Earlier this summer Jorge Bonilla announced he will be the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 9th Congressional District challenging, as The Daily Caller puts it, “the most colorful Democrat in the House of Representatives” Alan Grayson.
We definitely need new blood in the out-of-control spending and overreaching Congress (on both sides of the aisle), and more members who will take a seat as a Constitutional conservative that will, first and foremost, represent the American people under the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Here are some of Mr. Bonilla’s thoughts on the issues at hand in the United States.
UPDATE: Look for Jorge Bonilla’s opinion on the current federal government “shutdown” below the fold.
Introduction:
BB: Mr. Bonilla, please give our readers some background on yourself. Your family/family history, up-bringing, schooling, work history and anything else that would give us a good bio-picture of you.
JB: I am of Puerto Rican descent. My grandfather served in World War II and in Korea. My parents came here in the late ’60s in search of economic opportunities. My father started out as a day laborer, and my mom as a factory worker. They met and married in Brooklyn, New York, where I was born. They emphasized the importance of learning English and of persistence as keys to success and achievement in America. I would go on to serve in the Marine Corps Reserves and later in the Navy, during the Desert Storm era. Shortly after conclusion of my military service, I relocated to Central Florida (1994). I’ve worked in the service industry, in retail, mortgage banking, and am currently employed as a court interpreter for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. I’ve been married to my best friend for 13 1/2 years, and we are -through the miracle of adoption- parents of a 14-month-old and a newborn.
BB: What moved you to decide to run for the U.S. Congress?
JB: The policies of the last five years have made clear to me that unless we take decisive action right now, we are in serious danger of leaving a diminished America behind to future generations. As a new parent, this is unacceptable to me. I believe that we can do better than runaway deficits, healthcare reform that doesn’t actually reform healthcare, and millions of unemployed. We must do better, and we will. This is why I’m running for Congress.
BB: Given Mr. Grayson’s colorful and creative abilities over the years on the House floor and in election campaigns, do you look forward to some of that rhetoric aimed in your direction during your campaign challenge? And do you expect a nasty race ahead?
JB: Alan Grayson is what he is and always will be, no matter how hard the media may try to spin otherwise. I can’t say that I’m “looking forward” to the hell that is sure to come down the road, but it would be foolish to plan for anything less. So I guess that’s a yes to both questions.
Part 1: Foreign Policy