This is the tenth and final article in a series based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Links to the other profiles can be found at the end of this article.
Greg Sowards has an ambitious plan for reforming government in
It begins with limiting the role of the federal government. Instead of doing business with the federal government, citizens should interact with their local communities and their state government, the Republican Second Congressional District candidate said in an interview.
The states, in turn, should interact with the federal government, which should also act as a mediator between states.
Sowards believes the federal government should have a strong military and should be required to balance its budget. It should protect the right to life, the right to bear arms and the institution of marriage.
Much of the other current business of the federal government, including welfare, education and health care, should be in the hands of states and local communities, Sowards said.
Such a societal structure, he said, would create a shared sense of purpose in communities and force them to solve their own problems. He said that, not federal subsidies and entitlements, will help eliminate poverty and other ills.
“I would like to see things rolled back to where the federal government is much smaller, local communities take care of local communities, and there’s a social structure out of necessity, not out of convenience,” Sowards said.
As a congressman, Sowards said his long-term vision would be to push
The other Republicans in the race are rancher and retired banker Aubrey L. Dunn Jr., former Sierra County GOP chair C. Earl Greer, former state Rep. Terry Marquardt, Hobbs Mayor Monty Newman and rancher and restaurant-chain owner Ed Tinsley.
Sowards is focusing on several issues during his campaign, including tax reform, immigration and energy.
Tax reform
Sowards supports the “fair tax,” a national sales tax that would replace all other taxes and lead to the elimination of the Internal Revenue Service. His experience in manufacturing and owning businesses led Sowards to believe that the generation of wealth only comes from turning raw materials into finished products.
The current system taxes the generation of wealth at several stages, he said, while the fair tax would only apply at the end, when the finished product is sold. He said enacting the fair tax would include the elimination of taxes on corporate profits and would lead to greater investment in research and development and other key areas.
“You’d have businesses come back to
Immigration
In addition to stopping illegal immigration, the
“When I was in Korea,” Sowards said of his military service, “I learned that everyone wanted to come to America because this is the promised land, this is the greatest nation on Earth. … But our country can only absorb a limited number of immigrants and not have basic societal change.”
That change, he said, includes strains on the nation’s welfare system, hospitals, schools and infrastructure. Sowards said immigration policy must be about
He opposes amnesty and favors “turning off the magnets” that draw immigrants here, including the provision in the 14th Amendment that grants citizenship to those born on American soil – a provision that was intended for emancipated slaves, not immigrants.
Sowards said he favors a strong guest-worker program that includes a computer database that can be accessed and updated by those who employ the workers. That would help keep track of those who are in the
Sowards favors building fences and vehicle barriers in high-traffic areas along
Energy
Sowards said capitalism, not government subsidies, will lead to alternative fuel sources when gas prices get too high.
“The main motive is going to be the profit motive. That’s the main thing that’s going to get people to turn to alternative fuels,” he said.
Sowards said he’s already moving in that direction. Among the fleet of vehicles his business owns are two vans that run on natural gas. He owns a compressor to fuel the vehicles and said he breaks even on the cost.
Sowards favors an expansion of the use of nuclear power and more drilling for oil on American land and offshore.
“I’m for drilling in
Other issues
Sowards said a strong military is the best deterrent to war. He favors limiting involvement with the United Nations. He said it is “important to be at the table,” but “you have to be real careful about who you trust.” He said Saddam Hussein had three of five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council “in his pocket,” and it’s dangerous to work with people who can be bought off.
Sowards said the federal government must not only balance its budget but also live below its means to address the current financial situation. And he believes the federal government should return much of the land it owns to the states.
Sowards said his beliefs that abortion should be illegal and that the government should dictate that marriage is between one man and one woman don’t conflict with his view of the limited role of government. He said protecting the family – “the basic building block of American society” – is critical to empowering local communities to take control of their destinies.
‘A winning message’
Sowards was raised on a small farm in Los Lunas. He attended junior college at New Mexico Military Institute before joining the Army and serving in
He and his wife now live in
Sowards said he has “a big vision for
“I’m a constitutionalist,” Sowards said. “I believe the Constitution was inspired by God, and we have worked so far from that inspiration that perhaps God has ceased to work with us.”
His next step is trying to secure the votes of 20 percent of delegates at Saturday’s GOP preprimary nominating convention. Sowards is working to reach that threshold, which would place him on the ballot, but if he isn’t successful he plans to gather the required signatures to appear on the ballot by the alternate method.
He said he has the ability to self-finance “a good portion” of his campaign and isn’t worried about money, saying the winning candidate “is not going to be the person who spends the most money. It’s going to be the candidate who appeals to the voters.”
“We have an obligation in
Prior interviews with Second Congressional District candidates:
• Frank McKinnon, published March 7, 2008
• Terry Marquardt, published March 4, 2008
• Monty Newman, published Feb. 27, 2008
• Bill McCamley, published Feb. 20, 2008
• Ed Tinsley, published Feb. 18, 2008
• C. Earl Greer, published Feb. 14, 2008
• Al Kissling, published Jan. 28, 2008
• Aubrey L. Dunn Jr., published Jan. 14, 2008
• Harry Teague, published Dec. 20, 2007