By Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com
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Congress, and Washington politicians in general, have become too detached and need to reconnect with the values of American people, Bill Flores said.
“If I’m elected, don’t ever call me congressman, call me Bill, because I work for you,” Flores said.
Flores, a Bryan Republican, is vying to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, in District 17. District 17 includes Johnson County. The election is Nov. 2.
Flores addressed a crowd of about 20 Wednesday at Victory Investment Strategies in Cleburne. The Johnson County Republican Women’s club hosted the event.
“This was the last thing I had in mind,” Flores said when asked what prompted him to run for office. “Now that I’ve gone through it, it’s still the last thing. But, I believe it’s the right thing to do. I’ve met a lot of great people, and it’s always fulfilling to meet a group like this, who want to restore our country.”
That goal drives his campaign, Flores said.
“I grew up poor in the Texas panhandle,” Flores said. “I went from nothing to a corner office as CEO of an oil and gas company. I decided to give up a good career to re-invest in our country to make sure our children and grandchildren have the same opportunities we had.”
Flores spoke of starting a company in 2005 that went on to realize $150 million in revenues by 2008.
“Today, we wouldn’t [attempt to start a new company],” Flores said. “We’d be afraid to risk the investment, hire people. Banks won’t lend. We’re basically in lock-down mode.
“We need to do something to give businesses confidence. One thing is you don’t raise taxes in a recession.”
Flores spoke of his plan to reconnect Congress to the American people. That plan includes term limits, cutting Congressional pay if they can’t balance the budget, making every law they pass apply to them and instilling a culture of servant leadership over a ruling class sensibility.
Flores predicted a number of newly elected Republican freshmen in Congress in January.
“Like me, many of them come from the business world, and this is the last thing they had in mind,” Flores said. “But they’re doing it because they want to restore Congress and the country.”
Flores said he would vote to defund the recently passed health care bill and Cap and Trade funding.
Flores fielded several questions from those in attendance. One woman said she heard Flores is a Democrat.
“I’m a lifelong Republican,” Flores said. “The first time I could vote was 1972, and I voted for Nixon.
“But I’m an American first and a Republican second. In March 2008, McCain already had the Republican nomination. Like many, I was afraid of the future Barack Obama represented. And I think history has proven me right.
“So I voted for Hillary Clinton. Not because Rush Limbaugh told everyone to, but because I thought McCain may have been able to beat her.”
Johnson County Republican Chairman Henry Teich asked Flores about his relationship to businessman George Soros.
Flores said he and his partners secured the majority of funding for their company, but still needed more. A friend raised the last bit of needed capital, Flores said, some of which came from the Soros Company.
“I’ve never met him,” Flores said. “Don’t know him, don’t believe in anything he stands for. He’s not going to like me as a congressman because I’m not going to vote for anything he stands for. I’m not tired of this question. I just want to put it in proper focus.”
Flores addressed earmarks.
“The current process is broken,” Flores said. “The appropriations process is a perfect representation of that. The worst example is $1.9 million to fund a center for [U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel] in New York.” Rangel now is at the center of an ethics investigation.
Flores then made a point to criticize Edwards for voting against a measure to strip that funding from the bill.
“What Mr. Flores conveniently forgets is that that vote came up in the House a year before the ethics commission began their investigation of Mr. Rangel,” Edwards said Thursday. “He also probably failed to mention that John Boehner [Republican House minority leader] voted the same way I did.”
Flores said he is not opposed to using federal funds for local projects, provided they pass two tests.
“It has to be a critical national priority, like radios for first responders,” Flores said. “And it has to be a transparent appropriations process, available for everyone in Congress and the public to see.”
Flores also discussed illegal immigration.
“The Constitution charges the federal government to protect us,” Flores said. “We can’t do that if we have a porous border. If we can liberate Iraq in two weeks, don’t tell me we can’t seal the border. How? Put boots on the ground, then enforce the laws we have in this country.”
Flores voiced opposition to amnesty but admitted the need for some immigrant workers. He also said the system of legally entering the country and seeking citizenship should be looked at for improvements.
