United States Representative 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.
QUESTION 1
Are you concerned about the size of the federal deficit?
Explain your answer.
QUESTION 2
What government measures would you propose to improve access
to affordable health care?
QUESTION 3
The United States uses a great deal of fossil fuel for power generation and transportation. What measures would you support to tackle the ever increasing need for energy?
5th District
Born May 2, 1970, graduate of Freeland HS. Received BS, Mechanical Engineering,
Cum Laude, Michigan Technological University 1993. Worked for automotive suppliers and GM Flint for 14 years. Self employed heating and cooling
engineer. Past Summer Youth
Program Instructor at MTU and a volunteer engineering teacher at Cummings
Elementary. Training in
alternative energy, including biodiesel.
Married to Anne Zechmeister November, 2000, widowed June, 2003. Understands family issues. Firm
believer in rugged individualism.
1. Yes. Tax
revenue has increased since the 2001 tax cuts. They triggered economic growth in every state except
Michigan. The deficit is worse
than figures disclose because Congress raids the Social Security trust fund to
partially hide their wasteful spending.
Even after Congress takes the cash meant for our retired citizens, the
deficit grows because of irresponsible spending. The trust fund is empty and has been for decades. Stop the
raid. Write a responsible budget.
2. Break the insurance company monopoly and publicize their
accounting books. Insurance is
meant to be a safety net for severe illness, but it's used to pay for
everything from hangnails to brain tumors. It's nearly impossible for an individual to purchase
insurance at any price. Open our
markets to insurance companies across the country for low cost safety net policies. With tax free health savings accounts,
no one should have to go without insurance.
3. 65% of the energy burned in power plants is dumped in our
environment as thermal pollution.
Holland (MI) uses Cogeneration to save that wasted heat for street
melting, Detroit to heat downtown buildings. Home sized cogeneration should be encouraged. Hydrogen fuel must be made from an
abundant renewable source, not fossil sources. Biodiesel and Ethanol are only short term fixes. Safe nuclear energy is non-polluting;
byproducts are contained, not spread in the environment.
Born September 16, 1929, in Flint, Michigan. Sacred Heart
Seminary, B.A.; University of Michigan, M.A; Teacher, University of Detroit
High School, 1954-1956, and Flint Central High School, 1956-1964.Married Gayle
C. Heyn, three children, six grandchildren. Elected to the Michigan House of Representatives,
1964-74. Elected to the Michigan
State Senate, 1974-76. Elected to the United States House of Representatives, 1976-present.
Currently, senior member of House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and
Committee on Resources.
1. Yes. I opposed the trillions of dollars in tax cuts
pushed by President Bush since 2001 because the cuts primarily benefited the
very wealthiest and have resulted in unsustainably high budget deficits.
President Bush has asked Congress to raise the ceiling of the national debt
four times, raising it by $3 trillion to a level of $8.5 trillion now.
2. Our goal should be universal health care that is
affordable, and first class for all.
More than 46 million Americans are uninsured, mostly because of the high
cost of health insurance. The
Massachusetts plan may be a guide for future action. I support expanding
Medicaid and CHIP program to cover more low-income persons, individuals with
disabilities, and children. I also
support allowing the 3.5 million uninsured people between 55 and 65 to purchase
Medicare coverage.
3. There is a finite supply of fossil fuel in the
world. As a Member of the House
Biofuels Caucus and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, I have been
a leader in Congress in pushing for increased funding for research and
development of alternative and renewable energy initiatives, and I have
encouraged the expansion of tax credits for conservation energy programs. Michigan's ethanol producers can make a
significant contribution to America's energy independence.
Born in Flint, 1955. Educated at Flint public schools and
Mott Community College. Employed by GM/Delphi from 1973-2006. Former Democratic
delegate to County and State conventions (early 1980's). Former member of Green Party of
Michigan's State Central Committee. Currently, co-chair of Flint Greens.
Currently member of UAW, Labor Party, Green Party, ACLU, Greenpeace, Public Citizen,
MINORML, NAACP, and AARP.
1. Yes. The federal government has continued to expand the
federal debt, while at the same time granting massive tax cuts to the
wealthiest Americans. The concept of a progressive tax system and fairness have
been discarded. We must restore both fairness and responsibility to questions
of federal deficits and taxation.
2. I support a single payer Universal Health Care plan, and
would propose or support efforts to achieve Universal Health Care for all
Americans. We have the most expensive health care system in the world, and yet
45 million Americans have no health coverage. We have the ability to ensure
that all Americans have health care coverage, we just need to have the will to
make it a priority!
3. I support alternative energy (such as solar and wind),
energy conservation, improving mass transit, and increasing "CAFE"
standards as steps that should be taken immediately to reduce our dependence on
fossil fuels. We should also work to rebuild our cities as fuel efficient
communities and stop the ongoing sprawl that drains our gas tanks and depletes
our farmland.
I am a hard working American Citizen, and served my country
in the United States Marine Corps for 4 and a half years. I've resided in
Michigan for the last 27 Years. I am for a smaller government and putting more
power into the hands of the people. I believe that Congress works for the
people not the other way around.
1. Yes of course. We should look at that like any other
debt. How can you spend money that you don't have? We need to be more efficient
in the way we spend the people's money. First and foremost, getting rid of all
the pork spending that caters to special interest groups.
2. What happened to the affordable house call? Government regulations and frivolous
lawsuits have increased the cost of medical services. I support eliminating regulations that increase the cost of
healthcare that do not contribute anything directly to the patients. I also support full restitution of
legal costs to the defendant when the plaintiff's claim has been found to be
frivolous. Both measures would make health care affordable to all, without the
need for more government programs.
3. When the demand for any product increases, whether it is
food, clothing, or energy, supply must be increased as well. The problem in the energy market is a
shortfall in supply. I would
support easing regulations to encourage the production of more energy. I also support selling federal land to
the private sector to do with it as they please, using the proceeds to pay down
the federal debt.
