Texan Mosaic

by HANNAH NELSON//Staff Writer

Green Party candidate Mark Lawson discussed his opinion on health care and the security of jobs during a recent congressional forum held at South Plains College.

The event was held on Nov. 4 in the Sundown Room of the Student Center on the Levelland campus. Drew Laundry, assistant professor of government at SPC, served as the moderator for the forum. 

Lawson is running for the U.S. House of Representatives for District 19. He has been a resident of Texas for 30 years and works with medical ultrasound. He started his own medical lab, Lubbock Ultrasound, 20 years ago and is married with a teenage son.

Lawson attended a small school outside of New York City before going to technical school, where he learned ultrasound. He has also managed a 10-year project for a house outside of Ransom Canyon known as “The Rock House.”

Lawson stated during the forum that he wants to bring a different perspective to the House of Representatives.

“I’ve never worked for the government,” Lawson said. “I’ve always been on the other side.”

However, he states that the people who he would like to represent are a key part in what he is running for.

“I am always reminding myself that the Representative is supposed to be what the people think,” said Lawson.

When Lawson discussed the Green Party, he used the word access.

“Who couldn’t agree with sustainability?” Lawson said. “Who couldn’t agree with stopping air pollution?”

He believes that everybody wants things to be better. For Lawson, he wants things better for people of the 19th district.

“That’s the difference,” said Lawson. “I think what we have had is just people making things better for themselves.”

During the forum, the issue of government regulation was discussed by Lawson. When it comes to government roles, he said he believes that it is about a balance. He discussed the role of health care and health benefits within government.

“I think everybody should have health care,” said Lawson, “and then we won’t change jobs just to get health benefits.”

He also states that a role of government is safety.

“I see it as an unbelievable opportunity to do good,” Lawson said.

He stresses the need for security with health care, as a necessary right that people should have access to.

“If half the Americans can’t come up with $400 in an emergency, how are they going to come up with a $1,000 co-pay,” Lawson asked.

When asked what his number one goal was to accomplish if he was elected, Lawson stated that it was jobs.

“The idea of jobs is that you provide a level of security,” said Lawson.

He recalled a talk that he previously did on the subject.

“I talked about doing a train from Lubbock to Dallas, with the main idea that people from Dallas would come to Lubbock and help our economy,” Lawson explained. “And I got booed.”

He said that he learned from talking with people the reason for the disapproval.

“It was because they might have to sit on a train next to somebody they didn’t know,” said Lawson, “and they would rather just be in their own car and drive.”

The main issue that Lawson presented with jobs was the ability to pay bills.

“If you can take care of your bills, buy a few luxury things that make your life better… and be ahead on your bills a little bit, it is amazing how fun life can be,” he said.