Jorge Bonilla

Part 3: Meet Jorge Bonilla, Candidate for Congress in FL – 9

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Jorge Bonilla

Previous: Part 1 and Part 2 of the interview with Jorge Bonilla.

Our interview with Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, Jorge Bonilla, with his thoughts and views on the U.S. border and immigration…

Part 3: The U.S. Border

BB: Mr. Bonilla, what are your thoughts and ideas on how to handle the U.S. border security problem? What should be done about the massive illegal immigration problem in our country?

JB: Border security, is above all else, national security. Before we have a democratic conversation regarding the fate of the undocumented, we must address the border, ensure it is secure, and reform our visa system, which accounts for over 40% of our illegal immigration problem. We seemed to have an alternative in place, we just need to be sure it is funded and implemented. Once that is accomplished, we can begin to talk about everything else.

In August, The Heritage Foundation presented a list of U.S. border and immigration questions voters should be asking their Congress members. I felt it was a very good list to present to Jorge Bonilla to answer for this part of the candidate’s interview…

The Heritage Foundation: 5 Immigration Questions for Your Congressman

1. How can we afford an amnesty for illegal immigrants?

JB: I’ve read many different studies on the economic impact of legalizing the undocumented. I think that there might be a net long-tern positive impact under the right conditions, but am unsure that Washington is willing to do what it takes to ensure those right conditions.

2. If illegal immigrants win amnesty, how is that fair to the 4.5 million who are waiting to enter the United States legally?

JB: It is my personal belief that any proposed “pathway to citizenship” must first take into account those immigrants who arrived here via legal means.

3. Can we ensure that a House-passed immigration bill doesn’t become a vehicle, in a deal with the Senate, for blanket amnesty?

JB: It seems that the House and the Senate are at currently at an impasse, so it is up to the people to hold their representatives accountable; this is true on both sides of the issue.

4. Does Congress need to pass new legislation to secure the border and strengthen interior enforcement?

JB: In my view, these goals could be accomplished within existing legislation and the will to enforce it.

5. Is there any guarantee that we won’t face this problem again with millions of new illegal immigrants in the future?

JB: There is none whatsoever, which is why we need to ensure we have legislation in place that actually works, as well as the will to enforce it.

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Part 2: Meet Jorge Bonilla, Candidate for Congress in FL – 9

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Jorge Bonilla

Previous: Part 1: Meet Jorge Bonilla, Candidate for Congress in FL – 9

We pick up our interview with Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, Jorge Bonilla, with his thoughts and views on domestic policy…

Part 2: Domestic Policy

BB: Barack Obama recently claimed the republicans in the Congress are being distracted by “phony scandals”. When asked about it the White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, stated Benghazi and the IRS are “phony scandals”. Do you think any of the administration’s scandals being investigated are “phony” and not to be taken seriously?

JB: The “phony scandal” narrative has been aided and abetted by a willing media. One only need to ask what coverage would look like if any of these scandals had transpired during the Bush administration. I doubt any of the current outcomes would be the same.

BB: I already asked you about Benghazi (in Part 1), but your thoughts on these as well:

a. The Holder DOJ’s and ATF’s “Fast and Furious” gunwalking program

JB: The First Scandal. I am shocked that no one has yet gone to jail over this. The blood of Agent Brian Terry cries out for justice.

b. The DOJ spying on the AP and other journalists/reporters

JB: Chilling supression of freedom of the press and the First Amendment.

c. The NSA’s metadata program involving massive gathering and storing of various communication data of Americans

JB: An unprecented and unconstitutional violation of our privacy in the name of national security.

BB: Do you think we need more gun control laws in the country?

JB: No.

BB: Do you think ObamaCare is bad for the country, and what do you think should be done with the law?

JB: ObamaCare is a poorly-written piece of legislation that is already destroying jobs and wrecking our economy, and should be resisted at every possible opportunity and by every means available- until full repeal is available as an option.

BB: a. We hear month-to-month that the economy is getting better, but American workers are having their full time jobs cut to part time and having to take 2 or 3 part time jobs just to try to make ends meet in their personal budgets. During this administration “average annual growth in real GDP has been only 1.075 percent” (http://cnsnews.com/news/article/1-average-annual-economic-growth-under-obama ). Do you believe Mr. Obama’s economic policies are working, or are Americans being conditioned to accept these changes as our “new normal”?

JB: Mr. Obama’s economic policies are failing miserably, and as a result, Americans are being conditioned to “the new normal”. Recall all the “funemployment” articles that were written in 2009-2010, and Nancy Pelosi’s recent statements to the effect that the decline of the 40-hour workweek is great because now people will be free to find their true passion.

b. Recently Mr. Obama scoffed at and downplayed the possible Keystone pipeline’s effect on jobs. Are you aware of the last few years of job and economic growth and development on many levels in North Dakota in response to that state’s oil industry, and do you agree with Mr. Obama that the Keystone pipeline would only result in an insignificant number of jobs?

JB: The president is way off base here, and his ideological rigidity is in clear display. If 312,000 people are dropping out of the workforce over the course of a month (BLS 8/13), then no amount of jobs created is “insignificant”. It’s time top stop playing politics with our job creation and with our energy independence.

c. What are your ideas on domestic energy policy? Should we be drilling more on our soil? Fracking? shale? More clean coal? Building more refineries?

JB: All of the above and then some. Oil, gas, coal, nuclear…and ease the regulatory burden on our refining capabilities.

BB: Do you think the EPA has too much power in the country, and hinders our rights and the country’s economic growth?

JB: The EPA is out of control, infringes on our individual rights and places an excessive regulatory burden on our businesses and job creators. This agency is, quite frankly, the poster child for our unhinged administrative state.

BB: Your thoughts on “global warming”/”climate change”? Should our government be telling us what light bulbs and toilets to use, cars to buy/drive, signing onto any domestic or United Nation ‘carbon’-related “taxes”?

JB: No one doubts that there are cycles in which the planet cools and warms. However, I have no basis to determine that any of these changes are man-made, and so I wouldn’t support any of the climate bills making their way through Congress- nor would I allow any U.N. erosion of our national sovereignty under these pretenses. Furthermore, government should not be telling us what toilets or lightbulbs to install or cars to drive. Surely there are better uses for our time.

BB: Your views on abortion? Do you believe Planned Parenthood should be defunded? Should there be a banning on when a “fetus”/baby can be aborted, or should abortion not be regulated and should be free and on demand at anytime during a pregnancy, even in “born alive” situations? Do you think individual states have a right to make their own laws on abortion?

JB: I am staunchly pro-life, and do not believe that federal tax dollars should go to Planned Parenthood- period. I support -and would have voted for- the 20-week ban which recently came before the House, and personally believe no pregnancy should be terminated except that the life of the mother be in grave danger, and then only by a licensed physician. Furthermore, I am in full support of Born Alive legislation. Roe v. Wade recognized that these issues would eventually become before the states as medical technology catches up to the law.

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Part 1: Meet Jorge Bonilla, Candidate for Congress in FL – 9

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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

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