www.lanestartin.org
Nevada 1st
District – 2002
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Response to Nevada Concerned Citizens: Candidate Questionnaire 2002
28 May 2002
Background: the Nevada
Concerned Citizens works “to strengthen the family, foster free enterprise,
support a strong national defense, reinforce the moral fiber of the community,
and preserve freedom.”
1. Will you support an
alternative form of taxation (in place of the graduated income tax) that will
eliminate the power of the IRS, such as a national sales tax or a flat tax?
Comments: Alternative
taxation methods shouldn’t be idly dismissed. However, tax reform must not come
at the further expense of working people to benefit the wealthy and corporate
interests.
2. Will you support local
control of education by voting to get the federal government out of the
business of educational policymaking and funding?
Lane’s Answer: NO
Comments: While I
support local control of schools, I also support federal funding of education
at all levels. Such funding isn’t the answer we’re looking for in and of
itself, but it’s a big part of it.
3. Will you support
legislation to protect the right to life of the preborn, the handicapped and
the elderly?
Lane’s Answer: NO
Comments: As an adopted
child born after Roe v. Wade, I believe a woman’s right to choose in
reproductive matters is inalienable. I also support the “right to die” for the
terminally ill.
4. Will you support the
individual citizen’s right to keep and bear arms, including arms for
self-defense and for protection against government tyranny?
Lane’s Answer: YES
Comments: Generally
speaking I’m against gun control as I feel there are more effective ways to
address the issues surrounding it. However, I’m also against a narrow and
simplistic reading of the Second Amendment. I support reasonable regulation of
firearms.
5. Will you support the
right to work without joining a union or being required to play dues or fees to
a union?
Lane’s Answer: NO
Comments: I oppose
right-to-work legislation, as I believe it places an undue burden on the noble
and necessary role of labor unions in our society.
6. Will you oppose new or
increased taxes during this term of office, and to work to balance the budget
by cutting government spending?
Lane’s Answer: YES
Comments: I believe
cutting unnecessary military projects, which are quite numerous, can account
for any new government funding that may be required. If more taxation is
necessary (and I view that option as a last resort), it should come only from
more wealthy individuals and groups that are better able to pay.
7. Will you oppose any
proposal to grant similar legal status or extend the benefits of marriage to
same-sex or unmarried partners, such as same-sex marriages or civil unions or
any form of registered partnership?
Lane’s Answer: NO
Comments: I vigorously
support equal standing and protection under the law for gays, lesbians and
same-sex couples.
8. Will you support
legislation to guarantee that the U.S. military will serve only under the
command of the United States, not under the United Nations?
Lane’s Answer: NO
Comments: If we’re going
to be the world’s policeman, the least we can do is play by the world’s rules.
9. Will you oppose giving
tax money to any agency which performs abortions or counsels for abortions,
except to save the physical life of the mother?
Lane’s Answer: NO
Comments: See Question 3.
10. Will you support an
increase in pay for our military personnel, especially NCOs and enlisted men; an
increase in training time; and sufficient materiel and resources to restore
America to a position of military strength adequate to defend our own country
against aggressors?
Lane’s Answer: NO
Comments: While I have
no problem with giving military personnel a raise, to suggest beefing up what’s
already the largest and most expensive military in the world is asinine. A more
intelligent and compassionate foreign policy would be much more effective than
more bombs.
11. Will you oppose
so-called “hate crime” laws which criminalize speech and opinions rather than
dangerous or violent acts? (These laws can chill the right to free speech,
especially in the expression of political and religious beliefs on moral
issues.)
Comments: I disagree with
the contention implied in this question.
12. Will you oppose
legislation in the guise of “campaign finance reform” that denies citizens the
right to express their views regarding political candidates through private
organizations during an election period?
Lane’s Answer: NO
Comments: Corporate control of campaign funding contributes to an unacceptable gulf between rich and poor that can and should be addressed without abandoning the capitalist system. Campaign contributions should be limited to private individuals, period.
13. Will you support
constitutional government by voting only for those bills, proposals and
agencies that bring government more closely into alignment with the principles
of liberty and good government embodied in the U.S. Constitution?
Lane’s Answer: YES
Comments: How can I say
no to an open-ended question like that?
Which of the above
proposals would you be willing to introduce? (List numbers)
If elected, will you be
personally accessible by phone or e-mail to representatives of NCC?
Lane’s Answer: They’ll be no more or less accessible to me than anyone else.
Please briefly
explain your philosophy of government at the federal level and your
understanding of the responsibilities of the office you are seeking.
Lane’s Answer: Government in general should benefit the
individual and those who are less fortunate. The federal government should
serve in many ways to augment the work of state and local governments, which
should have day-to-day control of policy on many issues. My role in Congress
would be to champion a progressive agenda with that in mind.
Authorized by the Lane Startin for Congress Committee, Amber J.
Schneiter, Treasurer
PO Box 33761
Las Vegas, NV 89133-3761
(702) 658-2789
Last update: 28 May 2002