Hello everyone, please allow me to introduce myself. I am American of Hispanic decent. I have been a resident of Atlanta, Georgia for the most of my life. I was raised in District 4 until the age of 19. I moved away for college and work but returned to the place I love six years ago. I am an open minded gentleman with very strong values and a burning desire to help my fellow Americans during these difficult times. This altruistic desire is rooted in the education that I received at home. 
 
I have very traditional parents, a strong hearted, very strict Latino Father and a strong willed, independent, American, Georgia mother. They have been married for 45 years. Their rules were simple, work hard and earn the things that you desire and unquestionably, get an education.

I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to provide a little background on my parents. My Father came from Chiapas Mexico in his early twenties. He had the dream, go to America, learn the language and further his education in the Land of the Free. He arrived (with a student visa) without knowing a word of English. His journey carried him to Greenville NC, Mississippi, Chicago, and Atlanta. Through pursing his education, he got a command of the English language, pursued his education and retired in Atlanta as the Chief Financial Officer of The Friendship Force. He also started and still runs his own CPA and consulting business.
 
My Mother was a stay at home Mom (aka Drill Sergeant). I have a brother and two sisters and I lost one brother to leukemia when I was very young. She was very busy with all of us so this was her full time job. She made me read out of the encyclopedia every night while she cooked dinner. We had family dinner Sunday through Friday.  If we were lucky, we were treated to Dairy Queen or Chinese on Saturday night. She ran a very tight ship and established very high standards for her children. She was and still is our moral compass because of the values that she instilled in us.
 
I learned from my parents, that no matter what race or meager beginnings you may have, no one owes you anything nor should you expect special treatment from a government agency. I was often reminded that being born in the United States of America is a blessing in itself. There is no one that could prevent me from success or any reason I could not accomplish any goal as long as I wasn't afraid of hard work. It was obvious that it could be very easy to blame someone else and convince myself that I was a victim, but that would lead to dependence, not self reliance. The road to success is much harder and it is very rewarding not to be dependent on government, or anyone else for that matter. I was taught to not be a burden, but to work for everything I want. Sure, there will be hard at times (heck the majority of the time) but the rewards pay dividends for a lifetime. There is no doubt that there are people in society that need assistance, I am not denying that fact, but there is a better way to raise money to help those in need. There is no need in a Free Country for a government to be allowed to use the point of a gun to seize hard earned money from its citizenry to “redistribute” at the demands of said government.
 
I became attracted to politics during college. I noticed the liberal groups and how they try to force their ideology onto the student population. Never one to follow blindly, I began researching and studying the issues of the time and realized that I disagreed strongly with some key liberal views, especially those in regards to economic growth. Although I consider myself a very open minded individual, the Conservative views seemed to fit my beliefs more precisely. 
 
When the first Iraq war began, I felt an overwhelming desire to protect my country and longed to serve in the Navy as a pilot. My dreams of flying for the Navy remained a dream due to a heart murmur that I was born with. But my love and appreciation for the United States Armed Forces has never wavered. So through the end of high school and college I continued to study the martial art of Taido, a Japanese style of Karate. I was determined to stay in shape regardless of a pesky heart murmur. After college and brief time in the Food industry and Marketing industry, my career roads lead me to my current occupation in Publishing.  I have been involved with local Hispanic groups and organizations over the years including HACED (Hispanic American Center for Economic Development) where I held a position on the advisory board at the inception of the organization. I follow politics religiously and am appalled by where the nation is headed. I sense that the American spirit is being diminished by the new direction of the current administration. I believe that Americans are being deprived of liberty, freedom and the pursuit of happiness, the founding principles upon which our nation was built. This, paired with my yearning for service, compelled me to run for Congress. I have lived in District 4 most of my life and these are the people that I want to serve and represent. A heart for the people is what propels me to serve.