Castillo For Congress, 3rd District, Washington State

Brian Baird, move over, you are soon to meet your match in David Castillo, Republican running to unseat you in Washington State’s 3rd Congressional District.

I had the honor of personally meeting David Castillo Saturday, June 13 and having the chance to speak with him personally and get to hear where he stands on issues. Needless to say, I was impressed and believe me, I am a hard one to impress.

David comes from a background, not of privilege, but hard work. He grew up as the only son of a single Mom with 3 sisters. Money was tight, as it was for many of us. His Mom and grandparents taught him the value of hard work, to aspire to better things than accepting or relying on government handouts, that education was key to any success he would find in life and that America is a great nation with great possibilities for those who are willing to work hard.

He learned those lessons well.

He joined the United States Navy in 1986, spending 4 years as an enlisted man with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron SIX in San Diego. As a former United States Army helicopter Crew Chief/Mechanic myself, I can verify the hard work and tedious nature of Helicopters and what an important function they have with our Armed Services.

Receiving an NROTC scholarship in 1989, he attended the University of Washington where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Political Science, moving on to earn his Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

David is a Veteran of Operation Earnest Will, when President Reagan assigned the United States Navy to escort and protect Kuwaiti Oil Tankers from Iranian attack as they steamed through the Persian Gulf during the Iran/Iraq War on the 1980’s.

A native Washingtonian, born in Centralia, he served various posts in our State Legislature including as Chief of Staff to the House Republican Caucus and as Legislative Assistant. He also served at the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor and was Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs under President Bush.

He recognizes that in today’s world, there exist some extremely evil people who wish only to kill Americans and because of that, we must remain vigilant. To bring normalcy to Afghanistan, he feels we must remain on the offensive, push back the Taliban and that establishing a friendly government is imperative.

David is extremely concerned over the growing threat of nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran and North Korea and their potential to thrust the world into a nuclear war and that Iran’s president Ahmadinejad wants to do just what he says he wants to do - wipe Israel off the map. Continuing sanctions against Iran, insisting on inspectors, and continuing to build up US and Israeli missile defenses is a better defense than the empty platitudes currently being sent, which are ignored.

As China is North Korea’s only real trading partner, they must be encouraged to engage with North Korea in ending their quest for nuclear weaponry.

David supports ending earmarks along with scrapping the current tax system in favor of a more flat tax, of some sort. Lowering corporate taxes and reducing payroll taxes will lead to much needed job creation in our country and Washington State. Fraud, waste, and abuse in the Federal budget must be addressed and ended to bring us back to fiscal sanity.

Don’t forget that current Representative, Brian Baird touts his proposed 72-hour public review period for major spending legislation, yet when the recent stimulus plan was presented to the House with mere hours to review it, Baird voted yes and like others, did not even read it!

And now, we hear Vice President Biden come out and say, “everyone guessed wrong.”

Being a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Investments, David Castillo wouldn’t necessarily have made a simple “guess” in such an important matter, following every other Republican in the House who voted NO on such a massive bill without any knowledge of what was in it.

David sees that the safety of the citizens is the paramount duty of government and the security of our borders is priority one. Then, we can decide appropriate steps that should be taken in the matter of Illegal immigrants. He has some ideas in dealing with this and is open to listening to any legitimate ideas others may have. But first, “our borders must be secured,” he says.

A man of varied heritage who knows how it is when money is tight and “church and friends were a vital resource,” David Castillo is ready to give Washington States Third Congressional District “A new voice. A voice for people who believe that government is growing too big and taxes are too high. A voice for people who believe that America remains an exceptional country and that our best days lie ahead.”

He would like to “ensure that our children and grandchildren have the same opportunity to succeed that he had; to work to return fiscal sanity and the concept of savings to the US Congress; and to help create a climate in which businesses can thrive, succeed, and grow.”

Washingtonians, please join with me in supporting this fine man in his run for the US Congress. In these troubled times, his is a new voice with sound ideas that can only help keep America safe, prosperous and free.

Support and vote for David Castillo, Washington States Third Congressional District. Donations to his campaign may be made online at the link provided or sent to “Castillo for Congress, PO Box 247, East Olympia, WA 98540.”

Let’s all get behind David Castillo, for the betterment of Washington State and America.