Following is part 2 of the interview with candidate Genevieve Collins who is challenging incumbent Colin Allred for Texas’s 32nd Congressional District of the U.S. House of Representatives. The district includes the northern and eastern portions of Dallas County, including Garland, and a sliver of Collin County.
Veterans
Several of Collins’ family members are veterans and she said that she understands that people return from military service changed.
“We have to try to raise awareness of the fact that there are just some things that you cannot unsee when you go to war,” she said. “Veterans should never feel alone or that it’s unacceptable for them to talk about their experiences and feelings.
Also, the stigma of seeking mental health services must be reduced.”
The candidate added that it is often too difficult for veterans to get the help they need. She has been working with the Veterans Resource Outreach Center based in Rowlett and said that they are doing incredible work helping people navigate Veterans Affairs expeditiously but veterans must be empowered to make decisions about what is best for them.
“I believe that to really help solve the VA problems, we have to have transparency and we have to give our veterans choices,” Collins said. “Forcing them to go to one place is not doing what is best for all veterans. I would focus on making it easier for them to get the treatment that they need.”
Government assistance
“Democrats think that the federal government can do better for you than you can do for yourself,” Collins said. “I don’t believe as Texans that we want to be a part of a system of dependency. We are fearless, innovative and entrepreneurial. We are go-getters.”
She explained that North Texans are known for helping one another through various charitable organizations and added that we do not need the government to do it.
“It’s already being done,” she said. “We just need to shine a light on the fact that we are doing it and that we want to give people the opportunity to rise up, stand up and be the architect of their own lives. We are not hearing that from Colin Allred or Eddie Bernice Johnson or any of the Democrats.”
Economy
Collins believes that the 2017 tax cuts were an enormous shot in the arm for the nation and that having the corporate tax rate cut by 14% allowed companies to create the greatest boon market that she has ever seen.
“There was historic low unemployment for women and for minorities,” she said. “People were a part of the process and got a chance to believe in their own ‘can-do-it-ness.’ When the government forced everyone to shut down because of the pandemic, it shut our economy down. Of course, unemployment will skyrocket when people are told that they cannot go to work even though they are fully capable and able to go to work. All this is due to the pandemic.”
She feels that another round of Paycheck Protection Program is needed.
“As the candidate that has been endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, which are the small-business owners of America, I know that they are struggling. and if you’re on Main Street, and you don’t have an e-commerce component to your business, you are really hurting,” Collins said. “There should absolutely be another spending package specifically for providing laser-focused targeted coronavirus relief.”
“Our current representative completely missed the boat and wants to focus on $3 trillion wasteful spending packages that allow Texans to bail out California. He wants to allocate $1 trillion bailing out state and local governments that refuse to balance their own budgets.”
She added that this penalizes Texans.
“We go to work, pay our taxes, follow the rules…We believe in innovation and we believe in a low tax environment yet we have to pay for the sins of Californians who refuse to deal with their own financial problems, or name whatever other blue state that is in a complete budget spiral.”
Collins said that is not fair to Texans, but it is what the current representative wants to use our money for – to bail our California for $1 trillion.
Health care
She believes in protecting people with preexisting conditions and she said that insurance companies and drug companies have too much power.
“There are too few that control too much of our health care. We need more insurance companies, more competition and transparency,” Collins said. “Why is the health care industry the only industry where it is acceptable to not know what you are paying for? If we know what we are actually paying for, it will drive the costs down.”
She believes that wider access to telemedicine is crucial because it is quick, affordable and it gets people the care they need.
“Garland could benefit from bringing back our medical supply chain and manufacturing it here in this city,” she said. “There are 480 manufacturing facilities in Garland. We can repurpose any of those or add more. There is also a highly-skilled workforce that is capable and able to go to work immediately. Let’s bring those jobs back from China. That’s what I plan on advocating for when I get to Congress.”
The candidate does not believe in a Medicare for all system.
“It would make our health care system dependent on the federal government and force us to take whatever they will pay for,” she said. “And when the government has my destiny in their hands, it’s not a good thing for me or anyone else.”
In closing, Collins said that she has a record of service in business and service in education and service in the community.
The candidate has served on numerous philanthropic boards and was born and raised in North Texas. She has built a business and worked for every child and parent in the area through that business.
“I think that gives me more credibility and authenticity than he [Allred] can ever try to aspire to match,” she said. “It’s also important to note that Allred says he is a bipartisan moderate. but he votes with Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time. How can that be bipartisan?”