Welcome to Pics By Faron 2024

(1) Your age & the first presidential election you ever voted in ?

38 and 2004

(2) What were the factors that helped you decide to support the Republican party from the beginning?

The biggest things were the Global War on Terror and wanting to support the military. Watching the planes strike the Twin Towers and witnessing the determination of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq made it clear that strong leadership was needed to protect the United States. President Bush's response to the attacks showed a commitment to national security, which I believed was essential to keeping America safe. It became important to back a commander-in-chief who had proven his resolve.

Even as a young adult, the pro-business Republican policies which would help cut taxes for regular people and then create an environment where there are more jobs made sense compared to Democrats who want to tax businesses more and increase regulations.

Lastly, the broader values of the Republican Party like a commitment to individual responsibility and a focus on economic freedom felt like the right path for ensuring a prosperous future. My parents taught me to work hard and make good decisions about my life so those values align. These principles seemed essential for maintaining a secure, thriving America for everyone, which made my decision to support the party an easy one.

(3) What do you as a registered Republican voter consider the main three things this election should focus on?

Economy and inflation - prices on everyday goods have increased about 20% across the board on average with some items way higher in the Biden-Harris administration. Reckless government spending policies cause inflation which eroded savings and diminished purchasing power for Americans who struggle with higher prices for gas, groceries, and housing. In contrast, Republicans have a proven track record of fostering economic growth through pro-business policies, tax cuts, and regulatory reforms. Under Republican leadership, we can curb inflation, boost the economy, and create an environment where businesses can thrive and jobs are abundant, restoring prosperity for everyday Americans. A stronger economy at home means a stronger America on the world stage too.

Border security and immigration - there were record low illegal immigration in several decades under the Trump administration to now record high illegal immigration under the Biden-Harris administration. This surge of illegal immigration strains local resources, increases crime, and threatens national security. More illegal migrants also compete with citizens for housing and drive up costs with rent and owning homes. Republicans will put America’s safety first, ensuring that our borders are secure and our immigration laws are respected.

Education and parents' rights - Under the Biden-Harris administration there were prolonged school closures which led to significant setbacks for our kids. Too many students are falling further behind in reading and math, with national scores reflecting the damage. The administration has also shown hostility toward parents who speak up at school board meetings by having them investigated by the FBI. Republicans believe in putting parents back in the driver’s seat with policies like school choice and promoting transparency in education. Republicans are also committed to protecting the integrity of girls' sports, ensuring that biological girls compete on a level playing field. This position has widespread support among Americans who believe that fairness in sports should be preserved for our daughters and granddaughters. A stronger America starts with a stronger education system.

(4) In your opinion only , were there flaws in the 2020 Election? How do we as a whole move away from the past & focus on the future?

Yes, there some flaws in the 2020 election with one example of widespread mail voting being against the state constitution in Pennsylvania. There are always irregularities and issues with elections since no human system is ever perfect. Even Barack Obama mentioned years ago that voting by mail or absentee ballots could get lost or be an easier way to commit fraud so it is a bipartisan idea that mail in votes are more risky. Cheating in elections have happened all the time like LBJ and his Senate race in the 1940s but that came out decades after the fact where nothing could be done. I don't think any one instance of irregularities like ballots getting lost in the mail or election fraud rose to the level of affecting the outcome of 2020 election though.

There was also widespread rigging not in the election process for 2020 but just from big tech censorship preventing the information about Hunter Biden's laptop showing the Biden family corruption from being shared so voters were informed. I read that some Biden voters would have switched to vote for Trump due to that info so covering up that story was election meddling. Media and tech collusion trying to suppress the story, calling the laptop misinformation and then reporting it was authentic years after the election while pushing every baseless story negative for Trump like Russian collusion as news shows excessive bias. Luckily, Twitter or now X has a new owner so at least there is at least one social media site committed to free speech in today's virtual town square. Also Zuckerberg with Meta/Facebook put out that what they did with the Biden laptop was a mistake and stated they won't do that in the future.

The biggest things systematically to help election integrity in the future is to mandate voter ID to ensure just citizens vote and prevent cheating and then also keep elections decentralized since every state and county conducts their elections so it would be incredibly hard to cheat nationally. Voter ID is a simple way to ensure that only eligible citizens participate, maintaining the integrity of our democracy. Many Democrats claim that voter ID is exclusionary but I don't have the soft bigotry of low expectations that thinks that various demographic groups can't get an ID when using an ID is used for many things needed for daily life such as buying alcohol, renting/buying a house, traveling, applying for government assistance, etc. I am against the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2023 that was blocked but that Democrats want to pass in the future since it would be federal overreach into how states run their elections. Preserving the decentralized nature of elections ensures that they remain close to the communities they serve, fostering greater transparency and accountability.

(5) Who was responsible for the events of Jan 6th & why did it happen ?

The individuals who took part in the events of Jan 6 where a peaceful protest devolved into a riot are who where responsible for their own behavior and actions. Trump's speech that day specifically said to "peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard" so Trump did not call for violence or incite a riot. It is unfair to pin responsibility on Trump when he clearly said "peaceful."

The violence happened because there were some election irregularities and people thought that Trump won the election and then individuals in the crowd were urging people into the Capitol. There was also a lapse in security with recent tapes showing Nancy Pelosi not ensuring there was adequate security at the Capitol.

Jan 6 was horrible and everyone right, left, and center has condemned it but it was way overplayed by the news and the country was in no actual danger. Both Democrats and Republicans certified the election the same day showing the strength of our democratic institutions. There was an actual coup in Thailand in 2014 where thousands of armed military and police took over the government in an actual insurrection and if you could compare that to Jan 6 with under a thousand protesters who didn't have any firearms and mainly charged with misdemeanor trespassing that was not a real coup or insurrection. Even though Jan 6 was not a real coup or insurrection, people should go through the legal system or peacefully protest and not turn to violence.

(6) Abortion has become a major topic in this election since the overturning of Roe V Wade. Why do you think it was overturned?

Roe v Wade was overturned since it was a poorly decided court case. Even liberal legal scholars have commented on how the Roe v Wade decision didn't have good legal basis and even Ruth Bader Ginsburg questioned the decision. Roe v Wade wasn't textually founded in the Constitution so it was just a matter of time before Roe v Wade was overturned. Other poorly decided cases were overturned in our country like Plessy v Ferguson was settled law enshrining segregation before being overturned 58 years later with Brown vs Board of Education.

(7) Should Federal / State Governrment be the ones making the decision about what a woman body in regards to abortion?

Abortion is not just about women's bodies since abortion kills an unborn baby's body. If you want to "follow the science" then the baby has his or her own unique DNA separate from the woman's DNA and there is a consensus that 96% of over 5K biologists affirm that human life starts at conception. Nearly a million babies a year are killed through abortion which would be considered a massive genocide in another context. Abortion also disproportionately kills more black and brown babies so if there are people who think "Black Lives Matter" then they should be pro-life. Many people claim that being against abortion is a religious belief but one can look at abortion without religion and see it as a human rights issue where aborted babies are getting the death penalty without a trial. 

I am pro-life and support both federal or state governments restricting elective abortions - whatever can save the most lives. Since there was the Dobbs decision and abortion is at the state level then I am fine working in that framework and hopefully society will eventually get on board more with protecting unborn babies' human rights. I believe in an incremental approach that meets people where they are at and hopefully reduce abortions over time - already a majority with 2/3 supports some sort of restrictions on abortion and only about 1/3 of people support unrestricted abortion for any reason in all nine months of pregnancy so including late term abortion. Hopefully there will be restricted elective abortions in the future to protect the most babies from being killed. There is a tiny percentage of abortions which are truly medically necessary to save the life of the mother and not elective abortions. Any law restricting abortions allow abortions to save the life of the mother which I agree with. At that point it is medical triage and we need to save who we need to save but I have read that any late term medical emergency where the baby needs to come out to save the mother can be solved by inducing labor or C-section.

I view pro-life people today and in the late 20th century like the abolitionists of the 19th century who opposed slavery. Republicans opposed slavery in the 1800s that dehumanized and treated people as property, Republicans today opposes abortion that dehumanizes and treats people as medical waste or "clumps of cells." We should support human rights regardless of age or stage of development and stop abortion. I think in 150-200 years the people in the future will look back on abortion with disgust like we do with slavery.

Here in AZ, there is the Proposition 139 on the ballot. Both pro-choice or pro-life people should vote NO on Prop 139. Pro-choice people should vote NO since abortion is already legal in Arizona for up to 4 months with current law so there is already abortion access and Proposition 139, if passed, would make abortion less safe by removing medical safeguards and the removing the requirement for doctors needing to perform an abortion. So if you want abortion to be "between a woman and her doctor" then vote NO on Prop 139 since if it passes would allow non-doctors to perform abortions. Pro-life people(and pro-choice people against late term abortion) should vote NO since it expands elective abortions until birth due to the legally vague language. I encourage everyone to read the actual verbiage of Proposition 139 to see the broad language, which would enshrine what I mentioned above along with removing parental notification for minors and also protect sex traffickers who would be protected if they have their victims get abortions. Overall, a horribly written proposal for our state constitution so everyone should vote NO.

(8) What does " Make America Great Again" / Take America back mean to you ?

"Make America Great Again" or "Take America Back" means going back to the prosperity for all during Trump's administration and policies that focus on America First. Before Covid, there was record low unemployment for Latinos, blacks, women, etc. The economy was strong, jobs were being created, and real wages were rising for the first time in decades. Trump supports law and order so people are safe in their towns and cities and illegal immigration was at record low numbers in decades. There was peace throughout the world during the Trump administration and the military had more funding in years. When America is strong, there is peace and stability around the world. There were no new wars under Trump so a return to "peace through strength" will help the US and the world. 

(9) What are the main causes of the issues at the border , who is responsible & the best way to fix it ? 

Under the Trump administration, there was record low illegal immigration but just a couple years later in the Biden-Harris administration there is record high border crossings so Biden-Harris administration is responsible for not enforcing border security and overturning executive action making the current crisis where illegal immigrants are flooding the country and stressing resources in towns and cities across the country. The fentanyl crisis and drug overdoses across the country is also the responsibility of the Biden-Harris administration and their weak border policy.

There are illegal immigrants from nearly every country in the world coming through the southern border and I read an article that Mexico is reporting that 177 countries out of about 180 countries in the world are traveling through their country to go through the US southern border. The people are coming since they know that the border is open and people want to come to the United States since it is a wealthy country. Some people claim that to solve the border crisis we need to fix the root cause of economic migration so the illegal immigrants don't want to come in the first place but we already give billions in foreign aid and it isn't practical that the US can fix nearly every country in the world.

The best way to fix the border crisis is to enforce all current laws like under the Trump administration. "Remain in Mexico" for asylum seekers to wait in Mexico instead of just letting people into the country was also really effective. The border bill that was blocked earlier this year would not have been a good solution at all since there were high migrant thresholds as part of the proposed bill before the government could act and it would also be optional to enforce so an open border government could have just kept their horrible policies going. We need to enforce the law and support law enforcement.

(10) In your opinion , what is needed so that both parties move away from the negativity surrounding this election?

For both parties to move away from negativity, there needs to be a focus on policies rather than personal attacks. There used to be shared values throughout the country where Democrats and Republicans both stood for the flag and loved the country, went to the same church or bowling league, but those institutions have been eroded and people are in an echo chamber. There are studies that conservatives understand the left since TV, movies, universities, social media, etc. are all controlled by the left so conservatives are surrounded by left messaging but people on the left don't understand conservatives at all and sadly some don't even associate with anyone on the right at all.

Democrats need to stop with the messaging that Trump is a "danger to democracy" or dictator. I remember when George W Bush, John McCain, and other Republicans were called Hitler but Democrats are relentless with Trump and that rhetoric helped cause two assassination attempts on Trump. We already had a Trump presidency and he might have tweeted some off the wall stuff but policy-wise was basic moderate Republican. Even looking at policies for 2024, Trump's agenda, which is Agenda 47 and not Project 2025(anytime I see/hear a Democrat talk about Project 2025 they are falsely trying to associate it with Trump who has denied it and Democrats are basically just using a strawman fallacy instead of addressing Trump's actual policies) is more moderate on nearly every issue.

Another thing about negativity and moving beyond it is if the news and other media just tried to stick to the facts and be more objective on both sides. There is too much bias and most news media is basically just Democrat propaganda and talking points. George Stephanopoulos was Clinton's communication director and Jen Psaki was part of Biden's staff before joining MSNBC and there are other examples of Democrat staffers becoming news personalities so they are hardly objective and keep stoking the negativity by always covering for Democrats. If the news was actually 50/50, there would be much less negativity on both sides.

This is the words of ONE PERSON. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILTY to learn about the candidates and make your own choices.

If any Democratic voter  would like the to answer the same ten questions , please send me an email cs@picsbyfaron.com  .