Sam Meas is one of four Republicans on the ballot working to unseat incumbent Democrat Niki Tsongas in the 5th District congressional race. Voters will head to the polls on Sept. 14 to decide which Republican will represent them in the midterm elections in November.
Meas was born in war-torn Cambodia, spent three years in a Thai refugee camp and was sponsored by a Virginian Catholic Charities office to come to America. Having learned English during his formative years, Meas worked through high school and went to Virginia Tech, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in finance in 1996.
For the last two years, Meas has worked for Boston-based State Street Global Advisors, a division of State Street Corporation, where he managed a team of analysts who were providing attribution and performance date to top-level portfolio managers. He quit his job earlier this year to campaign full-time
Meas is married; he and his wife have two children. They've lived in Haverhill for the last five years,
Gazette: Why run? What sparked you to run? Was there a specific instance, piece of legislation, or something that lit your fire?
Meas: A couple (of) reasons. First, there is a huge lack of choice in Massachusetts. There is one dominant party, and many are running unopposed. It is the antithesis to democracy. We've spent $1 trillion on two wars trying to give them the freedom of choice, but we do not have it here. To me, that's important. If Republicans were the dominant party, I'd say the same thing.
Second is the direction of the country. D.C. is run by the political elite. (The politicians are) detached, arrogant, ignoring us, unresponsive. D.C. is broken. Niki Tsongas has voted 98 percent of the time with the Democrats, and that's not representative of the district. We have crushing debts — $14 trillion and counting — an economy that is sinking, and a declining quality of life. Their response is to raise taxes, print more money, borrow more money, spend more money and to regulate it more. The common sense is to stop spending.
Third is national security. We have a mass migration here. We have open and porous borders, and we have no way of verifying who's coming in.
The fourth reason is jobs. Lowell's unemployment rate is at 11.2 percent, Lawrence's is even higher, Haverhill is close to 10 percent. (Tsongas) has been passing programs that have nothing to do with job creation. She's been passing cap & trade and health care. It's Congress' job to create jobs. It's very burdening and costly to have a business in Massachusetts.
Gazette: The political spectrum is a bell curve. Most voters identify as moderates. How do you speak to them? How do you sway them?
Meas: I wasn't born rich. I wasn't given a silver spoon. I have achieved the American Dream. I've starved. I've been destitute. Having that experience, I will always be looking out for the average American family. I am the average American family. Families and small businesses deserve better.
Gazette: What is your hot-button issue?
Meas: Immigration. I cam here legally 24 years ago after waiting in a refugee camp inside Thailand. I went through the legal process. There are thousands more waiting. The issue is fairness. And if we have no idea who's coming in, it becomes a national security issue. I want people to come here and assimilate. Not acclimate. Assimilate. Be a proud U.S. citizen.
We need to secure our borders. We need to make sure that people coming in learn English because it's the world's language. I've chosen to teach my children Khmer, too, but that was my choice. And we need to teach them American history. Any person who wishes to come here needs to have a sponsor who can give them a place to live and provide medical needs. This would be done on a local level, with non-profits or churches, not at a governmental level.
Gazette: What is wrong with how the current administration is facing immigration?
Meas: They're not securing the border, which is the responsibility of the federal government. And they're suing a state that's trying to enforce a federal law. They need to take charge. They're not enforcing e-verification.
Gazette: How would you fix it?
Meas: I support strict penalties on companies that knowingly hire (illegal immigrants.) This would discourage employers from hiring them, and it would discourage illegals from coming here. Also, any hospital or clinic that treats an illegal immigrant should be required to take down their name, nationality and country of origin, and we subtract that amount (the cost for treatment) from their foreign aid assistance. That would be a start.
Gazette: What is the first piece of legislation that you'd author in D.C.?
Meas: Job creation. I'd reinstate the Bush tax cuts. I want more money in people's pockets. I would sponsor a bill that would deregulate a lot of the regulations that are hampering American corporations. I would also lead a small business advisory group.
Gazette: How would that affect the residents in the 5th District?
Meas: The people who have jobs will keep them, and the ones who don't could find one. Because the tax codes are so complicated, companies don't know where they are financially, but they are also being prevented from growth. Our tax codes need to be simplified. Eighty percent of tax lawyers don't understand it. It favors two kinds of people: the dishonest and those who are rich and can afford armies of tax lawyers.
Gazette: Every candidate says that they're different. Why should voters believe you?
Meas: I'm proof of it. I've survived. I understand people. I'm a regular guy who cares a lot about his country. I decided to run in November of 2008, long before Scott Brown, long before anybody else. I'm not part of the establishment. I've been poor. I've witnessed atrocities. (America) is heaven for me. I don't want this heaven to fade away.
Gazette: What is one things Congresswoman Tsongas does well?
Meas: I'm very thankful that she took the initiative to sponsor the body armor bill to protect our armed services. I have to give her credit for that.
Gazette: You've run on a "live and let live," message. What does that mean?
Meas: It means I believe in freedom. Right to bear arms, a right to enjoy a private life. Government is very intrusive.
Gazette: In that same realm, would you support overturning Roe. v. Wade?
Meas: No. I am pro-life, but I believe a woman should have a safe place to have an abortion in the cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is in danger.
Gazette: Would you support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage?
Meas: That's a state issue. I would vote against it because it's in violation of the 10th Amendment.
Gazette: Who is your political idol?
Meas: Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln believed in government of the people, by the people and for the people. That quote inspired me to run for Congress. I believe in the exceptional spirits of the American people.
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