Candidates offer views on state of state, nation

BARRY COHEN
Editor

1. Which issues would you advocate even if your position runs contrary to poll results or public opinion?
   
   
2. Arizona is in a declared state of drought emergency. What policies would you advocate to respond to the current crisis?
   
   
3. What distinguishes you from your competitors?
   
   
4. What is the role of God in public life?
   

U.S. Representative in Congress
District 2

Democrat

1. Commitment: Affordable health care, including basic prescription drug coverage; against vouchers; protect Social Security; develop incentives for alternative energy sources.
   
   
2. Drought: Support studies into desalination; develop cost-effective way to convert seawater into drinking water.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Proven record of service to community for 20 years and political party for eight years.
   
   
4. Faith: God is the difference between a politician and a statesman; God provides a moral compass and gives people the strength and wisdom to make difficult - often unpopular - decisions.
   

1. Commitment: Immigration reform; improve the quality of life of Latin American neighbors, in part by purchasing oil from Latin America, lessening U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
   
   
2. Drought: Ensure that Arizona receives appropriate allotment of water from the Colorado River; enact moratorium on growth without an assured water supply; if necessary, restrict daytime water use.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Arizona native; seen immense changes in growth and development; strategic vision resonates with the electorate.
   
   
4. Faith: View of God in public life - "What we are is God's gift to us, what we become is our gift to God."
   

1. Commitment: Improve education; enhance Medicare to include prescription drug benefit; protect and preserve Social Security from priva-tization.
   
   
2. Drought: Water conservation and fire safety must be at the heart of drought policy.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Not a career politician; know-how to form consensus and advance positive change in corporate environment.
   
   
4. Faith: God plays a big role in both my private and public life; each person's belief system is shared with others every time they interact.
   

1. Commitment: Issues that involve justice, non-discrimination, health, safety and dignity in life.
   
   
2. Drought: Complete conservation program, with rationing if needed.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Only Democratic candidate in primary with prior elected and policy-making experience.
   
   
4. Faith: God is the foundation upon which private and public actions are based; God gives strength, character, energy, vision, common sense and commitment to public service.
   

Republican

1. Commitment: Eliminate income tax to stimulate economic growth and let people keep more of what they earn to meet their own needs.
   
   
2. Drought: Provide disaster relief for Arizonans suffering from drought conditions; explore water delivery and storage infras-tructure for times of non-normal weather cycles.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Experience in cutting taxes, increasing education funding and teacher pay raises; improving access to affordable health care; and preserving Luke Air Force Base.
   
   
4. Faith: Government should not interfere with religious practices outlined in the Books of the Law and the Gospel - whether public prayer, the use of scriptures or public acknowledgements of God.
   

1. Commitment: Representative government works best when candidates tell voters beforehand how they will vote, then keep their promise.
   
   
2. Drought: To protect the water supply, ensure that wells are not vulnerable to the polluting dynamic, hydrostatic invasion.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Small-business owner who understands how to deal with both sides of the ledger; knows critical role of productive free enterprise.
   
   
4. Faith: America is a gift of God; personally committed to defending state of Israel, demonstrating that people of different faiths can have common ground.
   

1. Commitment: Homeland security, national defense; close international borders except to visitors meeting strict qualifications.
   
   
2. Drought: Insist on entitlement of Colorado River water; do not restrict water for residential use; Arizona wastes water with non-essential artificial lakes and fountains.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Not a Johnny-come-lately opportunist.
   
   
4. Faith: God has place in public life and to some extent in school. Christian principles are important standards to live by.
   

1. Commitment: Continue to support war on terror; staunchly supportive of national security interests; U.S. must be undeterred in commitments to supporting Israel to increase stability in Middle East.
   
   
2. Drought: All Arizonans must make concentrated effort to conserve water and ensure continued, qualitative water management along the Colorado River and other water sources essential to agricultural industry.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Only candidate committed to strengthening military and reforming intelligence agencies to fight war on terror.
   
   
4. Faith: The founding fathers believed in freedom of religion and not freedom from religion; God's role should be prominent in public life; "Under God" should be part of the Pledge of Allegiance.
   

1. Commitment: National security; stopping land encroachment around Luke Air Force Base, where air corridors and over-flight areas need land-use compatible to the base's mission.
   
   
2. Drought: Increase water conservation; model Peoria's expanded city water options to avoid dependence on ground water; explore all water options and conservation possibilities.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Educated in Mohave County and western Maricopa County; Arizona heritage goes back to the time of the Civil War.
   
   
4. Faith: God is the cornerstone of personal and public life; attends Saint Christopher's Parish in Sun City; member of the Episcopal Bishop's Precept Committee.
   

1. Commitment: Pro-tect Luke Air Force Base from encroachment; include drug benefits in military medical coverage; ensure adequate military active and retirement pay.
   
   
2. Drought: Emphasize water conservation and creative household conservation; utilize recycling for massive golf course water demands.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: As prosecutor and former San Diego City councilman, managed $100 million budget; Georgetown Law graduate with a Washington, D.C., network.
   
   
4. Faith: Support federal funding through subsidized real estate financing to assist church-sponsored construction of multi-family housing, including retirement housing as well as underprivileged housing.
   

Libertarian

1. Commitment: Individual rights and freedom must be protected even when majority of voters would like to violate those rights for perceived betterment of society collectively.
   
   
2. Drought: Establish free market for purchase and sale of titled water rights and uses that could evolve in response to eliminating governmental political distribution of water rights.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Only candidate who would work to reduce federal government and judiciary to minimal administrative functions and also work to eliminate federal income tax.
   
   
4. Faith: Legislative actions must be solely based upon objective and reasoned analysis and not upon faith or perceived divine guidance.
   

U.S. Representative in Congress
District 3

Libertarian

1. Commitment: Would not hesitate to support an issue just because it runs contrary to poll results or what is reported to be public opinion.
   
   
2. Drought: Other than reducing or eliminating water usage on federal property within the state, the federal government has no role to play.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: No legislature can vote away property rights; citizens have right to control all of their income and assets.
   
   
4. Faith: Those who are godless must seek guidance in logic and whatever morality they have adopted, while those who worship God are guided and comforted by God's word. God help us all.
   

Democrat

Republican

U.S. Representative in Congress
District 5

Democrat

1. Commitment: Education investment, including early childhood development and reduction of class size; protection of pension and retirement interests; maintaining fundamental constitutional freedoms; support for America's allies around the world.
   
   
2. Drought: Ensure Arizona gets its Colorado River allocation; support conservation awareness programs and water conservation technologies, including free home water audits and rebates for efficient, low-flow landscaping systems.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: strong independent streak that ignores party labels and acknowledges good ideas; MBA-educated, information economy entrepreneur who has attracted capital to Arizona and created high-skill, high-wage jobs.
   
   
4. Faith: Turning to God for inspiration is appropriate for those who seek public life but should not be used for political gain or to promote one religious faith over another.
   

1. Commitment: Safeguard Social Security; provide prescription drug coverage; ensure quality public education; promote economic growth; protect environment; preserve our freedom through secure borders and strong national defense.
   
   
2. Drought: Provide water for communities and protect tribal water rights; create programs that stimulate public awareness of conservation; punish polluters so global warming does not further erode the water supply.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Lifelong Democrat; active participant in local community for more than 20 years.
   
   
4. Faith: Protects my right to be an Episcopalian by preserving others' right to believe as a Jew, a Protestant, a Catholic, a Buddhist, a Hindu, a nonbeliever or anything else.
   

Republican

1. Commitment: National security and foreign policy; never abandon Israel, regardless of poll results.
   
   
2. Drought: Cannot control weather but can encourage Arizonans to conserve water, do better job of water storage and help farmers and ranchers hurt by the drought.
   
   
3. Uniqueness: Eight years of experience delivering real results and solving problems for the people of Arizona.
   
   
4. Faith: America's founding documents are replete with references to God; while we embrace God in public life, citizens must embrace just as forcefully a tolerance for other views and beliefs.