U.S. House District 13 candidate Bill Randall

Why are you running for this office?
Brad Miller, our sitting Congressman, has not served in the best interest of his constituents. I am also very concerned about the direction the country is headed. We need principled leadership that is ready to address the many issues we face head-on. My life experience as a 27-year military veteran, business owner, and family man give me the knowledge and ability to not only have an opinion, but to also effectively sponsor or oppose legislation from a factual non-emotional basis.

Finally, I will use my “C.A.N.E.” principle to determine if legislation is worthy of support: C = is it Constitutional; A = is it Affordable; N = is it Necessary; E = is it ethical. If it does not meet all four criteria, legislation WILL NOT get my support.

Please list your top three priorities if elected to this office?
Tied for first:

1a. Creating private sector jobs. I will take action to remove all burdensome and unnecessary government regulations that impede profitability, and discourage investment in our free market.

1b. Repealing the recently passed Health Care legislation while concurrently producing legislation that responsibly improves the existing system. Our health care system is the BEST on the planet. It needs fixing, but what was recently done is not REFORM. It is a strong-arm takeover of 1/6 of our nation’s economy that is a grave threat to our freedoms and liberties while further expanding runaway government.

3. Reeling-in our out-of-control spending. I will accomplish this by sponsoring legislation that cuts redundant and unnecessary Federal programs and agencies; auditing the Fed; return TARP & Stimulus funds to the national Treasury, and consider alternatives to the IRS (such as Fair Tax). I will have serious and constructive dialogue on the merits of each.

Please explain how you would have voted for the health care bill
I would have NOT have supported the bill. My remarks are on this audio clip (at the 31:20 mark): http://stategovernmentradio.com/media/audio/082809_People_In_Politics.mp3
But it is not enough to say that I would have voted against the bill. Along with my NOT having supported the bill, I would have co-sponsored or supported legislation to improve our health care system by:

1. Enacting tort reform to eliminate frivolous or excessive lawsuits for injury and yet provide reasonable limits on personal injury and/or pain & suffering.

2. Encouraging individual Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s) that enable families to obtain catastrophic coverage at lower cost. Let the money paid into the HSA accumulate without penalty, time limit or ceiling on the amount saved. Also, allow ALL individual health care plans to be portable, thus enabling them to keep their coverage.

3. Fair treatment of insurance companies:

a. Removing burdensome and/or unnecessary insurance regulations.

b. Rewriting the laws governing health insurance to make the rules more understandable, and thus remove the window for loopholes and abuse. The contractual agreement of insurance must be between the insurer and the insured.

c. Not making pre-existing conditions insurable in all cases. Consider what would happen if you purchased a DVD player at an electronics store. It malfunctions 11 months later and you return to the store after it malfunctioned. You would then say: “I’d like to buy insurance for my DVD player that I purchased 11 months ago.” Using the recently passed health care bill logic, the store owner must sell you an insurance policy that would cover the DVD player. Can we all see that it wouldn’t take long before the electronics store would go out of business?

4. Declaring the Health Care Bill as UNCONSTITUTIONAL. The legislation recently passed will ultimately FORCE private insurance companies out of the free market. The vacuum left would then be filled by the government, which would then offer “Single Payer” government health insurance.

5. Opening competition across state lines. Let insurance companies compete to provide the best coverage packages in the free market.

6. Establishing high risk pools that group persons with special medical needs/conditions. Work with health care professionals to determine the best way to address the issue of preexisting conditions. These issues must be dealt with a measure of compassion. Viable alternatives to the recently passed health care bill were recommended and should be reexamined.

7. Considering Heritage Foundation’s recommendation to transform Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP so that individuals and families have a broad choice of health plans and providers. Make those providers directly accountable to patients for their quality of care.

8. Streamlining the medical industry administrative workload. Doctors, hospitals and health care practitioners have a tremendous administrative burden of government regulation placed upon them. This burden currently requires an administrator-to-physician ratio of 4:1 (four to one). Four such administrators place a cost burden of about $120K or more on the hospital and/or medical practice. These costs are then passed along to the patient or third party provider.

How would you deal with the issue of illegal immigration?
1. I believe in the “Rule of Law.” We already have laws that say what we should do with those who violate our borders. ENFORCE-THE-LAW! I would push for the following:

a. Strengthening our physical borders by accelerating border security improvements. This would also require our increasing the manpower stationed along our borders.

b. Allowing a time-limited moratorium on prosecuting illegal immigrants in the country, followed-up by STRICT enforcement:

1) Announcing a sixty (60) day period where illegal immigrants can return to their country of origin without penalty. As they exit, they would be encouraged to receive a bio-optic scan (retina scan) and put into a database similar to the Automated Fingerprint ID System (A.F.I.S.). Those that voluntarily exit would be placed on a list for LEGAL immigration, but would get to the BACK-OF-THE-LINE. They would then be eligible to apply for immigration no earlier than 1 year after the end of the 60-day moratorium. Use this 60 day period to publicize the government’s new resolve to protect and strengthen our borders. Businesses would be reminded of requirements for workers (e.g.: use of Form I-9, guest worker program, etc).

2) Working with the Mexican and Canadian governments to establish a U.S. immigration transition office in those countries. This office would be a private subcontractor that follows stringent guidance as outlined in our immigration laws. They would make audio-visual material and literature available (at a nominal fee) to help those seeking immigration to do so by WORKING WITH OUR SYSTEM AND RESPECTING OUR RULE OF LAW. An interactive website would also be made available free of charge. The office would serve as a clearinghouse to refer special urgent cases of those needing or seeking asylum to the U.S. State Department. This new office/agency would be sponsored by major U.S. Corporations and would be economically self-sustaining ...not needing government underwriting.

3) Bio-optically (retinal) scanning any illegal immigrants found on the 61st day and beyond. Maintain a database similar to the Automated Fingerprint ID System (A.F.I.S.). Once they’re scanned, they are then deported to their country of origin, and CANNOT apply for U.S. Citizenship for five (5) years. If they reenter after that, they would be jailed for 12 months, then deported to their country of origin. Once deported for a second time, they would NOT be eligible to apply for U.S. Citizenship for an additional ten (10) years. If caught a third time, they would be fined, then jailed for 2 years. Once released, they would forfeit any chance of getting U.S. Citizenship.

4) Heavily fine companies and/or individuals who harbor, aid & abet illegal immigrants. Fines for companies would be 1% of their gross revenue for EACH infraction. Individual fines would be $1000 for each infraction (e.g.: $15000 if they harbored 15 illegal aliens) children included. Fines and incarceration would DOUBLE with subsequent offenses.

5) Revamping U.S. Census bureau legislation to REQUIRE questions about a person’s legal status in the country. Violations would be reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.). If we are serious about border security, we must be purposeful and decisive in our actions.

6) Depositing all revenue generated by fines into local government and individual state treasuries.

What would you do to spur economic development and reduce the unemployment rate?
1. First, examine all segments of government influence to determine what government policies and/or programs DISCOURAGE parental involvement in the lives of our children. Especially needful is a way to encourage men to serve as fathers (and husbands), thus strengthening the family unit. The top factor that plays into the likelihood of individual success is whether or not a dad is in the home.

2. Secondly, remove the shackles on businesses. Government regulations and high tax rate on businesses slows down or stops growth in the private sector. The U.S. has the world’s second-highest tax rate on corporations. Small businesses are also taxed too high.

3. Burdensome legislation is also a factor. Because of the ENRON, TYCO and other corporation scandals, laws (such as Sarbanes-Oxley, named after the Congressmen who co-sponsored the legislation) placed NEW rules of the road for businesses. The law established some good rules for businesses such as prohibiting accountants from providing business-related advice, and not allowing CEO’s to claim “ignorance” of what goes on with the company’s operations. The law went too far and placed layers of bureaucracy that bog-down many companies. I would co-sponsor legislation that cuts back on redundant or unnecessary laws, enabling businesses to operate more profitably.

4. Enforce stringent education standards. The United States literacy rate has plummeted to an abysmal level (on the world scale). We rank in the BOTTOM HALF of the top 25 ranked countries in the following academic areas: Reading (15th); Math (19th); Science (14th). Our curriculum has resulted in the dumbing-down of our children. Instead, we have allowed entertainment and other less important priorities capture their time and attention. We can turn things around by placing less emphasis on “social engineering” curriculum, and placing more emphasis on science and the 3-R’s. Encourage charter & magnet schools, and provide school vouchers in support of parental choice.

5. Get rid of the minimum wage. The government has no business telling a company how much they can pay someone. If a job doesn’t offer enough, the person is free to work elsewhere. If you are a business owner and have 20 employees, you may need to have entry-level personnel on a trial basis. Forcing a minimum wage may require the business owner to pay an unskilled laborer more than is profitable. It may also limit the business owner’s ability to provide higher pay for the more experienced or skilled workers. It is all about supply and demand. Get the economy rolling, and you will address many of the problems and challenges of unemployment.

What do you think of the government's stimulus plan?
Based on the results, the term Government Stimulus Plan is oxymoronic. What it amounted to was a massive liberal Democrat slush fund used to pay off their friends, and buy the votes of others: All with OUR TAX DOLLARS!!! Your readers do not need me to go into any more of an explanation; they’re just as angry as I am. I’ll work to REVERSE the Stimulus Plan should I be elected.

What makes you the best candidate for this office?
Some are touting their candidacy (in contrast with mine), suggesting that because I’m NOT a native of North Carolina, I’d not be able to effectively address the issues facing constituents in this Congressional district. North Carolina citizens have had the good fortune to be born in this state. Others (such as myself) had the common sense to come here to live in this beautiful state. My objective in Congress is to represent them all.

There are many reasons why I have received more endorsements from prominent Conservative grassroots organizations (and individuals) than the other 3 candidates combined. It’s because those who have endorsed me know what I stand for. The endorsements include:

* Voters With Change
* Alamance County NCGOP
* Randy’s Right (blogspot)
* North Carolina Tea Party
* Did She Say That (blogspot)
* America’s Independent Party
* Frederick Douglas Foundation
* What Bubba Knows (blogspot)
* Independence Caucus (Icaucus)
* African American Conservatives
* National Veterans for Republicans
* RedState.com blogger (Christine Trelaina)
* Pastor Christopher Parker (Bethel Baptist Church, Rota Spain)
* Chuck DeVore (Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, California)
* Pastor Dan Remus, Senior Pastor (Kenosha, WI) First Assembly of God)
* Capt. Larry Clarke (former Commanding Officer, F.O.S.I.F. Rota, Spain)
* Capt. Larry Warrenfeltz (former Commanding Officer, Naval Oceanographic Office)
* Mat Staver (Chancellor of Liberty University Law School; President: Liberty Counsel)

They know that I am NOT a political opportunist. I was at the forefront of rallies, Tea Parties, and Town Hall meetings ...during the dark days when pundits said that “Conservatism is dead,” and “the era of Reagan is over.” I am the only candidate in this race who has been involved at the grassroots level in helping the Republican Party; I was active in helping other local candidates get elected. I have also previously run for public office: (2004): County Board Supervisor, Kenosha, WI and (2009): Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party). I am a former small business owner, and have a MBA degree. While working as for a major management consulting firm, I personally contacted over 15,000 businesses in virtually every industry in the private sector. Moreover, at the request of a friend in need, I had the opportunity to write a comprehensive business plan for their startup private medical practice. I know that it is the private sector, not intrusive and growing government, that will turn our economy around and provide sorely needed jobs.

No less significant is the fact that I am the only military veteran in this race. I have had leadership oversight of as many as 16,000 men and women at any one time in the military. I know what it means to prepare for battle. This administration has made it clear that it wants a civilian defense force to rival our military. It will be tough enough securing appropriations to adequately fund our present military. So it will be especially important that your representative knows the meaning, impact and consequences of: recruitment and training, Rules of Engagement (ROE), Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), Status of Forces Agreements (SOFA), U.S. sovereignty vice being subject to N.A.T.O, deployment of forces, U.S. policy towards Israel, true diplomacy vs. appeasement, military rights and responsibilities, regulations to modify the current “Don’t ask; don’t tell” policy, Sexual Assault Victim Intervention (SAVI), Family Advocacy programs, Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs, and scores of other issues. I will be a Representative who KNOWS what the real issues are, and how to address them.

In summary, 27-years in the military, my business experience, by leadership skills and my personal values make the case for my being the best candidate to fight for the very survival of this great Republic. In the GOP Primary I ask you to vote: Bill Randall for Congress! The following video sums it up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDwnPmIydz8