Josh Harder is a tough competitor for Congressional District 10; The drive to defeat Denham is underway.

Josh Harder, (D), candidate for California's Congressional District 10 seat, which currently is held by GOP Congressman Jeff Denham, is a well-educated young man who has dedicated his life to serving others. In addition to serving as a management consultant to the Boston Consulting Group, Josh, who originally is from Turlock, has volunteered as an organizer of small farmers in Kenya and Uganda. The objective of that program, which was run through the Gates Foundation, was to enable farmers to produce more abundant and robust crop yields. Josh, who studied at Harvard Business and Kennedy School's MBA/MPP joint doctoral program, took an unpaid leave of absence from his career to help that objective come to fruition, and it did. 

Josh's top priorities

The following are Josh's top priorities as a candidate for Congress:

Healthcare: Josh is vehemently opposed to the Trump Administration's attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. As Josh sees it, every American is entitled to affordable, sufficient  and superior quality medical coverage. Nobody should be labored with premiums, shares of cost or medical expenses that they cannot afford. In addition, nobody should lose their medical care if they lose their job and/or become poor, disabled or elderly. Jeff Denham has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and he voted for the GOP's latest tax bill that totally eradicates the main tenets of the Affordable Care Act. When Josh is elected to Congress, he will fight to save the Affordable Care Act and to protect all the citizens of CD 10 that it covers.  He also will work hard to protect Medicare and to keep America's promise to take care of the medical needs of the elderly. And nobody will be left hanging without adequate medical care.

Medicaid: Unlike Denham, Josh does not support depleting medical care for the medically indigent. Josh realizes that such individuals deserve adequate medical care as do all Americans. LIke John F. Kennedy, Josh Harder realizes that the cost to any society that does not help the poor and indigent is greater than is the cost of helping them. Denham's vote stuffs the pockets of the rich who are paying for his re-election campaign.

The Dreamers and Immigration: Josh supports the Dreamers and their goal of becoming self-sufficient citizens and participants in the American Dream. He totally rejects Trump's efforts to deport the Dreamers, or to deny immigrants entry to the United States. Josh will not say "No" tens of thousands on Dreamers and undocumented immigrants in California. He realizes that the United States is a nation of immigrants and that it was the immigrants who made our country great. Unlike Denham, Josh sees Dreamers and immigrants as an intrinsically valuable resource to our country.

Jobs: Josh is aware of the fact that the Valley must attract major employers who pay well and provide good medical, dental and vision coverage for their employees. Josh will work hard with local city councils to attract major employers to CD 10. He also will work with job developers and with programs designed to train and mobilize manpower. Josh believes in the citizens of CD 10 and 15 to 20 percent unemployment is not acceptable to him. He will work hard so that you always work! 

100% Renewable energy: Josh fully supports The Sanders-Merkley Bill that calls for 100% renewable energy by the year 2050. Unlike Denham, Josh acknowledges the profuse existence of Global Warming and the dangers that it presents. In response to such awareness, Josh is one sensational advocate for the environment. His advocacy for the Sanders-Merkley Bill is a very positive outgrowth of this advocacy.

In conclusion….

In conclusion, it is this observer's very strong recommendation that the civic-minded, honest and hard-working citizens of California's CD 10 vote for and support Josh Harder. Let's send Jeff
Denham home and send the best qualified Congressional candidate in the entire region Josh Harder, to Washington, D.C. to protect all of us from the wanton greed of a few self-serving rich people.

Josh Harder for CD 10! A true winner for real people!!!





  

Honolulu medical marijuana users have 30 days to turn in their guns amid safety concerns

Citizens of  Honolulu, Hawaii who have medical marijuana permits have 30 days to turn in their weapons. The Honolulu law is an outgrowth from a 2016 ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. In that ruling, the Court stated that it is not an infringement on a person's Second Amendment rights for them to be prohibited from purchasing guns so long as they are taking prescribed medical marijuana.

Safety concerns

The Honolulu law is being fueled by safety concerns. As medical professionals see it, the consumption of marijuana affects people's judgment and "mental status," and can lead to "irrational or unpredictable behavior." The concern is that such users are not responsible when using firearms and that the results may very well be deadly. After the City of Honolulu implemented the "no gun" law for medical marijuana users, the law was challenged by advocates for the Second Amendment. It was then that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals made the aforementioned ruling.

Letter to medical marijuana users

The Honolulu Star Advertiser disclosed that on November 13, a letter was sent out to all registered users of medical marijuana. That letter emphatically stated: “Your medical marijuana use disqualifies you from ownership of firearms and ammunition." The letter was signed by the Chief of Police, Susan Ballard.

Federal law supersedes state laws

Even though medical marijuana is allowed under Hawaii law, it still is illegal under federal law. Mindful of that, the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Agency), wrote an open letter to all holders of firearms licenses in the United States, stating: "Any person who uses or is addicted to marijuana, is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms of ammunition." Federal law supersedes state law. As the City of Honolulu sees it, the 2011 letter from the ATF,  plus the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' November 13 ruling, both justify its firearms bans for those who are registered marijuana users.

Ramifications for other states and cities

It is unknown at this time if the ATF will be enforcing federal laws on marijuana usage in other states and cities nationwide. Most likely, the implementation of federal law in Honolulu will suffice as a test case for the rest of the nation. And the ATF, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and politicians, including city mayors, all will be watching.