Mark Bray For Congress 2014

This was the official website for Mark Bray who was challenging U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, the incumbent running for a third term representing the Alabama 5th Congressional District seat in the Nov. 4, 2014 election. Mark Bray, an aerospace engineer from Huntsville, qualified for the ballot as an Independent.This was his first time running for a political office.

Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, cruised to a third term in Congress with a landslide win over Independent challenger Mark Bray.

Content is from the site's 2014 archived pages.

Platform

LEADING FORWARD

The two party system is inhibiting our nation from moving toward real solutions to tough problems because it traps the dialog in a left vs. right horizontal argument. Because he is free from party affiliation, Mark can move us ahead and break the gridlock that is inherent to today’s Congress.

RESTORING REPRESENTATION

We deserve representation in Washington regardless of political views, economic circumstances or ethnic and cultural differences. Mark’s mission it to carry ALL the voices of the 5th District with him to Congress.

REBUILDING CONFIDENCE

For far too long, we have been neglected by our leaders in Congress. Through his ability to connect with people Mark has a lifetime of experience of repairing and rebuilding what is broken and seems beyond repair.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Our lives are harder and more demanding these days, yet the bureaucracy of Washington inhibits you from moving ahead because it is focused on self-preservation. Mark knows how to identify problems and overcome impediments that hinder growth by bringing people together through cooperation.

BRIDGING OPPOSITION

The two party system has hijacked our right to think for ourselves and has divided the nation, neighbors and even homes. Mark defends and encourages everyone’s right to know and speak their own mind and believes that opposing views need not make adversaries.

SOLVING COMPLEX PROBLEMS

The world is full of uncertainty, ambiguity and information overload, yet we need to be able to respond rapidly to ever accelerating conditions. As evidenced by multiple instances of grid lock, shutdowns and impotent leadership, Congress appears to be incapable of effectively operating in the Information Age. Mark has proven that he can achieve results in hyper-turbulent environments.

PILOTING INNOVATION

Congress is bogged down by bureaucracy and political hierarchies which hinder innovation. Mark is trained and experienced in generating solutions within complex and often restrictive environments that hinder growth and improvement.

About Mark Bray

Mark Bray was born in February 1975 in Deltona, Florida. His father, Arnold Bray, enjoyed a 37 year career in construction following his service in the Air Force. Mark’s mother, Carolyn Hatfield, has served in various positions of local governments working in courthouse administration and probate offices.

The Brays reared their children in a modest, loving and traditional home founded on Biblical principles. Mark lived his entire childhood in the same home watching Space Shuttle launches from his own back yard. Although a long way from that Florida backyard, he still carries with him three childhood loves – space, baseball and his high school sweet-heart, Carmen.

Mark is not a politician nor has he ever held public office. On the contrary Mark is a working man and is quite literally, a rocket scientist. From the tender age of 11 Mark had decided that space was his future and by 19 he was a member of the Kennedy Space Center climbing inside rockets and living his childhood dreams. Caught between a desire to fly space craft or design them, Mark decided to follow his insatiable appetite to lead teams and to innovate, build and develop timely solutions by pursuing a career in aerospace engineering.

Having worked as a lead engineer for the Space Shuttle Columbia, the tragic disaster involving that mission affected Mark deeply. Working alongside technicians, inspectors and other engineers, Mark served the Columbia’s Accident Investigation Board. Nearly 30 months later Mark and thousands of other space workers proudly celebrated returning Americans to space in July 2005. While both a personally and professionally challenging experience, Mark saw first-hand how to solve complex problems in the midst of catastrophic events. It was in the memory of the brave astronauts Brown, Husband, Clark, Chawla, Anderson, McCool and Ramon; and in the honor of the spirit of human discovery Mark refocused his dedication to forge ahead and continue serving to fulfill the American dream of space flight.

This quest led Mark to pursue a career in the New Moon Program at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Currently Mark is a Materials Engineer at Jacobs Engineering supporting the Space Launch System (SLS) Program. Not surprisingly Mark takes an independent view of the business of space and sees no conflict between upholding a government led pursuit of space versus a commercial one. Mark believes that the benefits of space should not be limited to government interests but should also be made available to every American citizen. Mark is certain that there are vast resources of untapped potential here in the 5th District which could bring economic benefits not only to North Alabama but to the state as a whole, and even to the nation at large. And he has made efforts to tap the potential of citizens and to assist when possible. For example, when a small business was struggling to set up shop in the state, having moved from New York, he assisted with the licensing processes. So now, a formally local carpet cleaning nyc service in New York City is now employing 10 people in their new home state and is paying taxes and contributing to the community. Assisting individuals and businesses is the primary role that Mark wants to take on as a leader in his state.

So why would an avid space enthusiast run for Congress as an Independent for the 5th District of North Alabama? Though the reason was simple, the decision was not an easy one to make. Not only is Mark’s love of space life-long, so is his love for his country. Year after year, decade after decade, Mark has watched our leaders circle each other like sharks all the while failing to reach solutions to problems that continue to affect us all. During this time Mark began to evaluate the nation’s problems by using the engineering principles he honed throughout his career to produce answers to many of the challenges our nation faces. What became clear to him is that he has an ability to produce answers to issues that have plagued our nation for too long. It was then that Mark decided he must now serve his country and his District as a leader in Congress.

Mark is running for Congress simply because he believes that the current representation not only falls drastically short of addressing the needs of his fellow constituents, but also that representation actually ignores our needs. Mark believes that a Representative should represent all the citizens of a district and not just the interests of those who voted for him. It is for this reason that Mark is determined to run as the Independent that he is. Mark is a staunch advocate of the independent mindset of our American Founders and believes that the two-party system is not conducive to an environment where complex problems can be solved in a timely manner.

Mark and Carmen have three children: Christina, Matthew and Cayla, and currently reside in East Huntsville.

Question & Answer

I was for you until you support gun control. Why are you against the 2nd amendment. Private gun sales are between seller and buyer and none of the govetnments business. Yes, I am a Libertarian.

This is a perfect example of the problem with politics. Tune in on live radio http://brayforcongress.com/talk-radio.php for more discussion. The answers are not simple and require discussion to understand the view points.

A Bill to audit the Federal Reserve Bank has been supported by many by co-sponsorship and with voting in the house, but which has not passed the senate. Would you support such a bill, and why?

Yes. But more importantly, while auditing the Federal Reserve will be eye opening to the public, we need more proposed solutions to replacing the debt money system and fractional reserve lending. It is not sustainable and the longer it continues, the greater the risk to democracy through further concentration of wealth and power. I have proposed some options that a revisions to past suggestions by Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.

What is your stance on Marriage Equality?

Search and replace - marriage for civil union. Free people should be allowed to associate with whomever they wish.

I am concerned with the lack of transparency in our representatives\' financial ties to banks, corporations, lobbyists, and Wall Street. Would you sponsor legislation to make it a felony for a member of Congress to engage in insider trading? And, will you get Mo Brooks to commit to such in public debate?

I am also concerned with the lack of transparency in our government. I believe all representatives should be held to the same law as everyone else. As such, I believe insider trading should be illegal for everyone. I would support such legislation.

What is your stand on the National Defense Authority Act?

The NDAA (2012) authorizes the indefinite detention of citizens without due process. This is a violation of the Constitution. It should not stand.

What are your views on the current tax code and what do you think should be done to fix it?

The current tax code is overly complicated and cumbersome to maneuver. While it is marketed as a progressive tax, it is not. It taxes income for wage earners more than passive income and there are numerous loopholes that enable tax evaders to position money and income in places to avoid taxes. We need a simpler tax code.

I am preferrable to a consumption tax. The FairTax concerns me because it was made progressive to earn bi-partisan support and has not received any support from one party and little support from the other. The Flat Income tax is not preferred in my opinion, but it is better than the existing tax code.

However, unless we fix the banking and money system the tax code is secondary. Inflationary policy and fractional reserve lending are the cause of the wealth gap ever widening and no party is proposing any solutions to end the current system. I would propose stabilizing the dollar and ending fractional reserve lending.

What are your views on Women's Birthing Rights?

I believe in freedom of choice based on information and education. As our knowledge of science and nature increases, we are finding more that the natural process works in ways we never understood or appreciated. I support the promotion of birthing choices and I would support the use of public funds for alternative birthing choices under federal and state programs.

Are you pro-life or pro-choice?

I am a pro-life Christian. I value life and I want to see our country support and nurture a culture of life. I am encouraged by the declining trend in the rate of abortion among women in the U.S. The rate is now at its lowest since 1973. I pledge to work with all who wish to see a continuance of this decline. If we are to continue reducing the number of abortions, we must improve reproductive education and the economic conditions for women. p

I am willing to consider every solution that will reduce the rate of abortion to virtually nonexistent, with only one exception. I will not support any law which makes them illegal. There are two reasons for this exception. First, I believe our Constitution protects personal liberty and the Federal government should not legislate restrictions on personal liberty. Second, I believe banning abortions will not prove effective without creating other unintended consequences. p

I believe we can work together to reduce the number of abortions without infringing on Constitutional protections. I also believe the vast majority of Americans can support any effort which will improve economic, social, and spiritual conditions of women in our society so that abortions are reduced. My prayer is that one day we achieve an abortion rate of zero because we have enabled women to have that choice. I believe we can work together to ensure a culture that makes it possible for women to choose life through economic and social support. These include tax payer funded education, counseling, social support, birth control, and adoption.p

I am a pro-life Christian. I value life and I want to see our country support and nurture a culture of life. I am encouraged by the declining trend in the rate of abortion among women in the U.S. The rate is now at its lowest since 1973. I pledge to work with all who wish to see a continuance of this decline. If we are to continue reducing the number of abortions, we must improve reproductive education and the economic conditions for women.

I am willing to consider every solution that will reduce the rate of abortion to virtually nonexistent, with only one exception. I will not support any law which makes them illegal. There are two reasons for this exception. First, I believe our Constitution protects personal liberty and the Federal government should not legislate restrictions on personal liberty. Second, I believe banning abortions will not prove effective without creating other unintended consequences.

I believe we can work together to reduce the number of abortions without infringing on Constitutional protections. I also believe the vast majority of Americans can support any effort which will improve economic, social, and spiritual conditions of women in our society so that abortions are reduced. My prayer is that one day we achieve an abortion rate of zero because we have enabled women to have that choice. I believe we can work together to ensure a culture that makes it possible for women to choose life through economic and social support. These include tax payer funded education, counseling, social support, birth control, and adoption.

In light of the recent events in Eastern Europe and your recent Op-Ed on al.com, I want to know what you would do with NASA.

I am a firm believer in the original charter of NASA -- "that activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes for the benefit of all humankind." Part of that charter is to "seek and encourage, to the maximum extent possible, the fullest commercial use of space." If we are to achieve this noble goal, we must leverage reduced costs from economies of scale of NASA, the Department of Defense, and commercial space customers and prevent further erosion of American excellence and leadership in space.

Given the situation with Russia, I would reach out to the NASA Administrator to explore the options and ideas coming from the Administration, as well to get a better idea of the impact of Americans payloads being barred from Russian launch vehicles on NASA's plans both in the long and short term. I also would then go to other Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to request emergency funding for NASA for this year and begin laying the groundwork for accelerated funding and development of multiple commercial crew suppliers' capability. I would also work to increase funding for Space Launch System (SLS) to ensure our long range goals of traveling beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) are met before the end of this decade.

The short term reasons for these actions are to put America back in the lead for space access, mitigate the risk of loss of access to our $150 billion dollar space station, and stimulate the supply chain for the arriving commercial market, which will most assuredly be lost to Russia, China, the Europeans or the Middle East.

There are also long term benefits from these actions. By investing more in the accelera-tion of SLS and the commercial crew program and by enabling NASA to also lead in the role of industry standardization, the supply chain costs will decrease economies of scale can be real-ized. This should lead to a sustainable growth in the American space industry that will be driven by commercial interests in numerous other Earth-based industries. A relatively small investment of $20 billion over five years should yield a private sector economic expansion of hundreds of billions of dollars to the American gross domestic product (GDP). This would in turn create good high-paying technology jobs required to support industry businesses (many of which are small businesses) which would benefit from industry growth and expansion.

Are you open to the eliminating the stigma of No-ID gun shows?

Stigma is not my concern. However, we have a problem with criminals getting guns. I do not believe it is a violation of the 2nd amendment to document and regulate guns. Citizens with no criminal history shall not have any reason to be forbidden gun purchase and ownership. This is acceptable at the state level and is not in the jurisdiction of the federal government.

Do you think the FDA should take a greater role in the regulation of GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) and fake foods

Yes. But Congress should take a greater role in understanding GMO's and establishing law for regulation by the FDA.

What is your stance on immigration?

The immigration system is broken and many skilled and talented people who try to come in legally are on perpetual hold waiting to get into our country. The illegal immigration problem is a problem that persists because of a lack of leadership. Those who are here already should be documented and given a path to work visas. This will immediately place them in the system, document their work, pay them minimum wage so that American workers are not at a disadvantage. It will also generate tax revenue to offset the cost that is incurred by their presence in our infrastructure. It will also aid in the capture, prosecution and deportation of the few illegal immigrants who wish not to be known because they traffic in drugs, arms, or sex slavery. The two items that are most controversial seem to be path to amnesty (citizenship) and securing the border. To reform the system and address the current population of illegal immigrants already here, citizenship should be taken off the table for at least 30 years (meaning they must have a clean record for 30 years before being considered a citizen) and securing the borders must be included. The issue is threats to our security and our livelihood. We should be able to resolve our political differences and eliminate these threats to our people.

What, in your opinion is the most important issue to address?

The stability of our currency and its relation to a debt based monetary system. It is the driver of economic booms and busts. The Dodd-Frank Bill did not address the underlying problems in our economy and the Federal Reserve Chairman has openly stated that we are in new territory and the Board does not know what the next steps are in our path forward. This should concern all citizens of this country as it affects every part of our economy and places our country is its greatest danger.

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