A Candidate Survey for Incumbents Running Unopposed in Washington's 46th Legislative District Here in Washington, the state is divided up into 49 legislative districts, each with one senator and two representatives in the state legislature. When my lovely bride and I were booted from our long-time district by redistricting following the 2000 election, I attempted to discover the philosophical positions of our three new "representatives," Senator Ken Jacobsen and Representatives Jim McIntyre and Phyllis Kenney. I haven't heard from any of them yet. On the off chance that any of my three representatives choose to visit this page, I renew my invitation to reply to my survey at the address below. I promise to post your responses. The letter I sent them...October 15, 2002 Dear Senator/Representative: I am a constituent of yours in the 46th Legislative District. As you may be able to tell from my address, I’m a new constituent, my neighborhood having been shifted into the 46th District in the recent redistricting. As someone who pays a fair amount of attention to politics, I’m naturally interested in knowing who my representatives are and what they believe. However, for whatever reason, the state has chosen not to include candidate statements in its Voters Pamphlet (at least, not in the one mailed prior to the primary). Consequently, I have taken the liberty of preparing a candidate survey for you, which you’ll find enclosed. I sincerely hope you’ll take a minute or two to answer the survey questions. I’m sure you’ll note that many of the questions are somewhat provocative. This is deliberate. As I suggested above, I am at the moment more interested in your political philosophy and attitudes toward governing than I am in your stand on specific issues. These questions are intended to reveal that philosophy in its essentials. (I should also note that Vin Suprynowicz, a nationally syndicated columnist and deputy editorial page editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, suggested many of these questions in a 2000 article [which used to be archived online; now you have to subscribe to Vin’s new pay-site].) I recognize that, as an incumbent running unopposed, you have little incentive to reply to my request -- especially since I represent no PAC, lobby, association, or interest group. While I would like to retain the option of posting your replies [or lack of them] on my web page, this information is simply for my own education, and to satisfy my desire to know to what extent my beliefs are represented in Olympia. If you have any questions about this survey, please feel free to email me at andrew (at) andrewrogers (dot) net. I very much hope you’ll let me hear from you soon. Sincerely. Andrew S. Rogers The survey... Please take a moment to answer these questions in as much detail as you desire. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my survey. Can lawmakers enact legislation for any purpose “in the public interest,” or are they limited to those functions for which they’ve been delegated specific powers? Can you name some areas where government could arguably do some good, but where it has no delegated power to act? If there are no such areas, is it still accurate to say Americans have a “limited government”? Does it matter?
Can you name any state departments or programs not specifically authorized in Washington’s founding documents? Should someone who has sworn an oath to protect the Constitution, but who then votes to allocate tax funds to programs or departments not authorized by that Constitution, be punished? If not, why not?
Can you name a current tax that you would repeal? A fee?
Are Washington residents free to engage in any business we choose? Is operating a business for profit a privilege, for which a citizen should apply for a permit and pay a fee or tax? Would you favor any changes in this regard?
Do Washington residents have a right to buy and keep machine guns? Why or why not?
Do Washington residents have a right to carry handguns openly on our hips without applying for or receiving a “permit”? Why or why not? Would you change current law enforcement in this area? If so, how?
Do we need more “gun control” laws? If so, name a new “gun control” law you would favor. If not, can you name a current “gun control” law you would repeal?
Can a tax rate be so high as to be morally unacceptable? If so, what would you consider a tax rate so high that citizens would be under no moral obligation to pay it? Conversely, if citizens have a moral obligation to pay taxes under all circumstances, does this mean government ultimately has a right to claim 100 percent of what citizens own and produce?
Is the war on drugs succeeding? Can it succeed? Should all drugs be legalized? If not, why not?
As a state legislator, what is your role in enforcing the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? Do you believe members of the Washington Legislature give any thought to the Tenth Amendment in the course of their duties? If not, is this a violation of their oath of office? If it is, how should they be punished for violating their oath?
Who are your political and philosophical heroes? Please name the title and author of the last book you read in the fields of politics, history, economics, or philosophy.
I've emailed my legislators to let them know this page has been posted. Perhaps they'll decide to pay it a visit? We'll see. |
This page last modified
Monday, January 22, 2007 (and still no replies)
mail: andrew (at) andrewrogers (dot) net