Name: Rob Sobhani
Party: Independent (Unaffiliated)
Home: Potomac, Maryland
Website: www.sobhaniformaryland.com
Introduction: I am running to be Maryland's next U.S. Senator as an Independent because I believe our system is broken and we are running out of time to fix it. As a businessman, I am more focused on solutions than worrying about which party gets the credit. I was born in Kansas, but Maryland has been my home for the last 33 years. America is the greatest country on earth, and I have been fortunate to have been successful in my career, so from my perspective public service is a good way to give back. If elected, I have pledged to deliver on five specific promises on creating jobs and if I fail to deliver, I will not seek a second term.
Why Should You Support Me? Supporting me is a good way to declare your independence from a system that no longer represents our interests and is now governing without our consent. But a vote for me in this election means more than just sending a message to washington, it means that you agree with me on the need for practical solutions to glaring problems we face today: crippling unemployment, out-of-control spending, and an overall lack of accountability among our elected officials. Take a walk with me on Harford Road in Baltimore and the only traces you see of our current political establishment are they signs they have the nerve to post on vacant buildings. Not only have they failed to solve our problems, they come back asking for another term so they can ignore our problems for another six years. I have a plan to raise private funds to revitalize housing in Baltimore, to boost our state's exports by $1 billion, to invest -- again with private --funds into our ailing infrastructure, to give Maryland a bigger role in the war on cancer, and to give kids who haven't had all the chances in the world an opportunity to enter the workplace, and hopefully start positive careers. If you think this is what your senator should be doing, then vote for me and you have my word this is what I'll do.
Specific Questions
Same Sex Marriage:
There is a good reason we have referenda, and this state issue will be on the ballot in November. If the current law runs counter to the will of the people, it can be overturned at the ballot box. The burning question we face today has to do with making sure there are jobs for all who are willing and able to work. My number one priority is getting our economy back on track. Our quality of life as a nation is in peril, and unless serious action is taken to stimulate job growth, our economy will continue its downward spiral. I am not going to be distracted from this priority, and we are running out of time to fix it. I will say that I agree with the Bill of Rights which says that states should provide equal protection under the law to all people within its jurisdiction.
Dream Act:
It’s time to stop using immigration as a divisive issue as many in politics have done and start building unity around real immigration reform. With wisdom and compassion, I do believe it is an issue we can fix, once we stop playing politics and start thinking seriously about solutions for the medium and long term. Maryland's Dream Act would guarantee the benefits of citizenship, but doesn't address the path to citizenship, which I think is what we should tackle first. Until this time the debate in our country has either involved pandering or slandering immigrants and I don't believe this serves our system well. We need to work with our neighbors in this hemisphere so they will stop exporting their problems to the United States, instead we need to help them develop the rule of law, tackle corruption and create economic opportunity whether in Mexico or Central America. I hope you will join me in getting this done.
Casino ballot:
If more gambling is the best answer our elected officials can come up with to get us out of the economic hole we now face, all I can say is shame on them. This is what happens when the people we elect fail to lead. If our economy were stronger, no one would advance the argument that more gambling is necessary to save our schools. In my view, the very existence of this question demonstrates the degree to which those currently running our state have failed to focus on the number one issue today: creating long-term, well-paying jobs and getting our economy back on track.
Obama's Health Care Act:
There are positive and negative aspects to the Affordable Care Act. I agree with the provisions on pre-existing conditions and extending parental coverage for young adults graduating college, but I am concerned with the mandate. I would not throw the baby out with the bathwater, but I do believe the insurance market mechanism in the bill can be improved to make it less dependent on the government and better suited to free market forces. I think the law can be amended to reflect this, and I believe the insurance industry should be reformed.
How
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