Socialist Seeks District Seat in House

Vitov Valdes Munoz, 46, of Vineland represents the American Socialist Party, and is seeking New Jersey’s Second Congressional District seat for two years at $174,000 annually.
According to his website:
“I was born in Vineland. I went to Stockton State College and attended Won Buddhist Institute. I have studied Asian religion and Philosophy in the year of 1999. I graduated from Stockton State College with a Liberal Arts Bachelor and a minor in Jewish studies with a second minor in Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
“In 2004 I received a B.A. in Political Science, plus a minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. I believe that we all are born for the purpose of learning and using what we learn to help others.
“We live in a capitalist/elitist society based on greed, inequality, and selfishness. This society attacks our values and our relations with others, making us feel isolated and powerless.
“The education system attacks the self-confidence of our children. We are taught to accept our place in a society over which we will have no control. In all society, there is little we can do to fulfill our real aspirations. People struggle day to day to fulfill their aspirations only to be met with disappointment. The negative message against the poor, workers, and others is an attack on ordinary people. No one represents the cause of the ‘little person.’
“Capitalist culture messages that this world should be a loveless and savage place. But in fact most people, in important parts of their lives with their families, their friends, or co-workers-struggle to make ends meet. Competition and inequality are created so trust and solidarity are undermined.
“Most people struggle to eek out a better life for themselves. Capitalism has devastating effects. But to the extent that people have any positive relationships, they have created them by a struggle against capitalist/elitist society.
“The message of my candidacy is that people are the source of good in this world. We invoke a culture of solidarity for all people. We do not play favorites here. We realize all people struggle to get by and we do not see all people in their traditional negative roles, nor do we ignore the sufferings of all humanity.
“Capitalism concentrates money and power in the hands of the few. It is undemocratic and perpetuates an oligarchy. (Where only the powerful few make all the rules and control society) We live in a fake democracy, in which the government, the large corporations, and the media try to take control of our lives and only put out their negative messages, and impose their values on us.
“We acknowledge the daily struggle of all people and we champion their cause. We know people in this world are the source of good and share the values of equality, kinship, and humanity regardless of race, gender, and other factors. We need a path that will take us to a new society, one that shares our goals.”