League of Women Voters of Michigan
©LWVMI Education
Fund 2008
Districts 2 and 3
United States House of Representatives - 2 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
District 2
Peter Hoekstra, Republican
Congressman Hoekstra serves
as the top Republican on the House’s Select Intelligence Committee and is a
member of the Education and Labor Committee. Prior to
his election to Congress, he worked for 15 years at office furniture
manufacturer Herman Miller, where he held the title of Vice President of
Marketing. Pete holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from
1. I support universal access to health insurance through the free market. Congress needs to empower consumers to lower the cost of health care and allow more access to the system through choice. Cost transparency, reduction of duplicative services and increased use of health information technology are needed to control the cost of health care. I strongly support Health Savings Accounts that allow individuals to set aside money tax-free into accounts to pay for health expenditures.
2. The federal government needs to pursue an
“all of the above” strategy to implement 21st Century technologies
and work towards energy independence. Congress
needs to support the development of alternative fuels, offer tax incentives for
home fuel conservation, avoid tax increases on the energy industry that will be
passed on to consumers, and build new nuclear power plants. Implementing
all of the above policies would decrease our dependence upon foreign oil and
fossil fuels.
3. Enact mirror trade agreements that provide the
same access to foreign markets that we allow to ours and that do not sacrifice
American jobs. Pass tax policies that
enable companies to compete and create jobs. Decreasing the corporate tax rate
and extending the R&D tax credit would greatly help companies to succeed. I
have also introduced legislation that slashes burdensome federal mandates
while providing flexibility to state leaders to address our problems with
federal funds.
Fred Johnson, Democrat
I currently teach history at
1. Access to quality,
affordable health care should be a right of every American. The power of the
insurance companies needs to be curtailed, including their practice of
disqualifying people for pre-existing conditions and denying needed care to
patients.
2.
3. To help
Dan Johnson, Libertarian
Did not respond in time for
publication
Ronald E. Graeser,
US Taxpayers
Did not respond in time for
publication
District 3
Republican
Ehlers was elected to
Congress in December 1993. A former
Physics Professor and Ph.D. research physicist, active in community service,
Ehlers served previously in the Michigan House and Senate. Ehlers currently
serves on the House Administration Committee as Ranking Member; the Science and
Technology Committee, as Ranking Member on the Subcommittee for Research and
Science Education; the Education and Labor Committee; the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee, and the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress.
1) Most Americans receive health insurance
coverage subsidized partly or in full by the federal government. Federal
programs, such as employer tax subsidies to provide health insurance, Medicare,
Medicaid, Tricare and the Veterans Administration provide more than 250 million
health insurance policies for Americans.
I have supported proposals to provide tax credits for purchasing
individual health insurance, expansions of the SCHIP program for children and
Association Health Plans for small employers to negotiate for health insurance…
2) I have strongly
supported the development of alternative and renewable energy resources, and I
have promoted efforts to increase energy efficiency and fuel economy so that we
can decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.
This includes tax credits for electricity produced through wind,
biomass, geothermal, small irrigation power, landfill gas facilities and trash
combustion facilities. I also support
incentives for hybrid and alternative fuel vehicle purchases and tax credits
for home energy efficiency improvements.
3) I am committed to supporting federal policies
that will strengthen economic growth in
Henry Sanchez
Democrat
Lifelong Michigan resident,
born in Alma, lived in Lansing and East Grand Rapids, working class, 32 years
w/telephone company, union member & executive board member CWA; parent
(children grown); current – small business man, lives with wife Linda on farm
in Ionia County; veteran Vietnam era, community volunteer at many levels,
previous chair Democratic Hispanic Latino caucus, previous appointee Governor’s
Commission on Spanish Speaking Affairs; website – sanchezforuscongress.org
1. 82% of people polled say it is time to do a
complete overhaul of our healthcare system.
62% of doctors say it’s time to do something different. It’s time to change our system to cover the
47 million Americans without health coverage.
I would like to see a single payer healthcare system. I think healthcare should be a right – not a
privilege for the entitled few.
2. It is time to get off our addiction to oil
and move ahead to renewable energy. We
must start now to go green with wind and solar power, with geothermal, and
fuels made from algae or cellulostic, with grass that
produces less carbon. We can start to do
this now. We could convert cars to
natural gas which burns much cleaner. We
have the resources to get us to “renewable.”
3. I would support an “Apollo” type, or any
special project to enable green technology.
We need jobs that pay a living wage.
We need low interest loans to our auto industries, to push battery
technology and bioenergy that produce better mileage and less carbon footprints
on our earth. I would like wind turbines
along the west coast of
Erwin J. Haas
Libertarian
Born in Buffalo, NY 1942; BA
Canisius College, Biology-chemistry, minors in classical languages and
philosophy; MD State University of NY at Buffalo; MBA Grand Valley State
University; US Army Flight Surgeon.
1) The feds should adopt market driven medical
care systems like the Consumer Driven Health Care system advocated by Herzlinger at Harvard; a Medical Savings account funded in
part by the government. Medical care costs can be lowered by discouraging
Certificate of Need laws, Getting rid of the FDA (prone to bribery and
mistakes; private testing companies are economically efficient), arbitration
instead of malpractice, globalizing surgical procedures. See
erwinhaas.lpwm.org.
2) Two problems: electricity production for
which nuclear power is the eminently reasonable solution. The feds should
provide storage/disposal for nuclear waste and get rid of a host of
environmental regulations. Transportation will need oil in the medium term, so
allow drilling. Electric cars will probably be used in the long term, and the
market will take care of that. Get rid of solar, wind, the gasohol swindle etc.
3) The feds tax folks in