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Barry and his
daughters
About Me
I believe in being honest and often preach; "if you tell the
truth, you'll never forget what you said" and believe me I’ve
learned this lesson the hard way. Being honest may sound trite in
today’s world but I think it is essential, especially in
government to earn the peoples’ trust and equally important is the
willingness to take responsibility for one’s actions.
I have what most would consider a “checkered past” and have paid
the price several times over. I am a convicted white-collar
offender (ex-felon) who spent fifteen months of a twenty-one month
sentence at the minimum security Nellis Federal Prison Camp in
North Las Vegas for security and tax violations that occurred in
1992.
Being convicted does not necessarily mean being guilty but long
ago I decided I couldn’t win this battle so I “productively”
served my time. Looking back I can honestly say; "I believe this
sentence was payback time for prior business practices that were
not always above board." I believe some were due in part to my
lack of knowledge of the law. This is a part of my life that I'm
not proud of but it is a part of my past and believe me, I've
learned a very costly lesson from it. To prevent others from
making the same mistake, I intend to propose that basic law
classes (both criminal and business) be taught in our public
school system.
During that time I was a constant visitor to the law library and
began to help other inmates with their legal issues. I soon
realized that the system wasn't perfect but I had a special love
for the law that came from reading many Supreme Court case
opinions. AS I did my research I listened to other inmates who
constantly complained about the system and after having heard
their complaints, I would often say; "if you don't like the law
change it, but it's the law".
As a young adult I attended several New York colleges before
graduating in 1969 from the Columbia Institute of Chiropractic
where I earned the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic. Soon
afterwards, I was admitted to practice in both Arizona and
California.
While at Nellis I promised myself that upon my release, I would
return to school and earn a law degree. After two unsuccessful
admission attempts to the Boyd School of Law, I decided to enroll
at UNLV where I earned BA in Political Science and
a Masters in Public Administration.
After taking
my first political science class I realized how important politics
is, and how it effects our everyday life. I guess you might say; I
began my political career in 2002 when I wrote and sponsored two
Nevada Initiatives.
The first would have provided more funds for K - 12 public
education, while the second was to change a
Nevada Statute to call for a presumption of shared parenting in
issues of child custody.
For nearly
forty years I've created and operated all types of business's, from
manufacturing to advertising and in January of '04 I began to
resurrect the vision I had more then ten years ago, to start a new
generation of airlines. It would be a national airline with everyday low fares, high
overall capacity and optional ala carte services. I learned a lesson from
my previous attempt at starting this venture and hopefully next
year “Family
Airlines”
will begin daily coast-to-coast service. As anyone can see I
do not give up easily.
My goal in life today is entirely different than it was a decade
ago. I believe I was once before given a second chance in terms of
the most important things in life. On my birthday in 1974 I buried
my eighteen-month-old son Erick, who had been the victim of a
swimming pool accident, a tragedy that I will never forget and one
that eventually led to my divorce from my first wife.
In 1989 I remarried and was lucky enough to witness the birth of
my daughters, and although I was divorced in '98 I continue to
play an active role in their everyday lives. For me, life is about
setting a positive example not only for them but for others as
well.
I know when I'm elected to Congress my overall business experience
along with my ups and downs will add to my ability to
think outside the box which will make a huge difference
to the people of Nevada and our nation.
No doubt
during this campaign both the press and other candidates will
bring up my past, but I believe it's just that my past. The
mistakes I made are of public record and I can't change them.
Lucky for me my offense occurred in California, a state that
automatically restores civil rights
upon completion of one's sentence. For the last several years I've
been both eligible to vote as well as run for any political
office. If elected, I know full well I will be under close
scrutiny and I welcome it.
Since writing
this, I have
experienced my first political campaign, having run for the same
position in '06. Please remember me when you cast your ballot on
August 12th.
Thanks for your support!
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