ST. GEORGE – Five candidates are vying to represent Utah citizens in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District. Among them independent and third party candidates: Independents Joe Andrade and Charles Kimball, and Constitutionalist Jonathan Garrard.
From the majority parties, Republican Chris Stewart and Democrat Jay Seegmiller, reported on separately (links to those articles included at the close of this report).
In this report, St. George News, asked Andrade, Kimball and Garrard questions concerning the national debt, job creation, public lands and foreign policy in relation to military action abroad.
Included below are excerpts form the Q-and-A to each of them, followed by links to attached PDF files containing their complete responses to the questions asked.
Joe Andrade
Joe Andrade, 71, of Salt Lake City, is a retired engineering professor who has served in various capacities at the University of Utah. He also founded The Leonardo, a museum in Salt Lake City that features exhibits exploring science, technology and art. Andrade retired from the U of U in July 2012 so he could focus on campaigning for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District seat as an Independent candidate.
Question: With the national debt at over $16 trillion, and no budget passed for the last three years, how do you propose bringing spending under control?
Answer: I endorse and support the implementation of the Simpson-Bowles plan.
The ‘normal’ Federal budget should be sufficient to fund and maintain effective military training, equipment, and materials – but all deployment and expansion in support of an active operation should be directly funded via a specific military tax imposed by Congress for a finite term. We need to pay for military actions directly and up front to minimize debt and its impact on future generations. I also advocate dealing with unpredictable major natural catastrophes in the same manner – imposing a special one-time national ‘patriotism fee’ to deal with specific catastrophes.
I support a simpler, more progressive individual tax code. Taxes, it’s been said, are the fee we pay for civilization – for community and for the services we cannot individually provide.
Question: Public lands – Do you support HB 148 and its language telling the federal government to transfer control of public lands to the state? Yes or no, and why?
Answer: Utah’s greatest asset is ‘its’ Federal Lands. Federal Lands ‘belong’ to the entire nation.
The Utah State Government is currently on a crusade to force the assignment of most Federal Lands to the ownership and jurisdiction of the State. There is great concern that the State, if it indeed was given full jurisdiction, would ‘manage’ the lands for relatively immediate income to the state via leases and mineral resource licensing, which generally degrades the lands and makes them less suitable for future generations.
My recent discussions with Federal Land managers suggest a new openness and spirit of cooperation that perhaps was not in place some years ago. I do not sense such openness and cooperation on the State level. I’ll work to improve the situation.
Attached: For Andrade’s complete answers to the questions posed click here to access the PDF file.
For more information on Andrade and his positions, visit his website.
Charles Kimball
Charles Kimball, 54, of Salt Lake City, is also running as an Independent for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District. Kimball’s occupational experience includes 26 years in personnel and budget management. On his Vote Utah profile, Kimball wrote: “My struggles and successes are no different than those whom I hope to represent. That understanding, that experience is the best qualification (for congress).”
Question: How do you propose to stimulate job growth in Utah and the nation?
Answer: Such are the times where increasing globalization, technological connectivity, ease of information access and the sheer acceleration of innovation highlights the pressing need to invest in research and design on a grand scale. What sufficed for an economic base of yesteryear has changed as the result of a dynamic period of innovation. In order to stay ahead, we too must change. The best approach for moving forward and building the sustainable economic environment each of us seeks begins with education. Education prepares us for the road ahead with confidence that we can meet any challenges …
Question: Foreign policy – Did you support military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and do you believe Iran to be a threat to the national security of the United States?
During the initial few weeks following 9-11 like so many I was angry, I was vengeful, I felt vulnerable. I wanted revenge! When evidence surfaced I supported our actions. So, with respect to engaging Afghanistan, I supported our action because I believed our cause to be just.
Iraq in many regards was the collateral outcropping of the action in Afghanistan. Based upon evidence that we now know to have been erroneous, we engaged in a ten year struggle under the banner of democratization and freedom…
Iran is a poses a different dilemma. It is clear that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad poses a threat, not only to the region, the United States and the world but also to his own people. Exactly what the nature of that threat is, we can only hypothesize at this moment. For such a despot to have nuclear capability is untenable…
Attached: For Kimball’s complete answers to the questions posed click here to access the PDF file.
For more information on Kimball and his positions, visit his website.
Jonathan Garrard
Jonathan Garrard, 38, of Tooele, is running for Congress on the Constitution Party ticket. Outside of politics he is involved in the residential construction industry. On his Vote Utah profile, Garrard wrote: “The hour is late; our freedom is in vital jeopardy. The question is simple, support Freedom or support varying degrees of Slavery.”
Question: With the national debt at over $16 trillion, and no budget passed for the last three years, how do you propose bringing spending under control?
Answer: …The Federal Government has usurped many powers from other areas of Government beyond their Constitutional scope …. We need to give the powers back that are beyond the jurisdiction of the Federal Government. This will drastically reduce the cost of operating the Federal Government.
… We need to return to the Constitution standard found in Article I, Section 8, Clause 5. This grants only to Congress the power “To coin Money [and] regulate the Value thereof”. It is unlawful for this to be delegated to any other group. This will work in conjunction with the first item, since a return to sound money will reduce inflation…
Question: Public lands – Do you support HB 148 and its language telling the federal government to transfer control of public lands to the state? Yes or no, and why?
Answer: I support the intention HB 148, which is to return to the State or People, lands which were never authorized for the Federal Government to administer. Within the bill, the dispersion of funds acquired by operating these lands still favors the Federal Government. 95 percent of revenue generated from these lands still goes to the Federal Government. The Constitution Party calls for a return to the states and to the people all lands which are held by the federal government without authorization by the Constitution. I would like to see a return to the state of the public lands, instead of just the return of the control.
Attached: For Garrard’s complete answers to the questions posed click here to access the PDF file.
For more information on Garrard and his positions, visit his website.
Related articles on the Republican and Democratic party candidates for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District:
Congressional candidates Seegmiller, Stewart debate debt, public lands, foreign poilcy
Specfic to Jay Seegmiller:
Democratic congressional candidate runs on jobs, ending political gridlock
Democrats convene in Washington County with clarity and a full slate of candidates
Specific to Chris Stewart:
Republican congressional candidate visits St. George, tells crowd to ‘keep faith’ in America
Utah Republican Party investigates scandal at state convention
Scandal and drama deliver surprise at UT GOP convention; election results for 2 parties
OP-ED: GOP Entitlement Hypocrisy
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