{"id":2963,"date":"2008-03-11T14:28:00","date_gmt":"2008-03-11T20:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/03\/sowards-has-a-grand-vision-for-changing-america\/"},"modified":"2008-03-11T14:28:00","modified_gmt":"2008-03-11T20:28:00","slug":"sowards-has-a-grand-vision-for-changing-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/03\/sowards-has-a-grand-vision-for-changing-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Sowards has a grand vision for changing America"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/span> <\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Greg Sowards<\/a> has an ambitious plan for reforming government in America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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The states, in turn, should interact with the federal government, which should also act as a mediator between states.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI would like to see things rolled back to where the federal government is much smaller, local communities take care of local communities, and there\u2019s a social structure out of necessity, not out of convenience,\u201d Sowards said.<\/p>\n

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As a congressman, Sowards said his long-term vision would be to push America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> in that direction.<\/p>\n

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The other Republicans in the race are rancher and retired banker Aubrey L. Dunn Jr.<\/a>, former Sierra County GOP chair C. Earl Greer<\/a>, former state Rep. Terry Marquardt<\/a>, Hobbs Mayor Monty Newman<\/a> and rancher and restaurant-chain owner Ed Tinsley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Sowards is focusing on several issues during his campaign, including tax reform, immigration and energy.<\/p>\n

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Tax reform<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sowards supports the \u201cfair tax<\/a>,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou\u2019d have businesses come back to America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>,\u201d Sowards said. \u201cThey would bring the jobs, the technology, the capital.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Immigration<\/span><\/p>\n

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In addition to stopping illegal immigration, the United States<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> must limit legal immigration, Sowards said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen I was in Korea,\u201d Sowards said of his military service, \u201cI learned that everyone wanted to come to America because this is the promised land, this is the greatest nation on Earth. \u2026 But our country can only absorb a limited number of immigrants and not have basic societal change.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That change, he said, includes strains on the nation\u2019s welfare system, hospitals, schools and infrastructure. Sowards said immigration policy must be about America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>\u2019s interest, not what\u2019s best for immigrants.<\/p>\n

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He opposes amnesty and favors \u201cturning off the magnets\u201d that draw immigrants here, including the provision in the 14th Amendment that grants citizenship to those born on American soil \u2013 a provision that was intended for emancipated slaves, not immigrants.<\/p>\n

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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 United States<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>.<\/p>\n

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Sowards favors building fences and vehicle barriers in high-traffic areas along America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>\u2019s borders, but said fencing isn\u2019t needed in some areas.<\/p>\n

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Energy<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sowards said capitalism, not government subsidies, will lead to alternative fuel sources when gas prices get too high.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe main motive is going to be the profit motive. That\u2019s the main thing that\u2019s going to get people to turn to alternative fuels,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Sowards said he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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Sowards favors an expansion of the use of nuclear power and more drilling for oil on American land and offshore.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m for drilling in Alaska<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. Everywhere there\u2019s oil\u2026 there are very few situations where I wouldn\u2019t be for it,\u201d Sowards said.<\/p>\n

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Other issues<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sowards said a strong military is the best deterrent to war. He favors limiting involvement with the United Nations. He said it is \u201cimportant to be at the table,\u201d but \u201cyou have to be real careful about who you trust.\u201d He said Saddam Hussein had three of five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council \u201cin his pocket,\u201d and it\u2019s dangerous to work with people who can be bought off.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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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\u2019t conflict with his view of the limited role of government. He said protecting the family \u2013 \u201cthe basic building block of American society\u201d \u2013 is critical to empowering local communities to take control of their destinies.<\/p>\n

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\u2018A winning message\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

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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 Korea<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> during the Vietnam War. After that, he attended the University<\/st1:placetype> of New Mexico<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place>, where he met his wife. He later graduated from Brigham<\/st1:placename> Young<\/st1:placename> University<\/st1:placetype> in Provo<\/st1:city>, Utah<\/st1:state><\/st1:place>.<\/p>\n

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He and his wife now live in Las Cruces<\/st1:place><\/st1:City> and have six adult children. He is an inventor who has five U.S.<\/st1:country-region> patents, and he owns four Las Cruces<\/st1:place><\/st1:City> daycare centers that employ 60 people and serve 500 children. He ran unsuccessfully against former U.S. Rep. Joe Skeen<\/a> in the 1996 Republican primary.<\/p>\n

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Sowards said he has \u201ca big vision for America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>.\u201d He said liberty and happiness can\u2019t be guaranteed by government and must be pursued by individuals, and it\u2019s time to get back on that track.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m a constitutionalist,\u201d Sowards said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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His next step is trying to secure the votes of 20 percent of delegates at Saturday\u2019s GOP preprimary nominating convention. Sowards is working to reach that threshold, which would place him on the ballot, but if he isn\u2019t successful he plans to gather the required signatures to appear on the ballot by the alternate method.<\/p>\n

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He said he has the ability to self-finance \u201ca good portion\u201d of his campaign and isn\u2019t worried about money, saying the winning candidate \u201cis not going to be the person who spends the most money. It\u2019s going to be the candidate who appeals to the voters.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have an obligation in Southern New Mexico<\/st1:place> to pick the best candidate, whether it\u2019s me or someone else. I believe it\u2019s me,\u201d Sowards said. \u201c\u2026 The conservative message is a winning message.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Prior interviews with Second Congressional District candidates:<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Frank McKinnon<\/a>, published March 7, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Terry Marquardt<\/a>, published March 4, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Monty Newman<\/a>, published Feb. 27, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Bill McCamley<\/a>, published Feb. 20, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Ed Tinsley<\/a>, published Feb. 18, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 C. Earl Greer<\/a>, published Feb. 14, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Al Kissling<\/a>, published Jan. 28, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Aubrey L. Dunn Jr.<\/a>, published Jan. 14, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Harry Teague<\/a>, published Dec. 20, 2007<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 America. It begins with limiting the role of the federal government. Instead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2963\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}