I'm Warren Mosler, candidate for Delegate to Congress

I last ran for Delegate 2 years ago.

And, for the last two years, as in the previous 8 years, our net Federal funding, particularly when adjusted for inflation, has decreased substantially.
The estimated loss is well over 1 billion dollars.

As a consequence of all the lost Federal funding, our average personal income - our paychecks - fell even further behind what people get paid in the 50 states.
 

In fact, our average income is now at a record low of only 53.9% of the United States average.
That means, on average, the exact same jobs in the 50 states pay nearly twice as much.

And, of course, our cost of living is much higher- particularly our WAPA bills and the cost of groceries.

We pay more than double for electricity than people in the states, and food is far more expensive as well.

ALL the States and territories send all kinds of tax monies to Washington.

And while our local government keeps some of our income taxes, we also currently send over $200 million in taxes to Washington.

The way the Federal government works is that all the States and Territories send over $2 trillion to Washington in tax payments.

This drains us all of funds.

However, Congress then spends even more than that $2 trillion it collects - that's called a budget deficit.

Total Federal spending has skyrocketed to over 2.5 trillion dollars.

What happens next is a mad scramble by over 500 members of Congress to get as much of that 2.5 trillion dollars of federal spending as possible for their home states and territories.

They know this is critical for their economies, and they fight very hard for every penny.

Most states employ teams of expert grant writers to make sure they qualify for the thousands of Federal spending and assistance programs.

The States are VERY good at this.

And if any State or Territory gets less, that means the others get more.

That means all of our available Federal funding that we overlook, send back, or otherwise miss out on is taken and spent by someone else.

That means when we miss out on hundreds of millions of dollars each year, the others in Congress get to spend our money!

That means our loss is their gain. Their economy wins, and our economy loses.

And that's why, for the last 10 years, we've been falling further and further and further behind.

And that's why our income has fallen to an alarming record low of only 53.9% of the US national average.

What can be done?

To restore our Federal funding I will hire professional grant writers and financial compliance experts on my federal staff, at federal expense.

These professionals will be on call to work with our departments in the Virgin Islands to help them:

• Qualify for all available federal funding
• Make sure the funds are spent correctly and not sent back
• Comply with all federal standards to make sure the funding is sustained year after year.

Of course, while federal funding is a necessity, it is not our only problem.

While working people in the Virgin Islands are being squeezed by low wages and the high cost of living, our government has only made things worse as they exact higher and higher taxes from us even as they fall further behind on their runaway electric bills and with the maintenance and upkeep of our schools, utilities, public safety, public works, and other vital infrastructure.

They say there is a 'budget surplus' but that's only because they haven't paid their electric bills or funded the government employees retirement system. Not to mention all the back pay owed to teachers, police, and other public employees.

It's like getting your paycheck on Friday and not paying any bills, and saying you have a surplus.

And, to make matters even worse, untold millions are lost to government waste and inefficiency.

While I will have no direct control over that, I will continue to be your watchdog, and continuously bring to light all that I see.

The good news is that we CAN improve our economy and bring our incomes and standard of living up to that of the States.

The first step is to restore our Federal funding with the steps I just presented.

And as Delegate I can do more, much more.

• I can continue my work with the US Department of Interior, our appointed guardians, to cut our electric bills in half.
   
• I can continue to work with the US Department of Interior to bring the kinds of businesses and high  quality jobs we want to the Virgin Islands.
   
• I can continue to work with the Congress and US Department of Interior to implement legislation they will support to obtain the right to vote for President of the United States for Virgin Islanders.

As your Delegate, I will work for you- continuously, tirelessly, aggressively, and in concert with our new Governor and our new Senate to promote the very best interests of all Virgin Islanders.

In the last election, over 7,000 of you voted for me.

You CAN make a difference.

If, and only if, each of you recruits just one additional vote for me, you will have a new Delegate to Congress.

You are the future of the Virgin Islands.

Better days are coming!