Independent-Minded Progressive Tae Si Taking On Tom Cole In Oklahoma

The sprawling Oklahoma district south of Oklahoma City, covering half of the Red River Valley, OK-04, has been represented in Congress by Tom Cole since 2002. His lowest reelection victory was a 68% win. In 2012, the district, which has a PVI of R+19, gave Romney a 67-33% win over Obama, although, the only 4 counties in the whole state voting Democratic in the last gubernatorial race were all in the 4th-- Commanche, Cotton, Jefferson and Stephens. This year a young progressive Democrat, Tae Si, is taking on Cole and not waging a "Republican-lite" campaign against him, but a full-on battle ideas: progressive vs conservative. Tae, who was born on Seoul and moved to America when he was 6, is a software engineer. "Running for Congress," he told us, "was the furthest thing from my mind. However, the country took a turn for the worst. The leadership of this country, especially my opponent Tom Cole, has put into place policies that will bring misery for years to come."

Tae is a thoughtful, independent-minded progressive eager to represent his neighbors in Congress and not enmeshed in the partisan bickering that Oklahomans hate about Washington. He has fresh, logical ideas that cater to neither Beltway political party, but to the people who live in OK-04. He agreed to introduce himself with a guest post today. Here's what he wrote:

"There Is A Scam In Washington That Sickens Me"
-by Tae Si

President Obama proposed the Chained CPI to address budgetary shortfalls, and Tom Cole wants this to be a reality. They want to use the Chained CPI as a tool that will favor their failed policies. The calculation for the CPI changed several times in the past decade. The Chained CPI is another attempt to hide what is really going on while at the same time cheat people out of what they earned. Medical cost, housing, rent, college tuition, energy, and food are all going up faster than inflation. The Chained CPI payouts to Social Security, military retirement, and many social safety nets will be significantly less in real terms at a time when the middle class and poor need the social programs more than ever. The CPI-E measures the real cost of living, and this is what I support.

Tom Cole likes to talk about the Constitution but his actions don’t support what he says. He supports the actions of the National Security Agency spying on law-abiding citizens proclaiming it’s a matter of keeping us safe. Yet the NSA actions clearly violate the Constitution protecting us from illegal searches and seizures. Attacking our civil liberties is the opposite of keeping us safe. Tom Cole does not trust the American people.

Our country is way overdue for a universal healthcare system. The Affordable Care Act brought about some much needed positive changes. However, there are two important problems the new healthcare law fails to solve. The first is universal coverage. The second is affordability. Some states, such as Oklahoma, are rejecting the Medicaid expansion. Some people can’t afford insurance yet don’t qualify for subsidies. Nothing in the law changed the price structure. Hospitals and pharmaceutical companies still and will charge higher prices. The cost of healthcare is on the middle class more than ever. I support a healthcare system in which prices are brought down and everyone is covered. Tom Cole isn’t trying to solve the problems of the Affordable Care Act. He just wants to take away your healthcare.

We had 1 or 2 recessions every decade. There was the housing bubble, dot-com bubble, savings and loan crisis, energy crisis; so a recession is practically guaranteed. However, there were laws in place that lessened the pains of the recessions, but the deregulations made pain worse. There’s been attempt to fix the problems like with Dodd-Frank, but the main parts of the law that had any teeth to tame Wall Street got stripped out. Even watered-down, Tom Cole still wants to repeal Dodd-Frank. He is obstructing much needed reform mitigating the next recession in favor of his rich banker buddies.

So what form will the next crisis take, and when will it happen? Your guess is as good as mine. My belief is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst, and the worst will be a burst of the bond bubble. I know many don’t believe there is a bond bubble. However, like prices can’t go up forever, interest rates can’t stay low forever. People who are near retirement are most likely in a bond fund. When interest rates go up, so does their retirement date. Many people have variable interest rate on their mortgage. Meaning they won’t be able to pay the high interest and will be kicked out. Most recently, thanks in part to Tom Cole, student loans switched to variable interest rate. Students are also in trouble especially in this economy. Recessions happen about every 7 years so the next one might be around early 2015.

Tough times are ahead. I recommend you do prepare for the worst and get out of bond funds and switch to fixed interest rates if you can get a good deal. I will do all I can to reverse the destruction set forth by our leaders, I will stop the parasite known as Wall Street, and I will fight for the benefits you earned.

Last year, Tae told the Daily Kos community that "[i]f elected to Congress, my role is to stop the madness. All branches of the government think the same way and that is to give the people’s wealth to the super rich and apply laws only to certain segments of the population. Things are done because they are politically feasible. The only checks and balances that exist are to make sure the people don’t get any economic or social leverage. The government is a well oiled machine for Wall Street and a bunch of red tape for everybody else. The reverse must be true. Red tape for Wall Street and a government that works for the people must be put back in place." You can read more about his views on his campaign website.