Andrew J. Myers

Over the past few months, I've met hundreds of you. I've been asked thousands of questions, but more than any other, you want to know why I'm running for State Representative. The answer is at the same time incredibly simple and extremely complicated. I have watched for a decade as our current representative has placed a greater importance on playing partisan politics than on the real effects his choices make on the citizens of this community. I'm tired of looking in the windows of empty storefronts on Main Street and remembering the prosperous businesses that used to be there. I'm fed up with hearing how elected officials have ignored my neighbors' concerns and fuming because no one can do anything to help them. Our community is full of real people with real problems. On this page, I've detailed a number of the most pressing issues that we face and how I would work to bring real solutions to the 9th Worcester District.

I'm not a politician. Politicians dance around issues. They do their best to avoid taking a stand on anything. That's not me, and it isn't the kind of person we want representing us in the state legislature. This page is designed to tell you exactly where I stand on the issues that concern our community. I hope it answers most of the questions you have about me, and about why I'm running. If it doesn't, email your question to me and I'll answer it personally.

Fixing the health care system in Massachusetts is my top priority. Everyone should have access to affordable, high-quality health care, whether their insurance comes from the state or from their job. Unfortunately, health care costs are rising dramatically, and if the governor's service cuts continue, the people who will suffer are the middle class families of our district. Most small businesses can't afford to pay the $852 per month that it costs to insure an average family. Something must be done. The cost is only one problem; even with money pouring into the health care industry, our resources are stretched to the breaking point. Hospitals are disappearing, and with them badly needed beds. Nurses are overworked and responsible for far too many patients. It is time for Massachusetts to take drastic action. I am committed to legislation that provides tax breaks to small businesses who provide health care for families, to legislation that keeps the number of patients per nurse small, and to a reversal of the governor's change in the requirements for MassHealth. I will work to ensure that everyone can grow up in Massachusetts knowing that when they need medical care, they won't have to worry about how to pay for it.

I am unequivocally opposed to the placement of a Medical Waste Treatment Plant in the 9th Worcester District. While I understand that some financial opportunity will be lost, I refuse to allow dozens of trucks filled with syringes and hazardous waste containers to drive through my hometown everyday. The DEP has recently brought the project to a halt, but the rejection was technical and easily fixed. Should the project resurface, I will remain firmly against the creation of the plant and fight to keep our community safe.

Most of my life experience has been about helping kids in trouble. Helping the kids of our community to avoid trouble, or helping them to get out of it when they can't, is a major goal of my candidacy. Nearly 10% of the imprisoned juvenile population comes from Worcester County. That is unacceptable to me. We need more programs that offer kids opportunities to enjoy themselves and help prevent them from getting in trouble after school. In addition, we need to expand the counseling and rehabilitative services that our children can access when they do get in trouble. We must make sure that we save every single child we can, and the best way to do that is to provide them with a vocal advocate on Beacon Hill.

Our district is blessed with good schools. The teachers and administrators have worked hard with the resources they have been given, and the future is bright for many of our students. I believe we could do better, however, if we had more resources to use for our students. We also need an expanded effort to finance higher education for our students. I support legislation that will create tuition breaks for 9th Worcester District students who make use of our state university system. As college tuitions skyrocket in the next decade, we need to secure the opportunity for higher education for all of our children. If we don't, then all of our efforts to improve our schools won't translate into better jobs for our children.

I have been a Boy Scout for most of my life, and I share a love of the outdoors with many of the people in our community. As a result, I know how important Second Amendment rights are to the sportsmen of our district, and I support them wholeheartedly.

Union labor is a pillar of our district's financial security. I am dedicated to many of the same propositions as organized labor, especially staunch support for lowering health care costs and upholding the prevailing wage. I also strongly believe that people should be paid fairly for the overtime that they work, unlike the current Republican administrations in both the Commonwealth and the Federal Government.

I support a woman's right to choose. While I understand that many people harbor religious or moral objections to abortion, I don't think the government has the right to legislate the decisions people make about their own bodies.

I believe that the government has no right to tell anyone who they should love, or to make some benefits available for loving certain people. As an aspiring attorney, I also believe that the courts are the ultimate protector of our civil rights. The Supreme Judicial Court has clarified the law surrounding marriage, and I support the ruling of the court.