Sean's answers to Fresno Bee questionaire
Age
49
Residence
Unincorporated Calaveras
Family
Wife: Ellein White Daughters: Seaya, Hanna and Victoria
Education
CSULB, UCB, Life Chiropractic College West, Columbia College, Diablo Valley College
Occupation
Various solar occupations, Professor/Instructor/Author/Contractor/International Consultant
Public service experience
NorCal Solar Board of Directors Volunteer, Jerry Brown for Mayor Campaign
Web Site
Facebook/Social media
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanwhitedc
Do you support immigration reform? Why or why not? And how important is it for any immigration reform to include a provision for agricultural workers?
The economy needs people in the fields where many immigrants work. Politicians act like they do not want immigrants in our country, while at the same time know that they must be let in to support our low paying jobs in the fields. Agricultural workers are going to be here one way or another. Since they are here illegally, they have less worker rights, which is good for business, but bad for the immigrants.
Also, the US is famous for high education institutions and we take a lot of the smartest people into the world into our country to go to our schools. Many of the smartest people in the world end up staying here, which is a problem for the "brain drain" within the other countries, but a benefit for the United States. These immigrants create technologies which keep the USA #1!
Examples of immigrants that improved our country: Albert Einstein Elon Musk-SpaceX, Tesla, Paypal, Solar City Sergey Bren-Google Alexander Graham Bell John Muir
Also, many rich people from around the world immigrate to America and bring their money with them, which is good for the US economy.
I believe our entire political system, including immigration reform needs to be reformed, so that it does not cater only to special interests who pay for political campaigns!
We do have a reverse immigration problem. Many corporations have merged with other smaller corporations so they can move to a country where they do not have to pay taxes. They call this a tax inversion and is a problem.
Should the United States increase operations in the Middle East, including the reintroduction of large scale ground troops, in an effort to defeat ISIS?
Weapons manufactures, aircraft manufacturers, Halliburton and many more multi-national corporations that make huge campaign contributions benefit greatly from conflicts in the Middle East. Usually, unless we are giving someone military support in the Middle East, the people in the Middle East resent outside influence from the United States in the region. Before we enter another conflict in the Middle East, we should require that all of these business that would benefit economically from a war should not be allowed to contribute to the politicians that are deciding to go to war or intervene.
I often have jobs and work in the Middle East and there are a lot of good people in countries that many Americans fear. There are good and bad people everywhere. I have taught solar classes to good engineers (good hard working family men and women) in Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar and Oman.
I am torn between letting people in the Middle East solve their own problems and helping people that are getting killed now. There is an opinion that the US invasion of Iraq, (where there were not weapons of mass destruction) has caused an imbalance in the region, which has led to ISIS.
The US is allied with many non-democratic countries. Many countries spend a lot of money lobbying/influencing our politicians and influencing USA discourse.
America should be a democracy of the people, not the corporation. America should not defend entities that do not respect human rights.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein has introduced a bill in Congress to try to resolve conflicts (or at least balance interests) among competing California water interests. Do you support Feinstein's bill, and how would you try to resolve those conflicts?
We are going to eventually need to get water from wetter regions than within our state. Anything else is a temporary fix. Population is increasing, droughts are common, temperatures are rising and aquifers are drying up. Tweaking the limited water supply in the Delta is only a temporary fix.
It is wet to the north of California and I think eventually we will get water from the north and it will cost a lot. As world populations increase, water for farming is becoming increasingly scarce. It may be that the wars of the future will be fought over access to water. Some people say that the war in Syria and ISIS would not have happened if there were more water for farming. Crops get thirsty, people get hungry, people get angry and unfortunately a very small percentage of them chose to die as martyrs.
Desalination is very expensive, but it is a potential solution, especially with the exponentially decreasing costs of solar energy and technology.
I can support the Feinstein bill as a temporary fix, but not a permanent solution.
Do you support the Trans Pacific Partnership? Explain your answer.
If we are going to have trade deals, they will have to respect workers rights in other countries that we deal with, as we respect workers rights here. Farming out jobs to countries with $10 per 12-hour day wages (less than $1/hr) does damage to our economy and the rights of workers abroad. The campaign contributors that finance our politician's re-elections profit from farming out our jobs to countries where workers work for pennies to survive one day to the next. We need good jobs in this country. If we make trade pacts with other regions, it should be with countries that have a level playing field and pay factory workers what we pay factory workers. It is only fair.
The TPP may have underlying geopolitical implications than what is on the surface. China has taken over the South China Sea and left the Philippines, and other South East Asian allies unprotected and our sea routes threatened. Having the TPP is a bond that keeps America's influence across the region.
Do you support U.S. Senate Republicans' refusal to consider a replacement Supreme Court justice for Antonin Scalia this year? Is it the right decision to hold off a decision for more than a year until a new president is elected?
No. Our country has become so polarized. Politicians cannot work inter-party, because they would be denied campaign funds from groups that support them. Politicians no longer have time to make laws, because they have to spend all of their time raising money for their campaigns.
Many corporations benefit form bad laws, such as the Citizens United decision to give corporations permission to make unlimited campaign contributions. The Supreme Court declared that corporations should have the same rights as people, otherwise known as "corporate personhood".
Most people, republicans, democrats and even politicians think that this decision is wrong and takes us further away from the democracy that our founding fathers created. Politicians find themselves in the embarrassing position of constantly begging for campaign funds in order to keep their jobs.
For our democracy to work, we must overturn Citizens United!
In the mean time, people should be smart and vote with their brains. The reason that politicians need the money to win in the first place is because studies show that politicians who do robocalls, send junk main and pollute the sides of the road with junk signs are more likely to get votes. I challenge everyone to intentionally not vote for politicians who spend money on negative ads, and the junk.
Vote against insanity and vote only for candidates that are not sold out! I am against all forms of human ownership, including politician ownership.
Do you support or oppose the Affordable Care Act? If you oppose it, what, specifically, would you change about it? If you think it just need tweaks, what are they? Or is it just right as is?
I support "no pre-existing conditions". I support healthcare as a right. I support poor people not having to go to the emergency room for healthcare.
Obamacare is a halfway there solution. The drug companies and insurance companies had to agree to the ACA and made sure that they would make record profits (they are). Healthcare is most expensive in the US and is by far not the best in the world. Drugs invented in the USA are much less expensive in Canada. It is illegal to buy drugs made in America in Canada and sell them for less in America. Drug companies own our politicians!
The reason that the Affordable Care Act is not working as it should be is because insurance companies and drug companies are some of the biggest "owners" of politicians in this country. Politicians taking from these interests should not be allowed to vote on healthcare. Since about all politicians are on the dole from the lobbyists from the drug companies, doctor organizations and insurance companies, then there would not be enough politicians left over to vote.
Healthcare was a disaster before the Affordable Care Act, with the main cause of bankruptcy being a health issue that was not covered by insurance. Healthcare is still bad in this country because it is designed to have the profits go treatments for long-term care of chronic conditions, rather than cures and prevention.
If there were a cheap cure for a disease, it would not benefit drug companies selling expensive pills that treat symptoms.
Do you support the state’s high-speed rail project? Please support your stance — be it pro or con — with specific reasons.
I think that the high-speed rail project should transition to Elon Musk's hyper-loop system. It is faster and much less expensive. It also is a California concept that will revolutionize transportation.
That being said, I have been on high-speed trains and many other trains around the world. We may think that we are the most modern country in the world until we take a 300km per hour trip on a smooth rail or maglev in another country. High-speed trains are awesome to ride, cause fewer fatalities and give us time to work while we travel. They also are a bit easier to board and way more energy efficient than an airplane.
American infrastructure needs help. The interstate highway system is good for business. Being stuck in a traffic jam or losing a tire to a pothole is bad for productivity.
California is the greatest place on earth. Many people come to our towns from all over the world to see our state, our world famous national parks, cities where private companies design rockets, where the modern solar industry, the wind industry and the computer industry were all born. California is the place where dreams really do come true.
Members of Congress are much criticized for being unwilling to compromise and failing to work more collaboratively with the opposing party to get things done. How would you change that environment to get the people’s work done more effectively and respectfully?
I will not accept campaign contributions and will not have an incentive to play political favors to those objecting to good legislation.
I have absolutely no respect for the status-quo politician who is sold out to the highest campaign contributor.
If elected, it would provide hope for others that are disillusioned with the system. If someone can win an election without taking money, then others will run for office without taking money. In the mean time, most people are discouraged and give up on the idea that real change can really happen.
Most voters would agree that most voters are stupid for voting for someone, just because they have a pretty colored sign on the side of the road. Be part of the solution? Make a difference and vote against the pretty sign. It is easy to check on the Internet atwww.opensecrets.org for how much money a politician has raised. Vote against the politician who raised the most money.
My campaign is not about me, it is about a political system that is run by large campaign contributions and politicians that will do anything to get that money in order to get elected. My campaign is about starting a new paradigm, where people educated themselves about the money and throw out the bums. I agree that my chances of winning this election are small, but over time, I am hoping that my message will amplify. The greatest Republican of all, Abe Lincoln lost many elections and I hope to follow in his footsteps.
I would like to change our two-party system
Why are you the most qualified person for this seat?
Most all politicians are not qualified to hold office. They are unethical two-faced money grabbing sell-outs. I will keep my promise to not accept money or favors from anyone while in office. There is no other politician that I am aware of in Congress that will not accept legalized bribes. Every other politician is unethical. I am more qualified to represent people than any politician in office that takes money that is given to influence votes.
If a politician says that they are not influenced by the money that someone or some corporation gives them, that is "another way" to tell that they are lying.
Right now we have a Congressman that does not even live in our district. It amazes me how voters would rather elect someone from LA than someone from the foothills. I graduated from a high school (and played sports) in my district, so I have a feel for what it is like to live in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
I have experience working in many different industries. Now I work in the international solar industry, but have worked in the healthcare industry. I am a CA licensed chiropractor, electrician, solar contractor and student pilot.
I have seen the world and worked in many different countries and most states. I am a part of the fastest growing industry in the world, the solar industry. We are making electricity cheaper than coal in many places and solar keeps getting cheaper. I understand the new economy, where the jobs are and why California is the greatest place on Earth!