Meet the Candidates: Paul Gosar - Congressional District 4

Name: Paul Gosar

Age: 52

Office running for: U.S. House of Representatives

Family: Wife Maude, three children

Party: Republican

Education: Creighton Boyne School of Dentistry (D.D.S., 1985)

Employment: Dentist until elected to the U.S. House in 2010

What in your past experiences helps qualify you for this seat? I was a small businessman and dentist. I worked with patients throughout the years to diagnose their issues and help heal them. I brought that same attitude to Congress. I talk with my constituents and work with them to solve their problems or design legislation to improve rural Arizona.

What do you think is the biggest challenge right now facing Yumans, and how would you change it? The biggest challenge facing Yuma is the biggest challenge facing our country: the economy. We need to get back to basics and get government out of the way of private job creators. In addition, making sure the robust agriculture sector, the Yuma Proving Ground and the Yuma Marine Corps Station are supported in Congress. My record shows my strong advocacy on behalf of the agriculture industry. Additionally, my votes have supported a strong national defense and increased resources for the border patrol to ensure Mexican drug cartels, traffickers and smugglers do not infiltrate Yuma and harm citizens.

I am fighting hard to get government out of the way of small business by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle job growth. Congress must also prioritize federal resources appropriately. The federal government is spending money on far too many programs that far exceed what the Constitution intended. I will continue to cut wasteful programs we do not need, cannot afford and have no business being involved in. (I have submitted many amendments to spending bills to reduce or cut programs.) We must lower spending but continue to ensure we are providing the necessary resources for what is truly needed and constitutionally appropriate: border security, national security, and infrastructure.

What would you do to make government more accessible? We need to reform the Freedom of Information Act on a federal level. It had good intentions, but it needs to be beefed up and real deadlines have to be imposed, with real penalties against foot dragging bureaucrats who like to hide records, emails and documents from public review. I have seen this first hand in my work on Operation Fast and Furious. The Department of Justice refuses to produce records in a timely manner, it redacts and hides information when it does produce records, and in general it takes every opportunity to hide the truth from the public. No government agency should treat the taxpayers with this disdain and disrespect. The people should see any record, email or document that does not involve national security. I have been recognized as one of the top watchdogs on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee because I demand transparency and accountability from all branches of government.