Hank Eng

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Hank Eng

Hank Eng (born 1948) was a candidate for the House of Representatives for Colorado's 6th Congressional District in 2008. He was defeated by his Republican opponent Mike Coffman. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Biography

Eng was the son of Chinese immigrants, born in 1948 in New York City. His father served as an American soldier during World War II.

Eng served for over ten years as a Peace Corps volunteer. He began his service in Kenya for three years as a Water Development Engineer and stayed in Africa for eight more years with the United States Department of State’s Agency for International Development. A career in the private sector followed as an Aerospace Engineer and consultant. He was stationed in Pakistan, during President Zia's assassination, in China during the Tienanmen Square Massacre, and the Soviet Union at its fall.

As a pilot in the Colorado Civil Air Patrol, Eng flies search and rescue missions. He also serves the youth of Colorado in the Young Eagles program (a program that takes aspiring young pilots on their first flights). Hank is on the board of directors for South Metro Fire Rescue District.

He is also a convert to Judaism.

Eng and his wife, Lindsay, have four children.

He was elected to the Appleton, Wis., Common Council in 2000.

Education

• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, B.S. Management Engineering
• Rutgers University, M.B.A. International Business

2008 U.S. Congressional election

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado, 2008

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Hank Eng at the Arapahoe County Democratic Picnic

On February 26, 2008 Hank Eng announced he will seek the nomination of the Democratic party for U.S. Congressmen for Colorado's 6th congressional district. Since he ran unopposed on the Democratic ticket he won his nomination on August 12, 2008. He lost to Republican candidate Mike Coffman in the general election.

Views

Many have viewed Hank Eng as a moderate who is concerned about a range of issues that are affecting Congressional District 6 including taxes, immigration, Iraq, and the economy.

Immigration

Hank Eng has said that he wants to reform the system and could be considered very pragmatic.

Regarding immigration, Hank has stated(1):

The challenge of unchecked migration continues to burden our District, State and Nation and is a concern of many Americans.

I have lived and worked in many countries around the globe on behalf of business and our great Nation. I know and feel with great conviction that we are blessed with the wonderful opportunities a free society can provide. As a first generation Asian-American whose family roots trace back through times of famine, civil war, and revolution in China, I can truly appreciate what we have here in America. I personally have had the opportunity to fulfill the American Dream. I can speak from first-hand experience of the challenges of being an immigrant and marvel at the capacity of this nation to embrace diversity. Before a national debate can begin on the issue of unlawful immigration, we must secure our borders. We have hundreds of miles of open borders as a result of decades of peace with our neighbors. It is, however, this open border that presents us with our greatest challenge. Methods to secure the border can range from a fence to a greater border patrol presence to lining it with high technology cameras and sensors. There is no perfect answer and each has a cost but we must work toward a solution. Concurrently, we must begin to deal with the millions of undocumented aliens illegally in our country. Migrant workers have always been a robust part of our nation's history and economy. The current administration has squandered the opportunity to seriously regulate and enforce orderly immigration policies. Economically productive, but undocumented aliens use our precious resources and should pay their share of taxes and openly contribute to social security. I will, therefore, work with all parties concerned about this issue to sponsor pragmatic and fiscally responsible legislation to provide illegal immigrants a chance to register and a time window in which to pay civil penalties. Those failing to register with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency stand to lose any status for remaining in the U.S. This should significantly improve law enforcement and emergency social service allocations that are presently overwhelmed by undocumented aliens. Registered aliens could then be eligible for resident alien visas applications depending upon skills or through an annual lottery system. This would be for the right to work, not necessarily an immediate pathway toward citizenship. The number of visas will be determined on available resources to process applications and should result in significant attrition of the applicant pool over the life of the program. Unregistered aliens and those with criminal histories will not be eligible for any legal standing and will be liable for deportation and financial penalty.

We can no longer afford to have illegal immigration as an issue that divides us. The extreme positions, although popular talking points are impractical. I intend to work with moderate leaders to design a plan that will ensure fair treatment of undocumented workers while securing our borders and ensuring our national security.

Economy

Despite the pronouncement from this administration that our economy is thriving, market data indicates the country is in a recession. What occurred during the last 7 years to bring us to this point?

We have gone from a $5.6 trillion national surplus in 2001 to a $3 trillion deficit in 2008. The cost of oil has increased from $23 per barrel to over $120. The average wage has increased only 9% while cost of living increased 13%. This administration’s approach to the economy has been to spend and then spend more. This includes billions and billions of dollars on an unsupported and unnecessary war. This is hardly being fiscally conservative or responsible. For our tax dollars we should have been receiving tax benefits in those areas that would increase the overall wealth of this country. Did this administration think to spend on fixing this nation’s crumbling infrastructure? Did this administration think to spend on R&D programs to lessen the country’s dependence on foreign oil? Did this administration think to spend on educating the youth of our country to be prepared for the jobs of the 21st century? It has taken six years for this administration to acknowledge we are a nation addicted to oil. This administration lacked vision and leadership and now we must play catch-up. We lost sight of what the government can and should do to drive our economy. By providing incentives and resources, the government can foster the great innovators and risk-takers of this country to excel in science and technology. As history tells us, the people of this nation have a tremendous capacity to perform. We must ensure for every business, small and large, there is a level playing field in which to compete and grow. We participate in a world economy and trade agreements must contain enforceable and reciprocal competitive conditions. Humane working conditions, environmental safeguards and product safety codes should be an integral part of any agreement to access our markets. We must concentrate on job creation - not in the technologies of the past but on the clean technologies of the future. Colorado is ideally situated with an abundance of renewable energy assets. I will work to secure funding for job training and research and development in those technologies essential for the 21st century. For the past seven years, this Congress that has lost its voice and its sight on what priorities serve the people. Americans are now paying the price for this administration’s policies and the lack of leadership in Congress.

The opportunities this great nation gave our forefathers to succeed still exist. We need a strong economy to support those opportunities. I will work toward setting our sights straight on priorities that matter.

- Hank Eng

Health care

Universal Health Care is an important issue that is on the minds of most Americans. Most of us are fortunate to have healthcare benefits through our workplace. However, many are underinsured, and, sadly a good number of us have no insurance at all. These people are betting long odds on remaining healthy. I am reminded that those of us with health care coverage are just a paycheck away from joining the ranks of the uninsured. This is an unsettling prospect given the current state of our economy and the number of companies that have already announced layoffs this year. I will work with leaders of both parties to craft a single-payer universal health care program that is affordable and will leave no American behind. No American should have to worry about whether or not he or she can afford health care.

- Hank Eng

Iraq

Hank Eng is against the war in Iraq and wishes to have a pull out of troops in order to reduce the national debt.

Clearly the war in Iraq is an important issue we must face. I do not believe that we need to dwell on how and why we are in Iraq. That will be for the historians and political scientists of the future to determine. What we must work toward today is an honorable formula to ensure a departure does not leave a region dangerous to our national interest or to those of our allies, or more dangerous than when we went in. The solutions thus far offered by most are polar opposites. No one can really see a total withdrawal nor would anyone agree to a 100 year presence as suggested by some. The solution lies somewhere in the middle. I know that with a sincere desire to listen to alternatives and work together and with less finger pointing, we can achieve a solution that allows us to extricate ourselves from an unwise war. We must withdraw with honor and ensure we do not leave behind the memories of those who sacrificed their lives.

Foreign relations

At no time since the end of the Cold War have we seen a greater need for a coherent foreign policy that is articulated to the world and implemented with conviction. Our foreign policy has failed to understand the intricacies of the Middle East.

We have antagonized our allies with an “our way or the highway” attitude. As the only remaining super power, we have failed to fill that role with leadership and moral conviction. We have lost our stature as a nation to be admired and emulated. How we are perceived and how we conduct our affairs have huge ramifications abroad. And what happens outside our borders affects us and our security. My years of living and working overseas provide me the insight to understand the issues that should impact our foreign policy. I have the experience to ask the types of questions that will go a long way toward avoiding costly misadventures and misunderstandings. Pakistan and Iran are key areas where we must question the veracity of what we are told in relationship to what we should do to ensure our security and prevent the spread of extremism. The threats are real. I want to see that we are prepared to face those threats. My support for a strong Israel is unequivocal. For Israel is the only true democracy in the region. While we may have policy differences as one sovereign nation to another will. We must ensure our foreign policy promotes cooperation and peace by her neighbors in the region. The political, economic and religious dynamics of the Middle East are complex. It is in our national interest that we understand this complexity and remain engaged in the peace process.

Our own national security depends upon ensuring political stability and economic growth for all citizens of the Middle East.

- Hank Eng

Education

Of all the investments we can make in our nation, the most important and the one with the greatest return on that investment is in education for our children. We are fortunate in our community to have dedicated teachers, active school boards and involved parents who set the stage for a nurturing environment that motivates our children to learn. Remove any one of these three ingredients and we have a school system in distress. Educators have roundly criticized “No Child Left Behind” as a failure. Metrics drives behavior and where we once valued a well rounded education, we now teach to test. I believe now that NCLB cannot be fixed and should be repealed.

Education is tied to our national security. An educated and informed population is our greatest defense against losing America’s competitiveness in the world economy. I will work toward securing greater funding of student grants and loans so every child who wants to attend college or technical school can. I will emphasize funding for early childhood development programs that give all children the head start they need to succeed. I will make sure the rural communities are not forgotten and that each and every child sees the same opportunity and future across the district. We spend $10+ billion per month in Iraq. In proper perspective, one week of that amount would pay for one year of college for over 400,000 Americans or can easily fund early childhood development programs in areas where we have children in at risk communities. Can we afford not to invest in ourselves?

- Hank Eng

Taxes

Hank Eng has been quoted as saying that he will not raise taxes in order to pay for any programs but instead wants to reallocate resources that the government already gets and instead through ending the Iraq war we will free up enough money to lower taxes in order to relieve the current economic and energy crisis.

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Hank Eng

External links

• Official Campaign website (1)
• http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/content/view/3295/2/