Marsden for Congress

Background:

Born in the 19th Congressional District (Fresno, CA) in 1957. After successful and distinguished career as an actor, playwright, director and producer in New York and London, disability ended his career in a 1999 stage accident in Washington DC. Retired with wife and young son back to the District in 2001, dedicated to community activism, organizing and public service.

Goals:

This district has been ill-served for 14 years by incumbent George Radanovich (R), a man who is currently in 300th place in the House Power Rankings. While it's a strongly red (5-county) district, even his base is growing disillusioned with him. I will serve ALL the people of this District - with its disparate interests from agriculture (the Central Valley is America's most valuable and highest producing farmland) to Yosemite National Park (wholly within the District.) It is my prime goal to encourage and help create a new green economy, work for rural infrastructure improvement (including universal broadband,) address the critical issue of water use, and certainly bring about environmental improvements in valley air quality. Another critically-important area is education: it's time to reclaim all those children left behind for the past eight years - as well as to recover and rebuild all those school districts and educational institutions ravaged by bad policy.

Issues:

1) Economic justice/fairness - including a decent working wage.
2) Environmental protection - including true, tangible regulations to fight global warming while creating a green economy.
3) Social equality and fair civil rights for all Americans.

Grassroots Support:

Grassroots participation is absolutely critical. The incumbent Republican is well-heeled and enjoys continued support from his national party. I've already begun to create a grassroots effort based in part on student activism as a very pragmatic means of returning politics to the people.

DFA Values:

DFA asks "How are you socially progressive and fiscally responsible?" I'm delighted to address this question - because throughout these early stages of my campaign I've repeatedly defined myself in precisely those words: "SOCIALLY PROGRESSIVE AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE." I believe in social fairness and progressivism with all my being. That includes my past and current fights FOR marriage equality, FOR reproductive rights/freedom, FOR workers' rights, FOR social and gender equality, FOR the dignity and respect for all human beings.

Membership in multiple unions including AFTRA, SAG, AEA and UCM-AFT for decades have given me great respect for the power in numbers - as well as the importance of the protections availed to the American worker through years of union struggle.

My belief in fiscal responsibility finds the recent $700 billion banking/lending industry bailout abhorrent. If money was legitimately needed and the US economy was truly endangered, this should not have been a grant but a loan - or at the very least, the American taxpayer should have been 'buying in' as majority stockholder in any/every company so participating. To give this colossal amount of OUR money with no strings and virtually no oversight attached was an abrogation of Congressional responsibility. I am opposed to corporate welfare and believe any corporate entity which moves its operation offshore in order to avoid US taxes should be denied all benefits open to shore-based companies - including the right to fair trade/commerce within America. I believe in graduated taxation concomitant with wealth level; those who most benefit by living within this American capitalist system should pay a more fair share for that privilege. I believe the American taxpayer is NOT a lending institution; we must adopt a pay-as-you-go approach to government. We have been economically crippled by the fiscal policies of the past 8 years and are facing a massive challenge in restoring not only our nation's international repute, but also our simple solvency as a nation. I can and will do a far better job than the current representative - who has aided and abetted this weakening of America over his entire career in Congress.