Why me? I ask myself this every few days when I wake up in the morning. I am almost sixty-six years old and have never held a public office, although I have been a Homeowners Association president and a college club president .I am always reminded, however,when I read the morning paper what a mess this state is in. Something has to be done.
Of course, it is not like I am new to politics. I have a degree in Political Science and have been an activist ever since my university SDS days. I have been part of a lot of campaigns, been paid staff in two of them, and been on the executive committee of the Sierra Club. Still, in the places where I have lived — Chicago and Santa Barbara — there were always plenty of people to do the running.
Unlike those places, however, my new home — Paso Robles and its district — is predominantly Republican.
This year nobody else wanted to try to do what, in the recent past, have been failed efforts to win here. After making a case with Democrats that we should run somebody this year, I soon found myself being the somebody.
I jumped in for the following reasons.
As I mentioned above, the state is in terrible fiscal shape, as is the nation. Polls are showing that the public is blaming the Republicans more than the Democrats for this. As a result, Democratic registration is increasing in the state.
That still wouldn't have been enough for me except that our assembly person is such a Republican extremist. That is becoming the norm with his party. The Republican leadership has become blatant about its party being about money and power and concentrating it in as few hands as possible (the 1%). Mr. Achadjian's voting record on the environment, consumers' rights, and labor — like that of his comrades in Congress — is atrocious. He also has signed the Grover Norquist no-tax pledge, a fiscal solution that can only benefit the rich.
We workers, students, middle-class Americans, small business owners, the poor and disabled have taken a real hit in the last few years because of the state's debt crisis. Mr. Achadjian's solution seems to be that the same groups should suffer even more.
If voters are tired of this, they need to have an alternative. As a member of the Assembly, I would represent the majority of us, the now famous 99% of us.
I will support a combination of cuts and tax hikes that are as fair as possible to balance our budgets, foster an economy of "green jobs" that don't destroy our health and climate, leave a safety net for those — who through no fault of their own — need one, and restore our schools. When our children grow up, I would like them to be able to thank us for leaving behind a state that is prosperous, healthy, and practicing democratic values instead of one that is in a shambles and run by a wealthy few.
