A Conversation With 46th Congressional District GOP Candidate Dr. David Pan

Since 2017, Congressman Lou Correa (D-CA) has been the House member for the 46th Congressional district, which covers the heart of Orange County, including Anaheim and Santa Ana. However, unlike the close 45th and 47th Congressional races, the 46th hasn’t been focused on all that much. The district is largely solidly Democratic, meaning party funding is being focused on the close races around it. The 60%-40% primary vote between the two would have, in other years, brought more focus to the race. But, wanting insight into what the other GOP candidates in the nearby districts are fighting for, the Globe talked with UC Irvine Professor Dr. David Pan, the GOP candidate in the 46th, about what he wants to do.

Unusually for a Republican, Pan wants to bring something into place that few other GOP candidates will touch: Universal Basic Income (UBI). However, this isn’t like other UBI programs, like Stockton’s failed program, that have come up in recent years where it is UBI plus other welfare programs. Pan wants a system where it is UBI but without welfare.

“The main thing that I have been talking about that no one else is really talking about is that, as Congressman, I plan to phase out entire welfare system with UBI of $16,000 for everyone instead,” said Pan. “It comes down to how tax dollars are given to all these different services that don’t work. There’s a lot of moving pieces.

“What I want to do is keep social security and Medicare for every 37 and older, but for everyone younger I want to switch over to new UBI system of everyone being given $16,000 adjusted for inflation. This mean getting rid of lots of bureaucracy like food stamps and student loans, and just get it in cash each year.”

On his site, Pan goes even further into the details, adding that “I am running for Congress because I want to change the way we relate to our government. My plan is to phase out all of our current welfare and entitlement programs and return this money (over $4 trillion per year) to the American people in the form of a universal basic income of $16,000 per year for life for every citizen 21 years of age and older. $1,000 a month, then another $4,000 a year in healthcare vouchers and make in universal but within a privately run system. The current system is unsustainable.

“In our current welfare programs, people lose benefits such as food stamps, Medicaid, and housing vouchers when they start to earn money on their own or begin to build up assets. This system discourages people from working and saving because working people receive few benefits. At the same time, the large bureaucracy is expensive and difficult to navigate. It would be better to provide a universal basic income to everyone with no strings attached. Such a system would reward work while providing freedom from government, allowing everyone to take responsibility for their own lives.”

Pan’s UBI system  would also bleed into other big Californian issues, such as homelessness and affordable housing, with the UBI contributing to the alleviation of those problems.

A conservative UBI

“Everyone would be receiving this money as cash, so people would be able to exist in original living situations in a sustainable way. Nobody is born homeless. If everyone has income, all the sudden everyone can be expected to pay something. Alleviate things from the source. But it does leave people with the freedom to make certain decisions on their own and demands a certain amount of responsibility.

“Fines, child support, judgement payments. Right now people on margins of society can ignore them, but under a UBI, they can’t really do that. With a direct deposit system of the UBI, they would automatically be garnished.

“If this is implemented in right way, we can reduce size of government. We have been getting support from Democrats in the district. Many people are drawn to UBI. There are Republicans not so enamored by idea, but as soon as it is explained and they hear that welfare programs would be removed, many like it.”

When it comes down to immigration and drugs, Pan is also in line with Republicans, albeit with the UBI tinge on it.

“We need to close down the border and put in more severe penalties for selling and dealing drugs. It is a public health emergency and a legal problem. We do need to turn the healthcare system to this. Drug abuse is a mental health issue. When people have no options in life, the more vulnerable to drug system. The UBI program addresses that. We’re giving you freedom to make what you want.

“The difference between my plan and the current welfare system is that, right now, we penalize people who start to earn income or save. It traps them in poverty. Give them 16k a year and don’t take it away, and they’ll have different outlook on their lives. It’s not much to live off of, but the incentives are still built around being more responsible. The current welfare system is one that create advantages for those not responsible and game the system.”

Finally, Pan ended the interview by saying “My plan is obviously very ambitious. If elected, I can build support for in Congress. For the short term, I have several things I want to work on. The main thing is being focused on public safety, like the border and people coming in. We need more background checks and health checks for people applying for asylum and special immigration visas. And we need to reduce the size and scope of government and government spending. We do need to think about carbon emissions, but not in the way we do now in subsidizing companies when trying to pick and choose winners, but instead by implementing a carbon tax and allowing the market to decide winners.

“I come from education and I also want to improve universities. A lot of it has been over racial preferences. The Supreme Court ruling outlawing affirmative action is really welcome, but unfortunately we need to be enforcing that ruling much more. We need to introduce legislation that withholds federal funds who aren’t compliant.”

As of Wednesday, no polls post the primary have been conducted for the 46th district.