United States Senate

Nonpartisan Voter Guide 2008

©LWVMI Education Fund 2008

United States Senator - 6 Year Term - Vote for One (1)

Candidates were asked to summarize their backgrounds in 75 words and were allotted 75 words to answer each question. If the candidate did not reply by the required date for publication, the words, “Did not respond in time for publication” appear under the candidate’s name.

1. What should the federal government do, if anything, to ensure that every American has health coverage? (75 words)

2. What should be done, if anything, at the federal level to reduce our use of and dependence on fossil fuels? (75 words)

3. What measures would you support at the federal level that would help our Michigan economy? (75 words)

Jack Hoogendyk, Jr., Republican

Background: I have 15 years experience in sales and marketing, including several years in sales management. I have years experience as the director of a faith-based non-profit organization. I have 8 years experience in government; two years as a county commissioner, and six years as a state representative. I have been married 32 years; have five children, and seven grandchildren.

1. The government should ease regulations on things like purchasing health insurance across state lines and allowing insurance premiums by individuals to be fully deductible. We should get rid of mandated coverage for things the insured will never use. We should deny any medical care for illegal immigrants, other than emergency care.

2. We should encourage, through tax incentives, the development of alternative energy. Other than that, we should encourage domestic production of nuclear energy and domestic gas and oil.

3. Lowering the corporate tax rate from 35% (2^nd highest in the world) to 12.5%, matching the lowest in the world. This would bring millions of jobs to America, including Michigan. We should also advocate for Michigan to become a "right-to-work" state.

Carl Levin, Democrat

Carl was born in Detroit and attended Detroit public schools. He is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School. Before being elected to the Senate, Carl served as Michigan assistant attorney general and general counsel for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission from 1964-67. He was special assistant attorney general for the State of Michigan and chief appellate defender 1968-69. Member of the Detroit City Council from 1970-77, the last four years as Council President.

1. Senator Levin believes that we have a moral obligation to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, quality health care and he has fought for, and will continue to fight, to ensure this becomes a reality.

2. Senator Levin believes we need a long-term comprehensive energy policy that will decrease our dependence on foreign oil and reduce climate change emissions while promoting use of renewable energy sources and environmentally responsible domestic production of conventional energy sources. The federal government has a key role in the development of advanced energy and automotive technologies, both in providing funds for development and in being an early adopter of advanced technology. Tax incentives are critical for…

3. Senator Levin will continue to push for economic policies that promote manufacturing and trade policies that will create a level playing field for our manufacturers. Senator Levin is supportive of a comprehensive plan called the American Manufacturing Initiative that will help produce new manufacturing jobs, advanced automotive technologies, renewable non-polluting energy sources, and energy independence.

Scotty Boman, Libertarian

I'm a Life-long Michigander. In 1997, the Detroit News endorsed my Detroit City Council candidacy. I've been an educator for 19 years. I'm a professor at Wayne County Community College District and Macomb Community College. I received a BS in Physics and Philosophy from WMU in 1985, and an MA in Physics from there in 1987. I earned an MAT from WSU in 1999, where I was also elected to Student Council.

1. The Democratic and Republican run Federal government currently interferes with citizens' access to healthcare. This includes restricting the informed sale of nutritional supplements, and jailing people for medical Marijuana in states where it is legal. Their monetary policy has inflated the cost of everything, including health care. The Federal government has no Constitutional authority to control or provide healthcare. Return authority to the people and the states, as the Constitution requires.

2. The Federal government should get out of the way and withdraw to its Constitutional limits: It should end subsidies to Oil Companies, stop taxing the development of renewable energy sources, and promptly approve new patents for energy saving devices. It should lift the moratorium on domestic breeder reactors. Breeder reactors produce more fuel, in place of nuclear waste. A free market economy provides the best sustainable mechanism for encouraging sound and ethical energy choices.

3. The major parties have continued on this reckless course like a canoe team riding the rapids to Niagara Falls: Deficit spending, paying off debt by printing money, imprisoning large portions of the population, and wasting our resources and lives on unprovoked military crusades. This can't go on. Instead, I support a more rational comprehensive plan: Free market reforms such as eliminating the Income Tax, balancing the budget, restoring hard money, and reducing burdensome regulations.

Doug Dern, Natural Law

Did not respond in time for publication.

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Michael N. Nikitin, US Taxpayers

Did not respond in time for publication.

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Harley G. Mikkelson, Green

I was born in Minnesota but have lived in Michigan since 1954. I am married, have five children, a BS from MSU, and am an Army veteran who spent a year in Vietnam. I am a retired State of Michigan employee who worked for the Departments of Community Health, Education, and Human Services. I have also worked on farms, in factories, and for the Post Office. I was an active AFSCME and UAW member.

1. We need to remove the responsibility for providing health care coverage from employers by having the federal government expand Medicare to include everyone. This expanded Medicare needs to pay for prescription drugs. This expanded Medicare would be paid for by taxpayers based on their ability to pay by a progressive income tax along with co pays based on a person’s income level.

2. The era of cheap fossil fuels has past and the quickest way for the federal government to help people realize this is to institute a carbon tax. I am in favor of instituting a carbon tax of 20 cents per gallon of gasoline and raising it 20 cents per year every year for the next ten years. The proceeds from the tax would be used to subsidize public transportation.

3. We need Fair Trade not Free Trade. We need to repeal all unfair trade agreement. We should not be freely importing goods into this country which are produced by workers earning less than our minimum wage or from countries which do not meet our environmental protection standards. We also need a Corporate Responsibility Law which would make corporation responsible for the economic losses to communities and individuals when they relocate factories.