AL.com questions and answers

AL.com is having this multiple day candidate essay and online discussion event.  It starts at 10 am today.

For two and a half months, the other candidates have refused to confront the question of, "Has Congress stopped functioning for the American people, or not?"  I have said it has, and they can't bring themselves to say one way or the other.

As a result, the answers the other candidates are going to give to their questions are going to be highly inadequate.

Let's turn to those question, and start with the one which Representative DeMarco is going to answer today about the EPA killing small business.

My campaign has been talking about a political class in Washington DC that is unduly interested in its own wealth and power, and in keeping and increasing that wealth and power, to the great, great detriment of the American people.  Regulators in Washington are part of that political class and are very interested in their power.  I believe environmentalists have gained a disproportionate amount of power and influence over decision making in Washington regarding matters that affect the environment, which results in decision making that is not reflective of where the preponderance of the sentiment of the entire citizenry of the country lies.

Let's take EPA regulations that "kill small business."  I don't think average Democrats and average independents want to" kill small business."  To the contrary, I think they want small business to be robustly thriving and to provide as many jobs as possible.  In making any reasonable balance of environmental concerns and how small business is affected, I am sure there are many, many EPA regulations as to which average Republicans, average Democrats, and average independents would say, "this is ridiculous."

Yet, there the EPA goes, merrily on its way.

How does this happen?

It's this political class in Washington that I am talking about.  If you are a member of that political class, and you have gotten what you want for yourself, why put up much of a fuss if there are environmentalist members of that political class who want, and exercise, their preferred powers.  Heck, if you put up too much of a fuss, those environmentalist members of the D.C. political class may go after some of your powers.

So, the EPA has gone its merry way for many years, and Representative DeMarco, if he is elected, will have no effect on the EPA continuing to go its merry way.

Continued at Let's deconstruct what the other answers will be.