Deseret News Questionnaire responses from 3rd District Congressional candidate Christian Burridge:
1.In general, what are the two major issues facing the United States and your specific House district today, and how would you address them?
Ethics Reform: I would implement real ethics reform in the Congress. We need an effective gift and travel ban for our representatives. Lobbyists are buying influence at the expense of citizens. I would vote to create an independent ethics commission to investigate congressional ethics misconduct. I support tougher ethics rules to stop the revolving door allowing legislators leaving the Congress to join lobbying firms and lobbyists serving as senior staffers in congressional offices. Finally, I would work to create transparency in lobbying activities. When the activities of our Congress are brought into the open, representatives will again be accountable to their constituents, not to their lobbyist campaign contributors.
Education: When government invests in education, local economies grow and crime decreases. With Utah's Third District having a large population under the age of 25, we must invest in public education to protect our families and the environment where our children grow. I believe school curricula need to be decided at the local level, not mandated by the federal government. The No Child Left Behind Act is not serving Utah students well — it takes away local control and burdens our schools and teachers with another massive unfunded federal mandate. I will fight to fund student loan programs and grants so that all will have the opportunity to further their education.
2.Would you over the next two years in office ever vote for a tax increase? Yes. No. Explain.
Yes and no. I would vote to maintain the estate tax for multi-millionaire heirs, and I am against giving tax breaks to oil companies — who are already making record profits —and to companies who ship American jobs overseas. I would not raise taxes on the middle class or the poor.
3.Before the United States invaded Iraq, did you favor or oppose the U.S. taking new military action in the country?
I favored the invasion of Iraq after the first Gulf War. I think we had a clear moral mandate during the first Gulf War to invade Baghdad and take out Saddam. He presented a clear threat to the region. He had gassed the Kurdish people in northern Iraq and had invaded a foreign country. I did not agree with the methodology of the current invasion because the Powell Doctrine was not followed. We did not invade with overwhelming force — i.e., not providing adequate troop levels during the initial occupation, and we entered without a clear exit strategy — two essential planks of the Powell Doctrine.
4.In your opinion, what should the U.S. do now in the Iraqi War? (Please be specific, should we withdraw immediately, set a timeline for withdrawal, stay the course as President Bush advocates?)
The United States needs a clear and pragmatic exit strategy from the war in Iraq. Politicization of the war on the right or the left does not help us reach a solution. Both sides are guilty of trying to make political advantage out of the war. I view our soldiers' commitment and sacrifice as sacred, which means we need to use pragmatic approaches to stabilize the region, to get our troops redeployed and to allow the Iraqis to govern themselves. I believe these solutions will more practically emanate from trained military professionals and not civilian partisan politicians. Many in the officer corps have been marginalized when they have advised for increased troop levels and strategic allocation of our forces. We should be deferential to the military professionals to get the region stabilized and get our troops redeployed in a reasonable manner.
5.Should Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate after the November elections, predict three things that will happen over the next two years because of the power shift.
1. Ethics reform. We will elect a large freshman class of representatives in Congress because people are tired of business as usual in Washington. We will see new ethics reform legislation passed as a result of this change in the constituency of Congress.
2. Budget deficits will decrease. Borrow and spend politics have caused the deficit to balloon and will burden the next generation with a heavy debt load if we don't to stop this irresponsible spending.
3. There will be long-needed oversight hearings on issues ranging from the Abramoff scandal to the high price of oil.
6.Considering that the U.S. budget will be in deficit again, do you favor or oppose making the current tax cuts permanent?
I oppose making tax cuts for multi-millionaires permanent. We are in a time of war and in a time of record high deficit spending. I oppose leaving our debts to our children and grandchildren. We should pay as we go.
7.Please give your specific stands on the following issues, which some term as moral issues:
— Stem Cell Research. I'm in favor of stem cell research and the use of government funds to do research on more than just the existing lines.
— Cloning of human cells. I am opposed to the cloning of human cells.
— Abortion. I am in opposed to abortion, except in the case of rape, incest or when there is a risk to the health or life of the mother.
— Capitol Punishment. I am in favor of maintaining capitol punishment.
— Same-Sex Marriage. I am opposed to same sex marriage, I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.
8.Specifically say how you would "solve" the immigration problem in the short and long term, what programs you would begin, what would you do with the current 11 million estimated illegal immigrants now in the U.S.?
We need comprehensive immigration reform. I would begin by providing strong economic disincentives to the companies who engage in illegal hiring practices. We should have a national database that employers can use to verify the legality of their workers. By cutting off the income source for these undocumented workers, we will significantly reduce the number of foreign nationals attempting to cross the border. We will then be able to put into place an effective border patrol program. With regard to the estimated 11 million workers already in the country, they reside here because we have been operating under a broken immigration system for the past 20 years. Many of these people own businesses, own real property and have children who are U.S. citizens. Some undocumented workers should be deported, some should be able to apply for a guest worker program, and some should be able to petition for a change in status where they may be able to obtain a green card and one day obtain citizenship — so long as they pay a fine, enter the status adjustment process at the back of the line, learn English, and take the necessary classes to become citizens. However, as long as these businesses that conduct illegal hiring practices continue to provide the incentive for workers to enter our country without status, we will continue to have immigration problems.
9.What is the one area where you see a real difference between you and your major party opponent?
I will be an independent voice for Utah's third district. My opponent on the other hand, votes with his party leadership 97 percent of the time. Washington-insider partisan politicians do not have Utah's best interests in mind. I will independently vote for measures that benefit the citizens of my district.
10. Responses to questions from Republican candidate Chris Cannon:
1.If elected, for whom will you vote to be Speaker of the House of Representatives?
I will carefully and completely consider all possible candidates and choose the one who will best represent the interests of Utah. My first choice of all possible candidates would be Representative Allen Boyd of Florida's Second District.
2.What is your position regarding tuition tax credits?
Public and free education is the cornerstone of a civilized society. Just like every citizen has a responsibility to pay for roads, soldiers, police officers and firefighters, every person has an obligation to pay for our teachers. When we invest in public education we stimulate our economy, decrease crime and create a better quality of life for our community. Vouchers are a method whereby the rich not only stop paying into the system with everyone else, but take money out of the system in the form of a subsidy so that their children can go to selective, elite schools. I am for investing in free public education for everybody and our future.