Dawn Vasquez
Independent
About
Senior Chief Electrician in the US Navy
I retired as a Senior Chief Electrician in the US Navy. I was not at high tenure; I was simply exhausted. I was supposed to have a team of 35 electricians, including myself, but we only had 22. I believed I could make a bigger difference in government and accepted a direct hire position with the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Unfortunately, our work was dictated by the highest bidder, not by mission or merit. Our agency took 20 percent of project funding to pay auxiliary staff, including secretaries, IT professionals, and others. I tried to report serious fraud and safety concerns, but no matter how far up the chain I went, nothing changed. There were no consequences, only isolation. I became the black sheep. I could have stayed three more years and earned another retirement, but it was not worth compromising my integrity. I never did the job for the money. I did it to support the fleet. When that became impossible, I knew it was time to take another path.
Running for Office
I put my startup corporation on hold to serve the nation in a new way. That decision became final when I reached out to my congressman, Bobby Scott, for help with my VA healthcare issues, especially at the hospital. He never returned my calls or messages. So now, I am ready to take his job. I know how to build ships. I know what is broken in our government. And I have bold and practical ideas to fix it.
Positions
Accountability
There needs to be accountability in government. When I was a GS-12, the evaluation system was a joke. Everyone received a 5.0 rating, whether they came to work or not, whether they submitted their reports on time or even completed them. They still got paid, and they could not be fired. This is draining our tax dollars. We are selling ourselves in the form of bonds to China. Meanwhile, people who actually want to work, like me, end up leaving civil service because there are no consequences. Government service needs an evaluation system that actually works. The military already has one in place; all you have to do is model it after them. After all, we owe it to our military members and to the taxpayers.
China
Why are we doing business with China? They poisoned our homes with their drywall. They killed our dogs with their treats. Lead was found in their baby toys. They are buying up land here in America, and yet you cannot do that in China. You cannot do that in most countries. Are we just waiting for them to buy us out? They steal our intellectual property, then mass produce it and sell it back to us as a broken product. We should not be doing business at all with a dictatorship. There is no recourse. You cannot sue them if you receive a faulty product. The invisible hand does not exist when you do business with a dictatorship. There are plenty of other countries we can do business with. China, Russia, and Iran are not among them.
Term Limits
Term limits may be necessary. Thirty years is too long to serve as a member of Congress. I will advocate for a constitutional amendment that imposes term limits for both the House and the Senate. I give you my word that I will not run for more than two terms. That means I will serve only four years. Do I think the limit should be six or eight years? Probably. But let the people decide, and that requires a constitutional amendment. For the Senate, where terms are six years, I believe two terms, or maybe even just one, should be the maximum. Let the people decide.
Abortion Laws
Abortion should not be used as birth control, which means women should have access to birth control. At the same time, a 12-year-old should not have to cross state lines to get an abortion. She was clearly raped. If she wants an abortion, she should be afforded that right. When that happens, you extract the DNA, find the perpetrator, and put him in prison for the rest of his natural life. Why are we easier on pedophiles than we are on drug users? I will push for a federal bill that protects victims of incest and rape, as well as the life of the mother, in accordance with her doctor—and only her doctor—not a politician who knows nothing about medicine.
