The Issues

The 112th Congress has proven itself to be the most inept in recent memory. Their approval rating is in the 12% range, the lowest approval rating since our country began. Their inability to accomplish anything is solely due their zero sum political maneuvering by the two parties. Both parties are equally to blame for this fiasco as each has gravitated to the extreme of their shared beliefs, meaning that the Republicans have gotten more conservative and the Democrats have gotten more liberal. The loser in this battle between the parties is the American people, specifically, you. When new members of Congress are elected to serve, they get swept up in their respective caucuses by promises of pork barrel projects in their district that serve some special interest group or other, or postings to specific committees they want to serve on, or financial support from their party’s campaign committees. In return for these favors, they must tow the party line. This means they go from being elected to serve their constituents to serving their political parties. Only their interests or those of special interest groups benefit from this “closed ranks” approach. When your legislators start serving political parties and special interest groups, you are no longer being represented by your own elected officials. That is why the only way to regain control of your government is to vote out the career politicians in both parties and replace them with independent candidates, like Larry Ishmael, that actually represent you and your voice.

We are extremely fortunate to live in the beauty of the Puget Sound region. Because we are so blessed with this splendor we feel more responsible than most to maintain its pristine nature. It is incumbent upon us as individuals to do everything we can to reduce our polluting footprint upon this area. Government policy alone cannot solve the issue, but responsible citizens working hand in glove with the government and private enterprise CAN clean up the Puget Sound region. These policies cannot value one area of the environment over the other, and we humans should also be part of the equation when addressing the environment.

Too often politicians and so called "environmental" groups use the environment as cover for personal political gain or blatant obstructionism. We must address the tough environmental issues of our day with a holistic approach rather than in politically expedient "sounds bites." These solutions must address the problems in a global manner that includes both developed and underdeveloped countries (the Kyoto Protocol only addresses developed nations and our air pollution is largely coming from China, an underdeveloped nation).

In order to maintain sustainability, public policy must reflect a combination of environmental science, economic viability, and public support. By leaving out any of these three critical components you merely create political correct “sound bites” but do not actually create true sustainability. Armed with a Ph.D. in Sustainable Development, Larry is the most knowledgable candidate for the US House of Representatives nation-wide. As a member of the Creek Indian tribe, Larry respects the wisdom of his Native American fore-fathers, and Chief Seattle of the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes said it best in his speech of 1854, "This we know: All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."

Our Congress has leveraged our grandchildren's future to pay for pork barrel projects today. Continued deficit spending has caused the international monetary markets to lose faith in the dollar, and that, more than any other single factor, is why the price of oil has skyrocketed over the past few months. Instead of blaming the big oil companies, Congress needs to look in the mirror and understand that they are the underlying cause of our current economic woes.

However, the private sector needs to accept blame as well for a severe lack of ethics in conducting its business in some major cases, such as the sub-prime mortgage crisis. We need to hold these CEOs accountable for ridiculously high salaries and bonuses even when their companies produce huge losses, and we need to get all CEOs to sign the Deontological Oath as prescribed by many graduate school of business.

As your Congressman, Larry will work tirelessly to balance the national budget. The underlying fundamental secret to reducing our high tax burden is to reduce the size of government. For the last 17 years Larry has been helping governments reduce the size of their government infrastructure, making it more efficient and increasing revenues. It isn't rocket science, it just takes a politician willing to stand up for what is right rather than what it takes to get re-elected.

We live in an interconnected world that requires us to participate responsibly in global politics. The first step in regaining our status in the world is to rid ourselves of dependence on foreign oil. Only once we have accomplished that can we establish a rational foreign policy. The world's dependence on OPEC countries to provide for our fossil fuel needs has caused major competition for these supplies pitting country vs. country. By being responsible consumers of energy and observing simple guidelines we can help reduce our consumption of energy. The increased use of atomic energy is the fastest and most environmentally conscious way of achieving energy independence. The development of alternative fuel sources should also be used, but only by taking a holistic approach. We cannot create competition between bio-fuels and food sources or we drive the price of each up to the high prices we are experiencing today.

Larry has lived on 4 continents, worked in over 125 countries, speaks 3 languages fluently, and holds an MBA in Developmental Economics. He has valuable experience working with foreign heads of state in numerous countries, as well as with their federal ministers and parliaments. With this background Larry has twice the experience in the realm of foreign policy as any other sitting member of Congress.