Candidate selector: Kansas House, District 10 / LJWorld.com

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2008 race for Kansas House, District 10

Candidate selector Kansas House, District 10

Welcome to our candidate selector for Kansas House, District 10. It's a fun and educational tool that can help you decide which candidate(s) you agree with the most.

Here's how it works. Below, we've listed a set of issues and the candidates' positions on these issues. Check the box next to a candidate's response if you agree with it. After you're done, we'll tell you which candidate(s) you agreed with the most.

Please note that this is meant to be fun and educational - but shouldn't necessarily be used as the de facto way of making such an important decision. We encourage you to learn as much as you can about each candidate.

Should there be a statewide ban on smoking in indoor public places, such as restaurants and bars?

While I personally believe implementing a statewide ban on smoking in indoor public places would be the single best action we could take to improve the overall health of Kansas citizens, I do not support such legislation. Rather, I believe this decision should be left to individual restaurant and bar owners. If a majority of Kansas citizens wish to dine in restaurants that do not allow smoking, then they can let their preferences be known by patronizing those establishments. On this issue, I would prefer to let the market determine the appropriate course of action.

I believe the law as it currently stands is adequate. Smoking should remain banned in public places, but there is some room for flexibility in the case of restaurants and bars. Smoking sections should be required and honored. Attention to ventilation and seclusion need to be primary considerations especially when a new establishment is being built. Government has the obligation to protect people, while not infringing on the rights of individuals. I believe the current law does this adequately.

Would you support an increase in the cigarette tax to help pay for health coverage for low-income Kansans?

No. With the current economic crisis, I am against raising taxes. I believe we can divert additional monies from the tax that is currently being collected to health care for low-income Kansans. The Legislature must continue to develop access to quality health care for those that cannot afford it. But this tax would be an additional tax burden to low-income as well as moderate-income Kansans. Additionally, if we raise the cigarette tax so high that it causes reduced purchasing of cigarettes (a good thing), we have reduced our income stream for health care, which then will require raising other taxes to maintain the program.

I generally believe that it is bad policy to target tax increases toward specific behavioral subgroups. The problem I perceive with such legislation is the choice of behavior to target. Although most people would agree that smoking is an unhealthy personal behavior, so is drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, eating junk food, or failing to exercise on a regular basis. Increasing the cigarette tax is tempting because it is an easily identifiable target, but I do not believe it is equitable legislation.

Where do you think the state budget can be cut?

Economic hard times require tough choices. My first priority will be to not increase taxes in order to satisfy state departmental wish lists. Kansas must be open for business, creating an environment for new businesses. Increasing the state's assessed valuation and payroll dollars is the solution to getting past hard economic times. This increases tax revenues without increasing individual taxes. Budgetary shortfalls will be addressed by downsizing departments and reducing bloat - not cutting services to constituents. My two years in Topeka taught me that all departments inflate their budgets. It is a matter of finding and eliminating it.

There appears to be a tremendous amount of motivation to cut the state budget among Kansas citizens and legislators, but very few practical suggestions on what specific programs or budget lines to eliminate. My examination of the 2008-2009 budget suggests that the major programs funded by the state budget are ones on which Kansans depend and would be very difficult to eliminate outright. Therefore, if it becomes necessary to reduce the state budget due to lack of sufficient revenues, I would favor to have these cuts spread across the entire budget rather than a few individual programs.

Would you support an increase in the age for Kansans to get a driver's license?

I believe the proposal to increase the age requirements for obtaining a driver's license is good, common-sense legislation. Notes from the hearings held by the Senate Transportation Committee suggest that the proposal has strong support from a wide array of government and private organizations and very little opposition. Therefore, I would support this legislation.

No. It takes a community to raise a child, and we in local communities have an obligation to allow our young people to learn to drive. So much of driving is experience, and the experiences have to start sometime. Increasing the age puts undue burdens on families with high school students that need rides to activities. The penalties for breaking rules need to be tough and enforced.

Should Lawrence be allowed to keep its same-sex registry without interference from the state?

Yes. I believe the Lawrence ordinance allowing the domestic partnership registry should be allowed to stand without interference from the state of Kansas. The registry grants no new legal rights, but does create a mechanism by which same-sex and unmarried heterosexual couples can qualify for health insurance and other employee benefits. Given the constitutional ban on gay marriage passed in 2005, I believe this is a reasonable compromise to make for Kansas citizens who choose to register as domestic partners.

I will stand vigilant that marriage is between a man and a woman. I do believe there is room, under the heading of individual rights and liberties, for same-sex registries and legal agreements that allow partners some of the legal advantages that are assumed with marriage - such as joint filing of income taxes, access to health information and abilities to make decisions when one partner is incapacitated or ill, to illustrate a few.

Do you support Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' opposition to the two coal-fired plants in western Kansas?

No. The next Legislature has the obligation to develop an energy plan that is three-fold: reliable, renewable, affordable. This plan will culminate in a combination of various sources of energy and must be a full 20 percent renewable by 2020. Because reliability and affordability are also requirements, coal will be a part of the equation. I will accept no less than the latest science and technology being implemented to guarantee a minimal carbon footprint. Once we reach 20 percent renewable energy, the infrastructure should be in place to increase even further the renewable sources of energy for our population.

I do support the governor's opposition to these plants and would have voted to uphold her veto if I had been in the Legislature. One reason for my position is the uncertainty of the financial costs associated with this project due to the possibility of a federal carbon tax being passed in the near future, which could greatly increase the costs of this very inexpensive coal-based energy. A second reason for my position is the significant environmental effects associated with this project. I cannot endorse emitting 11 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually as an environmentally responsible action.

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