Dr. Jim Maxwell, chief of neurosurgery at Rochester General Hospital and Republican candidate for Congress in the upcoming election, described why he would rather choose politics over his current occupation in a town hall meeting at the Gowen Room this past Thursday.
During the meeting, Maxwell said he wanted to mend the government to prevent any future destruction, and he believes it necessary for US politics to become anchored down now for the sake of his grandchildren and all future generations.
Maxwell also has four goals if elected into office: grow our economy, fix healthcare, lower the national debt, and eliminate any corruption in Washington.
He claimed the economy is doing well, with an exponential growth in jobs and a historically low unemployment rate. However, in order to better the economy, according to Maxwell, there is a need to decrease the national debt.
Maxwell plans on accomplishing this by “letting democracy run in voting up or down on where money should be spent.”
He also mentioned his displeasure at heavy government subsidies. Maxwell considered the example of subsidies train rides from Rochester to Toronto, saying “government subsidies are worthless to society and are a waste of money.”
His policy also includes decreasing taxes. Maxwell claimed raising taxes worsens the economy because the government spends the extra money on unnecessary functions.
One question asked by an attendee about Maxwell’s claim on taxes was whether tax cuts go towards richer corporations.
“Productivity will rise and everyone should get more money in their paycheck,” Maxwell responded.
Another audience member asked, “Given identity politics, how might a congressman approach unification?”
In response, Maxwell stated he plans to solve any unjust inequality in the US. Moreover, he wants to join the problem solvers caucus that has equal number of Democrats and Republicans, who attempt to face identity and equality problems in the US.
Some students, due to the discussion, were intrigued to learn after the event about the election and campaign process.
“One topic that was especially impressive to me, [was] the identity politics,” first-year Yulin Han said. She came to the meeting because she found the comparison between the US and China’s election processes interesting. “It seems to explain the culture cleavages in today’s society; most groups do not get along like Republicans and Democrats, and finding the common ground is important.”
