Gonzaga Seeks to Replace Delahunt in Congress Navy Veteran Wants To 'Listen And Defend All Of The People Equally' By Curt Lovelace October 2002 Print Edition

On Sept. 9, Lou Gonzaga (R-Hyannis) set off to visit every town in the 10th Congressional District. He called his journey to meet, greet and persuade voters to send him to Washington as "40 towns in 40 days."

He wants to replace Bill Delahunt (D) as their Representative from the South Shore and the Cape and Islands.

A Cape Cod native, Gonzaga is a Navy veteran and is active in numerous political and community organizations. He is a consultant to a software company.

He has never been elected to political office and knows that unseating a popular Democrat will be a tough task. That's why he announced his run 16 months before the election and began running immediately. He told a reporter at the time that getting a head start was "the only way I'm going to win this race."

This first-generation American is solidly conservative. He supports the right to keep-and-bear-arms and he believes the United States should pass an amendment barring desecration of the flag. He believes schools should teach respect for the flag and what it represents.

Gonzaga is a also a supporter of the pro-life movement. He says, "The unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed." He endorses a human life amendment to the Constitution which extends Fourteenth Amendment protection to unborn children. He opposes the use of public revenues for abortions or for organizations that advocate it.

Fiscally conservative, Gonzaga has pledged to resist tax hikes. Americans for Tax Reform sent out a press release commending Gonzaga for his stand. It read, in part, that Gonzaga "sent the taxpayers of Massachusetts 10th district a clear message on January 30, 2002, by promising to 'oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and businesses; and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.' Candidates running in Massachusetts' 10th district were sent the pledge and Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) is pleased that Gonzaga took the pledge, and by doing so, demonstrated his commitment to fiscal responsibility."

Grover Norquist, President of the group, praised Gonzaga's decision saying, "Massachusetts' 10th district should be pleased by the fact that they have a candidate who demonstrates fiscal common sense. Candidates who sign the pledge, in essence, sign a contract with all taxpayers stating: you can keep more of what you have earned."

Not surprisingly for this navy veteran, defense is also a high priority. He has been endorsed by the National Defense Political Action Committee. He maintains that, "We must give our Armed Forces the best technical education, equipment and benefits to maintain a highly professional volunteer force to protect our nation and the world."

Regarding the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he says, "We as a nation felt very fortunate that we had not seen a war within our country since Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately the terrorist and cowardly acts of Sept. 11 prove 'Freedom is not free and we must never fall asleep.' We as a nation should give gratitude to the men and women that serve us to protect us. We should also have gratitude to our Reserve and National Guard Units that have been called again to serve this great nation and show the world that we are a strong nation and the terrorist acts of September 11 have and will continue to make the people of the United States of America stronger."

A strong proponent of local control over educational issues, Gonzaga believes that accountability and responsibility for the education of the nation's children should be shared between teachers and parents. He advocates a return to the strong teaching of the "basics," including reading, English, mathematics and the sciences. He also believes that we need to create more opportunities for internships as well as more technical schools.

Gonzaga told MassNews that he's in favor of both vouchers and school choice. "We need competition," he declared, adding, "Otherwise mediocrity becomes the order of the day, and that helps nobody." He firmly believes that the teachers in the Commonwealth are not the problem with schools. He said, "We have some great teachers out there. The problem is dealing with all the unfunded mandates."

Bilingual education is also an issue for Gonzaga. He told MassNews that when he started school he spoke no English. There were no funds in those days for bilingual programs, so he experienced what he calls "true immersion." He swears by the method. Even though he speaks several foreign languages himself, he tells immigrant groups that they need to learn English. "It doesn't mean they have to abandon their culture, they just have to add to it. With English, they can get better jobs, better education."

Gonzaga also said that without English you're often at the mercy of translators who don't quite understand the regional dialect you may speak. He explained that he arrived at a hospital to visit his mother and found that a translator had gotten some information wrong. That could have been a very costly mistranslation, he said. His very simple advice to immigrants: "You're in America. Speak English."

Regarding illegal immigration, Gonzaga draws some hard and fast lines. He said that this is one issue on which he differs with President George W. Bush. "We've tried amnesty programs, "he explained, stating firmly, "They don't work." For the sake of our own national self-interest, Gonzaga said, "We need to be hardnosed. Deport them."

Lou Gonzaga's website can be found at www.electgonzaga.org. To reach him by phone call 508-775-3046.