Lopez on working with opposing party
Above all other considerations, my first priority will be working hard for the constituents of the 20th District, being responsive to their inquiries and spending as much time as possible in the community.
However, answering your generalized question, in the short run the most constructive and substantive policy for both sides of the aisle would be to consider with due deliberation all issues and to avoid the steamroller effect of emotional reaction to issues which can result in unintended and unwanted consequences. This would benefit us here in the San Joaquin Valley and help provide stability for our continued growth and favorable living. One case in point is the current uproar over subprime lending.
For years Congress and presidents --- including President Bush --- encouraged and passed more and more liberal credit policies to induce home ownership. The tragic outcome of imprudent legislation, and an unforeseen one, is the current "credit crunch" which has come about because of overreaching lenders, under-qualified buyers and excessive speculation.
Congress is now off on another binge of "fixing" and "bailouts" which portend future unintended consequences.
In the long run, we must look to restoring the fuel of our historically productive economy --- energy at reasonable prices.
Reliable energy would help Valley economic development and help create more jobs. It is a sad fact that a combination of forces, including unreasonable and intemperately emotional environmental demands, have contributed to leading Congress over the years to pass restrictive and punitive energy legislation. For the past 30-plus years, Congress in effect has prevented the construction of new refineries. Since the 1980s, Congress has banned construction of new nuclear plants. Our dependence on foreign petroleum has steadily increased while our domestic production has significantly dropped. President Clinton vetoed ANWR drilling bills that could have increased our domestic supply by now. Instead, during the Clinton years, our domestic production dropped nearly 20 percent, and it continues to go down drastically. In Mexico, one of our most reliable sources of petroleum, production is now dwindling sharply and the Mexican congress is behaving as ours, refusing to permit new offshore exploration where giant fields are known to exist. And Venezuela, another substantial source for our use, is in the grips of a crazy dictator who slowly destroying his country's resource while threatening to cut us off. It is long past the time for us to jump start our domestic energy base. As recent history is showing, heavily tax-subsidized alternatives --- i.e. ethanol --- which have been pushed by Congress provide only a counterproductive and insufficient answer.