Issues - An “Independent” Overview

Before I start getting down to specific issues, I want to layout my basic political philosophy. A former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives once said that, “All politics is local.” I totally agree with that sentiment. My job, as your representative, will be to talk to voters about state issues and then to vote my conscience in a way that I believe reflects the voters of the 18th District.

I also believe it is my duty to go to bat for you when you are stuck in a red tape nightmare. I know a lot about working with folks in the rural area and the horror stories about dealing with county and state agencies. I know how these agencies work and what is fact and what is fiction. Them simply telling you “No, you can’t do that” is not an acceptable response. They need to listen to what you want to accomplish and give you options on how to accomplish it.

You and I have a great opportunity in this election.

We have the opportunity to take back our government. We can take it back from the special interests and we can take it back from the political parties who are bought and paid for by the special interests.

What I want is a more responsive and responsible government:

Limited government. We need less government intervention in our lives.
•Government needs to limit its authority to what is strictly spelled out in the federal and state constitutions.
•The legislature intentional set aside both Initiatives 960  and Initiative 728 . This must not be allowed to happen again. Government must also respect the will of the voters.
•Government needs to privatize those functions they can’t do cost effectively (liquor sales, printing, vehicle maintenance).

Accountability in government. Initiative 900  required that performance audits of state agencies to look for inefficiencies. I do this for a living. I would take the approach of the late Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin who created the Golden Fleece Award. I would make it my personal mission to identify government agency waste and to call attention to it.

Balanced budget. The state government needs to live within a balanced budget that only grows with the rate of inflation. They need to be held to the same standard as the voters who must pay their bills and can’t get a raise from their boss to pay for overspending. No unfunded mandates.

Election finance reform. My vote can’t be bought by any special interest group. I have also limited the campaign contributions of individuals to $100. We must limit special interest influence in government.

Education is important to the future of Washington. To begin with, the state needs to maintain the class size requirements spelled out in Initiative 728 and not ignore it.

Employment and job creation is the most important role for state government now. Small business is the backbone of the American economy. Two thirds of all new jobs are created by firms of 50 and less employees. We need less government intervention and competition with small businesses.

States rights are important Constitutionally and need to get more attention. State’s need to assert their authority as spelled out in the 10 Amendment. The federal government has greatly exceeded its authority in the areas of health care, the environment and education. The federal government’s reach has become too intrusive in areas that they have no authority to regulate.

I support state’s rights legislation being promoted in Olympia by a handful of legislators. The 10th Amendment to the Constitution make it clear that “powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution… are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” I support any and all efforts to work towards securing such rights. The founders of the Constitution recognized that different states had different political and cultural views and that it was important to respect them.

Immigration reform. I support the Respect for Law Initiative (I-1043) which will require E-verify enrollment by every public and private employer in Washington State. The goal of immigration law generally, and "Respect for Law" specifically is to protect the employment prospects of citizens and legal immigrants as well as defend employers from underground competition and misrepresentation by job applicants. E-verify is the no-fee, web-based employment eligibility verification tool hosted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services -- a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. No longer will stolen Social Security Numbers and ID theft be a ticket to employment and drivers licenses inside Washington State.

Property rights. State government has been unrelenting in taking away the property rights of Washington residents. It has to stop. The land use laws, environmental regulation and eminent domain all have their place in an orderly society, and all have examples of over-regulation. The abusive use of eminent domain to condemn people’s property needs to stop. The current BPA transmission line proposal is a good example of an abuse of condemnation powers and the refusal to provide Constitutionally guaranteed compensation.

Bonneville Power Administration. The fight to get BPA to make a more rational decision goes on. Although they took Segment 31 off the list, others are still being considered. The reason that Mark Korsness, BPA’s project manager, gave for dropping Segment 31 was “There are just too many homes in the way.” I have news for BPA. There a lot more homes along the 40 mile Segment 9 route and others. BPA needs to seriously consider either running the transmission lines to the east through the DNR lands or putting the lines underground through Segment 9. As your state legislator, I will make this a top issue.

Gun Control. Washington is one of the original "shall issue" states. The county sheriff or city police chief shall issue a concealed pistol license to any applicant, age 21 or older, who meets certain requirements, including no felony convictions, no misdemeanor domestic violence convictions, and no outstanding warrants. Washington is also a "Stand Your Ground" state, in which there is no duty to retreat in the face of what would be perceived by an ordinary person to be a threat to themselves or others by another person that is likely to cause serious injury or death.

I personally own about a half dozen guns. These include a .50 caliber St. Louis Hawken and a .36 Navy Colt revolver. Both are functioning black powder replicas used by Kit Carson. I also own .20 caliber shotgun and a couple of small caliber target rifles. I don't favor new gun control laws. However, I would like to see greater enforcement of laws that restrict criminals and those with psychiatric problems from acquiring guns.

Veterans Affairs. I come from several generations of volunteer soldiers. I am the descendent of Kit Carson and he volunteered to fight in the Civil War. My father volunteered in World War II and was captured in the Philippines and was sent on the March to Bataan. Luckily (for me) he escaped. My uncle died in the Korea War when he stepped on a land mine. I volunteered and serviced in the Pacific and I am a decorated Vietnam-era veteran. My underlying belief is that we can never do enough for the men and women who put their lives on the line for us.

You never know how far a message will carry. On March 24th, I got a phone call from a young man serving in Afghanistan who wanted to know what I was proposing to do for returning veterans. He was a graduate from Toutle Lake and wanted to make sure that veterans had jobs when they came back -- among other things.

Larch Corrections Facility. Hopefully the Governor will reconsider closing down Larch. The inmates at the minimum security prison provide too many valuable services to the surrounding community. This include fire fighting and fire prevention, fish enhancement projects, as well as clean up at schools, parks and cemeteries. Organizations who use these services include the WSU Vancouver Research Center, the School for the Blind, Amboy Territorial Park, Vancouver Rodeo, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and many more. In addition, it would mean that Clark County would lose 114 family wage jobs in the middle of a recession.

Gambling casino. Should the Cowlitz tribe be allowed to build a large casino at the 179th/I-5 Interchange? I don’t gamble and last time I looked it wasn’t a sin. I don’t really care if other folks gamble or not. Clark County already has legalized gambling in the city of La Center. There are also a few native-American casinos that people in the 18th District can drive to in a couple of hours. So is it hypocritical to be against the Cowlitz proposal? It bothers me that the tribe is using its sovereign status to basically tell local residents that they don’t have to obey our land use laws and the county’s comprehensive plan. I also wonder about the traffic impacts at the interchange. Quite frankly I am less concerned about the social and economic impacts. We already have an amphitheater and an exposition hall in the area. Both are big tourist attractions. Certainly adding a major gambling casino would make it even more of a tourist attraction. This is an issue I need to talk to folks about more.

Health Care. The recent health care battle in Washington, D.C. is a classic case of dueling dogmas that result in the voters getting the short-end of the stick. The Republicans and Democrats could have accomplished real health care reform if they had worked together. For example, they could have agreed to (1) not allow insurance companies to play the “pre-existing condition” denial card was a no brainer. I recently won a bout with prostate cancer. I can’t imagine what my physical and economic health would have been without decent health care coverage. (2) Allow prescription drugs to be imported from out of the U.S.? Prescription drugs can cost 55% less when purchased in Canada. (3) Do not allow the health care companies to continue to be exempt from the anti-trust laws. The current situation allows legal price fixing.

But did we need to nationalize the health care system to the point where everyone has to pay for it? NO! But that is the result of the political gamesmanship in D.C. We didn't need sweeping health care reform. We needed incremental health care reform that actually made sense.

Contact me. I got into this race early because I wanted several months to find out what people in the 18th District do and don’t want from their government. So give me a call and invite a few of your neighbors over too! Find out how to reach me on the Contacts Page.

If you like what you read, then consider donating. I am getting contributions from everyday folks and not from special interests like health insurance companies, unions, utilities, beverage associations, banks, car dealers or realtors. Most of my opponents are getting money from such groups.




Independent, Integrity, Experience, Issue Driven