Folks are asking my positions to see how I would debate in the General Election. Mainly I’m trying to raise the issue of Campaign Finance Reform. That is the purpose of getting your vote in the Primary Election. There isn’t much difference between the big three Democrats, and one of them is bound to be in the General Election. Maybe the Republican can win a slot in the General Election, but is unlikely to win in November. I’m not as partisan as the big three Democrats and feel my party has made plenty of leadership errors and missed fulfilling promises. If I win a slot against one of the other Democrats, the General Election debates will be interesting.

It’s disingenuous when other candidates make promises to fix things that are out of their control as Senators. The Senate has a broken system where most issues don’t even get to debate. I advocate for reforming the Senate filibuster, ensuring that the minority engages in discussions on these matters, and ultimately requiring all Senators to cast their votes. That said, here’s my opinions today 3/2/2024, before debating the issues and hearing compelling arguments to sway my vote.

Homelessness. The working poor need affordable housing near their jobs. Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Housing used to provide dignified affordable housing to people trying to improve their lives and survive. My father co-invested in a SRO hotel in Hayward when the downtown was mostly abandoned in the 1970’s. He worked to make the downtown vibrant again bringing small businesses and restaurants to the area. The Green Shutter Hotel never made a profit but reduced downtown’s blight by providing people a place to sleep off the streets. The hotel was recently converted to apartments. Like many Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing closures in recent times, there was a prevailing sentiment that providing housing for the economically disadvantaged had a negative impact on people’s neighborhoods. Now people complain because there are too many homeless. Unfortunately, we have to allow affordable housing and it might be in your neighborhood. Existing laws against criminals and drug offenders should be enforced to keep those people out of your neighborhood. They should be given treatment options and opportunities for reform.

Gun Control. It’s important to define who people are before we can debate Gun Control. If people are corporations, then a gun manufacturer might be harmed if background checks on gun purchases reduced their profits. Our Declaration of Independence states our nation’s values “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” above the Constitution and the Amendments. Do we the people (excluding gun manufacturers) have the right to life above the right for anonymous people to carry any form of weapon? Should billionaire’s be able to create autonomous drones carrying a payloads of explosive lithium batteries (essentially a Tesla on autopilot)? Should billionaires create atomic bombs once they possess missiles or should they be limited to conventional weapons? These are debates for the Senate floor when the filibuster rule is amended to require debate. I would listen, debate, and vote my conscience. Generally I believe in the Golden Rule; that we should treat others the way we’d like to be treated. I dispute the rights of corporations over humans’ inalienable rights.

Reproductive Freedom. I believe that a women’s right to choose rests between her conscience, her physician, and her Creator. I was brought up with Christian ideals and was told that God gave men and women the right to choose; Adam and Eve chose knowledge and we all paid the price by being expelled from Eden. We will be judged by our choices at the pearly gates, not by being restricted from making choices by the state. Jesus advised, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” a clear call for separation of church and state and to pay taxes. I believe God does not want us to usurp his authority, but does want us to make it an easier choice to raise a family by providing more benefits for mothers and children. Being a mother should not be such a burden that women are economically forced to choose an abortion.

Illegal Immigration and Border Control. The Senate recently passed aggressive immigration reform and border security that is blocked from a vote by the Republican lead House. While the Senate Bill does not provide as many pathways to legal immigration as I would prefer, it is shocking that the Republicans in the House and the leading Republican candidate for President would block reform of Immigration and Border Control just to have a political crisis until after the November election. No wonder Congress gets such poor job approvals.

More positions at https://ballotpedia.org/John_Rose_(California)