[Noozhawk’s note: We invited each of the nine candidates for the 24th District seat in Congress to answer a series of questions about issues of importance to local voters. The responses are being published, three candidates each day in alphabetical order, beginning Saturday. Click here for the complete series index.]
Benjamin Lucas, a Montecito Democrat, is a design consultant.
Click here for more information on Benjamin Lucas.
Noozhawk: If elected, what specific issue will be your No. 1 priority in Congress?
Benjamin Lucas: When elected, my No. 1 priority will be energy.
The biggest problem facing District 24 is our limited resources; water, electric and gas. We pay 35 percent more than the rest of the country and this necessitates our close negotiation of our energy policies for decades to come.
My experience as a nuclear power operator gives me a firm understanding of resource distribution. I firmly believe that the energy future for our district lies in oxide cell technology. Simply Google Bloom Box Energy and let’s all educate ourselves on what is really achievable.
Q: Given the extreme division and polarization in Congress and the nation, what specifically will you do to help break the deadlock?
BL: “We the people” starts in the House of Representatives. Bipartisan hostilities are just another form of prejudice. We need to start by viewing our fellow members as individuals. All of us are serving the needs of our districts with the goal of making our country stronger as a whole. This will be my stated approach to the “Art of the Deal.”
Q: How would you describe your political philosophy? Liberal, moderate, conservative, progressive, socialist, libertarian, other? Explain why.
BL: I consider myself a Reagan Democrat. I believe in social equality, social freedoms but not social welfare. I have spelled out my ideas specifically at thelucassolution.com where I put forth solutions to our most pressing issues in this country, with job creation as the end result.
Q: What personal and work experience prepared you for this job?
BL: The most common denominator in all my work experiences is my ability to always keep the goal at hand as my sole focus. This one thing always brings you the patience and persistence to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks.
Many times in my life I have been referred to as a Renaissance man.
Q: How well is the United States doing in the area of military preparedness? What, if anything, would you change?
BL: Our military forces are the best trained in the world. Information sharing is the most critical asset to combat the threats facing the world today. I would promote change in post service. I feel every veteran should have sustainable employment waiting for them. And those veterans who are not able to care for themselves, they should be our highest priority.
Q: California will have a $15 minimum wage in a few years. Do you support raising the federal minimum wage, and if so, to what rate?
BL: I feel the path to a $15 minimum wage laid out in California is a good model for the country to follow.
Q: Briefly outline your position on climate change. What, if anything, should we as a nation be doing about it?
BL: Of course climate change is occurring. I believe there is a perfect storm of both a manmade and a natural cycle effecting our environment. Setting world standards is the only solution to the problem of Co2 emissions from fossil fuels that are polluting our planet.
Q: What changes, if any, would you like to see made in the federal tax code?
BL: I would like to bring offshore corporate money back to the United States. A 15 percent flat tax to the federal government. An additional 10 percent would go to create an infrastructure super-fund. This fund would be privately controlled with government oversight. States would apply to the fund and use their local workforce, creating thousands of jobs throughout the country. See thelucassolution.com for more details.
Q: Share your views on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. What, if anything, would you change?
BL: I believe in universal health care. However, there is a problem with our current system that doesn’t address the number of doctors who don’t accept Obamacare. and the lack of access to hospitals and clinics both in the rural and inner city communities.
Q: What changes in abortion law, if any, would you support as a member of Congress?
BL: I do not support any changes to the abortion law. On a personal level, I have participated in the home birth of my three children.
Q: The debate over immigration and guest-worker programs hits close to home for this district, with ICE raids on Santa Maria-area farm businesses and an alleged arson at a Nipomo farmworker housing complex. What changes, if any, would like to see made in immigration law and enforcement?
BL: The federal government has to change the penalty for crossing the border illegally from a misdemeanor back to a felony, but allow all undocumented persons the chance to register. They will be given 90 days to register, a DNA and fingerprint requirement, verified legal address, and an issuance of a government registration card. After seven years, citizenship will be granted as determined by immigration law.
Q: What changes, if any, should be made in federally funded college loan programs?
BL: I feel there are plenty of grants, scholarships and access available at an undergraduate level. A student entering a graduate program for a doctorate degree can apply to the government to fund their full program through a service to community exchange for tuition.
A qualified student can apply for federal grants and in return that student agrees to a five-year paid internship at underserved rural and inner city hospitals and clinics.
Q: The Refugio oil spill put a spotlight on federal pipeline safety regulations. What can regulators do to prevent future spills?
BL: That oil spill was an onshore event and thus completely preventable by enforcing the federal safety standards. The previous congressperson had been informed of maintenance deficiencies two years prior to the oil spill and had not followed up on the pipeline company’s performance.
I will use my knowledge of regulations as a previously certified nuclear power operator to ensure oversight of federal regulations.