the whole frenzy of the Buck & Gardner switcheroo, we decided to reach out to Vic Meyers for insight on the CO-04 race and what he has to offer as a means of providing much needed inclusive dialog on the issues CO-04 face, as well as his candidacy and what he can offer should he be fortunate to be elected to represent CO-04 in Congress.
Interview with Meyers is below the fold:
BACKGROUND QUESTIONS:
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: Was there a moment or big factor that led you to make the decision to run for Congress?
VIC MEYERS: About a year ago I was incapacitated due to a back injury and was reduced to watching mostly news television. While recuperating, I watched John Boehner go in front of the cameras almost every day for about two weeks. He would rail against the President and the Senate for not passing a budget, and then he would go on about repealing the Affordable Care Act. My frustration with the low quality of our current congress festered until one day there was breaking news about the Senate Republicans and Democrats coming to a compromise and passing a budget. Not surprisingly, John Boehner and Paul Ryan quickly jumped in front of the cameras stating that they would not compromise with the Senate on a budget.
We all have a civic responsibility to do what we can to make or country the best that it can be. I can be a better representative. I can do a better job of adhering to the values of our nation's founders by honoring the principals of diplomacy they set forth. I have a civic responsibility to do my part and on this day I decided to act on that responsibility.
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: You mention having a background in math and also at some point worked as a software engineer for Logicon Ultrasystems, as well as serving in the U.S. Army and at the Colorado Department of Corrections. How would these past/current roles and your background apply to how you'd be a Congressman?
VIC MEYERS: Having a degree in mathematics isn't simply about being able to solve a calculus problem. It's about being trained to look at all of the relevant data on an issue, recognize how the different pieces of data affect the issue and finding a solution to a problem or path for moving forward on the issues. Our current congress doesn't seem to be able to look past their own political ideologies to recognize how what they do affects those of us on Main Street. I'll have a more logical approach to problem solving. That's something that we desperately need in Washington, D.C.
The most valuable thing about working for a defense contractor was seeing first hand how government contractors milk our government for tax dollars. Every time I hear somebody claim that private business can do government work better I think about how profits drive government contracts more than service to our nation. My experience will allow me to fight the unnecessary privatization of government services. For example, by strengthening the current provisions of Social Security we may provide better oversight for existing services and prevent waste in systems that are privatized.
My service as a soldier was something I did because I'm an American and I believe everybody should serve their country after high school, not in a compulsory manner and not necessarily in the military. Every generation of my family going back to the Civil War has served in the military. I have a profound respect and admiration for those who serve. Watching politicians use veterans to score political points while failing to support them and sometimes working against them with government shutdowns, poor funding of VA, and killing pro-veteran legislation is very offensive. My service and my family history of service will inform me and make me a better representative for Veterans.
My 16 years working in a prison gives me a very informed view of our legal system. I see what works, what doesn't work and how much the drug war has cost us as a nation. I see the effects of a poor economy and the lack of a living wage every day when I go to work. Its motivation for fighting harder to make sure the economic recovery starts reaching working families. These realities demonstrate why our nation must work harder to support public education and making college affordable. Moreover, it gives me an appreciation for how wrong it is that working class criminals are made to pay for their crimes while Wall Street criminals are given more opportunities to repeat their crimes.
COLORADO & COLORADO'S 4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Question 3: What are some of the most important issues facing Colorado's 4th Congressional District from your perspective and from what people in the district have mentioned to you?
I'm running to Protect Social Security, Reform Immigration, and Invest in Infrastructure (especially wind and solar energy infrastructure) and Veterans Issues. I chose to run on these issues after studying this district and learning about the needs of citizens here.
We have over eighty thousand retired and/or disabled citizens. The median income of this district is around $50k/yr. Those who receive Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid need every penny they get. Efforts to privatize these services and/or cut benefits with schemes like Chained-CPI will negatively impact the economic welfare of this district. I'm committed to protecting and improving these benefits for the overall economic health of my district.
When people think of immigration reform they tend to think of it as a racial issue. My district is between 80%-90% white yet immigration reform is extremely important to the economy of this district. My district has an agricultural-based economy that depends upon immigrant labor to thrive. The longer immigration reform is held up by partisan nonsense, the longer my district suffers economically.
But Immigration Reform isn't just about the economics of agriculture. It’s also about what kind of nation we are and how we came to be. I didn't serve, and I don't believe others did, so we can be a nation that disregards the contribution of immigrants to our history and our present. I don't believe we want to be a nation that makes orphans out of American children by deporting their undocumented parents. Finally, it’s fiscally irresponsible to invest millions of taxpayer dollars on educating immigrant children and then deporting them when they become adults. I support the Dream Act because it’s a legalized pathway to citizenship and I don't want to use our tax dollars to educate another country’s work force.
Infrastructure reform is extremely important to the present and the future of this district. It’s a very expansive district. It stretches from New Mexico to Wyoming and from its mountains to Kansas and Nebraska. Like the rest of America, the roads and bridges are falling apart. The same roads we depend upon for getting the products of our hard work to the market are becoming increasingly unsafe. By investing in them we reduce the cost transportation due to wear and tear, create jobs, and increase traffic for economic activity.
Looking to the future, our district is ideally suited for wind and solar energy production. Logan County worked with a Florida power company to develop a wind farm. Now that county is receiving desperately needed revenues that can be used to provide services to its citizens. They also have a program in their community college that teaches people how to work on wind generators. This is a great example of how renewable energy is both good for the environment and good for the economy. We could expand this example in all parts of this district if we had the infrastructure to support it. I'm committed to helping develop this infrastructure just like FDR worked to develop the infrastructure that brought the electricity to rural America.
When it comes to Veterans issues there isn't anything unique about my district compared to the rest of the country. But the citizens of my district are typical Americans who value the service of our men and women in the Armed Services, veterans and currently serving service members. While this issue is more of a personal issue, I believe the people of this district support better care for our veterans and better pay for those currently serving.
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: How would you describe CO-04 the district and residents, based on living in the district and also in your campaign?
VIC MEYERS: In this district Republicans have a decided advantage in voter registration. But I believe the difference between our Democrats and the Republicans is not nearly as great as the difference between Washington Democrats and Washington Republicans. We all go to the same schools and work in the same places. We care about the same things and have the same needs/expectations of our government. Despite being represented by a Tea Party Republican now, we are not a Tea Party district.
YOUR CANDIDACY:
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: What's your reaction to Rep. Cory Gardner now running for the U.S. Senate and more right-wing Ken Buck running for CO-04 which is now an open race?
VIC MEYERS: There is a part of me that is disappointed because I was finding a lot of Republicans in the district who were not satisfied with Cory Gardner's Tea Party representation. We don't know who is going to run for the GOP because another candidate announced yesterday so it looks like they'll have a primary. Regardless of who runs for the GOP, I'm not running against him or her. I'm running to restore representation for all the people of this district, regardless of their party affiliation.
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: If you become elected to represent CO-04, what would be issues near and dear to you that you would be fighting for? Do you see yourself serving the U.S. first or party first?
VIC MEYERS: The four issues I listed above are the issues I'll be focused on the most.
When our nation's founders designed our government there was great debate about how the people would be represented. That's why we have three branches of government and why the legislative branch has a House of Representatives and a Senate. The House was designed, purposefully, for Representatives to react to the needs and desires of their citizens. They have a two year term so they would be more responsive. The Senate has a six-year term so they could insulate public policy from quick reactions by the voters thereby be more able to make tougher decisions on issues with national implications. I will represent the people of my district first.
On a side note, I'm sick and tired of John Boehner telling me what America wants. He doesn't represent America, he represents his district in Ohio. If he and his ilk truly understood how and why we have the form of government that we do then Congress would be much less dysfunctional.
HEALTHCARE
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: Do you believe the U.S. is better off now because of the Affordable Healthcare Act? Do you think there should be additional improvements (i.e. additional legislation) in Congress to improve healthcare?
VIC MEYERS: The U.S. is unquestionably better off with the ACA then it was before the ACA. It is virtually impossible for legislation this big to work perfectly. There are very few people who understand all of it and it is inevitable that there will be unintended consequences. The important thing is that we now have a starting point. As we keep moving forward, we can sift out what isn't working and find solutions. My prospective opponents are on the record for wanting to repeal the ACA. That is a mantra that serves nobody except their party and prevents us from improving health care access for Americans. America is at a critical place right now. We can reward the GOP for spending the last four years focused on repealing the ACA or we can hold them accountable for failing to do anything positive. We need to hold them accountable and then we can make changes to continue improvements to our health care system.
EDUCATION
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: What's your view on education? Is there a need to improve it particularly in CO-04? You mention originally thinking of being a math teacher (with your math background) but seem to have strong views on the education system as far as how
VIC MEYERS: One of the most effective reforms in education was when JFK challenged us, as a nation, to send a man to the moon. This challenge was the impetus for moving beyond the “three Rs” and incorporating more math and science into our curriculum. We need to reform our education again because this isn't 1950 and our business, colleges, and military leaders are telling us that high school graduates today don't have the necessary skills needed for today's world. This is a national issue with economic, cultural, and national security implications. The difference between today and the time of JFK is that education has become politicized. Back then we moved forward locally to support a national goal. Presently, we have the Koch brothers and their supporters influencing school board elections across the country and pushing their political agendas at the expense of our children. This may be the least recognized but most important reason for undoing Citizen's United.
ECONOMY/WALL STREET
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: What's your view on income inequality? Is this an issue worth addressing?
VIC MEYERS: Income inequality isn't just worth addressing; it’s imperative that we address it and fix it. It was about eighty years ago when our country was in a similar place with regard to income distribution and the ability for corporations to influence public policy and then we ended up in the Great Depression. There are so many similarities between today and back then that it is almost unimaginable that the GOP is so willing to go down that same path. Fortunately, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders represent, in my mind, the last defense against a complete corporate takeover of our government and I look forward to working in the House to support their efforts. I also look forward to working with organized labor to strengthen the middle class again. Organized labor was a key factor in the emergence of the middle class after the Great Depression and I believe they will be a key factor in restoring the middle class today.
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: Have problems on Wall Street and big banks affected CO-04? Do you think the Glass-Steagall Act should be reinstated or should there be a similar (and perhaps more robust effort) to reform Wall Street and the banking industry?
VIC MEYERS: All of America was affected by the problems with Wall Street and the big banks. I could argue that rural America was disproportionately affected because we are the last ones to be reached by the recovery. We are the first ones forgotten about by regulators and oversight because we don't have the numbers to affect the political will. Our lack of numbers could be overcome with true representation in government. When our Congressional district is represented by a politician who cares more about his Tea Party caucus than he does about the needs of his neighbors then we have no representation. I will go to Washington knowing what it's like to be kicked to the curb by my representative and I will not do that to my neighbors.
The Glass-Steagall act should absolutely be re-instated. Unlike a politician, I won't pretend to be an expert on all things and I don't pretend to be an expert on finance but I can add, subtract, multiply and divide and I know when things don’t add up. I have studied Glass-Steagall, and I understand enough about cause-and-effect, to know that we need Glass-Steagall for the security of our banks. I know enough to know that Wall St. wasn't deterred by the recent failures and they are continuing the same behaviors, driven by the same greed that created the Great Recession.
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: Do you think it's more important to grow the economy or reduce the debt? Or do both need to be deal with?
VIC MEYERS: Economic growth and debt are inseparable. We reduce the debt by focusing on economic growth and restoration of the middle class. It confounds me that it wasn't very long ago when Bill Clinton made it possible for us to actually make payments on the national debt, yet nobody seems to remember. He raised taxes on the rich and the rich still got richer. He cut needless spending that was restored during the Bush years. Clinton paid for his programs and everybody benefited. Nobody seems to remember that not a single Republican voted for his debt reduction plan but every Republican promised economic doom when V.P. Al Gore cast the deciding vote that made it law. We could get back to where he left us if this congress were less motivated to stop President Obama from succeeding and more motivated to allow America to succeed.
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: On unions, do you consider yourself more supportive of union rights & issues or less so?
VIC MEYERS: Before a Republican governor killed our union by disallowing payroll deductions for dues, I was a board member for AFSCME Local 935. I was raised to understand the importance of unions with regards to protecting workers rights, worker safety and a living wage. I can drive east of my district into Kansas and see the lower wages and benefits that exist in a “right-to-work” for less state. I am proud to say that I was recently endorsed by the UFCW and hope to receive more endorsements from organized labor.
CIVIL RIGHTS/LAW
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: What's your view on the Citizens United case? Do you think it should be overturned/repealed?
VIC MEYERS: I don't think its possible to overstate how damaging Citizens United is to the legacy of representative government that our founders left us. I am deeply disappointed that I see memes on Facebook by sitting politicians to sign petitions on overturning Citizens United but there are only two sitting legislators who have signed on to the one constitutional amendment proposed to do something about it. This same legislation is being pushed by Move to Amend and I have pledged to support it with the caveat that it has to be worded to be workable for local level governments like school districts, water districts, etc.
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: Are you a supporter of chained CPI or anything related to reduce benefits in social security or are you against any cuts to the program? Should medicare and social security be apart of addressing the deficit & debt or do they need to be out of the discussion?
VIC MEYERS: Before I started this campaign I didn't have a problem with Chained-CPI. I assumed that if President Obama was willing to put it on the table then it must be okay. But I'm the kind of guy that likes information and wants to be informed. I did my homework and learned that Chained-CPI will exacerbate the very problem it is supposed to solve and will harm those who depend upon Social Security checks. It would also result in long-term deterioration of public support for Social Security and allow the GOP to move closer to their goal of ending the program all together.
The portion of the national debt that is attributable to Social Security, $2.7 trillion, exists because we currently spend less on benefits than we collect in payroll taxes. By law those excess revenues must be used to purchase government bonds, increasing the national debt. If we implement Chained-CPI then we reduce how much we pay in benefits and have more excess revenues that must be used to purchase bonds, increasing the national debt. The best reform, and the one I'll work for, is to remove the cap on social security payroll taxes. Currently, only the first $117,000 of income is taxed for Social Security. This means that most of us pay taxes on 100% of our income. A millionaire pays on a small fraction of his income yet gets more benefit because he can wait longer to retire. Removing this cap will result in more fairness and make the system solvent for the foreseeable future.
NATIONAL SECURITY/FOREIGN POLICY
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: What's your feeling on the NSA and what it's tactics have been? Do you believe there needs to be more transparency?
VIC MEYERS: I can remember yelling at the television during the Bush years when the Patriot Act was being passed. When it was being debated part of what made me angry was the lack of debate. Sen. Paul Wellstone is the only politician that I can remember standing up against it. Today we have politicians, like Cory Gardner, who love to rail against the Patriot Act but vote to re-authorize it. I believe the Patriot Act is patently unconstitutional. I will not vote to re-authorize it. There must be ways to provide for national security without sacrificing our inalienable right to privacy.
OTHER ISSUES
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: What's your view on women's rights and gay rights as well?
After my first semester in college I was recalled to active duty for Operation Desert Storm (the first gulf war). I can remember telling my friends and family that I wasn't going to fight for oil (I never made it to Kuwait because I wasn't needed there). I told them that I was going to fight for the ideals and values that our country represents. When I took the oath to protect our constitution and our country, I didn't take that oath for some Americans; I took it for all Americans. The thousands of service men and women who died in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places, the thousands more who were wounded physically and mentally, and their families all sacrificed for all Americans, not some Americans. I do not tolerate discrimination in any form. To do so is to dishonor the sacrifices that gave us our freedom and preserve our freedom.
VIC MEYERS: How would you like to see immigration reform unfold? What's your ideal legislation?
The Dream Act needs to be passed immediately. E-verify needs to be scrapped because it doesn't work for employers or immigrants. Our immigration system needs to be re-tooled and modernized so that it is efficient and effective. It shouldn't take 15-20 years for a citizenship application to be processed. Almost half of our undocumented immigrants once had visas but they expired. The myth of unbridled illegal migration across our southern border obfuscates honest discussions about immigration reform. We've never deported more undocumented people then we do today, and at an enormous expense to the taxpayer. The problem isn't illegal immigration; the problem is a dysfunctional system and politicians who put party before progress.
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: On climate change and global warming, are these pressing issues that need to be addressed? Do you think the Keystone XL Pipeline is necessary or a waste of time?
VIC MEYERS: Climate change and global warming is being addressed. Unfortunately it’s Mother Nature that is addressing it. We can continue to ignore climate change and Mother Nature will eventually solve the problem at our expense. Or we can get smart, recognize the data, employ the science and American ingenuity and stop making it worse. Sooner or later we will be forced to act. The only questions are whether or not it will be too late and whether or not we'll leave yet another problem for future generations to solve. I prefer to be proactive. We could remember the JFK challenge to go to the moon and the multitude of benefits that our country reaped from the effort. We could use climate change as the catalyst to coalesce around a common goal and lead the world in new technology. As a country we lack the ability to set aside partisan division and work together. I think we need to send a message to Washington by helping people like me win races in districts that we're not supposed to be able to win. That will show Washington that we, the people, still retain the ability to guide the course of our nation.
Keystone XL is a travesty. Besides the obvious environmental problems it poses, there is another issue ignored by many. The U.S. Constitution allows for 'takings' for the public good. When did it become okay to use eminent domain to take property or property rights from people in order to benefit corporations? On Keystone and on gas/oil wells I think there is a question of protecting the property and property rights of citizens that needs to be addressed. I remember from high school when I learned how environmental law changed because of acid rain or dying ecosystems, and we implemented laws like The Clean Air and Water Acts. Do we not have these things in our history books anymore? Why are we moving backwards? I will not forget the lessons of the past. I will fight to protect property rights and make sure that the citizens can know exactly what is being pumped into the environment around them.
KNOWLEDGE DEMOCRATS: Your district may not include Aurora or Littleton but how is the issue of guns and gun violence (in light of Columbine and Aurora shooting incidents) affecting CO-4? What's your view on what should be handled in the case of say incidents like Newton massacre?
VIC MEYERS: I am a gun owner and former member of the NRA. I let my membership expire many years ago when I realized that they were taking my money and using it to lie to me. The people of the 4th CD are just as heart-broken by: Newtown, CT, Aurora, CO, and Columbine, CO as anybody else with the obvious exception of the victims and their families. The people of this district generally agree with background checks and generally agree that nobody really needs an assault rifle. The biggest impact these kinds of shootings have on a district like mine is to give the GOP the means to divide us with a fear-mongering, emotional issue. They use the gun issue to generate emotions and keep people from focusing on the fact that the GOP of today isn't concerned about jobs and income inequality. They use it to keep people from seeing their efforts to weaken Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. They use it to prevent people from recognizing the fallacy of the GOP position on Immigration Reform and they use it to distract people from seeing the disgraceful way they treat our veterans. I am determined to not let them make this race about guns by staying focused on the things that matter most to the people of this district.
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