[NOTE: the phone interview with Victor Allen Guidice contained audio difficulties. Therefore, we present the following conversation from a transcript of the call]
Radio Chesapeake:
This is a pretty big district. The first district of Maryland is 750,000 people. It's considered conservative, but you're running as a Democrat, right? So what's your strategy?
Victor Allen Guidice:
Well, it's less of a strategy and more of who I am. I relate very much to Republicans. We share a lot of the same beliefs and I believe that our core we're all very much alike and the differences are artificial.
Radio Chesapeake:
Now tell me what motivated you to throw your hat in the ring and try for this elected office?
Victor Allen Guidice:
Well, it is something I've thought about for a very long time and recent events, political climate of the country, the rising cost of living and yeah, more needless war. I felt like I had to. I don't see people saying what I feel are the right things and where do I go?
Radio Chesapeake:
What are some specific things you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
Victor Allen Guidice:
Well, specifically the spirit of my campaign is education. I believe that almost all of the problems that our nation faces can be traced back to a lack of or poor education and every metric shows us reading scores are down across the board and it hasn't been this bad since the '80s. And when it was this bad, there were certain programs put in place, namely phonics and the scores came up before reading and I believe that we can do much better. I'd like to see Greek Latin roots and phonics taught again in schools from a very, very young age. I believe that this would increase our ability to learn dramatically, increase our ability to learn other languages dramatically. And yeah, if we can't read, we can't learn. So yes, it's very important to me.
I was very lucky that these things were instilled in me at a young age by my family and I know it's a positive way forward. Yes, our children deserve better. Our high school graduates deserve better. We're supposed to be preparing them for the real world for being adults, but we neglect to teach them financial literacy. We neglect to teach them civics. They must understand how our government works. So yeah, I would also like to see many of our high schools transform into vocational schools in one way or another and the implementation of that would not be very expensive and it would better prepare our graduates for our society, our capitalistic society. Yeah, go ahead.
Radio Chesapeake:
If you win up the primary, you'll be running against Andy Harris, who's won seven previous times. How can you come across in a conservative district and win hearts and minds of people when he's running as well?
Victor Allen Guidice:
Andy Harris has stood by and talked and talked and talked and done nothing of substance. People of the Eastern Shore watched their infrastructure crumble. The farmers see their costs going up and up and up and he continues to be a mouthpiece for the current presidential administration. This is unacceptable and he claims to be a Second Amendment advocate and again, all he does is talk. He puts forth zero legislation and there is no action behind it. He just enjoys getting a free dinner here and there. I would put forth legislation to expand our civil liberties, our freedoms.
Any of my own party consider me to be fairly extreme in my views. I don't think so. I believe that the Constitution is paramount in the way that it was written.
Radio Chesapeake:
The political climate is changing if you read the polls and some people expect a blue wave this November. Are you counting on that support?
Victor Allen Guidice:
Well, in the primary, yes. But I think that what I have to say will resonate with everyone, regardless of their political allegiance. We all generally want the same things. We want our kids to be healthy, happy. We want them to be able to get good jobs and yeah, we're being priced out of life in the doing of that. So I'm going to propose ... I'm going to put forth legislation and support legislation that will abolish property taxes, that will abolish institutions like the ATF and ICE. ICE in particular, I remember its creation shortly after nine eleven under false pretenses and it has not done what it said it was going to do. I believe that it could be folded back into the Department of Justice with little effort and yeah, we can do a lot better as a nation. We do not need the ATF.
We don't need them interpreting our constitution for us. Constitution was written in plain language for anyone to be able to understand. And yeah, I'd like to see them yanked.
Radio Chesapeake:
Do you have any plans for different policies to support healthcare in some way or another?
Victor Allen Guidice:
Yes, absolutely. I am going to push for a ... Many people like to use the phrase Medicaid for all, but I believe that we can do much better than that. I know that we can afford it. It's a myth that we don't have the money for certain entities in this country that don't want us to have the healthcare freedom. They want us bound by endless healthcare bills. So yeah, universal healthcare for all, it is within our reach within this generation and yeah, we deserve it. The people deserve it.
Radio Chesapeake:
What can you do to help the region with tidal flooding, rising waters, the encroaching high level coming onto areas like Crisfield and Cambridge? There were projects that were funded under Biden that Trump recalled and pulled the money out of. Would you restore those?
Victor Allen Guidice:
I would and many others. The policies of this administration have caused such damage. We are going to have to go through a similar process that the Russian people went through after the era of Stalin called deStalinization. A reversing of policies, a tearing down of this apology and yes, as far as the rising waters, there may only be so much we can do. Global climate change, sea level rise is in many places it will be unstoppable. We're going to have to change with it. We can only do so much to stop the rising tide. I see it. I'm a boater. I have lived and worked on and I've seen it happen. I've seen the places that I've been going to since a child now underwater and the island of shrinking as they have been for a long time. So yeah, I'm not sure exactly of what all can be done.
We must do everything we can. Our farmers feed that land. But yeah, we have to change and change is uncomfortable. It's difficult.
Radio Chesapeake: Another thing that the Trump administration recalled or reduced was the consumer protection agencies that are under the control of industry people now and they've gotten away from guarantees to get rid of junk fees, for instance, for credit card companies charging people late fees and banks charging late fees. Are some of those possible to restore through Congress?
Victor Allen Guidice:
Well, yes, sure is possible. But again, I believe that we can do better (than) the astronomical profits of these companies. You can see there's more than a little wiggle room. I believe that we could make great progress on that project.
Radio Chesapeake:
And lastly, where is home for you?
Victor Allen Guidice:
Home is Harford County.
Yep. Aberdeen. My family has been in Aberdeen for going on a little over 120 years. I'm a fourth generation resident here.
Radio Chesapeake:
Great. Well, I really appreciate you taking the time to do this interview...
Victor Allen Guidice:
Yeah. Thank you for calling me. Thank you for the interview. I appreciate it.