AL Senate District 7 Questionnaire Response: Sam Givhan

Alabama Senate District 7 candidate Sam Givhan’s responses to our candidate questionnaire are listed below.

1. Alabama is currently coping with budget shortfalls that have led to 12.5% proration and forced the state to use half of the “rainy day fund.” What solution would you pursue as a state senator? If spending cuts or tax increases are involved please provide specifics.

For too long, Montgomery politicians have had a blank check to spend our tax dollars on frivolous and wasteful projects.  If elected, I would support bringing the Alabama budget under control by cutting wasteful projects and bringing about smaller government.  I also believe that the budgeting process needs to be more responsible.  That is why I support prior-year budgeting.

2. What measures would you propose and/or support to increase transparency and accountability in our state government?

I would support electronic filing of campaign disclosures and election reports.  Alabama is definitely behind the times when it comes to election filings.  I also support further limiting the amounts Montgomery lobbyists are able to spend on legislators daily, which is currently $250.  This amount is excessive, irresponsible and subject to extreme abuse.  I believe that elected officials need to be accountable to the voters and not be puppets of special interests.  Finally, I support fair rules for governance in the State Senate.  Under the Democrat Leadership, Senators are not given enough advance notice of what bills are going to come up.  This is unfair to the people of Alabama as their representation is compromised by “surprise” votes on important bills.

3. Would you support and vote for “Free the Hops” legislation?

I would support and vote for “Free the Hops” legislation.

4. Do you support eliminating the grocery sales tax? If so, then how do you propose to replace the lost revenue?

I support eliminating the grocery tax.  However, I do not support the Democrats’ proposal.  While they hold it out to be “revenue neutral,” their measure is actually a tax increase.  The grocery sales tax is a tax that affects all Alabama families and should be eliminated.  Instead of making up for lost revenues, I support eliminating waste from the Alabama budget.

5. Would you support and vote for Initiative and Referendum?

I support the people’s right to vote and prevent bad policy as a measure of last resort.  However, I think it is my job as an advocate for Madison County to make certain that bad legislation is stopped prior to the need for a vote of Initiative and Referendum.

6. Name or describe one bill that you would personally champion in the Alabama Senate. It can be a previously introduced bill or one you intend to introduce.

I would personally champion a bill to return property appraisals to every 4-years instead of annually.

7. What is your position on Constitutional Reform? Would you support and vote for a Constitutional Convention?

I think our Constitution needs reform.  It is antiquated and is also the largest Constitution in the United States.  However, I do not support a Constitutional Convention.  A Constitutional Convention would enable a few liberal special interest groups to unite and to monopolize and control the agenda.  I support reforming the Constitution article by article in the legislature for submission to a vote of the citizens of Alabama.

8.What role should the state play in economic development?

I believe the State of Alabama needs to do everything in its power to bring new jobs and industry to Alabama.  The easiest way to get out of a financial crisis is to bring in more revenue to our state.  I support giving tax incentives to bring in new industry.  Such incentives should, however, be conditioned on a realistic expectation that the cost of the incentives be, at a minimum, revenue neutral for the State.

9. What ideas do you support for conserving the natural (environmental) and cultural heritage of Alabama?

I believe that we should support the acquisition of lands for use by the public, both for recreational, hunting and protective purposes.  I believe that the State is making great progress through the Forever Wild program and that we must be committed to protecting the funding for this program and not allowing it to be raided as a band aid solution to our financial woes.

10. A Softball! Think of one question you wish we had asked and provide your answer.

Why are you a Republican?

I am Pro Life, an avid supporter of the Second Amendment, and a staunch advocate of a highly trained and well equipped military.  I am opposed to same sex unions/marriages, environmental extremism, PETA (and other extreme, liberal organizations), quotas and any measure which would inhibit the right to work.  I believe that partial birth abortion is an abomination.  I believe in a modest tax burden for all of our citizens and I am opposed to the constant assaults by Democrats in order to raise our taxes and attempt to polarize our Nation.  I believe that the Federal Government has usurped its authority and misappropriated powers that belong to the States.  I believe that every child, from Gee’s Bend to Mountain Brook, if taught to read can and should be able to succeed with an occasional “hand up” and not a “hand out.”  I am a capitalist.  I believe in work, hard work, and that individuals and entrepreneurs can achieve great heights and that they should not be overly burdened with undue government regulation.

While many of these issues are not applicable to State government, cannot seem to come up for a vote in the legislature, or are not divisive to most Alabamians, regardless of party affiliation, they still form my identity.  These values were instilled in me by my parents as I grew up.

I remember tears streaming down my mother’s face when Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford.  I remember the thrill of Reagan’s victory and the ensuing pride in his presidency.  I remember the first opportunity that I had to vote in a general election when I got to be a part of the historic election of Guy Hunt.  In 1990, after finishing my undergraduate degree in Finance, I worked on Stan McDonald’s campaign as he ran for Commissioner of Agriculture and I also worked on Guy Hunt’s re-election campaign.  I gave my first political speech that year on the banks of the Alabama River for Bill Cabaniss in his effort to unseat Howell Heflin.  I have continued to work on other campaigns through the years, particularly those for George Bush.

While I have friends on the other side of the aisle, my religious beliefs and my upbringing can only lead me to one party, and that is the GOP.