Candidate Background Information
Occupation: Media executive, 25 years in journalism working as a reporter, producer, news director and general manager.
Education: Bachelor Degree in Broadcast Communications from Weber State University, Master of Science in International Relations from Utah State University.
Prior Experience: 2-time State Senator candidate
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Questions
The League of Women Voters has made every effort to present accurately the candidates' responses as they were submitted.
1. If elected, what two things do you hope to accomplish as a U.S. Congressman for the people of Utah? Relief at the Pump. Focus on local energy to create jobs, lower energy costs. Today Utahn's are suffering from skyrocketing gas prices. The solution lies right here at home. Here in the west lies 1.8 trillion barrels of oil from oil shale. We can ease our dependence on foreign oil while creating jobs at home. I will not support offshore drilling in Alaska, only to have it shipped to China and Japan.
2. The national debt can be reduced by reducing spending or increasing taxes. What actions would you support to reduce the debt?
- We must end the current federal government tax policy which disproportionately benefits privileged Americans whose annual income is in excess of $200,000 per year.
- Support tax relief for the working class. Tax cuts for the working class will stimulate our nations economy and give immediate relief to families struggling to meet today's high cost of living.
- We must reduce the amount of pork barrel spending in the US budget.
3. How would you address the following issues?
- Quality health care for all Americans
Access to quality, affordable health care is necessary for the well being of America. We must address the needs of the 46 million uninsured Americans and strengthen Medicare. I support funding new research into cures for diseases, and giving patients the ability to challenge the decisions of health insurers. We must address these critical issues and meet the pressing health care concerns of our nation. Today in America, 9.4 million children have no health care coverage. I am proud to stand with Congressman Jim Matheson in support of Senator Orrin Hatch's State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) which provides medical insurance to those children who would otherwise have no access to quality health care. In 2007, after George Bush vetoed a bipartisan measure to expand the SCHIP program, Senator Hatch told the President that he was receiving bad advice from some who "though sincere are sincerely wrong." I too feel that those who oppose SCHIP are wrong to do so. As the most blessed nation on earth, we can do better.
- Energy resource development and clean air
We must invest in clean energy; this includes the next generation of biofuels and development of commercial scale renewable energy. We need to double our efforts in science and research funding for energy projects that include biomass, solar and wind resources. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in 20 years, wind can generate 20% of the U.S. electricity supply. It would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25% while creating half a million new American jobs.
We must continue to find new ways to: reduce carbon emissions; develop cleaner coal technology, and digital smart grids that could be used not only in America but also throughout the world. We must support and provide incentives to the development of more fuel-efficient vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and transportation that uses alternatives to gasoline. A mass transportation system for Utah County is critical in reducing congestion throughout the county and providing citizens with an alternative form or transportation.
- Water development and conservation
I oppose nuclear energy, which uses vast amounts of water to produce electricity and creates tens of thousands tons of the most dangerous radiation on earth.
- Short-term and long-term goals in Iraq and the Middle East
We must do more to support our troops in the field and at home. In America we have the strongest military in the world, but as we fight wars on two fronts, we must ensure that our men and women in uniform are properly equipped. We must also be prepared to care for our soldiers when they come home from war, The Veterans Affairs Department said recently it has seen some 120,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have received at least a preliminary mental health diagnosis, with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder being the most common diagnosis at nearly 60,000.
- Immigration
If immigrants wish to come to this country, they must be here legally, and pay their fair share of taxes. We have to punish employers who hire illegal workers to stop the exploitation of migrant workers. In a post 9/11 world we must do a better job of protecting our borders. We have the technology. We just need the political will to do it. In Utah we value family and community above all else, and the thought of rounding up people and putting them in tent cities to be deported, as my opponent advocates, is shameful and out of step with Utah values. I am a man of faith and in my religion, God looks at all of his children with equal compassion.
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