Public trust has been eroded, says Congressional candidate Garcia
By Garry Rayno, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"There is a complete lack of trust," Garcia said. "The relationship between the citizens and government has broken down."
The four-term state representative from
Citizens do not believe they can have an open debate, she said, and instead those in
She also points to the
"There is a general sense federal officials don't care about us," Garcia said.
Unlike those currently holding national office, she says she will tell people her position on issues and will not be swayed by public opinion polls or special interests.
Garcia was criticized back home in
She was criticized when she voted against one of the bills and again when she missed a vote.
"I've been very straightforward about my position on gambling," the 31-year-old Garcia said in a recent visit with the New Hampshire Union Leader. "When I first campaigned, I said I opposed (casino gambling) and it was on my website."
The
She is proud to wear the moniker Millennial and her campaign reaches out to people in non-traditional ways and to those not normally on the county committee picnic circuit.
One way to broaden her appeal is entering 5K road races with her volunteers and supporters wearing her campaign T-shirt. "That's a way to interact with not the usual people," she said.
For the past two terms in the House, Garcia was on the
"
She also is proud of her involvement with health care reform working with stakeholders including hospitals, insurance companies, patients and physicians.
The group gathered data on pricing and quality in an attempt to bring transparency and equity to the system. "It was great to see people work to identify the problems and challenges and to propose innovation solutions," Garcia said. "We were getting somewhere and then the ACA passed and everybody's attention turned to the federal government."
State flexibility and autonomy are gone, she maintains.
The free market will not be allowed to do its work, Garcia said.
She noted that during the first year of Obamacare, 10 of the state's 26 hospitals were excluded from the network of the only health insurer,
Seven of the excluded hospitals are in the
Garcia faces one-term former state Sen.
The three Republican candidates all wear the conservative mantle, but Garcia said she disagrees with Lambert on energy.
"I don't support cap and trade," she said. "It raises taxes for
Innovative energy programs should be tested in the free market not through government sponsorship, Garcia said.
She points to the Solyndra scandal. The company received
Lambert was a key vote in the state
"I do not want to give government a blank check," Garcia said. "I do not want government to come into every aspect of our lives and mandate something that is not affordable."
Similarly, she criticized Lambert for voting against a bill that would have required legislative approval before adopting the Common Core education standards.
She said she believes in representative democracy and local control.
"I want each parent and each school district to have control and students to have the most educational opportunities possible available to them," she said.
A musician and adjunct music teacher at several private schools, Garcia said it is important for students to be exposed to music, the arts, English, math and science, but she contends public schools are not getting the job done.
"There are many other different ways for kids to be exposed to music and the arts," she said.
Garcia also criticized the government's approach to immigration reform and used the current crisis of young people flooding across the border as an example of the government's malaise.
The federal government has allowed the problems to fester and escalate for years, she said, and then wants to do a major reform that will have disastrous unintended results.
Instead of major reform the problems should be handled one piece at a time, she said.
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