Not Dave Hughes for Congress

Dave Hughes is running against Collin Peterson for the 7th Congressional seat in Congress. The two debate in Verndale on October 23rd at 6 pm at the Lions Club. I wish Peterson were a more liberal Member of Congress . . . but we’re stuck with him. Hughes is an ardent Trump supporter and, as such, is not somebody we want in Congress.

I won’t make the Verndale debate so I created a little virtual debate. I  start with an introduction of Dave Hughes and then, taken from his website, list his policy positions. My responses are in parentheses. - Tim

Here goes: 

Dave Hughes is a 21 year veteran of the United States Air Force. He currently works for General Atomics as an MQ-9 UAS (Drone) Instructor Pilot, flying operational missions guarding both our northern and southern borders and training US Customs and Border Patrol aircrews.

Congress should pass legislation to immediately release funding to construct a wall spanning our southern border. 

(Why just the southern border? Is this about skin color?)

Dave Hughes - from his website

We should protect and value life from the very first heart beat to the last. (Does this include all babies and children’s heart beats? Or do you decide which heart beats deserve your protection?)

Foreign policy should always put America first. We should stand firm behind our allies and firmly against our enemies. America should lead with strength and ensure that our national sovereignty is preserved. Threats to our security should be swiftly eliminated and we should aggressively protect our interests. The United States can achieve peace through strength. 

(Peace through strength is Ronald Reagan’s line. This approach is exceedingly expensive and contradicts your wishes for a balanced budget. Perhaps we as a people need to carefully rethink what a threat to our security is?)

Congress needs to pass a balanced budget, cut spending, and start to reduce our national debt immediately. 

(This contradicts current Republican positions. Our national debt has been increased by the Republican controlled Congress through increased military spending and tax cuts for the wealthy.)

Firearms are the first line of defense against violent criminals and no law abiding American should have barriers erected which impair their self-defense. 

(FIRE ARMS are most certainly not the first line of defense against violent criminals. What about good policing?)

Parents should have more options available to educate their children. School choice will enable parents to choose which educational setting will best help their child achieve their own American dream. We can greatly reduce our federal Department of Education and send more funding back to states in the form of block grants to allow state governments to better educate children. 

(Charter schools do not provide better education for children. They provide profits for private industries that want to control education for financial gain.)

You can see Dave Hughes position on other issues by going to his website at https://www.hughesforcongress.us