Mark Joseph Carroll: 2022 candidate for 11th Congressional District

Bio

Party: Republican

Office sought: U.S. House, 11th District

City: North Aurora

Age: 48

Occupation: Attorney, Mutual of Omaha

Previous offices held: North Aurora Village Trustee since 2014; appointed to planning commission

Q&A

What needs to be done to get Congress to work constructively, whether that be senators and representatives of both parties working with each other or Congress itself working with the president?

We need to stop the reliance on administration by executive order. This practice has created uncertainty in our governing process and leads to further division among the parties and the people. Further, this practice violates the protections of separation of powers.

We need to elect leaders with a proven track record of solving problems and drawing people to his viewpoint.

What is your position on changing voter access?

In order to preserve our most basic right in America, the right to vote, we need to guarantee free and honest elections. The Constitution specifically enumerates that the time, place and manner of holding elections shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof. In the 2020 election, there were changes made to state election laws across the Country by courts, Secretaries of State, Election boards all in direct contradiction to the specific language of the Constitution. There is no exception in the Constitution to authorize changes due to an emergency.

I am in support of State voter ID requirements. We cannot have free and fair elections if we cannot guarantee the identity of the person voting. If photo ID access is an issue for minority populations, then the States have an obligation to create laws to ensure access to photo IDs. We should not lessen the protections against voter fraud by accommodating inadequate state laws which deny equal access to photo IDs.

Do you recognize that the election of Joe Biden as president in 2020 was legitimate and fair? If not, why?

The Constitution specifically enumerates that the time, place and manner of holding elections shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.

In the 2020 election, there were changes made to state election laws across the Country by courts, Secretaries of State, Election boards all in direct contradiction to the specific language of the Constitution. Democrats argue that these were all done on an "emergency" basis. There is no exception in the Constitution to authorize changes due to an emergency. Not only was this unconstitutional, it was like changing the rules in the middle of the game.

What, if anything, should Congress do to prevent another violent attack such as the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol?

Contrary to the clear implication of this question, the damage and destruction of both private and public property in the riots that occurred leading up to the 2020 election were every bit as egregious and unlawful as what occurred on January 6, 2021.

Rioters led by anarchist and progressive groups hijacked entire neighborhoods for months. The attacks on our law enforcement were unprecedented. All persons who harm others, destroy private or public property, and terrorize the neighborhoods in our American cities should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

What do you consider America's role in world affairs? In particular, what should our role be regarding current points of tension involving Russia/Ukraine, the future of Taiwan or other threats of Chinese expansionism and the Middle East?

Weakness in leadership begets aggression. Joe Biden has proven himself to be the weakest President in modern American history. Joe Biden has lost the respect of our allies and the fear of our enemies. We need a President who will uphold the promise that America will remain and forever will be the "Shining City on the Hill" as a Beacon of hope and freedom for the whole World. America's role is to support our allies and the cause of freedom wherever it is threatened through diplomacy, and when necessary to protect America's interests, through sanctions and as a last resort, through military action. Historically, we have seen time and again that strength in resolve and leadership is a deterrent to dictators and tyrants.

Do you acknowledge humans' role in causing climate change? What steps should government be taking to address the issue?

I believe in the Biblical principal of conservation.

We all have a role to play in protecting wildlife and nature and in caring for the World which God created for us. With that said, I also believe that God also provides technology and advancement so that we can live together in society and provide for ourselves and our neighbor.

Democrats have their fist on the scale toward a radical "green" agenda with no concern for the economic harm these measures inflict on the every day citizens of the 11th District and America. In fact, what we have seen from the Biden Administration is the moving toward a "green" agenda that is not market driven. In fact, the actions of the Biden administration with regard to its "green" energy agenda has caused soaring inflation on grocery store shelves and at the gas pump that hurt every hardworking American family.

Please define your position on health care reform, especially as it relates to the Affordable Care Act.

The promise of Obamacare made by Democrats was that health care costs would go down. That was a lie. There was never any intention for health care costs to go down. Instead, the goal was to intentionally inflict pain on Americans in order to justify the Democrats intended attempt to move to a single-payer health care system.

We have seen the Democrats' agenda-driven approach to health care, much like we are seeing with the Democrats agenda-driven energy policy. It is an "ends justifies the means" approach that actually intentionally inflicts harm on Americans.

What immigration policies do you support? Where, if at all, do you see room for compromise to produce an effective policy on immigration? Does the government have any responsibility toward Dreamers who were brought to the United States illegally as children and are now adults? How will these policies affect your district?

A. Secure the Border. Immigration reform is not possible without securing our Border. Our current open border poses a clear and present National security risk. Securing the border means allocating real funding for a wall, utilizing technology and boots on the ground.

B. National Language. Adopting English as the National language means that Congress needs to allocate funding for the purpose of educating non-English speaking Immigrants how to read and write English.

C. Guest Workers. We need to review and reform our guest worker program to make sure that once a worker changes employment or the Visa expires, we have a system for tracking the guest workers. D. Remove Criminals. We need to identify, round up and remove all Illegal Immigrants that are violent criminals. We would also make "sanctuary cities" illegal.

E. Path to Citizenship. I do not advocate a path to citizenship unless all of the other 4 Pillars are included in a comprehensive package.