My contribution: $ Or by Check

HUNGER STRIKE STARTED August 12, 7:30pm Down 17 lbs. Ended: Aug 22, 2010

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Ray's Values Fiscally Responsible Ray used to call himself a fiscal conservative, but today, that means you are going to be fiscally irresponsible, borrowing from future generations to pay last year's debt, and orchestrating taxes that don't cover expenditures. Regulators have allowed the securities markets to run wild, actively stopping requests for regulation and resulting in "derivatives" and other intangible assets that no one -- not even the experts -- really understand. Alan Greenspan, devotee of the free markets, had to admit his "model was incorrect." But our current fiscal woes are due to more than just fraudsters such as Bernie Madoff, a derivatives market that was (and still is) unregulated, and sub-prime mortgages bundled and traded as if they were solid gold. Our nation has deeper problems, brought on by decades of evolution away from manufacturing and production and toward a culture of service and entertainment. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been sapping our treasury and has removed some of our most productive workers and placed them in parts of the world that have no direct impact on our economy. Ray has a background in engineering and he understands how we can move toward innovative products and return self-sufficiency in our manufacturing and production sectors. We must turn this around. We can, and we will. If you are concerned about our economy and fiscal responsibility, then you should be a Democrat. Just take a look at the detail here: Which Party is Better for the Economy? and you will be a believer. Jobs Starbuck sells coffee. Gillette sells razor blades. The primary activity of any business is how it generates revenue. Our government generates revenue through income taxes from people who are gainfully employed. Creating jobs in the private sector is therefore our government's primary activity, so it can get those taxes, balance it's budget, and lower our trade deficit. Ray proposes a Jobs program that also attacks our energy woes, by constructing 500 new solar-panel fabrication plants to employ U.S. workers, increase tax revenues, and stop exporting our funds to oil companies or depleting our own nonrenewable resources. Peace Advocate Ray has been a strong advocate for peaceful solutions and will push the position that we must bring our troops home from both Iraq and Afghanistan. The war in Iraq, we know today, was primarily based on intelligence that was manufactured to fit the preconceived notions of the Bush-Cheney administration, and was a huge mistake. Similarly, the current military engagement in Afghanistan is unnecessary, but is continuing mainly because we have privatized our military and such a long-term engagement is extremely profitable. Ray is a strong opponent to continuing privatization of our military, and wants contracts with companies like Blackwater eliminated. Read more under Frequently Asked Questions about International Relations. Universal Healthcare Advocate Small and large businesses alike are faced with tough decisions as they attempt to fund medical coverage. We must move toward single-payer, universal healthcare coverage and turn our system from sick-care to health-care, with no one outside the system. Epidemics and disease don’t care about paperwork. Immigration Reformer Ray supports comprehensive immigration because the current system is simply unfair and dangerous. We must deal with illegal immigration with a tough, four-point plan: Secure our borders, all of them. This does not mean simplistic fences, but a combination of practical solutions, including adequate support and tools for border agents, fences in urban areas, improved visa policies, and port security. Crack down on employers who hire illegal workers and provide improved tools to help reduce counterfeit documents. Require that all illegal immigrants register with the government. We must bring this immigrant community out of the shadows and into the lawful society. Require that all illegal immigrants pay fines and taxes, work, learn English, and go to the back of the line to earn their citizenship. Much of the migration pattern we see today is due to agricultural subsidies established in the Nixon administration and Ag Secretary Earl Butts to the avoid the boom/bust cycles in the Ag sector. These subsidies allowed farmers to be profitable even if grain prices dropped through the floor, essentially wrapping tax dollars around every bushel of grain. When these products were sold under NAFTA in Mexico and other countries, they were so cheap that local farmers were driven out of business, and they unfortunately sought work in the U.S. NAFTA must be repealed or drastically rewritten to tax subsidized products to recover those subsidies and bring prices in line with market prices in Mexico and other countries. Dumping grain into Mexico hurts everyone. Read more about illegal immigration - Tough Q&A on Immigration Property Rights Supporter Do you have a say about what goes on around your property? Should government use eminent domain to take your property away? Ray says you must have a say and should not be trampled by corporate interests. He has fought hard for residents who are faced with military training camps or huge power lines. "Strong Family" Supporter Ray believes in strong families and he wants the government to get out of important and difficult family decisions. End of life decisions should not be dictated by government. Pregnancy termination is the choice of the woman. Sexual orientation of partners is not a matter for governmental control. These are difficult decisions that can’t be dictated by bureaucrats. Keep government out of the family and support a “strong family” ethic! Safe Gun Ownership Supporter Ray believes that you have a right to own a firearm, although he also believes the second amendment states that such ownership must be "well regulated." The goal of this regulation is obviously safety, and to keep guns out of the hands of ex-cons, mental cases and children. We must carefully balance the rights of the individual and the rights to a free and peaceful society. Automatic assault-style weapons have no place in a civil society.