By Jim Day
Below
is the 2006 General Election Questionnaire which we mailed to each candidate
within our readership area. To save time (and the trouble of flipping back and
forth between your candidate’s answers and the questionnaire below) we suggest
that you list your candidate’s responses from the answer pages on a separate
piece of paper then read below the choices we provided them. Remember,
candidates were asked to mark only one choice on the questionnaire which best described
their opinion/position. Candidates were allowed short clarifying
statements/comments when one of our selections was not quite their position or
opinion. Also keep in mind that “na” means the
candidate chose not to make a selection regarding their opinion/position on
that particular topic and if the candidate has “Chose Not to Respond” next to
their name then, for whatever reason, the candidate purposefully chose not to respond.
As
I mentioned in the lead article to our questionnaire section, every single
candidate was mailed via First Class Mail a questionnaire with instructions on
how to respond. Every candidate (or his or her campaign representative) was
also called a minimum of two times (most were called more than twice) to make
sure they received the questionnaire and encouraged to respond.
My
personal opinion is that if a candidate chose not to respond I would call them
and ask them why not? Then I would ask them their opinion/position on each of
the topics on our questionnaire (and any other topic for that matter). If the candidate refuses to answer your
questions or you’re not happy with their responses, then I would think long and
hard about voting for them.
1. Legislative Philosophy
[a] Legislation that relates to moral issues
should reflect the views of the majority of our citizens and not impose one
group's morality or values over another's.
[b]
Issues
related to morality are very subjective. Therefore, government should not legislate morality.
[c]
All
laws are moral by nature and since our form of government is rooted in the
values and moral principles of a Judeo-Christian belief system those values and
moral principles must guide our legislative actions.
2. Immigration
[a] As a leader in the global community we must
adapt our policies and open our doors to those who are seeking a better life
under our democracy. With the exception of criminals, we should do what we can
to assist those who seek freedom and economic prosperity regardless of their
present immigration status.
[b]
The
issue of immigration is not of concern to the office I am seeking.
[c]
Those
who enter our country illegally should not enjoy the same benefits as legal
citizens of our nation. If they wish to become a citizen then they should do so
legally. If they break the law then they and those who aid and abet them should
be subject to the penalties of the law.
3. Discrimination
[a] The
rights of all citizens, regardless of their race, nationality, religion, sex,
age, physical disabilities or sexual orientation should be protected. Missouri /Illinois
should eliminate discrimination wherever it is found.
[b]
No one
should be discriminated against because of their race, nationality, religion,
sex, age or physical disabilities. However, special protections based upon
someone's sexual preference should not be legislated.
4. Abortion
[a] The freedom to have an abortion is, and
should remain, a woman's choice.
[b]
All
forms of abortion should be allowed except partial-birth abortions.
[c]
Abortions
should not be allowed except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of
the mother.
[d]
Abortions
should not be allowed except to save the life of the mother.
[e]
Under
no circumstances should abortions be allowed.
5. Gaming
[a]
Missouri/Illinois should take advantage of gaming as a revenue source
since it benefits state & local governments.
[b] Gaming has proven beneficial to Missouri/Illinois but
further expansion of gaming should not be allowed.
[c] Gambling is a social and economic blight upon
our state and should be abolished.
6. The U.S. Constitution
[a] The U.S. Constitution is the document that
gives us our rights, liberties and how we should govern ourselves as a
nation. Because the Constitution is a
living breathing document, it requires continual scrutiny and revision as the
needs of our society change.
[b]
The
U.S. Constitution should never be changed without first considering the intent
of our founding fathers when it was written and changed only through a properly
enacted amendment after careful consideration and public debate.
7. Education
[a] Control and support of education by federal,
state and local government is absolutely necessary to ensure that all of
Missouri's/Illinois’ children receive a high quality education.
[b]
Education
should be supported and controlled at the state and local levels with minimal
federal involvement.
[c]
Education
of children should be left in the hands of parents without federal or state
control.
8. Second Amendment
[a] I support the use of firearms for sporting,
recreational and home defense purposes, but believe firearms should be
registered as required by law.
[b]
The
control of firearms is a necessity in our efforts to reduce the threat of
terrorist acts and an important tool in law enforcement’s responsibility to
fight crime. A careful reading of the Constitution shows that the 2nd Amendment
applies to the military, National Guard and law enforcement and not the general
public.
[c]
The 2nd
Amendment broadly protects the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms. Gun
control infringes upon those rights and violates the original intent and
meaning of the 2nd Amendment to our Constitution.
9. Stem Cell
Research
[a] The potential for finding
lifesaving cures through any type of stem cell research should not be limited
by government or special interest groups. The health, safety and welfare of our
citizens should be a top priority.
[b] Stem cell research should proceed according to
the highest of ethical standards for human experimentation. Any type of
research which requires the destruction of human life should never be pursued
nor should taxpayer funds be allocated for such research.
10. Private Property
[a] The
U.S. Supreme Court has settled the question of the use of eminent domain
regarding private property. Private property should, in some situations, be subject to public opinion and
consensus as to its use for the betterment of a community.
[b] The U.S. Supreme Court has made a bad decision
to allow the use of eminent domain to take private property in the name of
economic progress. That decision needs to be reversed. Ownership of private
property is a fundamental freedom and the use of eminent domain should be
limited as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
Back to: General
Election 2006 Candidate Questionnaire Section