Sam Sloan is a Candidate for US Congress from the 15th Congressional District of New York

Discussion
1

Sam Sloan is a Candidate for US Congress from the 15th Congressional
District of New York, which is in the South Bronx. Sam Sloan is one of only
two candidates on the ballot.

Here the issues:

There are no issues!

In most areas of the United States, there are at least two political
parties. The 15th is unusual in that there is only one political party: The
Democrats. Both candidates are Democrats. There is no Republican Candidate.
Thus, this election will be decided by the Democratic Party primary on June
24, 2014.

In this district, the majority are Spanish speaking. I speak Spanish fairly
well, but not nearly so well as my only opponent, who is from Mayagüez,
Puerto Rico.

This district has moved. Previously, the 15th District was in Harlem. Later
it moved north ad included parts of Westchester County. Recently it moved
south and is now entirely in the South Bronx.

This is the smallest district geographically in the entire United States.
It is also the mostly densely populated. It is the poorest in New York and
one of the poorest in the USA.

I am proud to say that I live in the highest crime area of New York City.
(This proves I am a brave man.)

My opponent is relatively new here too, as until recently he represented
the 16th district that moved north.

People ask why I live here. The answer is this is the cheapest area of New
York City. Rents are low here. Everything is inexpensive. I lived here from
1974 to 1979 in a crash pad for chess masters established by Bruce
Pandolfini and Mike Goodall. After living for several years in various
foreign countries, I came back and have lived here since 2005.

My opponent, the incumbent, is classified based on an analysis of bill
sponsorship by *GovTrack*, as a "far-left Democrat", one of only 18 in the
Congress.

Whereas my opponent follows a far-left ideology, I have no ideology at all.
I am neither right nor left. I am not in the middle either. I will decide
every issue and every vote on a case-by-case basis.

One thing in my opponent's favor: In 2005 he was one of only three
Congressmen to vote in favor of an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. This
shows his independence, as the rest of the Congress wanted to stay in Iraq.
I agreed with him on this, as I too wanted to withdraw from Iraq then, and
I think we should get out of there now. We also need to get out of
Afghanistan and several other countries of the world too.

On many other issues however I do not necessarily agree with the incumbent.
He will always vote to the far left. I think having a predictable vote like
he has to the left does not well serve the people he represents, the people
of the South Bronx.

He was a great admirer Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela. When Chavez
came to the USA to give a speech to the United Nations, our incumbent
personally invited Chavez to his home. This angered many Americans, who
considered Chavez to be an enemy of the USA. Right now there is a
revolution going on in Venezuela and the people down there are not likely
to be happy with our incumbent.

He also wants to abolish the 22nd Amendment that limits the President to
two terms. He wants our current president to become President for Life.

He also favors complete independence for Puerto Rico, where he is from and
which he calls a "colony" of the USA.

As your congressman I will be solely concerned with helping the people in
this district. This is the poorest district in New York in the richest city
in the world. We have great potential capabilities with a central location
in the largest market area and a vast under-utilized industrial and
manufacturing area. It is difficult to understand why there is so much
poverty here.

The biggest and most important issue with which I will be dealing as your
Congressman is Immigration reform. This is the most important issue here
because the South Bronx is an immigrant community. The majority population
speaks Spanish. They are especially from the Dominican Republic. There are
also a lot of Africans here, from Ghana, Nigeria and other African
countries. I used to live in the South Bronx from 1974-1979. When I came
back in 2005 I found out that all those people had moved out. They are not
here any more.

There is a huge but unknown number of undocumented people here in this
district, who speak no English, none at all. These people need help and I
will be their Congressman. That is the reason why I will make immigration
reform my top priority.

An advantage I have is I am well known internationally although not so well
known here. I am an internationally rated tournament chess player. I am a
book publisher, author and reviser, with more than 300 books to my credit.
Here are some of the books I have published or reprinted:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s?store=allproducts&keyword=Sam+Sloan

Here is my biography:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Sloan

I do not claim my opponent is a bad person. He is probably trying the best
he can. It bothers me a bit that his son is my state senator too. I do not
like family dynasties.

However, I believe that he has not been effective. He has been in Congress
for 24 years since 1990 and frankly has accomplished little there. I think
I can do better.

Due to the wonders of the Internet, my friends from around the world can
help get me elected by sending email blasts in my favor. You do not have to
reside in the South Bronx to help in my election campaign.

Sam Sloan

2

Hi Sam,

  Good to see you actively speaking out as a candidate. On the whole I think this is a pretty good statement -- it's clear that you are familiar with your district and the incumbent, and you have a thoughtful and intelligent, tone that bespeaks an intention to be honest and direct with voters and not talk down to them. I wouldn't say there are "no issues" though -- in fact you mention a number of important, legitimate issues! I would also encourage you not to depart from the straight talk by saying you have "no ideology", but rather be open about your libertarian views. If you do get any traction, they will undoubtedly get brought up anyway, and better by you than by someone else! I don't think being pro-freedom is a negative; a lot is in how you present it. In your largely Latino district, for instance, you could talk about your appreciation of Movimiento Libertario in Costa Rica, and say that we need a stronger anti-establishment alternative party like that here to keep the cartel parties more honest. You mention people sending out email blasts for you. Do you have email addresses for some folks or media outlets or what-not in your district?

Love & Liberty,
                                 ((( starchild )))

3

Dear Starchild,

Thank you and I appreciate your sentiments. However, I must be careful.

If I go hog wild spouting the Libertarian line, it will lead to sure defeat.

I had better try to get elected first and then I will be free to put forth
my views.

For example, as I am sure you can figure out, I oppose any further
extensions of unemployment insurance. However, when I try that out on the
voters here, they say that we must do something to help those poor
unemployed people. They simply do not understand the real issue.

Similarly, going down the list and remembering I must be careful because
the general public has access to this list, all I need to do to win is be a
little less to the left than my opponent is. He is to very, very far left,
as far left as they come. His support for Hugo Chavez, President of
Venezuela, is just one example.

Also, my opponent, Jose Serrano, is the only Puerto Rican member of US
Congress. This is the only one of three districts in the US where Spanish
speakers are in the majority.

Nobody has even run against Serrano in more than a decade and he is
considered unbeatable. This is the reason why nobody but me is running
against him. If I want to have any chance to win I must be careful and
temperamental.

Thank you again for your remarks.

Sam Sloan