Jack Uppal, running as the democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives' 4th Congressional District this November, will be in Oakhurst for a "meet and greet" from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10 at The Queen's Inn, located at 41139 Highway 41.

"Do you want to keep government protections for you and your family? Or, do you want limited government where big money writes legislation that favors only them?" Uppal asked in his candidate's statement.

"Limited government is more than cutting wasteful spending and excessive regulation -- we all favor that. Limited government would also eliminate essential government protections. Make no mistake -- big money in politics would like nothing more than to boost profits by removing safeguards from our food, water and medicines."

Uppal of Lincoln, a retired engineer and business executive, graduated with a Ph.D. in chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and has directed the annual spending budgets of more than $1 billion for Intel Corporation.

His primary goals if elected include saving Social Security and Medicare, bringing new jobs to the district, ending wasteful spending, strengthening the middle class, bringing moderation to Congress and ending congressional gridlock.

Uppal is running against Republican incumbent Tom McClintock, who's served 22 years in the California State Legislature and was elected in 2008 to represent the 4th Congressional District in the United States Congress.

"I'm running because Congress has stopped serving the American people," wrote Uppal on his website. "I'm outraged that middle class families have been forced to bear the burdens of the last decade of congressional mismanagement.

"America can no longer afford to wait for this 'Do Nothing Congress' to get its act together. It's long past time for Congress to put aside their differences and do the work of getting America back on her feet. It's time to eliminate this self-serving Congress and elect one that serves us."