JOSEPH O. GAYE UNAFFILIATED INDEPENDENT FOR CD5

1 -BEFORE RETIRING FROM LOCKHEED MARTIN ASTRONAUTICS, I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR LEADING & PREPARING THE "TITAN LAUNCH VEHICLE" TEAM FOR AN AIR FORCE AUDIT ON A $3.5 BILLION DOLLAR "ADD-ON" TO THE TITAN LAUNCH VEHICLE PROGRAM. 

2 - THE AIR FORCE AUDIT TEAM WAS LED BY MR WILLIAM HILL. AT THE END OF THE AUDIT THE AIR FORCE FOUND ZERO DEFICIENCIES. MR HILL TOLD ME THAT WAS THE 1st TIME THE AIR FORCE CONDUCTED AN AUDIT OF THAT MAGNITUDE & FOUND ZERO DEFICIENCIES. 

3 - THAT MEANT THE $3.5 BILLION WAS PROPERLY ALLOCATED & BEING SPENT IN A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE MANNER => NO FRAUD, WASTE OR ABUSE. I SHARE THIS TO DOCUMENT I UNDERSTAND & APPRECIATE THE NECESSITY FOR BOTH NATIONAL SECURITY & FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. 

4 - OUR BORDER IS BROKEN... CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL... OUR DEBT & DEFICIT IS UNSUSTAINABLE... THESE ARE THREATS TO NATIONAL SECURITY. I APOLOGIZE TO GEN Z & MILLENNIALS FOR THE CLIMATE MESS & FINANCIAL DEBT WE CREATED FOR YOU. ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE CYNICAL ABOUT OUR DEMOCRACY - DON'T ABANDON IT. HELP ME MAKE IT BETTER. DON'T "GHOST" YOUR VOTE. 

5 - AT SOME POINT WE MUST REALIZE BOMBS WILL NEVER PAVE A PATH TO PEACE FOR ISRAEL & PALESTINIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. ISRAEL IS "GRIVING" THE BRUTAL RAPE & MURDER OF HER SONS & DAUGHTERS. WE NEED TO BREAK-THROUGH HER GRIEF & MAKE HER UNDERSTAND IT'S IN "HER BEST INTEREST" TO SEEK JUSTICE NOT REVENGE?

6 - WE SHOULD THANK DOUG LAMBORN FOR STEPPING DOWN & "DIVORCING" HIMSELF FROM THE "ELECTION DENIERS" THAT HAVE TAKEN FULL CONTROL OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. NO REPUBLICAN CAN HOLD UP TO THE MAGA EXTREMIST IN WASHINGTON DC... EVEN KEN BUCK IN CD4 STEPPED DOWN CUZ HE COULDN'T HOLD UP!

7 - THE ASSAULT ON OUR DEMOCRACY WILL CONTINUE REGARDLESS WHO WINS THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION... WE WILL NOT SURVIVE THIS ASSAULT IF "ELECTION DENIERS" REMAIN IN CONTROL OF CONGRESS. FOR THIS REASON, FOR THE SAKE OF DEMOCRACY & NATIONAL SECURITY, EL PASO COUNTY MUST ELECT AN "UNAFFILIATED INDEPENDENT" FOR CONGRESS. EL PASO COUNTY WILL NOT ELECT A DEMOCRAT -  I BELIEVE THE PEOPLE OF EL PASO COUNTY UNDERSTAND THE MOMENT & WILL RISE TO THE OCCASION. 

1 - IN FEB 2024, THE STOCK MARKET & THE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO PAID CASH TO BUY A NEW HOUSE WERE BOTH AT RECORD HIGHS, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME - THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T AFFORD THEIR RENT WAS ALSO AT A RECORD HIGH.  WHAT'S MY POINT? MY POINT IS WEALTH IS CREATING WEALTH AT AN ACCELERATED PACE WHILE THE "WORKING CLASS" IN THIS COMMUNITY GETS LEFT BEHIND. 

2 - IN 15 TO 20 YEARS COLORADO SPRINGS WILL BE THE BIGGEST CITY IN THE STATE. AS WE GROW, INFRASTRUCTURE & PUBLIC SAFETY NEEDS WILL INCREASE EXPONENTIALLY... HOUSING & THE "COST OF LIVING" WILL QUICKLY OUT PACE "WAGE GROWTH" & MANY WHO LIVE & WORK HERE TODAY WON'T BE ABLE TO LIVE HERE TOMORROW. WE NEED URGENT, PROACTIVE INITIATIVES THAT ANTICIPATE & RESOLVE INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, CHILDCARE, HOMELESS & SCHOOL RELATED ISSUES WE KNOW WILL BE AMPLIFIED BY GROWTH.

3 - CAPITALISM IS THE BEST ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN THE WORLD & IT WORKS BEST WHEN IT WORKS FOR EVERYONE... NO ONE SHOULD NEED TO WORK 2 JOBS TO MAKE ENDS MEET BUT TOO MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY DO... TOO MANY OTHERS LIVE "PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK" AND ONE UNFORTUNATE ENCOUNTER WITH A POTHOLE COULD BE FINANCIALLY DEVASTATING. 

4 - IN 2010, THERE WAS A SUPREME COURT RULING CALLED "CITIZENS UNITED" THAT SAID "CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE". THIS SUPREME COURT RULING MADE IT "LEGAL" FOR CORPORATE LOBBYIST & OLIGARCHS TO DONATE UNLIMITED AMOUNTS OF "DARK" MONEY TO POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS. THIS IS WHY LAWMAKERS FROM BOTH PARTIES ALLOW "BIG TECH", "BIG BANKS", "BIG AGRICULTURE", "BIG OIL", "BIG PHARMA" ETC - TO ABUSE THE MARKET PLACE; WHICH IS THE REAL REASON WHY THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING IS SO HIGH. 

5 - IF CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE THEY SHOULD BE "GOOD CORPORATE CITIZENS". BILLION DOLLAR CORPORATIONS SHOULD NOT GOUGE CONSUMERS FOR AS MUCH AS THEY CAN WHILE PAYING WORKERS AS LITTLE AS THEY CAN... AND TAX "AVOIDANCE" SHOULD NOT BE A TOP PRIORITY. THIS IS CORPORATE ABUSE OF THE MARKET PLACE & WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS ABUSE BEFORE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ESCALATES IT TO A LEVEL BEYOND OUR CONTROL. 

6 - I WILL WORK WITH LABOR UNIONS, THE "PATRIOTIC MILLIONAIRES", "MILLIONAIRES FOR HUMANITY" & MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO BUILD A COALITION TO HELP BILLION DOLLAR CORPORATIONS (LIKE AMAZON) UNDERSTAND THAT BEING A GOOD CORPORATE CITIZEN IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THEIR COMPANY, OUR COUNTRY & OUR COMMUNITY. WE CAN DO BETTER.

1 - IMMIGRATION 

I SUPPORT SAFE, LEGAL, CONTROLLED IMMIGRATION BUT I DON'T SUPPORT "SANCTUARY CITIES"... THE LAWS FOR SANCTUARY CITIES ARE FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE & THEY'RE CREATING A FINANCIAL CRISIS IN DENVER & BIG CITIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. I DON'T WANT COLORADO SPRINGS TO BE A SANCTUARY CITY. HAVING SAID THAT - WE HAVE 11.5 MILLION HARDWORKING, TAXPAYING IMMIGRANTS IN THIS COUNTRY WHO ARE CRITICAL TO OUR ECONOMY & THEY DESERVE A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP. WE MUST ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IN A HUMANE, THOUGHTFUL MANNER WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING OUR BORDER IS BROKEN & OUR ENEMIES ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IT. 

2 - ABORTION

I DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO TELL A WOMAN WHAT TO DO WITH HER BODY... THEREFORE, I SUPPORT SAFE, LEGAL ABORTIONS AND "A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE"... I TRUST WOMEN.

3 - GUNS

I DON'T TRUST 18 YEAR OLDS WITH AR15 RIFLES... I'M NOT AGAINST GUNS - I HAVE GUNS & I BELIEVE A CIVILIZED SOCIETY MUST HAVE "REASONABLE" GUN LAWS. IN 1999 I WENT TO FUNERALS FOR 3 KIDS WHO DIED IN THE COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL MASSACRE. THE MOTHER OF 1 OF THE KIDS WORKED AT LOCKHEED MARTIN.

4 - PUBLIC SAFETY

WE NEED POLICE OFFICERS TO ADDRESS CRIMMINAL ACTIVITY IN A TIMELY, RESPONSIBLE MANNER AND WE NEED OTHER "SERVICE PROVIDERS" TO ADDRESS NON-CRIMMINAL ACTIVITY. BEING HOMELESS IS NOT A CRIME. WE NEED "CRIMMINAL JUSTICE REFORM" & WE NEED POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY BUT THE CALLS TO "DEFUND THE POLICE" ARE MISGUIDED. ALSO, THE "NO CASH BAIL" LAWS ARE WELL-INTENDED BUT HAVE PROVEN TO BE FLAWED & NEED TO BE RE-WRITTEN. WE CAN HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY WITHOUT COMPROMISING CIVIL LIBERTIES OR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.

5 - VETERANS

VETERAN HOUSING & HEALTHCARE MUST BE A PRIORITY AND THESE SERVICES NEED TO STREAMLINED & DELIVERED WITHOUT BIAS. 

6 - LGBTQ+ RIGHTS

I SUPPORT THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY & I SUPPORT LAWS THAT PROTECT THEM FROM DISCRIMINATION IN JOBS, PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS & HOUSING... I DON'T SUPPORT BIOLOGICAL MEN COMPETING AGAINST WOMEN IN SPORTS AND I DON'T SUPPORT TRANSGENDER SURGERY FOR MINORS.