Speech to N.K. Democratic Committee

4 May 2022

 

Good evening and thank you for inviting me here tonight.

 

My name is Cameron Moquin and I am running for CD-2. 

 

I entered this race in February because of my experience as a Lieutenant on Providence Rescue 5.

 

The first thing out of my mouth when I made the decision was, "I'm going to help the homeless". Why? Aside from the fact that my brother is experiencing homelessness which makes this a deeply personal issue, I see issues like his play out day after day on Rescue 5.

 

Let’s add to that, the unmitigated mental health crisis in this country and the fentanyl epidemic both exacerbated by the lack of housing and red tape that keeps people homeless. All of this by the way, disproportionately effects people who are Black, Indigenous and people of Color-- which speaks to topic I’d like to bring up shortly.

 

In my work, I see regular misuse and abuse of the Emergency Medical System which costs us all in insurance premiums and copays as well as tax dollars for Fire and police response. I see that the de facto mental health management policy is to leave people with no independent living skills to fend for themselves on the streets.

 

I also see countless regular people who need real help, but don't get what they need, because they think the emergency room is the answer for everything. These people are often discharged without treatment and burdened with the full cost of an emergency room visit or at best a $100 copay.

 

Emergency rooms are constantly inundated by people with non-emergent problems, and it’s created burn out in nurses, and doctors are frustrated by the fact that nothing is being done to change it.

 

I know that the countless problems in the health system can be solved by constructing a framework that puts funding and resources into the right places, and we need the weight of  federal legislation to make it happen.

 

My vision for Medicare For All covers these issues and more, ensuring that quality of care, appropriateness of care and equity of care are the the priority, And all while lowering costs by directly addressing the vast inefficiencies in the system.

 

But health care is just one major national crisis.

 

The issue of systemic racism is finally surfacing to the mainstream but still faces a great deal of resistance from white people who prefer to keep their blinders on.

 

Paraphrasing Robin Diangelo, Suffice it to say that this is a far-reaching problem that exists within a centuries old framework of oppression that will not change until white people like me and especially our lawmakers, are finally willing acknowledge our complicity, unintentional or not, in allowing this system of oppression to continue.

 

My Platform also focuses defending the LGBTQ+ community.  We need our lawmakers to stand up and fight fire with fire now. And maybe we need a firefighter to do it.

 

The problem with Democrats of the past has been their sheepishness and cautiousness in responding to threats from the GOP. This is now the time for Democrats to emerge as fighters and push back with decisive leadership. Our lawmakers need to stand vociferously against the egregious attacks on our fellow Americans.

 

Black Indigenous and People Of Color are constantly under attack from an emboldened white nationalist movement.  The far-right GOP is controlling the narrative and attacking and smearing the LGBTQIA by calling the community and it’s Ally’s "Groomers" and hurling accusations of pedophilia.

 

We know this is all especially dangerous talk because it is mobilizing the morally bankrupt, fake Christians, who use religion as a basis to perpetrate very non-Christian hate and violence.

 

 And we all know about the threat to Roe V Wade.

Today the conversation about the endangered Roe v Wade decision has inspired a great deal of justified anger and disgust toward the Supreme Court. 

 

The movement is now building momentum toward codification of Roe v Wade, but that will not stop the court from taking further its brazenly political mission and they will certainly overturn any such law codified by congress. 

 

This is precisely why it’s time to fight fire with fire. The only way to stop this and protect our future is to restore balance to the Supreme court. There is no more time to tip toe around this.

 

Codifying the Roe V Wade into law and adding justices to the Supreme court NOW, with no holds barred, is our only recourse. Inaction on this now threatens the integrity of our democracy and the future of our country. 

 

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly why I am running for Congress.

Thank you.