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Congressional candidate addresses service record, issues |
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Written by Don Chaddock
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Charlie Brown, the Democratic candidate for the 4th Congressional District, spoke to the Auburn Chamber of Commerce Forum on Tuesday. Topics of discussion included drilling for oil, health care, earmarks, logging and his military service. Photo by Don Chaddock.
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Charlie Brown, the Democratic candidate for the 4th Congressional District seat being vacated by John T. Doolittle (R-Granite Bay), tackled questions regarding his service record – as well as issues facing the district – at a forum on Tuesday morning in Auburn.
Mike Holmes, a former Republican candidate for the post Brown seeks, asked him about his service record, rank and whether he considered himself a Vietnam “War” veteran or a Vietnam “era” veteran since he hadn’t received the war’s service medal.
“I consider myself a Vietnam War veteran,” he said. “When they take down the names of the 54 buddies of mine from the Vietnam War Memorial, then I’ll reconsider.”
He said he respected Holmes, a retired Navy captain, but was irritated that Holmes would ask questions by proxy rather than have his accusers ask him directly.
“Maybe those friends of yours who are questioning my patriotism should ask these questions themselves,” he said.
Brown said he was offered a “remote” command in 1991, the same time he and his wife decided to settle down in Roseville while he was stationed at Beale Air Force Base.
“I chose my family rather than a command in the Aleutian Islands,” he said. “Besides, have you ever heard of anyone in helicopters making General? You need to be a fighter pilot.”
When asked about earmarks, Brown said he favored bringing federal tax dollars back to the district for public projects “that stand the light of day.”
Brown said that before the shores or California or the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are opened up for drilling, the oil companies needed to drill on the leased land they already have open to them.
“Why give them this when they have all these leases they are sitting on and not drilling?” he asked.
He said he favors a children’s health care bill and allowing people to buy into MediCare early and treat it like an HMO.
He began the race three years ago, when he narrowly lost to Doolittle, but he said he has yet to receive real support from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) or the Democrats in Washington, D.C.
“When I started this, the DNC did nothing to help me. I decided to run because I was tired of unopposed Congressional races,” he said. “Because I’m not running this as a partisan race, the folks back in Washington are nervous.”
Brown said the attitude of the established Democratic Party officials is, “Show us what you can do locally.”
“That’s why I’m out here talking to any group who will let me in their doors,” he said, garnering chuckles from the audience.
Brown said he was a Republican for most of his life and there are things about the Democrats he doesn’t agree with, just as there are with the Republicans.
“Many of you are Republicans and if you’re honest with yourselves, you’re not very happy with your party,” he said.
Brown also supports:
• Lincoln’s Regional Waste Water Treatment Plant: “Waste water is probably the single biggest need for federal funding the in the district. I fully support the regional plant.”
• Tightening the borders: “We need electronic surveillance and real border patrol agents. To President Bush’s credit, he wanted to hire 2,000 new agents each year, but Congress wouldn’t authorize the funding. They’ve done nothing. We need to secure our borders.”
• Controlled logging: “We need to get back to doing responsible logging in our forests (and) getting salvage logging going in burn areas.”
Brown has also publicly opposed the construction of the Auburn dam, which his opponent, state Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), said needs to be built to provide water and flood protection.
The dam has been a hot button issue in previous elections.
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