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Daniel Roldan-Johnson: Candidate Profile

14th District U.S. Representative (Democrat)

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: VoloWebsite: www.voteroldan.comTwitter: @WeCanMAFFacebook: facebook.com/voteroldan18Office sought: 14th District U.S. Representative Age: 34Family: My husband's name is Christian Roldan-Johnson. My parents are Kenneth and Teresa Johnson. My living brother's name is Jeremiah Johnson. My late baby brothers name is Nathan Johnson.Occupation: Teacher and ProfessorEducation: BA in Political Science from FAU M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning from DePaul GCAS in Teaching ESL from American College of Education EdD in Transformational Leadership from University of New England (in progress)Civic involvement: Bilingual Parents Advisory CouncilElected offices held: I have never held public officeQuestions Answers What do you think is the government's responsibility in assuring that citizens have health care? To what extent does the Affordable Care Act address this responsibility? What, if any, changes are needed in the act.I believe that the governments responsibility as outlined in the Declaration of Independence is to ensure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In order to ensure life, healthcare needs to be accessible to all. I support the Affordable Care Act with a public option that would compete in the marketplace. Healthcare should not be a privilege only for those that can afford it.What immigration policies do you support? Where, if at all, do you see room for compromise to produce an effective policy on immigration? What, if any, responsibility does the government have toward immigrants referred to as Dreamers who were brought to the United States illegally as children and are now adults? How will these policies affect your district?Dreamers should be given full rights and citizenship as described in President Obama's executive order. Lets remember these were CHILDREN brought here through no fault of their own. They did not choose to break the law and have only known this country as their own. This is where they grew up, this is where they went to school, and made friends, and learned how to be an American. Dreamers are Americans and are an amazing asset to this nation. Turning them away would be a tragic injustice not fitting of a nation made up of immigrants. The United States has some of the toughest laws to legal citizenship, some of this is a testament to the greatest of the ideals of America. Where those from everywhere can come and make themselves and their families better. A place not controlled by one religion or party or idea, but a place of openness and freedom. That draw is one of our greatest strengths. We shouldn't forget that most of our ancestors came here following that dream without "legal" status, but they believed in the idea and made this nation better. It is no different than the people currently here that do not have "legal" status. Most of these people want to become a citizen and contribute to our country. They pay taxes and are making America great right now by working hard and providing for their families. We need to give them status.What military or diplomatic roles should the United States play to promote peace and stability in the Mideast? Under what circumstances should we have military forces actively operating?As the world's sole super power, it is up to us to help those around the world being slaughtered by their governments or terror organizations. Diplomatic options should always be our first option, but if needed, we should use military force to protect people from gross injustice. ISIS is a real threat to world peace and the United States as well as all of our partners should work together to defeat this menace.What should the United States be doing to reduce the threat of potential nuclear conflict from North Korea?I strongly disagree with President Trump's position of attacking Kim Jong Un in the same way that the North Korean dictator attacks his enemies. We are the greatest nation on earth and do not, should not, engage in these trivial back and forth. I support the position of the South Korean government to engage the North when necessary and come down hard on them when needed. The world sees that the North is a dictatorship that does nothing for its people, while the South is a successful and engaging partner in the world community. That should be celebrated and repeated. We do not have to engage the dictator of North Korea in these ridiculous twitter storms that do nothing but diminish out standing on the world stage as a serious partner.How would you describe the effectiveness of Congress today? If you think Congress needs to be more effective, what would you do to promote that?Congress overall is too partisan and that is not what the majority of America wants. The two sides should works together. The two sides should listen to their constituencies. If elected I will hold regular townhalls with the citizens of the 14th district. I will also work with anyone, no matter what side of the aisle they are on, if it means good common sense legislation for the middle class families of this country and the 14th district.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am the first in my family to graduate from high school and go to college. I believe that we need to improve public-private partnerships between high schools, colleges, and private companies to provide a direct pipeline for students into technical fields. There are so many great jobs unfilled because students do not know about them or they are not as "celebrated" as a 4 year degree, but these are the jobs of the future and we can implement apprenticeship programs to fill these positions with students going into jobs trained and ready to give private companies what they need and students with little to no debt. We can do this and I want to make this happen.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.President ObamaWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?That if you want to succeed as a regular person you have to do it yourself.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have invested in land when I was young in Florida before the land boom.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Social Studies, yes it helped me understand the world I was living in.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Work hard and be kind to those around you. Not matter what happens remember you are you and you are loved.