August 31, 2014

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

This past Wednesday, I received a somewhat incredible e-mail. It is from
the Web Archiving Team of the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS,and it says that The
United States Library of Congress has selected my website “for inclusion
in the Library’s historic collection of Internet materials related to the
U.S. 2014 Election. We consider your website to be an important part of
this collection and the historical record.” (see e-mail below.)

I include a copy of the entire e-mail immediately below for your
examination:

“From: WebCapture [Library of Congress]
Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2014 12:58 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Inclusion of your Website in the Library of Congress Web
Archives
Size: 5 KB
To Whom It May Concern:

The United States Library of Congress has selected your website for
inclusion in the Library’s historic collection of Internet materials
related to the U.S. 2014 Election. We consider your website to be an
important part of this collection and the historical record.

The Library of Congress preserves the Nation’s cultural artifacts and
provides enduring access to them. The Library’s traditional functions,
acquiring, cataloging, preserving and serving collection materials of
historical importance to the Congress and the American people to foster
education and scholarship, extend to digital materials, including
websites.

The following URL has been selected:

williamsonforuscongress.com

In order to properly archive this URL, and potentially other URLs of
interest on your site, we may archive both this URL and other portions of
your site, including public content that your page links to on third party
sites such as Facebook, YouTube, etc. The Library of Congress or its agent
will engage in the collection of content from your website at regular
intervals and may include it in future collections. The Library will make
this collection available to researchers at Library facilities and by
special arrangement.

The Library is collaborating with other libraries and governmental
institutions to build a comprehensive archive of Election 2014 websites,
and may share the archived site with its partners.

The Library may also make the collection available more broadly by hosting
the collection on the Library’s public access website no earlier than one
year after our archiving has been completed. The Library hopes that you
share its vision of preserving web materials about the U.S. Elections and
permitting researchers from across the world to access them.

Our web archives are important because they contribute to the historical
record, capturing information that could otherwise be lost. With the
growing role of the web as an influential medium, records of historic
events could be considered incomplete without materials that were “born
digital” and never printed on paper. For more information about these web
archive collections, please visit our website
(http://www.loc.gov/webarchiving/).

If you have questions, comments or recommendations concerning the web
archiving of your site please e-mail the Library’s Web Archiving Team at
[email protected] at your earliest convenience. You may also want to
visit our frequently asked questions page at:
http://www.loc.gov/webarchiving/faq.html.

Thank you.

Web Archiving Team
[email protected]
http://www.loc.gov/webarchiving/
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C. 20540

�

For administrative purposes:
URL: williamsonforuscongress.com
Record ID: 109780″

Naturally, I was somewhat skeptical about this, as I have never received a
communication from the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS before, although I have often
dreamed that I might write a book someday that would make it to the
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. So, since I was skeptical, I wrote an e-mail back to
them asking if this was for real. The Web Archiving Team responded. Please
see the e-mail exchange below:

“From: WebCapture
Date: Thursday, August 28, 2014 5:48 AM
To: ‘[email protected]’ ,
WebCapture

Subject: RE: Inclusion of your Website in the Library of Congress Web
Archives

Size: 4 KB

Mr. Williamson,

Yes, this was a valid email from the Library of Congress. We are including
your website in our US Elections 2014 collection.

If you have any other questions or comments, please let us know.

Thank you.

The Web Archiving Team

—–Original Message—–
From: [email protected] [[email protected]]

Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2014 3:05 AM

To: WebCapture

Subject: Re: Inclusion of your Website in the Library of Congress Web
Archives

Dear Sir or Madam,

I received an e-mail from you regarding my campaign website and that you
are going to put it in your archives. Is this for real?

I did access your website and it appears to be real.

Please let me know.

Thanks.

W. John Williamson

—- “WebCapture [Library of Congress]” wrote:
> For administrative purposes:
> URL: williamsonforuscongress.com
> Record ID: 109780″

I did run this by some of my friends, too, to ask what they thought. There
was a mixed response, but as one of them said to me, the website address
where the e-mail came from is that of the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS:
www.loc.gov. And if you access that URL, you will be at the LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS website. So it appears to be true.

As you may know, after I send out this campaign update e-mail–this latest
installment in my “The Future Can Be Ours” series–I post the e-mail to my
campaign website at williamsonforuscongress.com.

So I guess I should say: Hi, folks, of the Web Archiving Team at the
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS! Welcome to my website! I hope you enjoy it and
continue to find worthwhile material within its contents. And, to respond
to your comment in the original e-mail: Yes, I share the Library’s vision
of preserving web materials about the U.S. Elections and permitting
researchers from across the world to access them. Go for it.

The question is: Is the Web Archiving Team impressed with the intellectual
brilliance of my blogs in the “What’s News” section, or is it the photo of
my photogenic daughter, Maryanne–aspiring model and actress–next to one
of my campaign signs on the first page that got your attention?

I’ve never even been to the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I guess I’ll have to be
sure to pay a visit to that venerable institution before too much time
passes.

When elected your congressman on Nov. 4th, one of my first orders of
business when I get to Washington and installed in the Longworth Office
Building will be to go over to the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS and meet the Web
Archiving Team. I support the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS-sponsored National Book
Festival held yesterday at the Washington Convention Center. I also
support Read.gov, “Celebrating the joy and wonder of reading for all
ages.” I also just listened, on the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS website, to part
of the final lecture given by Natasha Trethewey, our country’s current
poet laureate. Recounting her experiences as a child of an inter-racial
marriage, she talks about “the transformative power of language” and
“poetry’s way of showing us a way to justice and equality.” (www.loc.gov.)

If you would like to contribute to my campaign, check out my website at
williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on “Make a Donation” and, by means
of safe and secure PayPal, donate to your Democratic candidate who
supports the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS and all the worthwhile services it offers
to our people. We need more funding for signs and other campaign
necessities. And if we can get enough donors, maybe we can even have
some TV commercials.

The Future Can Be Ours if we believe that a Democrat can win in CD6. Given
the fact that the current representative, David Schweikert, voted in April
of 2011 for the Ryan Budget Plan which would have cut, devastatingly,
Medicare benefits, and that he favors the Chained CPI (see Arizona
Alliance for Retired Americans, Oct. 3, 2013,
www.arizonaretiredamericans.org) which would decrease the amount of
monthly Social Security payments–if more Independents and Republicans
became aware of this–the concept of a Democratic victory in CD6 is not as
far-fetched as some people might suppose. To quote Elaine Benes in a
SEINFELD episode: “Stranger things have happened.” (Episode 84, “The
Fire,” by Larry Charles, May 5, 1994, www.seinology.com.) Moreover, folks
are tired of David Schweikert’s shutdown shenanigans. And there’s the
threat of another shutdown coming up in which perhaps he may again
participate. As an elderly lady said to me the other day when I was having
dinner with my Mom in the skilled nursing section of where she lives, “I’m
a Republican,” she said, “but I’m tired of how the Republicans are so
obstinate with Obama. They never say yes. There’s something wrong with
people like that.” Rep. Schweikert is one of those naysayers; and always
has been. The elderly lady I refer to was happy when I gave her my
campaign card.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson

Scottsdale, Arizona

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

On April 15, 2011, Rep. David Schweikert voted yes for the Ryan Budget
Plan. (“David Schweikert on Health Care,” On the Issues: Every Political
Leader on Every Issue, as of Aug. 24, 2014, www.ontheissues.org.) This
bill, which did not pass in the Senate, would have increased tax cuts for
the wealthy while throwing Medicare coverage for those 65 and over in our
country into chaos.

Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat from Oregon, an opponent of the bill, made
this statement at the time: “The Republicans chose to end Medicare as we
know it. The Republican plan reopens the doughnut hole. That is the hole
into which seniors fall when, after they have some assistance with the
first drugs they need, they get no assistance until they reach a
catastrophic level. It is in that hole that seniors have had their
finances devastated. We fixed it. Republicans want to unfix it and throw
seniors back into the abyss. Then, instead of guaranteeing Medicare
coverage for a fixed set of benefits for every senior–as Medicare does
now–the Republican plan gives seniors a coupon and says: Good luck. Go
buy your insurance. If the insurance goes up, too bad.” (Same source as
above.)

Another opponent of the Ryan bill, Senator Kent Conrad, Democrat from
North Dakota made this statement: “In the House Republican budget plan,
the first thing they do is cut $4 trillion in revenue over the next 10
years. For the wealthiest among us, they give them an additional $1
trillion in tax reductions. To offset these massive new tax cuts, they
have decided to shred the social safety net. They have decided to shred
Medicare. They have decided to shred program after program so they can
give more tax cuts to those who are the wealthiest among us.” (from the
same source as above.)

Do you–whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or other
affiliation–want the social safety net of Medicare to be shredded and
done away with? If not, then it is very important for you to vote for me,
and not for David Schweikert, in the general election this year. Rep.
Schweikert voted for the Ryan Budget Plan in 2011, a plan that, as the two
U.S. senators stated above, would have gutted Medicare as we know it and
made it non-functional.

What is Rep. Schweikert’s position on Social Security? It’s hard, if even
possible, to find. At the website “On the Issues: Every Political Leader
on Every Issue,” at www.ontheissues.org, as of Aug. 24, 2014, all that can
be found for David Schweikert’s position on Social Security is this: “No
stance on record.”

On May 13, 2011, Rep. Schweikert, as part of a larger statement, said
this: “… House Republicans are continuing to push for entitlement
reforms that will fundamentally improve these programs and create
sustainability through common sense modernization.” (“Rep. Schweikert
Statement on Medicare and Social Security Report,” May 13, 2011,
schweikert.house.gov.)

We can, however, infer Rep. Schweikert’s stance on Social Security from
the following information contained in a press release from the Arizona
Alliance for Retired Americans on Oct. 3, 2013. This was issued during a
demonstration in Washington, D.C. while the Gang of 40–of which Rep.
Schweikert was a member–government shutdown was in progress. This is the
press release:

“Seniors Join Hands at U.S. Capitol, Issue Warning to

Reps Schweikert, Gosar, and Franks about using Shutdown

to Cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid

The following statement was issued today by Doug Hart, President of the
Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans.

“Today scores of seniors came to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC,
joined hands with Members of Congress, and formed a human chain in
opposition to the Chained CPI cost-of-living adjustment formula and all
benefit cuts to Social Security.

“By doing so, they sent a message: We are standing up for our hard-earned
benefits and will not allow a government shutdown to force cuts to our
Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid!

“I encourage Reps. Schweikert, Gosar, and Franks in Arizona who have
expressed support for the Chained CPI in the past, to re-think their
position, given the growing number of activists telling Congress, ‘Hands
off Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid!’

“Today was also a part of a timely revolt against Republicans’ hostage
taking strategy. Whether shutting down the government to protest Obamacare
or using a debt crisis to force the Chained CPI on seniors, Americans have
had enough.

“Both current and future Social Security beneficiaries need to know the
truth: the Chained CPI is not some harmless, technical change. It’s a
benefit cut.

“If the shutdown and debt crisis are merged in the coming weeks, and the
debt ceiling is not raised, seniors also may not receive Social Security
checks, Medicare reimbursements and a host of other necessities.

“The Arizona Alliance’s 40,000 members are watching closely and remaining
hopeful that Washington finds a way to do the right thing – that certainly
doesn’t mean wrongly trying to solve the country’s budget problems on the
backs of our seniors.” (Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans, Oct. 3,
2013, as posted by Tory Anderson, www.arizonaretiredamericans.org.)

The “Chained CPI” is a new measure of inflation that would cause retirees
to get smaller monthly social security payments. “If the chained CPI were
implemented, Social Security benefits would be about $3 per month lower in
2014, and about $30 a month lower by 2023, according to Congressional
Budget Office calculations. And by 2033, Social Security payments are
projected to be 3 percent lower than they would be using the current
measure of inflation.” (“How the Chained CPI Affects Social Security
Payments,” by Emily Brandon, April 29, 2013, money.usnews.com.)

Friend, The Future Can Be Ours by recognizing that David Schweikert is a
self-interested bean-counter who does not, if you are depending on
Medicare or Social Security, have your best interest at heart. He voted to
gut Medicare and make it useless to those who need it most; and he was
part of the Gang of 40 Republicans in the House who initiated the
government shutdown in the fall of 2013 that threatened to hold Social
Security hostage to the debt-ceiling negotiations. He is not a friend to
Medicare nor to Social Security; so if you count on those entitlement
programs to help you with your life, he is not, as far as legislative
activity–whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or
other–your friend, either.

The only reform of Social Security I would consider reasonable would be to
raise the age to, say, 67, for when benefits can first, with no penalty,
be received. Other than that, I see it as a a pay-as-you-go system that
needs only input in a timely manner from contributors to keep it
sustained.

When elected as your congressman on Nov. 4th, I will continue to support
Medicare and Social Security in their current forms. They are entitlement
programs that keep our citizens healthy and financially viable. It would
be wrong to gut them and cast them aside as if they served no useful
purpose. Perhaps for millionaires they aren’t important; but to the rest
of us, they are. Although I’ll bet there’s more than one millionaire who
values his or her Medicare eligibility and those Social Security checks
that come every month. After all, the recipients of the benefits of those
programs–regardless of their incomes–have paid in the money over the
years and have earned what they are getting, which is always a good
feeling.

If you would like to contribute to my campaign, please check out my
website at williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on “Make a Donation,”
and by means of safe and secure PayPal, donate to a Democratic candidate
who wants to preserve the entitlement programs of Medicare and Social
Security. Medical costs have gone down with the advent of the Affordable
Care Act, and Social Security can be sustained by pay-as-you-go
strategies. Entitlement money should not be gutted by tax cuts for the
wealthy, as David Schweikert showed he favors by his vote for the Ryan
Budget bill in 2011.

The Future Can Be Ours if we assert our social and fiscal consciences and
keep Medicare and Social Security intact. Let the wealthy, whom David
Schweikert is attempting to subsidize, figure out other ways to pay for
their trips to Bermuda. The entitlement money is for people who really
need it, those with heart conditions, cancers, and other conditions who
need those benefits to stay alive, or at least to try to. And those Social
Security checks have put food on the table for millions over the years,
making living each day, if not at least bearable, a joyful experience.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson

Scottsdale, Arizona

Aug. 22, 2014

SCOTTSDALE DEMOCRATIC LUNCHEON CLUB

“Since 1976–at least!”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

The Honorable MARTIN QUEZADA, Democratic State Representative of District
29, will be our featured speaker at our luncheon tomorrow, Saturday,
August 23rd, at 2:00 PM at the DENNY’S at Scottsdale and Osborn Roads. The
topic of his talk will be: “The Immigration Crisis Today.” There will be a
question and answer period following his presentation.

Martín is a native of Phoenix and was born and spent his early childhood
in Maryvale where he attended St. Vincent de Paul Elementary School.
Martín is also a graduate of Peoria Centennial High School (1995),
Glendale Community College (1998), Arizona State University West (2001)
and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University
(2008).

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice and
Ethnic Studies from ASU West, Martín spent five years working as a
Research Analyst/Policy Advisor to the Democrat Caucus in the Arizona
State Senate (2001) and the Arizona State House of Representatives
(2002-2005) before being accepted into law school at ASU. While in law
school, he served as President of the ASU Chicano/Latino Law Students
Association (2006-2007), and served in the Graduate & Professional
Students Association representing the law school in ASU’s graduate student
government.

Martín was honored with the Congressman Ed Pastor Outstanding Graduate
Student Award at the 2008 Hispanic Convocation. After receiving his Juris
Doctorate degree, Martín served a judicial clerkship for Judge Patricia
Orozco on the Arizona Court of Appeals (2008-2009). Martín has been a
community activist for several years and has served on numerous boards and
commissions in the community including the ASU Los Diablos Latino Alumni
Association, the Maryvale Village Planning Committee, the West Phoenix
Revitalization Community Advisory Board and the Los Abogados Hispanic Bar
Association Board of Directors. He was named as one of the Univision
Radio/AZ Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Top 40 Hispanic Leaders Under Age 40
in 2009.

Martín practices law at the “Law Office of Martín J. Quezada, PLLC,” where
he practices in the areas of criminal defense, domestic relations,
immigration and election law. He continues to live in the west valley and
also currently serves as the President of the Pendergast Elementary School
District Governing Board after being elected in the 2010 General Election.
He was appointed to the Arizona State House of Representatives in
Legislative District #13 in March, 2012 to fill a vacant seat and was
elected to represent District #29 in November, 2012.

I’m very excited that REP. QUEZADA will be speaking to us tomorrow about
the timely topic of immigration. He will address such aspects of
immigration as: the children from Central America crossing our southern
border, should undocumented immigrants have the chance to become U.S.
citizens, the Dream Act, the recent U.S. Appeals Court ruling regarding
drivers licenses for those who qualify for deferred deportation, and other
aspects of this kaleidoscopic immigration issue. Please bring your
questions and open ears.

Please note that DENNY’S requires each person attending to purchase a
meal, or significant dessert. What is meant by “significant dessert?” I
don’t know but I think you’ll know a significant dessert when you see one.

See you tomorrow to listen to and ask questions of our up and coming
speaker, MARTIN QUEZADA, Democratic State Representative from District 29.

And bring a friend!!!

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson
Chair
SCOTTSDALE DEMOCRATIC LUNCHEON CLUB
480-607-9726

SCOTTSDALE DEMOCRATIC LUNCHEON CLUB

“Since 1976–at least!”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

Hope you’ve cleared your calendar for this Saturday, August 23rd, at 2:00
PM at DENNY’S at Scottsdale and Osborn Roads, because we’re going to have
a great speaker who will talk with us on the topic of “The Immigration
Crisis.” I refer of course to REP. MARTIN QUEZADA, Democrat,
Attorney-at-Law, from Legislative District 29.

After his presentation, there will be a question and answer period.

Please note: DENNY’S requires that each person attending purchase a meal,
or a significant dessert.

My Mom’s in the hospital right now at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn, but
she’s improving. She got very dehydrated and had a small bowel
obstruction, but, thanks to the treatment strategy of “resting the
stomach” with an NG tube, it has resolved itself and the critical plumbing
is working again. Mom was the president of our club, as many of you know,
in 1976. I have a fond memory of her starting off one meeting by reading a
quotation from that great classic W.C. FIELDS FOR PRESIDENT. It never
hurts to have a sense of humor in this world.

Anyway, please join us this Saturday to hear MARTIN’S viewpoint on the
important issue of immigration, so much in the news these days. Bring your
questions and your open ears.

Please RSVP to let me know if you are going to make it by either calling
the above number or sending me an e-mail.

See you this Saturday, and bring a friend!

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson
Chair
SCOTTSDALE DEMOCRATIC LUNCHEON CLUB
480-607-9726

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

I agree with Erica Lafferty, daughter of slain Sandy Hook
Elementary School principal Dawn Hochsprung, who, as reported in an NPR
story, speaking outside the NRA convention in Houston in May, 2013, said
that she did not think it is unreasonable for there to be background
checks on gun purchases. As an educator, parent, and candidate for the
U.S. Congress, I support Ms. Lafferty’s efforts.

I favor universal background checks on gun purchases; that is, a
background check should be required, regardless of where that purchase is
made. Thus, if a purchase is going to be made at a gun show, there must be
a background check on the potential purchaser. The same would apply to an
Internet transaction. We register car titles; why shouldn’t the same thing
pertain to gun purchases? Further, only a licensed driver may operate an
automobile because of safety considerations. A car can be a lethal weapon,
just as a gun, if handled recklessly. Witness the severe penalties for
DUI’s in our own state. Guns and gun-buyers–just like automobiles and
licensed drivers–should, in my view, be analogously kept track of for the
sake of our children, our loved ones, our schools, our country, and
innocent human beings at large.

Just as we cannot forget the Holocaust in World War II, we cannot forget
the 20 first-graders and 6 teachers and administrators who died at Sandy
Hook Elementary–another kind of holocaust in our own time–in Newtown,
Connecticut, on December 13, 2013. President Obama called the children who
lost their lives “beautiful little kids.” (“Nation Reels After Gunman
Massacres 20 Children at School in Connecticut,” James Barron, New York
Times, Dec. 14, 2013, www.nytimes.com.)

Background checks on all gun purchases will help to screen out those who
are dangerously mentally ill and hopefully prevent tragedies like that in
Newtown from occurring.

I also support a waiting period of at least one week for gun purchasers.
This will help to prevent not only impulsive acts of violence against
others but curtail suicides as well. Kerry Lewiecki, a 27-year-old, who
had just earned dual degress in law and conflict resolution from the
University of Oregon in early summer of 2010, and was soon to be married,
committed suicide with a gun. Although he had suffered severe pain in his
hands, arms, and back which was not responding well to treatment, overall
he seemed fine. Said his father, Mike, a doctor in Albuquerque, “If it had
not been so easy to buy a gun maybe he would have spoken with someone or
woken up the next morning and heard the birds and felt better.” (“Suicide
Without Warning,” New York Times, March 8, 2013.)

Rep. David Schweikert is a life member of the NRA. I am not a member of
the NRA and never have been. Former President George H.W. Bush dropped his
NRA membership after the NRA leadership behaved in a less than considerate
manner, so I’m in good company.

I’ve never owned a gun, but I respect the responsible use of firearms
recreationally.

If you wish to contribute to my campaign, please go to my website at
williamsonforuscongress.com, and click on “Make a Donation.” Then, by
means of safe and secure PayPal, you may support a candidate who favors
Gun Responsibility. If you wish to make your contribution by check, please
send it to:

WILLIAMSON FOR U.S. CONGRESS
7349 N. Via Paseo Del Sur, Ste. 515-233
Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Be sure to include, in accordance with Federal Election Commission
requirements, your name, address, the name of your employer, and your
occupation.

If you wish to volunteer by stuffing envelopes, participating in a phone
bank, or in some other way, please send me an e-mail or call me at the
campaign headquarters phone number above.

I support universal background checks and a waiting period of at least one
week on all gun purchases. Instead of using the term “gun control,” I like
the term Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords have coined: “gun
responsibility.”(www.americansforresponsiblesolutions.org.) We can have a
safer and more secure future by enacting the legislation I have outlined
above.

When elected to the U.S. Congress on November 4th, I will advocate for
such public safety legislation, so that The Future Can Be Ours with
respect to Gun Responsibility. Out of respect for the youngsters who died
at Newtown who play on this earth no more, and out of respect for the
teachers and administrators who laid down their lives for them, and out of
respect for the parents who grieve every day for their “beautiful little
kids” who will never have the chance to grow up–out of respect for those
who are gone and those who mourn their absence–it seems that enacting
such public safety legislation is the least we can do to act responsibly
and show we care.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson

Scottsdale, Arizona

Aug. 12, 2014

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

A good friend forwarded an article to me today that some of you may have
read already. It’s called “A Deal Too Good to Turn Down, Unless It’s
Medicaid,” by Princeton Economics professor Uwe E. Reinhardt, in
today’s New York Times.

In view of Rep. Schweikert’s aversion to helping Americans with
pre-existing conditions,–evidenced by his vote to repeal the Affordable
Care Act (see, for one example, “The U.S. Congress Votes Database,” June
11, 2012, projects.washingtonpost.com). Further, Rep. Schweikert has
signed the Obamacare Repeal Pledge (see votesmart.org for item dated Oct.
3, 2013) which goes like this:

“I pledge, if elected, to vote for all bills which seek to REPEAL the
health care bill, HR 3590, signed into law on March 23, 2010.*

To that end, I would now and will in the next Congress endorse and vote
for all measures, including discharge petitions, leading to its defunding,
deauthorization, and repeal.

I shall do so whether those measures are taken for the whole of the bill
or those component parts that impose mandates, restrict patient and doctor
choice and access, violate individual freedom and privacy, reduce healthy
competition, increase costs, or raise taxes.

*The healthcare bill is defined as consisting of: 1) The Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), signed into law on March
23, 2010; and 2) The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (H.R.
4872), signed into law on March 30, 2010.”

That’s the pledge that David Schweikert signed. He’s committed to
discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions, college
students that are now, because of the Affordable Care Act, covered on
their parents’ health insurance until they reach the age of 26, and
44,000,000 other American citizens who, prior to the Affordable Care Act,
were in need of health insurance. Many of those, of course, are still in
need of health insurance, since they have not yet signed up for Obamacare.

And, moreover, in view of David Schweikert’s aversion to supporting, last
year, Medicaid restoration in our state, Reinhardt’s article makes
eye-opening reading. The link to this article is below:

http://nyti.ms/1oH9r53

When I am elected to be your congressman on Nov. 4th, I pledge that I will
continue to support in every way the implementation of the Affordable Care
Act, as I have since I first ran for Congress in 2012.

If you would like to contribute to my campaign, please check out my
website at williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on “Make a Donation,”
and, by means of safe and secure PayPal, contribute to support your
Democratic candidate who supports, in every way, the Affordable Care Act.

I’d also like to thank those who have already made a contribution to my
campaign. Your donations are greatly appreciated!

The Future Can Be Ours if we recognize the value, as Reinhardt’s article
clearly points out, of the benefits that will accrue to Arizona from the
billions of dollars in federal money that will come to our state as a
result of our Legislature and Governor opening the door to this by voting
to restore Medicaid to our state. I have to give our governor, Jan Brewer,
a Republican, credit for leading the way and showing the vision to bring
this aid back to our state which will not only help those who need the
medical services, but will help the business of those who provide those
services and create more jobs for Arizonans.

But David Schweikert is against all this. He has an aversion to it.

That’s one of many reasons why I need your vote and support to be elected
your congressman on Nov. 4th, so that level-headed representation for
District 6 in Washington can be restored.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson

Scottsdale, Arizona

SCOTTSDALE DEMOCRATIC LUNCHEON CLUB

“Since 1976–at least!”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

I’m very pleased to announce that REP. MARTIN QUEZADA, Democrat, District
29, will be the guest speaker at the SCOTTSDALE DEMOCRATIC LUNCHEON CLUB
on Saturday, August 23rd, at 2:00 PM at DENNY’S at
Scottsdale and Osborn Roads. He will speak on the topic of the current
immigration crisis, both with respect to the children from Central America
who have crossed the Texas and Arizona border and with respect to
immigration reform in general.

I will be sending out more details about this event and our distinguished
speaker before long. For the time being, just wanted to let you all know
of our luncheon to take place two weeks from now so you can plan ahead for it.

Mark your calendars for the 23rd! REP. MARTIN QUEZADA, Democrat, District
29, will be our guest speaker. Be sure to bring a friend!

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson
Chair
SCOTTSDALE DEMOCRATIC LUNCHEON CLUB
480-607-9726

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

Democrat

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

In 1948, the modern state of Israel was established by the Jewish people
so that, after the Holocaust in World War II, they could have a country
that they could call home. Unfortunately, in the process of achieving that
understandable and worthy goal, the indigenous Palestinians who lived on
that land were displaced and have not had a country they could call their
own since. (“Who Bears More Responsibility for the War in Gaza?”, John B.
Judis, The New Republic, July 25, 2014, www.newrepublic.com).

The Gaza Strip–a scene of the latest violent conflict between Israel and
the Palestinians–used to be part of Israel, but was given back, sort of,
to the Gazans in 2005 by Israel. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea
just northeast of Egypt. Israel has been governing it since as a colony
still under their jurisdiction. In that process, the Gazans have been
subject to what some people have characterized as harsh governance by the
Israelis, partly in the form of a blockade of goods and services that the
Gazans need to maintain an adequate quality of living. (Ibid.)

The creation of an independent Palestinian state is the only way that I
see for finding a long-term solution to the current conflict between
Israel and Hamas. The sooner that Palestinian state can be established,
the sooner the hostilities, I believe, will end.

The Future Can Be Ours if we seek diplomatic and political solutions to
problems that do not lend themselves to successful long-term military
solutions.

The current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, made a statement
in early July of this year that seemed to show he does not support the
creation of a Palestinian state. “I think the Israeli people understand
now what I always say,” he said. “There cannot be a situation, under any
agreement, in which we relinquish security control of the territory west
of the River Jordan.” … David Horovitz, the editor of the Times of
Israel, wrote in a column about Netanyahu’s statement, “He wasn’t saying
that he doesn’t support a two-state solution. He was saying that it’s
impossible. This was not a new, dramatic change of stance by the prime
minister. It was a new, dramatic exposition of his long-held stance.”
(Ibid.)

Yes, Israel of course has the right to defend its civilians from Hamas
rockets, but the long-term solution is not military. The Israeli blockade
of Gaza has not contributed to a peaceful solution. This has merely
increased the frustration of civilians in Gaza to the point where some may
see military activity as the only way to cope with the situation.

The Israelis, as represented by Prime Minister Netanyahu, would do well to
consider, I believe, that it is in their own self-interest to expedite the
creation of a Palestinian state. When that happens, the displacement of
Palestinians from their own land that occurred in the late 1940’s can
finally come to an end. They can have their own country again.

When that happens, extremist groups, such as Hamas, will no longer have
the appeal they do now to those who have grievances against Israel.

My view is that, in return for an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza,
Hamas must allow international inspectors to monitor on a daily basis
whether or not tunnels are being rebuilt or weapons are being reinstalled.
A certain number of these inspectors would be representatives from Israel
who could verify to their government that no rocket-launchers are being
installed that would pose a threat to civilians in Israel.

Whoever “wins” the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict may achieve a
Pyrrhic victory. Pyrrhus, of course, was the Greek king who, in A.D. 279,
won a victory, with many casualties however, over the Romans at Asculum.
He is said to have stated at the end of the battle: “Another victory like
this and we’ll be ruined.”

As your congressman, I will support the efforts of the United Nations and
of our secretary of state John Kerry to achieve a just and lasting peace
in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians. I support the
creation of a Palestinian state as soon as possible so that a long-term
solution to the terrible loss of life–both civilians and military–may
have a better chance to be found. I support a diplomatic and political
solution to this problem.

If you would like to contribute to my campaign, please check out my
website at williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on “Make a Donation,”
and, by means of safe and secure PayPal, donate to support a Democratic
candidate who advocates a diplomatic solution to the conflict between
Israel and the Palestinians.

I want to thank deeply those who have contributed to my campaign so far.
Your contributions are greatly appreciated and have helped a lot. Thank
you!

The Future Can Be Ours if we advocate for a diplomatic and political
solution to the terrible conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in
the Gaza Strip. Attitudes of revenge and retribution are not contributing
to a long-term solution to this humanitarian crisis involving two peoples
who wish to have sovereignty and self-determination. Let us ask ourselves
this: What is in the best interest of the civilians–both Israelis and
Palestinians? Certainly not what is happening now: Israelis living in
terror that a rocket launched by Hamas will get through Israel’s Iron Dome
missile defense system. Or Palestinians seeking shelter in a hospital
terrorized that an Israeli rocket may strike, perhaps mistakenly, even that
humanitarian location. Peace is a two-way street; each side will need to
compromise so that the destruction and loss of life may end. It is, in my
judgment, in both sides’ self-interest to do so.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson

Scottsdale, Arizona

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

On June 12, 2013, David Schweikert stated on his facebook page: “On this
day 26 years ago, Ronald Reagan urged Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
to ‘tear down this wall.’ LIKE if you miss Ronald Reagan!”

One gets the impression the Rep. Schweikert admires President Reagan. One
gets the impression that he respects the things that Ronald Reagan said.

In Ronald Reagan’s “Shining City on a Hill” speech, however, that he gave
as he departed from office after serving two terms, President Reagan
asserted something that, apparently, David Schweikert has either forgotten
or never really thought about.

This is an excerpt from President Reagan’s speech: “I’ve spoken of the
Shining City all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite
communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall,
proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed,
and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city
with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had
to be city walls, the walls had doors, and the doors were open to anyone
with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it, and see it
still.” (from THE CITY ON A HILL by Michael Reagan with Jim Denney, 1997,
as quoted in The New York Times, www.nytimes.com)

Let’s look at the second to last sentence in that excerpt: “And if there
had to be city walls, the walls had doors, and the doors were open to
anyone with the will and the heart to get here.”

Now let’s look at the last independent clause of that sentence: “…and
the doors were open to anyone WITH THE WILL AND THE HEART TO GET HERE.”
(capitalized letters added by me.)

The “Shining City on the Hill” is of course the United States. In the
context of immigration, it would seem that President Reagan was saying
that the doors of our country should be open to “anyone WITH THE WILL AND
THE HEART TO GET HERE.” Notice, he does not say: the doors were open “to
anyone who was able to get here legally.” He just says: “anyone WITH THE
WILL AND THE HEART TO GET HERE.”

Using this, I think, not unreasonable interpretation of President Reagan’s
words, there are many so-called “illegal immigrants” today in our country
who, it would seem, he would not want to send packing from our borders.
Those undocumented immigrants who have crossed the southern Arizona desert
to search for a better life, certainly had to show “THE WILL AND THE HEART
TO GET HERE.”

Why, then, did Rep. Schweikert, along with his colleagues Reps. Gosar and
Salmon, miss the boat on U.S. Senate Bill 744 last summer after it had passed the
Senate by a vote of 68-32? Why did Rep. Schweikert turn a deaf ear to S.B.
744, even though conservative Republican Arizona Senators John McCain and
Jeff Flake had both supported and voted for it?

S.B. 744 offered a path to citizenship, but only after the immigrant had
been an RPI, Registered Provisional Immigrant, for ten years; and then a
Lawful Permanent Resident for three years. Thus, an immigrant who had
arrived illegally would have to follow this procedure which would take
thirteen years! That’s hardly a giveaway.

John McCain understood that something has to be done, and he astutely
voted for this compromise bill so that the problem could be addressed. He
knew, I believe, from his years in the Senate that the illegal immigrant
problem cannot be ignored with positive results. It’s an elephant in the
room that must be coped with.

Reps. Schweikert, Gosar, and Salmon, however, didn’t get this. This is
what they said: “The desire to make a better life for oneself and one’s
family is certainly admirable, but we should not reward those who have
broken our laws at the expense of the millions of immigrants who have
played by the rules and are patiently waiting their turn in line. Simply
put, those in our country illegally should not have a unique path to
citizenship not available to those who have chose to abide by our laws and
attempt to emigrate legally.”

Further, they went on to say: “At the same time, there is no benefit to
keeping 11 million illegal immigrants trapped in the shadows. In fact, it
is in our country’s interest to know who they are and where they live.”
(“Arizona Republic Op-Ed: What immigration reform must entail,” By U.S.
Reps. David Schweikert, Matt Salmon, and Paul Gosar, as republished on
Rep. Gosar’s Congressional website, May 1, 2013, www.gosar.house.gov.)

You can’t ask people to come out of the shadows and put themselves at risk
unless you offer them the incentive of citizenship. Otherwise, nothing
meaningful is being offered to them, given the pain and suffering they
have already endured.

President Reagan said that in his “Shining City on a Hill,” aka the United
States of America, “the doors were open to anyone WITH THE WILL AND THE
HEART TO GET HERE.” WILL and HEART must be rewarded, after following the
specified thirteen-year procedure, with citizenship. It’s only fair.

Clearly, Reps. Schweikert, Gosar, and Salmon do not know their Ronald
Reagan. They need to review that passage I quoted above and, if they
really respect the words of Ronald Reagan, revise their positions
accordingly.

S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration
Modernization Act, passed the U.S. Senate by a 68-32 vote on June 27,
2013. (www.govtrack.us) Then the bill went to the House where it was never
taken up for a vote by the Speaker, John Boehner. Had I been in the House
at that time as your congressman, and had S. 744 been brought up for a
vote, I would have voted for it. The cut-off date for those wanting to
qualify for RPI status–Registered Provisional Immigrant–would have been
December 31, 2011. That is, any undocumented alien would have had to be in
the United States prior to that date in order to qualify for RPI status.
Then, as stated above, after ten years as an RPI and then three years as a
LPR–Lawful Permanent Resident–that immigrant would have been able to
apply for citizenship.

Had S. 744 passed the House and been signed by the President, and thus
become law, I do not think, contrary to some critics, it would have led to
a situation where illegal immigration would have been encouraged. Our
circumstances today are different from those when President Reagan signed
into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. At that time, the
illegal immigration situation was not as dire as in today’s world. Today,
for one thing, we have e-verify, the system whereby
employers can check whether an applicant for employment is a U.S. citizen
or not. Today, we have learned that too many illegal immigrants can
overwhelm our social services networks and legal system if not kept in
check. Today, we know the limits of what our society can absorb as far as
new immigrants are concerned.

If S. 744 would have passed, or if it, or a bill with the same essential
features–including a path to citizenship–,passes in the future, it will
be a watershed moment that will signal the end of illegal immigration, for
all intents and purposes, as we have known it, on a permanent basis. The
bill includes requirements for border security, such as increased fencing
and increased numbers of Border Patrol personnel, that would ensure this.
Those measures, along with the firm enforcement of e-verify, will lead to
a much different situation than in the past.

If you would like to contribute to my campaign, please check out my
website at williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on “Make a Donation,”
and, using safe and secure PayPal, show that you’d like a Democrat to be
your congressman in District 6. If you do not donate money, or volunteer
in some other way, then it would seem you are satisfied with the status
quo, and should not be complaining.

The Future Can Be Ours if, by referencing the historical record, we can
see the disingenuous pronouncements of David Schweikert in the proper
light. The record would seem to indicate that Ronald Reagan was thinking
less of legalistic impediments and more of the human spirit when he said
that the doors of the Shining City on the Hill should be open to “anyone
with the WILL and the HEART to get here.” Yes, it’s true that President
Reagan said in his Berlin speech: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Correspondingly, he said that our shining city of the United States, if it
has walls, should have doors in those walls that can accommodate those who
have had “the will and the heart to get here.” Unfortunately, due to the
sheer numbers of those who want to enter our country these days, we must
have a stricter process by which immigrants may become a part of our
nation. S. 744 offers that opportunity for illegal immigrants who came to
our country by December 31, 2011. For those who came after that date,
however, we cannot be as generous as we were before. We must take care of
the citizens we already have; we cannot abandon our own people, nor ignore
their right to a respected and quality existence in their own beloved
land.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson

Scottsdale, Arizona

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

Just because Doug Ducey says in a TV commercial that “Barack Obama has
failed America, especially Arizona” doesn’t mean it’s true.

It’s certainly not true for The Affordable Care Act.

The Future Can Be Ours if we recognize dogmatic statements made by
Republicans that are not evidence-based.

Last year, for example, there were many claims that there would be “rate
shock” from soaring insurance premiums for Obamacare. “But last month the
Department of Health and Human Services reported that among those
receiving federal subsidies–the great majority of those signing up–the
average net premium was only $82 a month.” (“Obamacare Fails to Fail,”
Paul Krugman, New York Times, July 13, 2014.)

Fears were also expressed last year that people wouldn’t pay their
premiums. “But the great majority of those who signed up did indeed pay
up, and we now have multiple independent surveys — from Gallup, the Urban
Institute and the Commonwealth Fund — all showing a sharp reduction in the
number of uninsured Americans since last fall.” (Krugman, ibid.)

Moreover–and for this we can thank Republican Governor Jan Brewer and the
brave souls of both parties in our Legislature who voted for Medicaid
Expansion–the “Urban Institute survey shows…the decline in uninsured
residents has been three times as large in Medicaid-expansion states as in
Medicaid-expansion rejectors.” (Krugman, ibid.)

Yet CD6 Rep. David Schweikert has not only not supported the Affordable
Care Act, but also he did not support Medicaid Expansion in our state. He
stated on his congressional website as of June 17, 2014: “The Affordable
Care Act has confused an already complex and wasteful healthcare
system…” Further, he said, when our Legislature was debating Medicaid
Expansion last year, “this proposal…should be voted down.” (Arizona
Daily Independent, June 11, 2013.)

Interestingly, however, according to the Commonwealth Fund survey, “the
overwhelming majority of the newly insured, including 74 percent of
Republicans, are satisfied with their coverage.” (Krugman, op. cit.)

Let’s look at that again: “74 percent of Republicans” nationwide who are
insured by Obamacare “are satisfied” with their coverage! Those are
members of Rep. Schweikert’s own party!

The gloom and doom prognostications about Obamacare and Medicaid Expansion
made by Rep. Schweikert have simply not come true.

After I am elected your congressman on Nov. 4th, I will continue to
support Obamacare in every way along with the expanded Medicaid program in
our state. I care that people without adequate health insurance get such
insurance so that they can enjoy the benefits of good health and
well-being.

If you would like to contribute to my campaign, please check out my
website at williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on “Make a Donation,”
and, by means of safe and secure PayPal, stand by my efforts as a
Democratic candidate to become your next member of Congress. Even if you
live outside District 6 or in another state, you may donate to my
campaign. We need signs, campaign business cards, and TV commercials. Your
generous contribution can make those campaign dreams a reality.

The Future Can Be Ours if we discern and dismiss Republican dogmatic
statements like the one made recently by gubernatorial candidate Doug
Ducey in a TV commercial. When it comes to the Affordable Care Act,
President Obama has not, by any means, failed America nor our state. Even
our own Republican governor, Jan Brewer, supported Medicaid Expansion, a
critical complement to Obamacare. Nor do I believe that Obama has failed
our state with respect to immigration either; but that will be a topic for
another blog at a later time. For now, the evidence shows that
Obamacare–despite the din of negativity we may hear from some Republicans
about it–is succeeding.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson

Scottsdale, Arizona