James Vaughn, a former Army officer, says he's among a group of veterans who are upset over the war in Iraq and are running for office.

He says he's also an ex-Marine, Navy corpsman and theology student.

He lives in Orting with his fiancee.

Read on:

www.jimvaughnforcongress.com
James E. Vaughn, a former Army Major joins fellow service members in declaring candidacy for US Representative in the 8th Congressional District.

As a result of the US Supreme Court Ruling on Initiative 872, voters no longer have to declare a party and can vote for the most qualified candidate. Therefore, I am declaring myself a candidate and joining forces with ex-service members running for US Congress.
Veterans, angry over Iraq, run for Congress and a potentially unprecedented number of ex-service members running.

The Fighting Democrats a loose knit organization created by DNC Howard Dean, Former DNC Don Fowler and General Wesley Clark, say their military experience could give them the credibility to criticize the war without being dismissed out of hand by the GOP as naive and weak on defense, as the Bush administration has often done.

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Before our government commits our sons and daughters to harm’s way, all political avenues need to be exhausted. Unfortunately, this did not happen with our war in Iraq. My initial contention with the war was that United Nation inspectors had not found any weapons of mass destruction and were still investigation when we invaded.

As a former armor officer and military analyst, I believe that if the politicians had kept their nose out of the planning and execution of the war; left these matters to our generals, our service members would have been home by now. As a result, I am angered at the way the Republican leaders have handled the war. We all know the current administration doesn't hesitate to stand in front of the troops when it comes to a photo-op, but never stands behind them when it comes to providing the armor necessary to fight in Iraq, or the benefits promised when they return home.

We all want our troops home. However, common sense tells us that this is not going to happen overnight. What we don’t need is for this to drag on indefinitely. Now that we are mired in rebuilding Iraq, a responsible exit strategy is essential. Unfortunately, I hear candidates spouting anti-war rhetoric and an immediate reduction in troops. These comments do nothing but incite the terrorists and place our service members in greater danger. It is my belief that they are jeopardizing our troops for their own political gain and do not deserve to be elected. We need to take the right course of action for our troops, our country and the Iraqi people.

What do we feel about our “American Way of Life and what do we say to our service members when:

• American corporations send jobs overseas.
• $130 Billion was invested in overseas emerging markets last year, rather than investing in the U.S. economy.
• $40 Billion military hardware contract was sent to France.
• They return home to poor employment prospects while our government is gutting our economy and playing E-Bay with our jobs.
• We have done nothing to provide affordable health care for their families.
• Our educational system is losing ground to other nations.
• Our transportation systems are in disrepair.
• Individuals sit at home intentionally abusing L&I, welfare, and unemployment in order to draw a government check while we go to work each day.
• Our government does not provide adequate care for Veterans.
• Social Security is projected to be bankrupt in the year 2018 and our government will spent $21 billion dollars on foreign aid last year and projects to spend $13.2 billion dollars on Pork Barrel Projects.

We need to say, “No More”. I am prepared to address the issues and fight the battles but cannot do it alone. As a citizen, former military officer, farmer, and business man, our government impacts me, as it does you, on a very personal basis every day. At the age of 53, I have reached a point in my life that I have had enough and talking to voters I know that I am not alone. I frequently hear voters voice their frustration over the choice of candidates. They typically feel like they are making a selection between the lesser of two evils. If there were a third candidate called “None of the above” he or she would certainly win a majority of the elections. I hear voters concern about the issues and their frustration with campaign rhetoric. As a result, I have listened to the voters and have addressed the issues.

Biography

I began my military career as a Navy Corpsman during the Vietnam Era and served with the Marine Corps on a variety of occasions. Via military schooling, I challenged and passed the California Licensed Nurses Exam. Between the GI Bill and working as a Licensed Nurse, I was able to complete my Bachelor of Arts at California State University at Fresno. I then spent a year in theological studies at the Graduate Theological Seminary in Berkley, CA.

I returned to active duty as an Armor Officer in the United States Army. During my tour of duty, I attended the Combined Arms Service and Service Staff College (instruction on how to be an effective high-level staff officer). I then completed a graduate program, entitled Operations Research and Systems Analysis, at Fort Lee, Virginia. I completed my active duty career, working as an analyst at TRADOC Studies Directorate. My last two projects as an analyst were:
Airborne 2004 Study that focused on the conditions that would cause us to enter into another war in the Middle East and how we would fight the initial entry battles.

The creation of a Prioritized List of Capital Expenditures that I briefed to Senior Officers at the Pentagon. This program became the cornerstone for the US Army Long Range Budget Planning.
During the first Gulf War, Senior Army Officers knew that there were going to be significant budget and personnel cuts after the war. This was a tough time and serious issues had to be addressed. For example, do we fund trucks to replace a worn out fleet that had been in action since the Korean War? Do we fund research for synthetic skin and synthetic plasma? Do we continue R&D for anti-aircraft weapons? My job was to create a program to prioritize all US Army expenditures/military programs, which covered a $300 billion dollar budget. The analysis provided senior officers with a prioritized list of expenditures allowing them to determine which programs to fund during a recession and time of downsizing.

With the eventual withdrawal from the current Gulf War, the huge budget deficit, and a recession looming overhead, we are again faced with another series of budget cuts. One of my strengths is the ability to prioritize capital expenditures and address serious budget issues in order to keep the essential services.

Currently, I reside in Orting with my fiancée, Sally Daugherty. We created a staffing service that is focused on assisting Veterans obtain full time employment. The first priority going to service members returning from Iraq and or Afghanistan. In addition, we are in the process of restoring a small 16 acre farm that will supplement our income upon retirement.

Government impacts me daily and I have a personal stake in addressing the issues. I would ask you to compare my credentials with my opponents to determine who the most qualified candidate is. I also hope you will visit my website, review my platform and support my campaign.
If elected my job is to represent the voters. My answer to every question listed below is “YES”. Do we agree?
Agriculture:
1. Should we protect our farm land?
2. Should we deregulate laws that hinder the cultivation of farm land?
3. Should we protect farmland from the eminent domain laws?
4. Do you see agriculture as a critical part of our Homeland Security and economic security?

Economy:
1. Do you believe it is wrong to let someone sit at home and draw a paycheck, while the rest of us go to work?
2. Should we stop investments in overseas emerging markets (last year $130 Billion) and invest in our country?
3. Should we stop earmarking funds (this year we have $13.2 Billion identified as Pork Barrel Projects)?
4. Should we run government like a business and cut out the waste? (For example a loophole that gives sexual predators money for college-has been used to buy clothes, CD players and other questionable items?)
5. Should we dramatically reduce the amount of foreign aid (last year $21 Billion)?

Education: The University of Washington has 2,884 international students and Washington State University has 1,430 international students. Since our tax dollars pay for public universities and community colleges do you believe that they should be made available to Washington State residents before allowing admission to foreign students?
Exiting Iraq: We all want our service members home. Unfortunately many candidates are spouting anti-war rhetoric and calling for immediate troop withdrawal that incite the Islamic terrorists and place our service members in greater danger.
1. Do you feel it is wrong for politicians and candidates exploit the service members for their own political gain?
2. Do you believe we should use the oil in Iraq to pay for the cost of the war and to rebuild the country?
Foster Care in Washington.
1. Do you believe there is something wrong when the national data on child abuse fatalities show that a child is nearly twice as likely to die of abuse in foster care as in the general population?
2. Do you believe there is a problem when a study of foster children in Oregon and Washington State found that nearly one third reported being abused by a foster parent or another adult in a foster home?
3. Would you be in favor of a boarding school or a Boy’s Town environment that provides a secure living environment with 24 hour a day adult supervision?

Healthcare Issues:
Why are we paying for three types of medical coverage: 1.Medicare-Medicaid 2.Worker’s Compensation and 3.Private or personal medical insurance.
Let’s do the math and see what happens when we combine the three programs together.

1. The average American family spends $702 on Medicare each year.
2. There are 2,080 work hours in a year x $1 per hour paid to L&I = $2,080
3. American Health Insurance Plans’ Center for Policy and Research shows that the average cost for an individual plan in the year 2006 was $2,015 per year.
4. Consider that the insurance companies are making 40% in commissions and profits the actual amount that goes towards medical coverage is $1,209
5. Working citizens pay $2,015 to L&I minus $1,209 the actual cost for medical coverage= $806 remaining that can be used to pay for individuals that are not employed.
6. Apply the $702 that goes towards Medicare to the $806 and we cover the costs for universal health insurance.
Note: Census Bureau shows that 53 % of our citizens are employed. If every working person pays one non-working citizen we more than cover the costs for universal medical coverage. With this single pay scenario, people continue to choose their physicians, doctors’ clinics and hospitals as they always have. We the citizens of Washington State insure ourselves (24 hours a day) by deducting a set amount from every employee’s pay check. Would you be in favor of this concept?
Ask yourself, why this has not been previously addressed.

1. Could the reason be that, this concept will eliminate government agencies and politicians do not want to lose potential votes?
2. Could it be that the insurance companies are one of the largest contributors to political campaigns and one of the largest lobbyists?

Social Security:
1. Do you believe it is wrong for individuals to be taxed when they receive Social Security benefits?
2. Do you believe that when our retired citizens that are drawing Social Security and continue to work on a temporary or full time basis they should be exempt from paying into the system?
3. Should we get rid of the Pork, Foreign Aid and other programs and put the money back into Social Security where it belongs?
Tax Reform: History of the B&O Tax: At the economic low point of the depression in 1933, Washington enacted the Gross Tax Receipt, now known as the B&O Tax. During this time property and income taxes plummeted and The State Department of Revenue described the tax as “temporary, emergency revenue”.
Business and Occupation Tax (B&O): Otherwise known as a Gross Receipt Tax (GRT)
• GRT is a tax on all gross revenues incurred by a business not just the profits.
• GRT is a stealth tax which is hidden from the consumer.
• GRT is a tax on a business whether they make a profit or not.
• GRT is imposed on each stage of the service or product and creates a pyramid effect which is in turn passed on to the consumer.
B&O Tax is politically popular because the tax is embedded in the cost of the product at each step and so is almost entirely hidden from consumers. This may be politically convenient for law makers but it also violates a key democratic principal: that a tax system should be transparent so tax payers can see the cost of government. In addition, Washington State Legislature passed a law banning pyramid schemes and yet the B&O Tax is a pyramid scheme.
There are only four states that have a GRT. Now let’s compare the states that have GRT:

Delaware: Retail can deduct $80,000 per month. Manufactures can deduct $1,000,000 per month.
Kentucky: Business can choose between Gross Receipts and Gross Profits. Under $3M are exempt.
Ohio: Business under $150,000 are exempt; those with receipts between $150,000 and$1M pay $150.
Washington: The worst tax of all 4 GRT states. Business under $28,000 exempt.
This is one area in which I differ from my party. The Democratic Party has lost sight of its focus on supporting small business. This is one of the most biased taxes and undemocratic taxes that I know. For example, the state cut the B&O Tax for Boeing from .004235 to .002956 Let take a look at these numbers for companies that do $500K in business :
Boeing use to pay $2,117 and now pays $1,478. Small companies like me that provide a service pay $7,500. The separate rates for each industry come from the nature of gross receipts taxation. It's not based on profit, so each industry's profitability and costs are constantly weighed by politicians who decide on rates and exemptions and credits. This is not a fair or logical formula for equitable taxation.
Why is it that hospitals and service activities are taxed at a higher rate? Where is the equality and justice in this equation? Would you favor abolishment of the B&O Tax which is replaced by a fair corporate tax?
Transportation
We paying TransCore $18.7 million dollars to collect the tolls on the Narrows Bridge, when we pay people on L&I, Welfare and Unemployment to sit at home. Would you like to see legislation that puts a stop to this and hires the unemployed?

Veteran Issues: Our country created the disaster in Iraq that has cost thousands of lives and crippled many more thousands. We are spending billions to rebuild Iraq and at the same time shuffling the disabled veterans to the bottom of the deck. Currently, we have over 700 seriously disabled service members at Fort Lewis.

With today’s technology and the internet, would you support a program that assists our disabled Veterans with a home office and the training so they can work from home in a meaningful profession?
Veterans Families: The service members that leave the military are entitled to medical through the VA Hospitals. However, there is no coverage for the family members. Until the service member can obtain employment and work the required number of days to be eligible for medical coverage, the family members are at risk. Would you support legislation that provides family members one year of medical care from the date the service member was discharged?
Veterans –PTSD: I believe that we need to connect our Veterans returning from Iraq, with Vietnam Veterans and other Veterans that have served in combat. Specifically, we need model Veterans - Citizens in a functional family that have overcome the adversity of war that are active and successful in the community. At the very least, we need to listen to them and let them educate us.
Would you support an organization that would create a link between the two generations of Veterans on the lines of the Big Brother concept?

Jim Vaughn
www.jimvaughnforcongress.com</blockquote>