Richard J. (Rick) Noriega - Democrat Speaks: TAYLOR: How important is good leadership during times of crisis? NORIEGA: In their land navigation training, my soldiers learn that if you're off course a couple of degrees for a short distance, it doesn't matter too much. But if you're off course for a good while, then the divide from where you are and where you should be is so great that it is nearly impossible to get back on the right course. Such is our circumstance as a state and nation today. And so it is critical, in these times where we have reached a crisis in terms of our healthcare policy which leaves too many children without access, our energy policy which isn't working to make us energy independent, and our education policy which doesn't do enough to open the doors of higher education, that we have strong leadership with a plan to get us back on track. TAYLOR: Do you consider yourself to be a leader? If so, in what way? NORIEGA: To me, leadership means standing up for what you believe in and setting a vision that others can follow. As a citizen-soldier, that meant answering the call to serve in the U.S. Army in the wake of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis and deploying to Kabul, Afghanistan in 2005 to assist in our military's training and rebuilding efforts. As a legislator, it meant standing up for children by authoring the DREAM Act -- which opened the doors to college for thousands of children -- and fighting for an expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program. In the Legislature, on the battlefield, and on the border, Texans have entrusted me with the important task of leading our state and the care of their sons and daughters. TAYLOR: Other than yourself, who is the most effective leader you know alive today? NORIEGA: My mother, Tommie Noriega, is the most effective leader I know. She taught her children to stand up and walk the talk. Despite limited formal education, she rose to the rank of Executive Secretary for a prominent company, all the while making sure her three children graduated from college. She ran the household in challenging time and made sure she was involved in her children's activities. TAYLOR: Why should Harris County-area voters choose you on Tuesday, November 4th? NORIEGA: I'm running for the United States Senate because Texans deserve leadership that puts their interests first, ahead of the moneyed interests in Washington. I want to cut taxes for 99% of Texas families and stimulate our economy by charting a new course on energy and healthcare policy. In the last 6 years, gas prices have more than doubled, over half a million Texas children have been denied the health insurance they need, and health care premiums have gone up 80%. | 
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