WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

I apologize for this long and tedious e-mail, but the issue of immigration
reform is a long and tedious subject, and it takes a while to fully
explain my position. Nevertheless, by the end of this e-mail, you will
know what my position is.

“Officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, previously
estimating the arrival of 60,000 unaccompanied child migrants in 2014,
have revised the figure, now expecting as many as 90,000. Of the 47,017
children apprehended thus far in 2014, the vast majority (46,188) are from
the countries of El Salvador (9,850), Guatemala (11,479), Honduras
(13,282), and Mexico (11,577), with the remaining (829) from other
countries.” (“IACHR (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights) Expresses
Deep Concern on the Situation of Children Migrants Arriving to the United
States,” Organization of American States website, www.oas.org, June 20,
2014.)

The Future Can Be Ours if we bear in mind Andre Gide’s quote: “The color
of truth is grey.”

Immigration reform is not a black and white issue; it is filled with
shades of grey.

The present border crisis caused by the migrants who are unaccompanied
minors is, as far as I know, unprecedented for our country. Although the
United States is a great nation, we cannot be all things to all people.
The crisis is not only, as President Obama has stated, a humanitarian one;
it is also, I think, frightening, understandably, many Americans into
believing that our country is being overrun by people who will take our
jobs, overcrowd our schools, and cause an increase in crime.

This is an international crisis and must be addressed by not only the
United States, but also Mexico and the Central American
countries–Guatamala, Honduras, and El Salvador–from which these
refugees, as it were, are coming. This is a matter for the OAS–the
Organization of American states–of which all of these countries,
including ours, are members.

President Obama has been taking appropriate action. He is asking Congress
for $3.7 billion to cope with the problem. He has publicly stated that
parents in these countries south of our border should not be sending their
children north to our borders. The money requested is to be used, among
other things, for hiring dozens of judges to conduct deportation hearings
so that the unaccompanied minors, with due process, will be sent back to
their home countries. We have our own people to take care of; we cannot be
expected to take these children in. Their parents need to take
responsibility for them. These kids would overcrowd our schools and
overwhelm our social service providers. We must take care of our own
first: our own citizens.

Although some people, such as Rep. Schweikert, have asked the President to
send National Guard troops to the border, I’m not sure that this is a good
idea. We saw what happened on May 4, 1970 when National Guard troops were
called in to Kent State University during the anti-Vietnam War
demonstrations. This crisis involves children, and I’m not sure it’s a
good idea to put our troops into that type of situation. I think the
Border Patrol folks have had more professional training in how to handle
difficult situations like this. More Border Patrol agents should be hired
and trained to help cope with this crisis.

I think the International Red Cross as well as appropriate United Nations
agencies should be called in.

The question of whether illegal immigrants, adults, should have the
opportunity to become U.S. citizens is a difficult one. My grandparents on
my mother’s side, and my dad’s father, came to the U.S.A. has immigrants.
They came legally, through the front door, so to speak. They came through
Ellis Island, and there are commemorative bricks on the scenic deck there
for each of them. I’ve seen them myself.

What to do with people who come in by way of the back door, however, is
another matter. If we consider our border with Mexico, and migrants who
have come to work in our country over the past, say, 100 years, we know
that many of those migrants were illegal but were welcomed by our
agricultural community as a source of cheap labor that was exploited.
There were few objections then to these illegal immigrants, as they helped
our businesses to profit which sustained our economy. Even now, I think,
this is the case. If businesses would not hire the illegal immigrants,
say, in Arizona, they would not stay. They probably wouldn’t even choose
to cross the border. Thus, we are ourselves significantly to blame for the
undocumented migrants coming here. It is very important, therefore, for
e-verify laws to be enforced.

Because of the fluidity of the situation, I believe that workers, even if
they are undocumented, should be allowed to get guest worker permits which
would enable them, under my plan, to be employed legally in our country.
These guest worker permits would need to be renewed annually. Further,
with such a guest worker permit, the person would be eligible to obtain a
driver’s license in the state where the individual is working.

I believe there should be a path to citizenship, even for illegal
immigrants; but it would be a very long path. I propose that the illegal
immigrant must have been in the United States at least ten years before
that person can become eligible to be a citizen. During that period of
time, the person should have had a guest worker permit and not been living
“in the shadows.” In the case of a person who started living in the U.S.
as a minor, the person must show documentation that he or she was actually
in our country going to a public, or other accredited, school during that
time, and in good standing. In the case of adults, they must show at the
time they apply, after at least ten years in our country, that they, in
addition, have no significant criminal record.

This is a compromise. This arises partly from the legacy of decades of
exploitation of disadvantaged persons from south of our border who came to
the U.S. as immigrants illegally to work for farmers in the Southwest for
subpar wages. It’s also due to the legacy of discrimination against
Latinos in Arizona and the Southwest, especially prior to the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, and even after. This legacy includes when Latinos had to live
“on the other side of the tracks” and were treated like second- or even
third-class members of Arizona society, for example, in the Phoenix area.
Our dominant white society profited from this exploitation of this migrant
labor; Arizona society was built significantly on the backs of these
illegal immigrants. In short, we, in my judgment, owe this subgroup of our
society something in return for this mistreatment and exploitation. We
owe, in my view, this subgroup the benefit of the doubt as to their
motivations and aspirations when members of this subgroup say that they
want to become U.S. citizens. Perhaps their crippling poverty did not
allow them to come in “through the front door.” Perhaps the only way for
them to come to our country was “through the back door.” We, I believe,
owe them the chance to come in “through the front door” by allowing them,
first, to obtain a guest worker permit; then, after at least ten years of
gainful employment and with no significant criminal record, we owe them
the opportunity to become a U.S. citizen.

Many will no doubt not make it through that minimum ten-year period of
residency, gainful employment with a guest worker permit, and no
significant criminal record. But those who do will, I think, have earned
it and proven that they will be upstanding U.S. citizens.

That is my position on immigration reform.

If you wish 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, dare to stand by your Democratic candidate who
supports fair-minded immigration reform. You may contribute even if you
live outside District 6, or in another state.

The Future Can Be Ours if we allow illegal immigrants the opportunity to
meet arduous, but not unfair, qualifications–one being at least a
ten-year residency–to become U.S. citizens. Successfully holding a guest
worker permit is the key. We–because of our society’s past hybris in
exploiting this subgroup of disadvantaged persons–we owe this group’s
members the chance, however difficult, to become U.S. citizens. As long as
this door is open to them, we will not, in the year 2014, 102 years after
Arizona became a state, have turned our backs on those who helped Arizona
society to establish itself and become the strong culture it is today. We
will not have abandoned a group of people who, though we may wish to deny
it, helped our state to get on its feet, thrive, and achieve great goals.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson
Candidate for U.S. Congress, CD6

Scottsdale, Arizona

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

About ten days ago, Rep. David Schweikert–the guy I’m running against–
was interviewed on KJZZ, our local NPR station, and I agreed with what he
said about political campaign signs.

He was talking about how he loves to put the signs up
and participate in that aspect of a political campaign.

I, too, share Rep. Schweikert’s passion for campaign signs and the whole
process of putting them up and making them an important part of one’s
campaign.

David Schweikert talked about how one’s hands get cut by the baling wire
used to attach the signs to the support posts. Been there, suffered that.
He talked enthusiastically about going out and putting up signs at all
hours of the day and night. Been there, done that.

One thing that I get concerned about for myself is when I’m checking out
my signs at an intersection. I have to make sure I pay attention to my
driving and don’t get in an accident.

Unfortunately, not everyone in our society understands the importance of
political campaign signs. They are a reflection of our First Amendment
rights, for one thing. People that want to put the kibosh on campaign
signs don’t understand their significance. While some sign-grinches may
see political campaign signs as blight, they really show that we have
freedom in our country. That we have elections where people can vote and
choose their own leaders. We have choice in our country; we are not
dictated to. This doesn’t happen in Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, or
China. We have something unique in our country that a lot of our citizens,
I believe, don’t really appreciate.

Some people may laugh at this, but it’s getting harder to be a political
candidate in our country. Political candidates are much more limited, for
one thing, about where they can stand to get their nomination petition
signatures. Some cities, such as Paradise Valley and now Fountain Hills,
do not allow political signs to be put up. Some property and business
owners, if a sign is on their property, do not have the decency to call up
the candidate to give him or her a chance to remove their sign, even
though a contact phone number must be on all the candidates’ signs. These
arrogant individuals simply confiscate the signs and throw them away.

On the positive side, I’d like to share this story. A manager of a Bank of
America called me up about two weeks ago. Evidently, one of her customers
had told her that if all the political signs were not removed from her
bank branch’s property, that customer was going to close their account and
take their business elsewhere. I told this manager, a courteous lady, that
I had put a sign on their property in the last election, and all had been
well. She told me that she has managed that branch for 19 years, and never
had this problem before. She told me she knows signs are expensive and
wanted to give me a chance to take my sign down myself so that I wouldn’t
lose it. I went up within 30 minutes to the bank and took my sign down.

I commend this bank manager for her civility, but she is the exception.

There are candidates running with whom I disagree markedly on the
issues–David Schweikert and John Kavanagh, for example. But I would never
want them, or any other candidate, to have their freedom to put up signs
impinged upon. Rep. Schweikert has great signs; I commend him for it.

And what he said in the KJZZ NPR interview was great, too. Signs are
important in political campaigns, and I hope that they never disappear. I
share his enthusiasm for them. Some people and municipalities, however,
seem to want to sanitize their communities by eliminating all evidence of
healthy political life. These people do not understand American democracy,
nor are they helping it to thrive and be well.

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, dare to support your Democratic
candidate who believes in campaign signs as an expression of our First
Amendment rights, critical to the vitality of freedom and democracy in our
land.

The Future Can Be Ours if we recognize and respect the importance of
political campaign signs as an indication of our freedom of choice in
America to choose our own leaders. Democracy can be, as you’ve no doubt
heard before, messy; and freedom is often only achieved through a tortuous
process. Some political campaign signs are tacky; some are works of art.
Political campaigns may be raucous and uncivil; or mannerly and
respectful. Yet if we show tolerance for what some may consider this
political “circus,” we may in the end see that our democracy is the
stronger for it, and that indeed, because we have put up with the signs
and the sound and fury of elections, we have saved, as Rep. Schweikert
might put it, “the Republic.”

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson
Candidate for U.S. Congress, CD6

Scottsdale, Arizona

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

As a member of the so-called “Gang of 40,” Rep. David Schweikert backed the
government shutdown last October that cost the American taxpayers $1.6
billion in one week alone. (“Gang of 40,” Nicholas Kristoff, New York
Times, October 10, 2013.) The ironic thing is that “The G.O.P. claims to
be the party particularly concerned by budget deficits.” (ibid.)

This group of 40 hard-core Republicans held our nation hostage for 16 days
because they did not want to fund the Affordable Care Act, which had
become law in March of 2010 and now is helping millions of people to have
adequate health insurance coverage.

“’The three weeks of government shutdown will cost the economy $3.1
billion in gross domestic product from lost government services,’
estimated Paul Edelstein and Doug Handler of IHS Global Insight, an
economic research firm. ‘There will also be some impact from lost
private-sector jobs tied to the shutdown, as well as a loss of consumer
and business confidence resulting from the debt-ceiling showdown.'”
(“Shutdown to Cost U.S. Billions, Analysts Say, Eroding Confidence,” Annie
Lowrey and Michael D. Shear, New York Times, October 18, 2013.) For
example, “The government has lost out on millions of dollars that would
have been spent at shuttered parks, caves, monuments and museums, for
instance, with the National Park Service putting its toll at $450,000 a
day.” (Ibid.)

“Information about the shutdown’s effect on national parks came as
Interior released a report indicating that national parks generated
$26.8bn in economic activity in 2012 and supported 243,000 jobs.”…”Five
states, including California and Arizona, lost more than $20m each during
the government shutdown last October…” (“US national parks lost $414m in
visitor spending during government shutdown,” theguardian.com, 4 March
2014.)

The number of staff and concession employees who reside in Grand Canyon
National Park during the peak months is 3,500.
(www.nationalparkstraveler.com.) The government shutdown lasted 16 days.
Arizona paid “the National Park Service $651,000 to keep the Grand Canyon
open for seven days.” (“Government shutdown defied: Grand Canyon reopens,
for a week,” Felicia Fonseca, csmonitor.com, October 12, 2013.)

In 2010, Rep. Schweikert’s estimated wealth was $6.2 million. He is a real
estate investor. (washingtonpost.com.)

While the 3,500 workers at Grand Canyon National Park were unemployed for
nine days, I doubt that Rep. Schweikert had to worry about whether he’d be
able to buy his groceries, make his mortgage payment, or pay a critical
medical bill. He even told NPR the shutdown was “my idea of fun.”
(theweek.com, October 16, 2013.) In fairness, some people think he was
really saying that being on NPR was his idea of fun. Nonetheless, to talk
about having fun while about 800,000 federal employees were barred from
working seems bizarrely insensitive and absurd. (op. cit. Lowrey and
Shear.)

After I am elected your congressman on Nov. 4th, I will not, during my
term of service, engage in political joyrides with a group of folks
holding our nation of over 300,000,000 people hostage because a bill I
didn’t agree with had become law. I will have the wisdom, I hope, to know
when to suck it up and move on.

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, stand by your Democratic candidate in CD6. You
may contribute to my campaign even if you live in another district or
another state. We need money for signs, business cards, and TV
commercials. Even a humble amount is helpful.

The Future Can Be Ours by showing consideration to working people and not
holding their jobs hostage because we did not get our way. That’s what the
Gang of 40, of which Rep. David Schweikert was an outspoken part, did last
October when they shut the government down for 16 days. As a man who, in
2010, was worth $6.2 million, Rep. Schweikert probably didn’t suffer too
much, though 800,000 federal employees had their lives disrupted. And
3,500 workers at Grand Canyon National Park wondered, for nine days, how
they were going to put food on the table and pay their bills.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson

Candidate for U.S. Congress, CD6

Scottsdale, Arizona

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

My main purpose for running for Congress is that I support the Affordable
Care Act. President Obama signed the bill into law on March 23, 2010. When
I ran for Congress in 2012, supporting the ACA was also my main platform
plank. Prior to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, there were
44,000,000 Americans without adequate health insurance. Now, however, a
Gallup poll reports, “In the U.S., the uninsured rate dipped to 15.6% in
the first quarter of 2014, a 1.5-percentage-point decline from the fourth
quarter of 2013. The uninsured rate is now at the lowest level recorded
since late 2008.” (“In the U.S., Uninsured Rate Lowest Since 2008,” Gallup
Well-Being website, June 18, 2014, www.gallup.com.)

Here is what Rep. David Schweikert states on his congressional website
about the Affordable Care Act as of June 17, 2014: “The Affordable Care
Act has confused an already complex and wasteful healthcare system.
Americans need more choices and a competitive insurance marketplace, not
mandates. We all want a system where people are treated fairly and given
the support they need to remain healthy. We want those who become ill to
receive the best care possible and care that is
affordable.

“Imposing mandates on individuals and businesses while taxing procedures,
payment plans to doctors, and everyday medical devices is not a recipe for
improved healthcare access, affordability or quality. Improving healthcare
for every American starts by improving access to information so consumers
truly understand and can compare the costs.” (“Health Care,” Rep. David
Schweikert, June 17, 2014, www.schweikert.house.gov.)

Addressing the issue of mandates, David M. Cutler, Professor of Applied
Economics at Harvard, has written: “Additional data from Massachusetts,
where a state law was the precursor to the Affordable Care Act, suggests
that it is the fears that are overblown. Two studies, one by Jonathan
Kolstad and Amanda Kowalski and a second by Lisa Dubay, Sharon Long and
Emily Lawton, found very little adverse effect from the employer and
individual mandates on employment; workers valued the insurance greatly,
so the mandate was actually a benefit for them.” (“The Economics of the
Affordable Care Act,” David M. Cutler, New York Times, August 7, 2013.)

Further, Rep. Schweikert states on his website: “We need to focus on
reforms that improve affordability and provide flexibility not impose
mandates that result in lost jobs and threaten the economic security of
working Americans.” (www.schweikert.house.gov.)

Countering Rep. Schweikert’s claim that jobs will be lost because of the
ACA is Professor Cutler’s statement that he has, in testimony based on
work he did with another professor, “estimated that slowing cost growth
along the lines made possible by the Affordable Care Act would lead to
250,000 to 400,000 jobs gained annually over the next decade. The effects
would increase over time.” (“The Economics of the Affordable Care Act,”
David M. Cutler, New York Times, August 7, 2013.)

Moreover, Professor Cutler states that “Health care cost increases are at
the lowest level in the last half-century, and employer premium growth has
slowed markedly.” He adds: “My own work with Nikhil Sahni shows that the
Affordable Care Act is one factor in this slowdown.” (op. cit.)

Would you like to see more jobs created in our state? Contrary to David
Schweikert’s undocumented claim that the ACA will cause jobs to be lost,
Harvard professor David Cutler asserts that, based on his research, the
Affordable Care Act will bring into being, over the next ten years,
250,000 to 400,000 jobs EACH YEAR. This he infers from the fact that
increases in health care costs are at the lowest level in the last fifty
years. It is not at all as Rep. Schweikert would have us believe.

When elected your congressman on Nov. 4th of this year, I will continue my
support of the Affordable Care Act in every way. This landmark piece of
legislation is not only reducing the number of uninsured citizens in our
nation, but also lowering health care costs, which will result in more
jobs for not only Arizonans but all Americans.

If you would like to contribute to my campaign, please check out my
website at williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on “Make a Donation” and
dare to donate to your Democratic candidate who supports the Affordable
Care Act. You need not live in District 6 to contribute; you may even live
in another state. Donate via safe and secure PayPal on my campaign
website.

The Future Can Be Ours if we believe in and support the Affordable Care
Act in every way. It not only helps save lives and improves the health of
our citizens, but it reduces health care costs which creates jobs. That’s
good not just for our nation but for Arizona as well.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson
Candidate for U.S. Congress, CD6

Scottsdale, Arizona

Dear Friend,

Click on the link below to find out all the details about the CONGRESSIONAL FORUM tomorrow evening.

Gale Force Progressives flier–6-18-14

Thanks, and hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
John

WILLIAMSON
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

“The Future Can Be Ours.”

480-607-9726

Dear Friend,

On May 30, about two weeks ago, Rep. David Schweikert appeared on FOX
NEWS, talking about the EPA’s proposed water rule to be added to the Clean
Water Act. He made it sound like this is some kind of frivolous exercise
by the federal government to harass private property owners. He did not
mention at all what the rule really relates to.

Here’s what the proposed rule is really about, as reported by the U.S.
Water Alliance: “The EPA has finalized standards to protect billions of
fish and other aquatic life drawn each year into cooling water systems at
large power plants and factories. An estimated 2.1 billion fish, crabs,
and shrimp are killed annually by these cooling water systems. The new
rule requires plants with cooling water intakes to look at the impact on
aquatic life in local waterways and take steps to minimize that impact.”

Further, the website explains: “This rule establishes requirements under
the Clean Water Act for all existing power-generating, manufacturing, and
industrial facilities that withdraw more than 2 million gallons per day of
water from waters of the U.S. and use at least 25 percent of the water
they withdraw exclusively for cooling purposes. It covers roughly 1,065
existing facilities. The rule requires the facilities to take one of seven
approaches for using the best technology available to reduce fish
impingement.” (“EPA’s New Rule for Cooling Water Intakes,” U.S. Water
Alliance, June 11, 2014, www.uswateralliance.org.)

So this rule is designed to protect 2.1 billion fish, crabs and shrimp. No
doubt this is not just an environmental issue but a commercial issue as
well. There are probably businesses that are sustained by catching some of
those fish, crabs and shrimp. People’s livelihoods no doubt depend upon
the well-being of these aquatic life forms.

Moreover, the Federal Register states: “The purposes of the proposed rule
are to ensure protection of our nation’s aquatic resources and make the
process of identifying ‘Waters of the U.S.’ less complicated and more
efficient. The rule achieves these goals by increasing CWA program
transparency, predictability, and consistency.” (Federal Register, Vol.
79, No. 76, p. 22,190, April 21, 2014.)

I bet there are a lot of people who like to fish recreationally who would
like to see those aquatic resources protected as well.

Once again, it would seem that Rep. Schweikert is obfuscating the true
nature of an issue with his misleading statements. He makes it sound like
the EPA’s proposed new water rule has to do with a petty concern about a
desert wash going through his backyard when it really has to do with
protecting 2.1 billion individual entities of aquatic life that support
not only commercial but recreational interests in our great land.

When elected as your member of Congress, I will not take lightly
environmental issues that impact the well-being of commercial and
recreational fishing. Arizona has a lot of recreational fishing, and I
would want to protect that.

If you would like to contribute to my campaign, please visit my website at
williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on “Make a Donation,” and dare to
stand by your Democratic candidate who cares about the quality of our
water for the sake of not only business but also recreational interests.

The Future Can Be Ours by protecting, as the Federal Register states, “our
nation’s aquatic resources.” Water, and the life forms it sustains, are
critical to our well-being not only as Arizonans but as Americans.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson
Candidate for U.S. Congress, CD6

Scottsdale, Arizona

Please note: I am sharing the announcement below that I sent out yesterday from my personal e-mail.     SCOTTSDALE DEMOCRATIC LUNCHEON CLUB                       “Since 1976–at least!”                            480-607-9726 Dear Friend, NED O’HEARN, a local realtor and former Scottsdale City Council member, will be the guest speaker for the SCOTTSDALE DEMOCRATIC LUNCHEON CLUB on Saturday, June 21st, at 2:00 PM at the DENNY’S at Scottsdale and Osborn Roads. He will speak on the topic of: “Letting Your Voice Be Heard: Why Citizens Should Lead in Shaping Scottsdale’s Future.” There will be a question and answer period after his talk. DENNY’S requires that each person attending purchase a meal or significant dessert.  Ned was elected to the Scottsdale City Council in 2000 where he served a four-year term. He has subsequently served on the City’s Ethics Task Force and more recently was appointed to the Scottsdale General Plan Task Force. He is one of the founding Trustees of the Scottsdale Museum of the West which will open in December of this year. I hope you will attend our meeting on the 21st. Further, even those not living in Scottsdale may find Ned’s presentation interesting. Scottsdale is a forward-thinking city from which those living outside Scottsdale may learn something, and vice versa. Cities everywhere in 2014 have similar challenges. Come to hear what Ned has to say about how Scottsdalians are approaching the challenges that we face. Perhaps you will have something helpful to contribute during the question and answer period with Ned. Please RSVP by calling me at the above number or sending me an e-mail. See you on Saturday, June 21st! And tell 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

480-607-9726

“The Future Can Be Ours!”

Dear Friend,

Watching the PBS Memorial Day program this evening on TV, one could see
the agony and ecstasy of Memorial Day. The agony of knowing about those
who have died in the service of our country; but also the ecstasy in
witnessing how some who have been severely wounded, nevertheless have
survived and overcome their injuries to get back on a positive path of
life-living and achievement.

The history of U.S. Army Ranger Kristofer Stonesifer was told. Ranger
Stonesifer, at age 28, was the first serviceperson killed in Operation
Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on Oct. 19, 2011. He died in a helicopter
crash while on a rescue mission. His mom, Ruth Stonesifer, became the
first OEF mother to take on the national presidency of American Gold Star
Mothers, an organization for moms who have lost children in military
service. Ruth describes the group as a “wonderful organization none of us
ever wanted to become eligible to join but we are grateful to have.”
(www.pbs.org)

The remarkable story of Marine Sergeant John Peck, a survivor, was
incredible. He had first suffered a traumatic head injury in Iraq from
which he recovered and then went back for another tour of duty, this time
in Afghanistan. There, while searching for IED’s, one blew up and caused
him to lose both legs, one arm at the shoulder, and the other at the
forearm. Nevertheless, unbelievably, he has overcome these obstacles and
was present at the Memorial Day celebration in person, with a big smile,
prosthetics and all, sitting next to his fiancee and what appeared to be
her two children.

Besides appreciating those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our
country, what else can we take away from Memorial Day? I think we can feel
lucky for what we have and not feel sorry for ourselves too much when we
think of the challenges we face each day. If we’re a student, maybe we can
spend more time on homework, grateful for being in a country where we have
the opportunity to learn. If we’re a dad, maybe being more patient with
our children when they come to us with a problem that requires some effort
on our part to help. If we’re a kid, maybe giving our parents the benefit
of the doubt when they offer us advice. If we’re a boss, maybe cutting our
employees some slack and recognizing their hard work. If we’re an
employee, we can try to see our supervisor’s point of view if at first we
don’t agree with it.

People died so we could be free; let’s not squander our freedom. And as
for survivors like John Peck, let’s cheer them on as they teach us how to
believe in life enough to overcome obstacles that we might think at first
we’ll never get by but which, with effort and dedication, we can.

May your Memorial Day lift you up in this way.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson
Candidate for U.S. Congress, CD6

Scottsdale, Arizona

WILLIAMSON                           April 7, 2014
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

480-607-9726

“The Future Can Be Ours!”

Dear Friend,

As I stood looking out my Mom’s fifth-floor window at Scottsdale
Healthcare Osborn Campus during her recent hospital stay, I had a chance
to reflect on how much progress Scottsdale Healthcare has made over the
past fifty years.

In the Sixties it was called Scottsdale Baptist Hospital. My Dad, Walter
B. Williamson, had Valley Fever shortly after our family arrived; he was a
patient there in 1966. Had it not been for the drug Amphotericin B, he
might not have lived. His physician was Dr. John Currin, whose son Kevin
took judo with my sister, brother, and me from Gerry Jones when I was a
freshman in high school.

As this healthcare facility evolved, it became Scottsdale Memorial
Hospital. During my college years, I worked there for a while as a
custodian in 1974. My task was to clean the obstetrics and emergency room
areas. How different it was then from today! The ER back then had a total
of maybe 20 beds, if even that. Today there are maybe 50-60 beds
throughout the ER area. The security crew back then consisted of two
private officers; today, well, there are numerous officers equipped with
dogs and the latest security technology. When I visited Mom at night
recently after 8:00 PM, I had to enter through the ER area. One of the
officers scanned my drivers license. I said: “What do you find out from
that?” He said: “Everything.” Then he gave me a security name badge that
would expire in 12 hours.

Now this facility is called Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn. Up until about 9
years ago, my Mom had volunteered there for at least 20 years. It has a
trauma center and stroke center and is a major Valley hospital. My
daughter, Maryanne, and I–when I was a single dad–have been since
1995–used to go and eat at the Osborn Cafe Cafeteria there from time to
time when she was growing up. I still stop by there on my way to work
around 6:20 AM to pick up a breakfast-to-go on my way to work. It’s
healthier than McDonald’s. Then I stop by to say hi to Mom at the Gardens
of Scottsdale on my way to work as I proceed west on Thomas Road. Those
octogenarians are up early, I’ll tell you!

I noticed from looking at the computer in my Mom’s room during her recent
stay that Scottsdale Healthcare has evidently merged with John C. Lincoln
Health Network. This is quite a coincidence because the John C. Lincoln
Hospitals are in north Phoenix within Congressional District 6–the
district in which I am running for the U.S. Congress. I think the merger
will be good for Scottsdale Healthcare. It will keep the Scottsdale
Healthcare company from becoming parochial by connecting it, through the
John C. Lincoln company, with the Phoenix metropolitan area.

If elected your congressman, I will do what I can to keep federal funding
for medical school graduates serving their residencies in Scottsdale
Healthcare and John C. Lincoln hospitals at a high level. I will also
strive to enable Affordable Care Act benefits to flow to these hospitals
whenever possible. The Affordable Care Act has led to increased
efficiencies for certain aspects of hospitals, and I will support those
improvements, when reasonable, at every opportunity.

If you wish to contribute financially to my campaign, please check out my
campaign website at williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on the “Make a
Donation” page and then, using safe and secure PayPal, you may donate. If
you wish to circulate one of my nomination petitions, please let me know
by calling the above number or sending me an e-mail. I will send you a
couple.

My Mom will be having some surgery this Friday at the Scottsdale
Healthcare Shea Medical Center in north Scottsdale. When my parents moved
to Scottsdale in 1965, they did so because it was equidistant between
ASU–where my Mom wanted to take classes–and Deer Valley, where my Dad
was an electrical engineer at the General Electric Computer Division.
Whether they were thinking about the excellent medical facilities in
Scottsdale when they brought our family here, I don’t know. But we have
all benefitted over the years from them. As I drove home from visiting Mom
at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn one night last week, as I was driving on
Osborn eastward, I felt the love from all the care my Mom had been
receiving from the nurses, aides, and doctors there. I felt the love of my
city, and I was glad.

The Future Can Be Ours in being proud of the Scottsdale Healthcare system
and being confident in what it has to offer. Much progress has been made
over the years, and as I looked northward from my Mom’s room on the fifth
floor, I could see Camelback Mountain, the McDowell Mountains, and even,
off to the right eastward, Four Peaks. There is much on the medical
horizons of Scottsdale for all to benefit from.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
John

W. John Williamson
Candidate for U.S. Congress, CD6

Scottsdale, Arizona

P.S. (April 14) I’m happy to report that my Mom’s surgery on Friday was successful.

WILLIAMSON                                                          March 23, 2014
FOR
U.S. CONGRESS

DEMOCRAT

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

480-607-9726

“The Future Can Be Ours!”

Dear Friend,

What has been done for veterans lately? According to VIRGEL CAIN, our
great speaker at the SCOTTSDALE DEMOCRATIC LUNCHEON CLUB yesterday, more
than you might suppose. VIRGEL is a charter member and vice chair of the
City of Phoenix Military and Veterans Commission.

He stated that over the past one and a half years, President Obama has
worked on increasing employment for Veterans. Their unemployment rate has
gone down in that one and half years from about 10% to 5%. That’s
heartening news. VIRGEL also shared that he was instrumental in getting a
Veterans’ Lounge established at Sky Harbor Airport as well as a USO
facility.

VIRGEL also told us about the fascinating SINCE YOU ASKED or Veterans
Heritage Project. This involves students taking down the narratives of
individual veterans and publishing them in a yearly volume to recognize
the veterans’ lives and service.

It’s called SINCE YOU ASKED because the fact is most veterans only tell
their service stories if someone asks them. It’s not necessarily something
they volunteer enthusiastically to do. But if a student, say in middle
school or high school, asks them to tell their stories, they might then
say: “Well, SINCE YOU ASKED, this is what happened…”

It’s a great way not only for veterans to get the recognition and possible
story-telling therapy they deserve and can benefit from, but it also is a
vehicle for young people to gain an appreciation for how veterans have
served our country bravely, selflessly and sometimes with great sacrifice.

Please click on the attachment to see a photo of VIRGEL exhibiting one of
the SINCE YOU ASKED volumes at our meeting yesterday.

Moreover, you’re invited–I’m looking at the flyer now–to the VETERANS
HERITAGE PROJECT BOOK SIGNING AND RECEPTION to take place on Sunday, April
13, 2014 from 3:00-6:00 PM at Arizona State University West (UCB), 4701
West Thunderbird Road, Glendale, Arizona 85306. The keynote speaker will
be Ted Vogt, Director of Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services. This
reception will celebrate the release of SINCE YOU ASKED: VOLUME 10–SALUTE
TO THE ARMY. For more event information, contact Brittany Henritze at
480-540-0001. Or contact VIRGEL CAIN himself at 602-541-6454. VIRGEL, a
U.S. Navy Deepwater Vietnam Veteran will provide all the information you
need to stay afloat on this matter. He served two stints in the Gulf of
Tonkin  between the ages of 17 and 20.

If you’d like to contribute financially to my campaign, please check out
my campaign website at: williamsonforuscongress.com. Click on
“Donations Page” and, using safe and secure PayPal, you may donate. I’d
like to thank very much those supporters who have donated so far! Your
contributions are immensely helpful and go to pay for this website,
campaign business cards, and other expenses associated with getting on the
ballot and getting the word out about my candidacy. If you’d like to
circulate a nomination petition for me, please send me an e-mail or call
the above number, and I’ll get one or more to you.

The Future Can Be Ours if we respect veterans and do everything that we
can to make sure they receive the benefits and recognition they deserve.
Getting involved in the SINCE YOU ASKED project could be one way; or
attending the VETERANS HERITAGE PROJECT BOOK SIGNING AND RECEPTION on
April 13 at ASU West could be another.

When it comes to veterans, as VIRGEL CAIN has said, “Some Gave All and All
Gave Some,” so let’s never forget that.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

John

W. John Williamson
Candidate for U.S. Congress

Scottsdale, Arizona