Issues

Growing up, my parents – who were both immigrants from Ghana, West Africa, would tell me stories of the hardship they faced in order to come to the United States. When my mother was 18, her father, who was wealthy, tragically passed away, leaving the family with nothing. She told me about how her family, along with several other relatives, were forced to live in a small kitchen that was eventually converted into living quarters for everyone.

With not much of a chance for growth or survival, my mother decided to make a drastic decision and sell everything she owned. She had a dream of creating a new life in the United States. Not knowing anyone in America, my mother decided to use all the money she had to purchase two plane tickets to England. At least there, she already had several friends who could help her start over.

With great determination, my mother immediately began taking steps of action and applied for a work visa. She was willing to work hard and took jobs as a home health aide and a sandwich maker in a factory in order to make ends meet. My mother was very frugal in her decisions and saved a considerable amount of money so she could eventually reach her final destination – the United States of America.

I was born in the United States on October 1st, 1989 and the middle child as a first-generation American. Three years later my parents bought their first home in Paterson, NJ, where we lived for the next twenty-four years. During that time my mother continued to work diligently to help her family back in Ghana so as to give them the same opportunity that we had. She worked to legally sponsor and bring 14 of our relatives into the United States. Out of all of our relatives she is the only one that had a dream bigger than the rest and sacrificed so much to make it come true. Due to her tireless efforts their lives have been changed for the better and have also been granted the opportunity to become proud citizens of this great country.

My mother continually inspires me and is a big driving force as to why I support President Trump in making immigration a merit-based system that allows people who enter our country legally, the opportunity to integrate, assimilate, and pursue the American dream. Seeing people skip the line and illegally sneak into our country is not just a disrespect to my mother, but a disrespect to all the other legal immigrants that have worked hard and made sacrifices to be granted the honor of becoming an American. I believe we must do away with the visa lotteries, while making the system more streamlined and fairer. Being an American citizen is not a right, it is a privilege, and one that must be earned based on the merit of your efforts and the passion to become a productive member of society.

I also understand that there are Children that have come into this country illegally due to no fault of their of their own. Children that came into the USA at the age of 12 or younger that illigeally immigrated into the united states prior to December 25, 2019 and are currently living in the United States should be granted amnesty under the condition that they cannot sponsor anyone into the United States even if they’ve married an American Citizen.

The immigration status of the child is not their fault and although amnesty should be granted they should not be able to reward their parents that illegally immigrated into the United States with chain migration.

In order to accomplish this, we need to secure our border first. Next we need to hire more judges to process the illegals currently within the united states. Once we are able to secure our border and process the existing dreamers we will be able to streamline the immigration process for those who have waited in line to enter the United States through the appropriate channels.

Our country is currently facing an crisis.  Fertility rates are dropping, and American citizens are not having children at the rates we once were. This will lead to problems later on down the line. Problems that can affect our social security system, our economy, and our society as a whole. Currently we have 7 states and counting that allow abortion up until the point of birth. Our society has been quick to turn to planned parenthood and abort our children as a first option without considering other alternatives such as adoption, and safer sex to prevent unwanted births in the first place.

A report done in 2018 showed that between the years of 2013 and 2015 Planned Parenthood raked in over $1.5 billion dollars in tax payer funds. Not only does this violate the beliefs of many Americans that do not support abortion for numerous reasons, but this also cheapens the value of a human life in general. Abortion adversely affects minority communities that do not currently have the resources to raise a child due to economic reasons.

Human life is sacred and should be cherished. There is no greater resource to the united states than that of a human life. In our declaration of independence it specifically states that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This includes the lives of the unborn. The left has successfully implanted in the minds of many that human life is discard-able and is of no value.

To deny life of an unborn child is to deny humanity of future leaders, doctors, innovators, brilliant minds and great thinkers that have the capacity to change the world.  Who is to say what the child may become? They may cure cancer, become our next president, or even accomplish global world peace. We will never know if we continue down this self destructive path.

For this reason I am proposing “the sacred life bill”. Currently millions of tax dollars are being spent on the destruction of mankind by funding organizations like Planned Parenthood every year. This bill will shift funding from Planned Parenthood to alternatives that promote adoption, safe sex education, orphanages, and give the unborn a shot at life.

The United States is currently facing a crisis at our southern border that must be addressed. Currently we have members of our majority democrat controlled congress that are doing everything in our power to obstruct our president and prevent him from doing what is necessary to secure the border, provide resources and funding to border agents risking their lives, and replace sections of the southern border that are left wide open.

An open border is big business for people smugglers, druglords and human traffickers that are taking advantage of our vulnerability. So long as our border is open, and influx of undocumented immigrants will continue to flood into the country along with drugs. Currently 1 in every 3 women are raped making the dangerous journey into the United States. Many women and children are Trafficked and have their lives destroyed due to this vulnerability.

Our border agents are overwhelmed and stretched thin trying to keep our country secure. We cannot streamline our immigration process until this issue is resolved. So long as catch and release programs exist, the incentive to sneak into the United States will remain. I support the president in his efforts to rebuilding the wall and securing our borders.A nation is not a nation without borders. With a secure border we can then focus on processing the existing illegal immigrants that are already here.

This is one of the few things that should have bipartisan support. New Jersey is known by many to have a crumbling infrastructure. Potholes in the road, rusted and failing water systems, and buildings of historical value are being neglected and dilapidated inner cities. New Jersey also pays some of the highest taxes in the nation. Despite this our infrastructure is not receiving the care and support that it deserves. New Jersey is in desperate need of a revival. We pay our taxes to Washington and it’s time that we get back what we put in. Our inner cities have tremendous room for improvement. As your congressman, I will push to increase investment in Federal funding to revive the 9th district.

Human trafficking is at an all time high, Many have been unwillingly enslaved and used for nefarious purposes. Some of the main victims that are affected by this are illegal immigrants coming from our southern border. Many are undocumented and smuggled into this country only to be trafficked when they arrive. Children are going missing at an alarming rate. President Trump has signed executive orders to help tackle these issues as well as allocated funds to task forces to tackle these issues. America is the land of the free and no one should be subjected to a life of misery. When you vote for me and elect me to congress I will continue to fight for the freedom of those who cannot speak. Our police forces and homeland security need resources and competent leadership to ensure the safety of the vulnerable once and for all!

Our founding fathers knew the significance of an armed populace. When government becomes tyrannical it is our duty as citizens to remove them from power and restore the power to the people. Furthermore people have the right to defend themselves, their family, and property. Our police are overburdened with crime. Especially in the inner cities. How can a law abiding citizen defend themselves against criminals that already do not follow the law? Criminals have no regard for the law nor do they have any respect for your safety.

When I get into congress I will push for legislation that will reduce the strict restrictions in place that prevent citizens of New Jersey from the right to self defense and allow for open and concealed carry to those without felonies. The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun. Proper education about gun safety and personal defense are necessary to free and safe communities. Gun free zones give a pass for criminals to violate law abiding citizens. Our schools are left vulnerable to crime. We defend our government buildings and banks with armed security. Why not our most cherished asset, our children. My solution to this problem is to arm school security guards and or competent trained teachers to defend the children.

The tax code has been revamped under president Trump and for the first time in many years more Americans are taking home more of their money, businesses have the ability to invest in better technology and hire more. I will continue where the president left off and fight for a much more favorable tax code that benefits small business owners. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They cannot thrive while they are burdened by high taxes. The high cost of taxation has led to businesses leaving the United States and doing business overseas only to sell their services back to us. This not only harms the ability for our citizens to find work but it also hurts our economy and benefits foreign governments.

The United States has been getting ripped off for decades in terrible trade deals that affect business owners as well as consumers. It’s time that we put America first. As your congressman I will fight against trade deals that are designed to wreck our economy and put the interests of other nations before ours. We must always put America first!

As a child growing up in Paterson my parents had strict limits on where they could put my siblings and I for education. The government has no right to tell people where they are allowed to get their education from. Whether it be homeschooling, public schools, charter, or private; I strongly believe that it is the parent who should have the final say as to where their children can receive their education. As your congressman I will fight for school choice. This will give parents the ability to send their children to any school of their choosing regardless of regulations set by the state.

Our current school system in NJ is failing our future. We have been trained to learn one way. There have been multiple studies that have shown that students learn in different ways.

• Auditory
• Visual
• Physical
• Taste
• And Smell.

Our current school system focuses solely on the auditory and visual. Some of our children learn better hands on, some learn better in other ways. We have standardized tests that train our children to think, behave and comprehend in the same way. Let’s say we have a class of 25 students. our current curriculum teach 25 students to all think in one way, and they are tested all in the same way. out of 25 we make 1 mind. The problem is this method of teaching incentivizes schools to gauge how well a school is doing based on how teachers teach, over how children learn.

With my plan schools will implement shadow programs that will benefit students, businesses, and the existing education structure. Due to the setbacks our country is currently facing with the COVID-19 outbreak we will need a strong and educated workforce to get our country back on track. How do we expect to Keep America great when our youth are unequipped for the challenges we will face in the future?

With my plan to implement shadow programs, schools will work hand in hand with local businesses involved in the trades such as mechanics, electrical, engineering, medical and health, plumbing, metal work, carpentry, the arts, and culinary arts. Students currently enrolled in school will learn skills that will benefit them later in life. Students will have the opportunity to try multiple trades before settling on one that suits their desire the most. You can only get children to learn effectively when we teach them based on their own learning styles.

During a student’s time in high school they will be able to spend a minimum of 3 hours a week working alongside established businesses that have mastered their crafts. In order for a plan like this to be successful a tax break will be given to business owners that can be used to reinvest into these programs for transportation, lunches and payment for young interns. Students will be able to earn a small wage while interning. This gives students the opportunity to earn an income while learning skills that they will always have to fall back on if college is not an option for them.

America has a shortage of workers in these high paying fields and what better way to fill the void than to train the next generation before they get to college? A program like this will allow students to be job ready before they get out of high school and give them the opportunity to pay their way through college with jobs that offer a good starting wage.

The intelligence of our students should not be judged by numbers and scores. This only benefits the schools and the teachers. Students should be judged based on their skills, creativity, and merit. Our future needs creative minds and I sincerely believe that this program will be the best way forward for our future!

There have been numerous studies that have shown the positive effects that marijuana has when used responsibly for medicinal purposes. Our country has a bad reliance on opiods and the crisis is getting out of control. Most patients do not need strong opiates to ease their pain. The benefits of responsible use of marijuana and CBD have been shown to help in areas of pain relief, seizures, glaucoma, respiratory issues and much more.

I personally know many people who are affected by the use of pharmaceuticals that tend to cause more harm than good. many of these issues would not exist if they had access to the safe use of marijuana. The marijuana industry also has shown positive effects economically in states such as Colorado.

Tax revenues jumped 266% during the period, from $67 million in 2014 to $247.4 million in 2017. Colorado’s tax revenues have risen each year since recreational legalization, and currently represent about 1% of the state’s 2018 – 2019 fiscal year budget. In New Jersey this increase of tax revenue could also be used to fund programs that benefit our citizens such as, extra funding for public schools, homelessness, affordable housing, and research into bettering our healthcare system.

Our jails are overfilled with people who have committed victimless crimes such as engaging in the use of marijuana. Our tax dollars should be spent on bettering society not punishing them for recreational use. With President Trumps prison reform I strongly believe that engagement of marijuana related offenses would be a positive step forward in helping the affected individuals with reintegration back into society. No one should be penalized for the use of marijuana. I’ve lived in the inner city of Paterson, NJ for over 27 years. The real problem we face is not with marijuana. Our problem is with opiod addiction and reliance on harder drugs such as crack cocaine, heroine, and methamphetamine.

Our police forces are already overburdened and we need them focused on getting these hard life destroying drugs off of the streets.

Having the honor of holding office in the United States is a privilege. It was never meant to be a lifelong career. One of the major issues we have with our political system today are members of congress getting elected and re-elected over and over and forgetting their duty to the people. Our congressman have become complacent and remain in office for many years often accomplishing nothing. So long as people will vote for them there is no incentive to actually work and fix the problems they were elected to resolve in the first place. That is why as your congressman one of the first policies I will push for is to set term limits on congressman should be allowed to serve more than 4 consecutive terms in office.

We now live in a time where the left pushes for more support to illegal aliens than they do for our homeless veterans that have made the biggest sacrifice for our country. A large majority of our veterans upon returning home are kicked to the curb and forgotten. Most of whom are dealing with the pressure of readjusting to civilian life, PTSD, lack of job opportunity and some fall victim to drug abuse. We have to do better. That is why as your congressman I will work with local businesses, spiritual establishments, medical professionals, and charity organizations to help our homeless veterans get the love, support, employment, and mental health that they deserve. They have given so much for us and it is time we finally repay the the debt to those that have made the biggest sacrifice for our great nation. There is absolutely no excuse why our veterans should be left on the streets to suffer while illegal aliens have the red carpet rolled out for them. Not on my watch!