Candidate for
United States Representative; District 50

Wayne Dunlap was an Economics professor at San Diego State University and owned and managed businesses in San Diego for the past 27 years. He knows that America can maintain a strong economy by reducing taxes, eliminating wasteful government spending, and having hard working Americans keep more of their income. Money spent in the private sector creates more jobs and prosperity.

Border Security and Immigration Reform

Wayne Dunlap will make it the highest priority to have all Federal firefighting resources in San Diego co-ordinated with State and Local to get to the fire as soon as possible day 1.

Wayne Dunlap believes that one of the most important responsibilities of our Federal Government is to secure our borders. We need to do what it takes to achieve a secure border and reclaim our right as a sovereign nation to control immigration. We need to control the entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a threat to our security, health, or property. This can be done with the use of modern surveillance technology as well as establishing a reasonable and well enforced immigration policy.

Our immigration policy needs comprehensive reform and this is a complex issue that should not be defined by simple sound bites. For example, issues extremely important to the 50th District -- many scientists from China have come here to complete graduate studies in biotechnology and then stayed helping to build our enormously successful biotechnology industry. Recently, because of immigration concerns, as many as one-half are choosing to return to China fueling a competitive biotechnology industry in China. Also, our agricultural industry (the 5th largest industry in San Diego) relies on immigrate labor to remain competitive.

Our country has benefited from having people with vital skills come to American and it is important for the continued success of our economy that we establish an immigration policy that does not impair our economy. Temporary work permits should be provided for those with vital skills while they become citizens.

Reduce Taxes, Size of Government, and National Debt

The size of government (federal, state, and local) has risen tremendously. To pay for this, every working American family loses roughly half of their income to taxes. For a two income earning family, one is working all year to pay for government. All of us work until June to pay for this. When you hear politicians of both the major parties calling for more government programs, they are proposing to make this worse.

Tax reduction is one of Wayne Dunlap's top priorities. The economy suffers when government takes money from your paycheck that you would spend or invest for you and your family's future. Who knows what is best for you and your family + you or the government? Also, money spent in the private sector creates more jobs and prosperity.

What would you do with that extra money that you earned? Invest more for your retirement? Put your child in a better school? Buy better quality health care insurance? Start a new business? In an America with less government and taxes, the choice would be up to you.

Everyone seems to agree that government waste and pork barrel spending is rampant and it should be cut but our political process leads to too many compromises and reciprocal favors. Neither Republicans nor Democrats can bring it under control.

It is imperative that we cease the wasteful government spending and pare down the national debt. If we don't, we will place a massage burden on our children and grandchildren. We should expect our representatives in Washington to act with the national checkbook as we must do with our family checkbooks.

We can start reducing taxes and the size of government without increasing the national debt by applying well practiced principles to government with the following four point plan...

1) Initiate a pay-as-to-go policy. When a new government program is being proposed, funding to pay for the costs must be identified. Adding more government programs without funding increases our national debt that will burden our children and the success of our economy. Eliminating wasteful spending will be the target to fund any new program increasing government efficiency.

2) Employ top business consultants to evaluate government programs. Because of competition, businesses in America constantly need to evaluate staffing and other expenses to provide the best services at the most efficient cost. Practical lessons learned from business should be applied to government.

3) Adopt zero-based funding budgeting. Instead of automatically increasing funding of existing programs year after year for decades, every government program needs to justify its existence. Based on needs, not political favors, evaluation reports from independent business consultants should be used to determine the necessary funding level.

4) Eliminate redundant and outdated government programs and end the practice of earmark appropriations.

It is time to repeal any government tax or regulation that cuts the bottom rungs of the economic ladder and makes it more difficult for people to find jobs and start businesses.

By reducing wasteful government spending and excess regulation, we can lower taxes without increasing the national debt or sacrificing vital government services.

Bring an End to the War in Iraq

Over four thousand young Americans have been killed in Iraq and well over 25,000 wounded, many crippled for life. What if one of these was your son or daughter? Also, before it is all over and the long term costs are incurred, the War in Iraq will cost Americans up to two trillion dollars. This huge cost could have helped solve many important unaddressed problems here in America. Is it worth the cost?

We have chased non-existent weapons of mass destruction instead of the terrorists responsible for killing 3,062 people on 9/11. Unfortunately, we are now acting as policemen in the middle of a civil war. The sad fact is that we have diverted our resources from addressing the real treats from terrorism and created more terrorists because of our intervention in Iraq.

Iraq has a long history of solving its problems and has the ability to do so now. As long as America assumes a major role, the Iraq government has insufficient incentive to make the tough decisions in order to take responsibility for its own future. We should require the Iraq government to take over responsibility for its future and America should establish an exit strategy consistent with the safety of our troops following the proper lines of withdrawal, executed by our commanders on the ground.

In order to reduce our treat from terrorism, we must end the war in Iraq and take our campaign directly to the terrorists and domestic 'sleeper cells'.

Foreign Policy and Terrorism

Wayne Dunlap's vision for America is to be respected around the world as a beacon of opportunity and freedom. He believes that America should be strong to defend attack from aboard. He also condemns the use of terrorism.

We can do more to create peace and democracy in this world by being a living example of a peaceful, prosperous country -- much more than invading other nations to bring them peace and democracy.

America must be fully engaged in the world economy but we should not interfere in the affairs of other nations. Such a foreign policy would enable us to maintain a strong vigilant defense while significantly reducing our military spending. We can start with bringing an end to the War in Iraq. Other reductions can be made with the wealthy nations of Western Europe where 100,000 American troops are stationed. They can surely afford to take responsibility for their own defense.

There is no guarantee that evil will not strike again. A foreign policy that limits our intervention in quarrels of other nations will reduce the chance that terrorists will target America. We must take our campaign directly to the terrorists and domestic 'sleeper cells'.

Rapidly changing our position about other countries in the world will not develop long-term stable relationships. For example, the United States assisted Saddam Hussein when he attacked Iran who held our captives and then he became the devil subject to preemptive invasion when he threatened our oil interests + all within a few years.

A rational and consistent foreign policy with a targeted campaign against terrorists combined with an independent energy policy will go a long way to solving terrorist threats to our citizens.

Social Security and Unfunded Entitlements

The United States Social Security Board of Trustees estimates that the Social Security System will start running a deficit by 2016 + nine years from now! Only 16 years after that, the so-called Trust Fund will be depleted and the Social Security will be insolvent.

Our nation's retirees have made lifetime decisions based on the promises of Social Security and Medicare and we have the responsibility to make good on these promises. We can start doing this by practicing sound financial planning...

1) Our federal government must stop borrowing from the Social Security Trust Fund to pay for current government services. Our government must live within its means and balance its budget with reduced spending.

2) Optional investment plans should be set up for our younger Americans to opt out of the Social Security system, if they choose to do so, and achieve better returns in the private market. Countries like Britain, Australia, Mexico, and Chile have already made the transition from failing social security systems. It will mean that you and your family would no longer have to depend on the promises of politicians for a secure retirement.

3) Our nation's priorities must be changed in order to finance the huge promises to the retiring baby boomers. For example, it has been estimated that before it is all over, the War in Iraq will cost Americans up to two trillion dollars. This type of spending could help solve many problems here in America including supporting the obligations to our senior citizens.

It doesn't take a financial genius to determine that our country will have major difficulties making good on all the promises we have made in private and government pension and medical programs. From the City of San Diego's $2 billion+ unfunded problem to Social Security, Medicare, Medical, military veterans, and public and private pension programs, we have made enormous unfunded promises to our citizens. The longer we ignore this problem, we will be left will little choice but to resort to large tax increases at all levels of government or promised benefits defaulted on.

Better Education

Wayne Dunlap has been both a High School teacher and an University professor. He believes that the future success of our country depends on the abilities of our children. We need to begin restoring full control and responsibility to parents so that every child has the opportunity to obtain an excellent education.

As an Economics professor at San Diego State University, Wayne Dunlap experienced students who could not read the textbook. As a High School teacher, he had classes with over 40 students. In his personal business, he had an employee (20 year old high school graduate) who could not write. Sadly, we read that many schools in our country have drop out rates that are too high. The lack of learning in science, technology, etc. compared to other industrialized nations and even up-and-coming nations like China and India is alarming. How can we maintain our life style in this high tech world when we are not properly educating the next generation?

America's colleges and universities are among the best in the world. Why? If the students and their parents determine that the education standards are not sufficient, they move to another college. This occurs for the publicly funded colleges and universities as well. They must keep their academic standards high in order to compete for students.

Our nation's K-12 schools are falling further behind. The reason is because parents have little or no choice of where to send their children. Like our universities and colleges, we need to achieve greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice in our K-12 schools. When parents control their children's education, schools must be responsive to parental demands that their children receive first-class educations. Otherwise, parents will find alternative means to educate their children.

Health Care

Americans are eating worse, getting less exercise, and depending on too many drugs. Diseases like diabetes and others are on the rise at an alarming rate. Wayne Dunlap believes that current estimates for future health care costs are dangerously underestimated. We need to encourage our citizens to take proactive measures to ensure their own health with less reliance on drugs and surgery. We also need to provide more information so people can take responsibility for their own health.

As recently as the 1960's, low cost health insurance was available to virtually everyone in America including people with existing medical problems. People alive today can remember when doctors made house calls and a hospital stay cost only a few days' pay. Also, charity hospitals were available to take care of families who could not afford to pay for health care. Then the government moved in with Medicare, the HMO act, and thousands of regulations on doctors, hospitals, and health insurance companies. Medicare regulations alone run more than 100,000 pages.

Today health insurance costs are skyrocketing. The high cost is one of the major reasons we have so many people without health insurance. Rather than roll back the government obstacles to affordable health care, politicians are standing in line proposing new ones. In every country where government provides or pays for health care services, the results are the same: long waits for substandard medical services, particularly elective services. Under a universal government control health care system, patients and doctors will become frustrated because services will be rationed by a government bureaucrat in Sacramento or Washington, not decided by you and your doctor.

The solution is for people to take back responsibility for their own health care programs. Wayne Dunlap supports fully tax free Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and high-deductible health care insurance plans. Letting consumers have choice in their own health care programs will allow them to get the best deal at the best price possible. Americans should have the freedom to determine the level of health care and health insurance they want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use, and all other aspects of their medical care. Patients are better served by having options and choices, not new federal bureaucracies and limitations on legal remedies restricting their options.

Such choices and options will happen only when we unravel our current bureaucratic system of health care and change the tax code to allow individual Americans to fully deduct all health care costs from their taxes, as employers now can. Until we do, patients will pay ever rising prices and receive declining care while doctors continue to leave the profession in droves.

Independent Energy Policy

A dependence on foreign sources of oil will only continue to mandate outcomes destructive to our future in many ways + wars, global warming, increased taxes, etc. We need to provide incentives to encourage additional research and the use of renewable sources of energy such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and even nuclear when waste disposal and other issues are solved.

Eliminating our dependence on oil with an independent energy policy combined with a rational foreign policy will go a long way to solving terrorist threats to our citizens. It will also help to shrink our trade deficit and clean our environment.

Clean Environment

We need constant attention to the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat as well as address any potential problems of global warming. As we develop our country and cities, we also need to keep open areas from national parks to places easily accessed near where we live.

We need to make polluters pay for their crimes. When corporations and government agencies act irresponsibly, by dumping poisons on others' property or by risking people's health, they should face strict civil liability.

Improve Our Country's Infrastructure

Wayne Dunlap will make it the highest priority to have all Federal firefighting resources in San Diego coordinated with State and Local to get to the fire as soon as possible day 1.

Also, our country has huge needs to build and repair infrastructure including mass transportation, communications, energy, schools, roads, sewers, water, airports, etc. If we let our infrastructure age without required repair and we lag behind in keeping up with modern needs, we will find it increasingly difficult to maintain our economic success and our life style.