Joe Kennedy: Why I'm running for Senate

Joe Kennedy, the independent candidate in the special Massachusetts election for US Senate Jan. 19, makes his case.

Opinion

I’m running for US Senate because I am tired of politicians in Washington turning their back on the American public. We have a crisis in this country and it is not healthcare, it is our failing economy. Our citizens are out of work, and small businesses are going under while taxpayer dollars are being siphoned out of the working families of our nation and being spent on big business bailouts; unwinnable, unconstitutional wars; and ill-formed, out-of-control entitlement programs.

I am fed up with government taking money and freedoms, giving us nothing in return. Every day when you go to work to feed your family, Congress goes to work to take more from you. They work as hard to take your money as you worked earning it. That type of behavior from our representatives can not continue. I will not let that continue.

We, as a nation, invade and occupy foreign lands to protect “our interests.” In truth, it is because of oil. Our interests should be the safety of the men and women who have completed their mission and want to come home. I read e-mails daily from disabled veterans thanking me for wanting to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan because they know we cannot win. I understand foreign policy. I have managed corporate teams and negotiated business deals in Germany, England, China, India, and America, and I know we cannot win these wars. I will file legislation to bring our troops home, secure our homeland against threats, and save hundreds of billions of dollars. I must, because no one else seems willing to do it.

Regarding healthcare, it seems inevitable that ObamaCare will pass. Our government does not listen to what citizens say or feel. Politicians act without representing the people. I had to run because everyone else running supports government-run healthcare either on the state or federal level. Massachusetts’ small businesses and college graduates are suffering under a plan they do not want or need. I have done the research and seen the waste. Someone has to go down to Washington and repeal it once it passes. I will repeal ObamaCare one piece at a time and bring every cent back to the tax- payers. Then I will get rid of government deals and antitrust exemptions that truly cause our healthcare to be unaffordable and inaccessible.

Most important, I will file legislation to change government and make it illegal to buy votes as we have seen with the current bill. Regardless of your opinion of healthcare, you must realize that government is no longer listening to the people. Even if you are for healthcare reform, bear in mind that administrations change and will eventually pass bills you disagree with, even if you are in the majority. That is not right. I will not let that happen. I will ensure government by the people and for the people.

Lastly, I will fight the cap-and-trade bill currently working its way through Congress. The government is our nation’s largest polluter and cap and trade is a hypocritical tax that will decimate every business and family. I will go after the real polluter, the government, and ensure it cleans the over 1,000 military and research sites it has contaminated.

This race is about our future, our jobs, and our children. There is only one way out of this recession and that is through spending cuts. I know because my 17 years as a leader in Fortune 500 Financial companies has shown me the truth. The other candidates will not cut spending. State Sen. Scott Brown has a history of increased spending and Attorney General Martha Coakley will do the same five-fold. I will go to Washington with a big eraser and where I find waste I will repeal it and return every dollar to the taxpayer. If you care about our economy, jobs, affordable healthcare, our troops, and 100 percent equality for all, there is only one choice on Jan. 19 and that is Joe Kennedy.

Joe Kennedy, an information technology executive, is the independent candidate for US Senate.

Editor’s note: The Monitor invited all three candidates, Republican Scott Brown, Democrat Martha Coakley, and independent Joe Kennedy, to explain why they’re running for the Senate. You can read Martha Coakley’s essay here. We’re still waiting for Scott Brown to respond.

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