The Republican is again challenging incumbent Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., after losing a similar bid in 2004. Sand also unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2000.
A 1990 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Sand obtained the rank of lieutenant commander before his honorable discharge in 1999. He then resumed his active duty after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks before again being discharged.
Sand believes taking care of veterans is one of the three major functions of the federal government.
“And no one takes care of a veteran better than a veteran in my opinion,” he said. “Being a veteran also has given me the opportunity to travel around the world many times, east and west, 40 different countries, see the good and bad of many. That insight and that travel to other countries will help me preserve America’s reputation in the world.” He said a lot of politicians say peoples’ opinions of America is damaged.
“And that is simply false,” he said emphatically. “Having traveled the world, I know how great our country is and I’m determined to keep it that way.”
With the global war on terror and the challenge of protecting our American borders, Sand said he is better prepared to make informed decisions that result in victory.
“Whether it be in battlefields on the other side of the world or protecting our own borders,” he added. “Both of which, this Congress and our congressman have not done.”
He said Americans are very angry about the illegal immigrants who are “walking just willy nilly across our borders north and south. We need to do something about it and it’s going to take different people in Congress because right now three quarters of all members of Congress are lawyers with no military experience. And they’ve made very poor decisions that have led to this crisis.”
As a small business owner who’s built motels, restaurants and apartment complexes, Sand said he’s signed the fronts of thousands of paychecks.
“I know the struggles that small business owners go through, trying to provide health care, health insurance. This Congress has made it worse, not better,” Sand said.
Because the current Congress is full of trial lawyers who oppose tort reform, “all Americans have been paying too much for health insurance. That’s just a simple fact. If we don’t pass tort reform, we will not fix this problem.”
One of the most obvious differences between he and Pomeroy is found in the “card check legislation” that Pomeroy voted for, Sand said. This legislation allows labor unions to not hold private ballot elections to organize and instead allows unions to organize if a majority of employees sign cards.
“It takes away the secret ballot and therefore clearly that is not in the best interest of both the employees who don’t want to unionize, and employers who don’t want those kind of shenanigans going on in a small business,” he said.
The biggest reason why he is better suited to serve North Dakota, however, is he’s an engineer and Pomeroy is a lifelong politician/lawyer.
“We’ve had a very unnecessary energy crisis...For 10 years or longer, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have failed the American people by not opening up more drilling for American oil.”
Additional drilling would have provided more American jobs while increasing supplies that wouldn’t have resulted in $4.15 a gallon gas and $4.50 a gallon diesel fuel.
“And the rising prices of groceries and fertilizer is hurting all Americans this year. And Congress didn’t do anything to open up exploration for more resources,” Sand said. “We need a pro-energy member in Congress. For crying out loud, the congressman from North Dakota needs to be pro-energy and ours isn’t by any means.”
He said there are too many Republicans and Democrats who have been in Congress too long and who are working for special interest groups instead of the residents of their respective districts. He points to the recent financial bailout legislation that Congress passed as a key example of special interest influence.
“This bailout is the wrong thing to do. It hasn’t restored confidence in the market, and now we’re going to have to consider other means for fixing things after they have spent a trillion dollars in vain,” Sand said.
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