Sam Johnson – Texas CD03 – U.S. Congress - RUNOFF May 22, 2018
A Politician Who Listens More Than He Talks
Devoted Family Man - Trusted Advisor - Proven Leader
Sam keeps a laser focus on doing the right thing and maintains ethics always at the forefront. These shared, guiding principles Sam has dedicated his life to are what led him to seek election as your representative in Congress.
"Since our inception, we have been a nation of progress. Our American legacy and our posterity deserve laws, policies, and leaders that move all of us forward together." - Sam Johnson
At this crucial time in our district, our state, and our country, many citizens are stepping up to reclaim the mantles of dignity, inclusion, and hard work for Americans. This page contains Sam's unfiltered, unedited, and consultant-free thoughts on why you should elect him as the Democratic candidate for Texas' Third Congressional District.
The greatest compliment I have ever received, and one which I've been told throughout my life, is that I am a great listener. When I ask how someone is doing, that person can tell that I'm actually paying attention to their answer. I've carried this with me since childhood as not only a skill, but an asset and a responsibility.
The office I'm running for is a representative one. So while my own thoughts, views, and experiences are critical to how I perceive the world and legislation, I must also keep the habit of listening as an essential trait. That includes listening to my constituents, first and foremost. It also means listening to those with more information or knowledge than I may have on a given subject. It means listening to viewpoints from both sides of the aisle, as well as listening to my own conscience.
While you hear other politicians talking mainly about themselves, I'm here to listen to you instead. This is a practice I will continue throughout my time in office. In addition to participating in town halls and other public forums, I plan to hold open office hours in my district office, so that constituents can come meet with me directly. I will also develop a direct means of communication on different issues whereby, when posed with an objective question on a given issue, constituents can let me know their views and preferences. Why? Because I'm asking for one of the most sacred things I know - your vote. You deserve my attention, you deserve for me to listen to you, and that's exactly what you'll get.
At this crucial time in our district, our state, and our country, many citizens are stepping up to reclaim the mantles of dignity, inclusion, and hard work for Americans. This page contains Sam's unfiltered, unedited, and consultant-free thoughts on why you should elect him as the Democratic candidate for Texas' Third Congressional District.
The greatest compliment I have ever received, and one which I've been told throughout my life, is that I am a great listener. When I ask how someone is doing, that person can tell that I'm actually paying attention to their answer. I've carried this with me since childhood as not only a skill, but an asset and a responsibility.
The office I'm running for is a representative one. So while my own thoughts, views, and experiences are critical to how I perceive the world and legislation, I must also keep the habit of listening as an essential trait. That includes listening to my constituents, first and foremost. It also means listening to those with more information or knowledge than I may have on a given subject. It means listening to viewpoints from both sides of the aisle, as well as listening to my own conscience.
While you hear other politicians talking mainly about themselves, I'm here to listen to you instead. This is a practice I will continue throughout my time in office. In addition to participating in town halls and other public forums, I plan to hold open office hours in my district office, so that constituents can come meet with me directly. I will also develop a direct means of communication on different issues whereby, when posed with an objective question on a given issue, constituents can let me know their views and preferences. Why? Because I'm asking for one of the most sacred things I know - your vote. You deserve my attention, you deserve for me to listen to you, and that's exactly what you'll get.
This is a great moment in our nation's history - a moment when women from all regions and all walks of life are reclaiming a voice that never should have been silenced in the first place. As a long time feminist, I am glad to see women's issues coming to the forefront. Equality, equal opportunity, and safety should never be jeopardized based on one's immutable characteristics. Policies such as equal wages, family leave, health care, campus & workplace security, and taxation cannot be disparate on the basis of gender.
Of course it is important to develop stronger protections - proactive and reactive - for victims of sexual assault. Of course it is important to to rid our institutions of inherent biases against putting women in power. Of course it is important to set forth stricter punishments for those who abuse and/or assault others. I will work to develop each of these policy objectives into legislation. I will also be a voice - one of many, and one that knows my place and role - to stand up and speak out for women's rights.
In my home, this started years ago with my wife and I teaching our sons that there's nothing men can do that women cannot. That there is no such thing as "girl toys" and "boy toys." To quote my middle son on the way to the Women's March in Dallas this year, "we may be different on the outside, but we are all the same on the inside." The solution to this issue comes in many forms, one of which is preventing the stereotypes and double standards from taking hold in the first place. This means teaching our boys and young men the meanings of personal space, yes vs. no, and reading nonverbal cues. This means teaching our children that nobody should have more or less opportunity, or be treated differently, or have to accept less because they are male or female.
At it's base, our challenge is to work together, and work hard, to transform patriarchal norms into parriarchal ones; to address the symptoms while also treating the disease itself. Only then will we be able to claim being home to a nation of equal rights for men and women. So where do we start? Not only with policy, but with politicians standing up for what is right. I will be that politician to stand up for what is right.
We cannot deny, nor should we, our heritage of building, creating, and dreaming new achievements and using challenges and diversity as a means of accomplishment. I believe America is stronger when our policies support businesses and families who add to the brilliant tapestry that forms the fabric of American life. America's immigration policy must protect our security and our economy, but also the humanitarian obligations we owe. We must have a pay-it-forward attitude and gratitude for all we have.
In Congress, I will support legislation that revamps our entire immigration system. This means starting with a clean DREAM act that protects undocumented Americans, their families, and their employers, as well as providing Dreamers an expedited path to citizenship. We must reexamine and overhaul our immigration courts and agencies to maximize efficiency by reducing the cost of becoming a citizen and shortening the timeline. If we make attaining citizenship more feasible, we give incentives those who wish to become Americans to do so legally.
America is great not because of where we are, but because of where we came from. It is only by working together that those of us here, and those who have yet to arrive, can safely and successfully get to where we are going.
Sam Johnson Video on Healthcare
My friend Becky, my age, recently found a lump in her breast. As she sat at the specialist's office, she took to Facebook to share her deepest fears while she waited for her mammogram: the cost. She wasn't able to focus on her future or her health because she was too busy worrying about her future health bills.
Scott and Becky are both employed and have health insurance. But the fact of the matter is that our health insurance industry has perverted what was once one of the most robust and accessible health care industries in the world. In a country with America's level of wealth, prosperity, and medical expertise, there is no reason we can't do the hard work of finding solutions to ensure every single American can get the care they need without having profit margins or fears of bankruptcy get in the way.
I believe in getting to a Medicare-for-All system of paying for health care, but I also know it must be a deliberate, careful, and timely process. In the meantime, I think we have to start protecting Americans from the convoluted contracts insurance companies use to deny claims while they pocket the premiums. Decisions on medical propriety should only go as far as the exam room between the patient and the doctor. We must also require pharmaceutical companies to agree to give Americans the best price they give anywhere else in the world if they want FDA approval to sell their medicine here in the US. And finally, we need to start working now with veterans groups, physicians, care extenders, and hospital systems to find solutions to reduce the actual cost of heath services while preserving the vast employment network that supports this industry.
There are no easy solutions to this riddle, and I don't have all the answers. What I do have, though, is the drive and the dedication and the empathy to work as hard as I have to to find the solutions that are waiting to be discovered.
Texas' third congressional district is primed to flip! Make a contribution today to help Sam bring sanity, dignity, and benevolence back to Washington. Sam is relying on grassroots supporters like you to return power back where it was always meant to be: with the people.
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