Questionnaire Response: Cheryl Baswell Guthrie

Here are the responses to the Flashpoint Candidate Questionnaire from Alabama 5th District Congressional candidate Cheryl Baswell Guthrie:

General

1. As a freshman legislator you may be limited in the amount of legislation you can personally champion. Please list two or three specific bills that are already pending or that you would introduce that you would personally fight for in order to secure their passage.

As a freshman legislator I will work with my colleagues on legislation that can bring immediate and positive change in America.

One of these bills that I will champion is H.R. 4088. The Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act is common sense legislation with broad bipartisan support that addresses illegal immigration by focusing on strengthening our borders and making it more difficult for illegal aliens to obtain employment. The bill strengthens the borders through an increase in border agents, physical infrastructure, and utilizing technology such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like those developed right here in Huntsville, Alabama. Details on the bill can be found here.

We can all agree that the federal government has a spending problem. That is why I will work for the passage of legislation similar to H.R. 379 which reduces non-defense, non-homeland-security discretionary spending across-the-board by 5 percent. This is the type of rational solution that will provide the immediate conservative change that we need in Washington.

2. NASA’s annual budget is approximately one half of one percent of the total federal budget. Do you believe this is adequate to meet the challenges they have been issued to return to the moon and eventually send a manned vehicle to Mars? There appears to be a looming gap between launch requirements and launch asset availability – how would you address this issue? Should their mission and/or funding be altered in any way?

For the last 50 years NASA has helped propel the United States into the forefront of technology; pioneering discoveries that affect our everyday lives in numerous ways from what we eat and drink to fostering our role as the leaders in research and development globally. In the post-cold war era Americans and the federal government seem to have lost their commitment to space exploration and the investment in our future prosperity that comes with it. Locally, we must assure that exploration missions are based out of the Marshall Space Flight Center making Huntsville, once again, the space exploration capital of the world. The President’s FY09 budget requests $17.6 billion in funding for NASA out of $987.6 billion in discretionary funding. I support the visionary goals for human and robotic exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond, the development of Orion and the Ares I rocket, and seeing through the completion of the International Space Station. As your Member of Congress, I will work closely with NASA, the administration, and my colleagues in Congress to assure that NASA has the resources to continue pursuing its goals.

3. Please provide a description of what you feel would be appropriate Constitutional gun restrictions.

The Second Amendment to the Constitution states, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” And, as a member of Congress I will take an oath “that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Therefore, I believe it should be the responsibility of all members of Congress not to restrict our rights to keep and bear arms, but to safeguard against such unconstitutional measures.

4. What makes you the best prepared candidate to represent the interests of Redstone Arsenal?

As a military wife and an active member of the Huntsville community I have had many opportunities to build personal and professional relationships with members of our military community. As Base Realignment and Closure continues, it is important that we continue to work with and monitor the process in order to assure not only the status of the current commands based out of Redstone, but to work towards consolidating more commands to the arsenal. The vitality of Redstone Arsenal and its economic impact on the community is vital to the future prosperity of North Alabama and the region at large.

Economy

5. What is the role of the federal government in the Economy?

The federal government should take a limited role in the economy while encouraging transparency along with research and development. It is import that Congress act to make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent and eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) in order to allow small businesses to continue to prosper and have the ability they need to fuel our economy. In addition, by extending tax breaks to companies for research and development, we can bolster innovation, make American firms more competitive and dynamic, and foster new, better paying jobs right here at home.

6. During campaigns candidates are eager to talk about programs they want to create or expand, but something has to give. Would you be willing to eliminate or curtail any programs and/or raise taxes to address budget problems? Please provide specifics.

I would caution voters against supporting candidates who are eager to expand the size of government; these people are more likely to cause problems for us in Washington than solve them. While I am committed to addressing illegal immigration and fully funding Defense and Homeland Security, I am also committed to making cuts in discretionary spending unrelated to NASA operations and space exploration. This is a change that can be made immediately which is both reasonable and rational. In addition, I do not favor raising taxes as a solution for budget problems. William W. Beach of the Heritage Foundation has shown that lowering taxes in 2001 and 2003 has resulted in growing government revenue from 16.1% of GDP in 2003 to a project 19% of GDP in 2008. Beach’s analysis can be found here.

7. What is your position on free trade? How would you vote on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement? Do you support continuing NAFTA?

It is undeniable that we have a global economy and that free trade is incredibly important to the future of American prosperity by opening up new markets for American goods and textiles. As a Member of the House of Representatives, I will not be able to vote on whether or not to ratify treaties, a responsibility the Constitution reserves for the U.S. Senate, but I have no doubt that Senators Shelby and Sessions will cast their votes with the best interests of Alabamans in mind.

With that said, I support continued efforts to encourage free trade. By providing tax breaks for research and development and increasing space exploration in America, we will develop new technologies and markets that will provide us with American jobs and future prosperity.

Government Ethics & Corruption

8. What efforts would you make to increase the public’s trust in government?

I support meaningful efforts to increase transparency in government. This would include increased transparency in the appropriations process and for officials’ interactions with lobbyists and special interest groups. We should require that all earmarks inserted at any point in appropriations and other bills disclose the Senators and Representatives who requested the earmark including the people, organizations, and lobbyists on whose behalf the request was made. These disclosures should then be made searchable on a publicly available website. By opening up these processes to public scrutiny we will be able to better understand where problems occur and police them as necessary.

9. Would you pledge to abstain from seeking or accepting earmarks as a member of Congress? Note: According to Citizens Against Government Waste there were five senators and ten representatives who received no earmarks in FY2008.

The earmarking process has been greatly abused by many on Capitol Hill. However, Representatives and Senators are best positioned to address important needs and opportunities in their states and districts that are not deemed priorities by federal bureaucrats. This is often the case when it comes to transportation needs.

As I have said above, we must make the earmarking process transparent. By making earmarks open to public scrutiny we can immediately take steps to eliminate the abuse and assure the integrity of the process.

Social Security

10. What are your thoughts on Social Security? Is it in trouble, if so, how do you propose to fix it?

It is important for our children and grandchildren that we shore up Social Security. In 2017 Social Security will begin to spend more money than it receives. In 2041 the Social Security trust fund will run out and Social Security will have only enough money to fulfill 78 percent of its commitments.

Social Security should be reformed to provide younger individuals with their own personal savings accounts administered by the government that they would own while maintaining the current system for older Americans whose benefits will not be affected.

National Security/War on Terror

11. What country or group do you believe poses the greatest threat to the United States? What actions would you take to secure our safety from this particular threat?

Terrorists, whether state supported or not, pose the greatest immediate threat to U.S. National Security. I am committed to supporting Defense and Homeland Security by providing them with the tools and resources they need to pursue threats to national security both foreign and domestic. Our American borders are an important frontline in the war on terrorism. Having porous borders not only makes it easy for illegal immigrants to enter our country, but also for terrorists who despise our way of life.

Education

12. Does the country need more or less involvement from the federal government in educating our children? Do you support market based school choice programs such as vouchers or tax credits?

The federal government should be less involved in educating our children for various reasons. First and foremost, our schools should be controlled locally by the people best positioned to asses and meet the needs of our children. Our schools and children should not be exploited as vehicles for liberal social experiments and the compulsory indoctrination of secular values on issues such as sex education.

For the 2006-2007 school year the federal portion of K-12 funding for public schools is 8.9 percent and 9.9 percent for Alabama. In exchange for this relatively small share of K-12 education funding the federal government provides to our schools, it turns around and places demanding administrative burdens and encourages mandates upon our local schools.

Parents and children should have the option to pursue educational alternatives that meet the individual needs of their families. These options should include the right to home school children or to enroll their children in private schools at their discretion. It is, however, my strong belief that if families receive funds or tax breaks to provide their children with educational alternatives to public education, the government should not use the situation as a tool to undermine the autonomy or values of private institutions or groups.

Health Care

13. What responsibility does the federal government have for health care? What are your thoughts on addressing the issue?

The federal government has a responsibility to oversee and assure quality and integrity of health care while pursuing policies that keep costs low. It is for these reasons that we require FDA approval of drugs and medical procedures and regulate the insurance industry.

The government also has the responsibility to address the looming Medicare funding crisis. Over the next 75 years Medicare expenditures will balloon from 3.2 percent of GDP in 2007 to 10.8 percent of GDP as baby boomers retire.

Congress and the President should pursue tax deductions in order to provide immediate relief to health care consumers and reduce the number of uninsured. Consumers can also see savings if we change insurance regulations to allow insurance policies to be portable and by allowing individuals and groups to band together to purchase coverage.

Iraq

14. What is your position on the Iraq War? Are we winning? When should we leave?

The war in Iraq and Afghanistan represents the frontline of the war on Terrorism. It is clear that we misunderstood how destabilized Iraq and the region would become once Saddam Hussein’s regime was toppled.

As to assessing the status of the War on Terror, I will leave that determination to the Generals on the ground. In his April 9th, 2008, report to the House Committee on Armed Services General David H. Petraeus said, “Since Ambassador Crocker and I appeared before you seven months ago, there has been significant but uneven security progress in Iraq.”

I do not support a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq. This is particularly important given recent reports that Iran is waging a proxy war in Iraq. We need to create a clear strategy for turning over more and more security and policing responsibilities to the new Iraqi government. This will provide a gradual and continuous reduction of US troops in Iraq as we accelerate the training and equipping of the Iraqi armed forces and police, holding the new Iraqi government accountable for their performance.

Taxes

15. What specific measures would you support to change our federal tax code?

I support changing the federal tax code to remove the sunset clause from the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and the ‘death tax’ in order to make them permanent in order to sustain growth in government revenue and provide tax relief to hard working Americans. We must permanently repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) that was designed to target a few taxpayers with a large number of deductions, but due to lack of adjustment for inflation has gone from effecting 155 taxpayers after its 1969 enactment to an estimated 30 million taxpayers in 2010. The AMT hurts middle class families and small business owners by unfairly increasing taxes.

Immigration

16. What should the federal government do about immigration? What impact have illegal immigrants had on Alabama?

We must start by strengthening our borders with an approach that includes more border patrol agents with better training, physical barriers, and utilization of technology including surveillance cameras and UAVs.

In addition, we can make changes that will have an immediate impact on illegal immigration by removing incentives to come here illegally. These changes include:

• End and prevent policies that give drivers licenses to illegal aliens.
• Cease and prohibit the distribution of government benefits to illegal aliens.
• Require the ability to proficiently read and speak English before graduating from high school.
• Enact a Criminal Alien Removal Program that will immediately deport all illegal aliens in U.S. prisons or jails or that are monitored by parole programs.
• Fine business that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigration has an everyday impact on Alabama. In addition to the increased burden on our emergency rooms that is caused by illegal aliens, there is an increased health risk due to a lack of basic inoculations for diseases such as leprosy, malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. In American today 27% of the prison population is made up of non-citizens. The burden of an estimated 13 million or more illegal immigrants on our welfare system has a impact on every U.S. citizen.

Abortion & Other Social Issues

17. Which term best describes you: pro-life or pro-choice?

I am 100 percent Pro-Life and will work in Congress to promote Pro-Life policies.

18. Would you address the issue of human trafficking and slavery in the US and worldwide?

Human trafficking and slavery are inhumane and unjust practices. I will support government policies to discourage these practices in our country and across the globe.

19. Would you support an amendment to the Constitution defining marriage as being between one man and one woman?

A marriage should be between one man and one woman. If the federal marriage amendment came to the floor of the house I would vote in favor of it. The federal government has a compelling interest for the wellbeing of society in supporting the traditional family structure which is based around one man, one woman, and their offspring.

Energy

20. What should the federal government do, if anything, to decrease fuel prices and what should the government do to develop and promote sustainable alternative energy sources?

We must change current energy policy to allow exploration of reserves in the Gulf of Mexico and ANWR and end the effective 30 year moratorium oil refineries and nuclear power pants. These policies adversely affect the free market’s ability to respond to energy needs during this time in which we pursue alternative solutions to energy needs.

While some believe that the solution to this problem is to increase the cost of or raise taxes on existing energy sources, this will do nothing to reduce the burden to Alabamans at the pump.

Softball

21. Are there any questions you wish we had asked? Go ahead and answer it.

As a Member of Congress, what committees do you want to be on?

Initially, I hope to join the Committee on Armed Services which is very important to our area with Redstone Arsenal here in Huntsville and all the men and women who serve or have served our country. My grandfather, Edward deGraffenreid served on this same committee in the late 40’s and early 50’s.

With time, I hope to join the Committee on Appropriations where I will work assure the future of NASA, Redstone Arsenal, and other vital interests for us and North Alabama.