Tom Wyka for U.S. House of Representatives (NJ-11)

Background:

I was born in New Jersey, raised in Clifton, the youngest of 4 children. My father, a veteran of the Air Force and a retired technical writer for ITT, is the son of a Polish immigrant, who came to this country and worked as a machinist, saving money to bring his three sisters here as well. My mother worked as a school nurse in the Passaic School System for many years.

I attended Clifton High School and became an honor student, athlete, and musician. It was there that I also met my wonderful wife. I became a business major at Bucknell University, with a minor in Philosophy. The business and philosophy programs at Bucknell had a strong ethical component, where I learned that the corporation's responsibility to the community was equal to its responsibility to its shareholders.

My wife and I eventually settled into a home in the Troy Hills section of Parsippany, raising two beautiful children. I received my MBA from Seton Hall University in 1993 and have worked in the information technology industry as a certified project manager for over 17 years.

My "calling" into politics has evolved over the past several years with the gradual realization that too many of us have placed our Democracy on auto-pilot, expecting someone else to pay attention to the issues, or go to the voting booth, or to get involved. I became a DFA activist and a group leader in Morris County since shortly after the 2004 elections. While continuing to relay a message of political empowerment to everyone I meet, I have also supported and mentored many progressive candidates because I believe that power grows when it’s shared. My fellow activists and candidates all understand that “we are the leaders we have been waiting for." I will continue to pursue progressive ideals as long as we have a political system that is too beholden to corporations and big dollar interests, as long as we fall short in giving every child an equal opportunity through education, as long as we fail to take a smart approach of securing our country, and as long as an American citizen can go bankrupt for getting a serious illness.

Please take time to visit my site and read about some of the issues facing our country today, and decide for yourself if your representative is standing for the vision of America that we all want. I hope you will join me in the fight to take back that vision.

Please take a moment to view my latest YouTube message...
http://www.tomwyka.com/video3.htm#base

Goals:

To reduce the influence of big dollars in Democracy and restore the idea of one person, one vote. To restore the public trust that their government is accountable to them and not big donors.

Issues:

> Campaign Finance Reform

> Restore fiscal discipline and Re-Focus Budgetary priorities on education and real security

> Affordable Healthcare

Grassroots Support:

My candidacy itself is symbolic that our Democracy still belongs to those individuals that have not lost hope or turned cynical toward electoral politics. I hope to show more and more people that this democracy is still theirs.

DFA Values:

I'm deeply concerned about ensuring a level playing field and equal opportunity for all citizens, especially our youth.

While I understand that the free market is a significant tool of our society, we cannot survive without a strong moral component that guides that tool, by way of a watchful government.

I believe in economic justice for all.

I do not believe in discriminating against same sex unions, as these adults should be allowed to enjoy their life-long committed companionship with the same rights as other couples.

While the abortion issue is a tragic situation in any case - I subscribe to the idea that we should strive to make this a safe, legal, and rare event.