U.S. Representative, Congressional District 10

U.S. Representative, Congressional District 10

Written by Candace Birlelbach and Christi Covington Friday, 03 October 2008

Michael McCaul, Republican (incumbent)

• Lived in district: Nine years
• Education: Bachelor's degree, Trinity University; Juris Doctor, St. Mary's University
• Background: First elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2006; member of Homeland Security Committee, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Science and Technology and Ethics Committee

• Contact: 473-2357 • www.house.gov/mccaul

Q. What are the most important issues for your constituents?

A. Energy is certainly on the top of the list, then the economy, national security or the War on Terror. It used to be immigration, but it seems like we have stepped away from that right now, so I would say energy, the economy, national security and then immigration. To a large extent, they are interrelated. We have the largest transfer of wealth going on in our country as we buy gasoline overseas and it’s killing our economy. It has a ripple effect on other areas, [such as] food prices. It impacts every aspect of our life. So by far, energy is the No. 1 issue. We import 70 percent of our gas from countries that don’t like us. That is concerning because it make us vulnerable to places such as the Middle East and Venezuela. We need to get energy independence and that would create more jobs.

Q. What actions would you take on these issues if re-elected?

A. We are already doing things. There is a big debate going on the floor right now about the American Energy Act. It is common sense that we need to pass this. The act focuses on alternative fuels, wind, solar — and it also looks at nuclear power. We have not done nuclear power in three decades. France is generating 80 percent of their electricity from nuclear power and they do it environmentally safe. I don’t usually hold France as an example, but in this, they are doing really well. We also need to tap into the resources we have, including oil and gas. I voted for HR6, which was solar and wind legislation. That was good for Applied Materials, which is in my district. They stripped the tax credits that were in it in the Senate and that was too bad. But we also need to put power intro drilling off shore. It can be done safely. The vision is to transfer off fossil fuels, I think, but you can’t do that over night. That is why we still need to drill. We don’t need some of the above; we need all of the above.

Q. What do you think are the greatest international threats to the United States?

A. Energy is one. Obviously the greatest threat is radical Islam, extremist Islam. We are as sure as we can be that Iran has the ability to accumulate nuclear weapons within a year. They provided resources to Iraq and now they are supporting resources to the tribal areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I went to Pakistan and Afghanistan over the Fourth of July break. We flew in a Blackhawk and went to four different bases. There is a 40 percent increase in violence in this area, the tribal area in Pakistan next to the edge of Afghanistan. That’s where bin Laden is. The terrorists are pulling from Iraq and going to that area. I met with the president after I got back and told him this is the greatest threat not only to our soldiers, but in my view, also the greatest national security threat. We haven’t had an attack again and I think that’s because we’ve been strong, but before he leaves office, I told him he needed to address that. I was glad to see that we had some soldiers going there under hot pursuit.

Q. What do you think about the National Animal Identification System?

A. Well, this is an important issue for a lot of my constituents in the rural areas, the ranchers, the people with livestock. Right now we have it as a voluntary system and I think that’s good. If it was mandated, it would be unfunded, and an unfunded mandate is an undue burden on a rancher. It’s hard enough for them. We have incentives for them to participate, I think, but I know they would not want it mandated. They don’t like the government keeping track of their animals, either.

Q. What is your stance on the Trans-Texas Corridor and how do you feel about eminent domain?

A. We need roads and I strongly support roads, but I don’t support the Trans-Texas Corridor. It was poorly mishandled from the beginning. It would take a huge swath of my district on both ends. People who have lived on their land for generations were getting worried the government would take their land. Nothing gets people more riled. I think they are going to mostly use existing roads now. I did co-sponsor some legislation that would deny federal funds for anything called the Trans-Texas Corridor. I think we had that fight and we’ve won it. Now, roads are still going up. [Toll] 130 is going to be great when it is finished. It has been stymied by legal suits, but I think we’re finally going to get it done.

Q. Explain your position on the existing immigration system.

A. It needs to be reformed. We need to secure the borders. We had a hearing today in Homeland Security on both the virtual fence and the physical fence we are building at the border. The number of border patrol we have put down there has doubled. We have had the National Guard there. I know the governor has sent a letter asking to keep them and I support that. Then we need a legal channel for workers. For that we need an employment verification system. We don’t want to turn employers into immigration officers. That’s not their job, but with a good system it would be easier to enforce. As for what we are going to do with those that are already here, I don’t see this Congress doing anything. We have passed no border security this Congress, although we passed lots last Congress. If we have a system for employers to check the immigration status of employees then we will have to enforce it. In 1986, we passed an amnesty bill. It had provision for an enforcement measure, but there were no appropriations for it and that was the great failure.

Larry Joe Doherty, Democrat

• Lived in district: Seven years
• Education: Juris Doctor, University of Houston
• Career: Senior partner, Doherty, Long & Wagner; starred in television show "Texas Justice" from 2001 to 2005
• Background: Doherty and his wife endowed a Chair on Ethics at the University of Houston Law Center.

• Contact: 345-5277 • www.larryjoe.com

Q. What are the most important issues for your constituents?

A. The economy, health care and education. You really can’t talk about economy without considering the economic hemorrhage war produces in creating more debt. Problems with the economy are multifaceted and the solution depends on the specific problems in each economic issue. Half of bankruptcies in the US are driven by people try to pay health care costs. You have to know what people spend money on. All issues become inextricably intertwined in a policy approach that democrats have consistently addressed in a holistic manner. The health care crisis has risen because of the evolution in how the US provides care to citizens. It started after World War II with the development of health insurance as a benefit of employment. Today, 47 million Americans don’t have health care because they don’t have insurance. Texas has the highest rate of uninsured citizens in any state, with one in four being uninsured. The republican plan is to send them to the emergency room¬, a callous and shallow non-solution. Emergency room status is no way to treat illness or injury. We wind up paying for it with property tax dollars from the county with a higher rate than if we had a national health care plan. We have a national insurance profit system, not a health care plan. American is 37th in the world for health care. That means 36 other nations do a better job of saving babies and providing for their elderly. A national health care plan should be an American birth right. Calling is socialized medicine is more pandering than we see with the immigration issue- that’s fear and demagoguery. If you look at the education system, nobody calls it socialized education. In regards to No Child Left Behind Act, all children are left behind because of unfunded mandates from the state. Johnston High school closed because of claims that students couldn’t be taught. I graduated from a similarly underfunding school in Houston. I know first hand that poor children can be helped and be successful. It has everything to do with paying for cost of public education so teachers allowed to teach the subject and not teach for the test. There should be no vouchers; they are the educational equivalent to the Trans Texas Corridor, a plan to enrich private institutions.

Q. What actions would you take on these issues if elected?

A. To repair the economy, we’ve got to stop the hemorrhage that’s causing us to borrow and spend massively. The most obvious economic hemorrhage is the $170 million in war costs. McCaul has voted for more than $190 billion in additional borrowing since he has been in office. The total cost of the war is $3 trillion and the debt cost is $600 billion. Stopping means cutting off unnecessary spending, cutting down on wasted funds and holding Washington accountable. The debt we have now is a tax on our grandchildren, so we have to develop alternatives so we don’t borrow from industries that already reap corporate welfare.

Q. What do you think are the greatest international threats to the United States?

The biggest international threat is oil addiction. Nothing should be off of the table in my campaign, but McCaul votes against alternative energy development. Its going to take a concerted effort at developing solar, wind, geothermal, natural gas and wave energy. A great thing about expanding technology to those areas it that it will be uniquely American, creating jobs and benefiting the environment at same time. Another issue not large enough for national attention is the approaching short water supply, both for agricultural and private consumption. Population demands in Texas are doubling by 2040 and the water supply wont be able to meet those needs. When proper attention is focused on water as being a birth right, clean drinking water will be as inherent as fresh air.

Q. What do you think about the National Animal Identification System?

A. It is a concept developed by purveyors of technology who have a plan to make farmers pay for high tech animal identifications with inappropriate penalties. There is no provision for helping farmers who can’t afford the existing technology or the changes that may occur in the future. The tags are not free. Australia (who tested a similar program) has suffered outrageous excesses in subsequent tagging costs, raising expenses for farmers. The idea was not born out of a need from existing problems, rather it is being promoted as a way to avoid the prospect of having a future problem. The program wants to tag all animals- not just farm animals. McCaul voted in favor of the NAIS. This excessiveness is another way for the government to keep tabs on people and their property who are not involved in commerce.

Q. What is your stance on the Trans-Texas Corridor and how do you feel about eminent domain?

A. The Trans Texas Corridor is a blueprint for fraud. It’s another way for the politicians who proposed it to enrich their cronies at the expense of citizens in Texas. Governor Perry vetoed a bill in 2006 which would have mandated a just form of compensation for taking private property, clearly revealing his plan to help the private developers of the TTC to participate in stealing property owners’ rights. The second and perhaps worse aspect of the TTC is the lack of concern of impacting the environment. An impact study shows how concrete will impact the water and land. Not enough attention has been given to alternate transportation availability over existing right of ways, like rail systems. If we explore those alternatives, we can minimize the necessity for eminent domain and protect the environment at the same time. Texas legislature almost totally allowed this implementation while being asleep at the wheel.

Q. Explain your position on the existing immigration system.

A. Our immigration system is broken. Americans of all nationalities want our laws enforced fairly. No matter the amount of undocumented workers in America, that means there are that many registered Americans helping them stay here and that’s anarchy. We need reasonable laws that address our needs and treat people fairly. First, we need to take the fear and demagoguery out of the issue. McCaul is trying to scare people into believing there are security problems in Mexico. This supports race hatred, bigotry and prejudice. To the contrary, more suspects are apprehended at the Canadian border. Let’s implement a program that accurately identifies who is here, and determine how much of that presence fills a legitimate need without interfering with workers who are American citizens already. We need workers but can’t allow them to either be undocumented or exploited at below minimum wage labor rates. Building a wall is an absolute absurdity- the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall didn’t work. Did we learn anything? A wall is also a total disaster for the environment and ecology in the area.

Matt Finkel, Libertarian

• Lived in District: 11 years
• Education: Attended the University of Texas and Austin Community College
• Career: House painter, carpenter, real estate agent

• Background: Executive board, Libertarian Party of Texas: vice chair of the executive board, Travis County Libertarian Party; two-time delegate, Libertarian National Convention
• Contact: www.mattfinkel.com

Q. What are the three or four most important issues for your constituents?

A. The economy is No. 1. We need to drastically reduce taxes for low income, middle income, small business and the self-employed. We need to reduce spending and balance the budget and the first order of business should be dramatically cut overseas military spending. No. 2 is allow diversity, competition and local decision making in our schools, get the Federal government out of the education business. No. 3, stop eminent domain abuse. No. 4, stop special interest influence in national affairs.

Q. What actions would you take on these if elected?

A. In Congress, I will work to familiarize myself with all the related committees and sub-committees, then work to identify and cultivate support of their members and try to get appointed to these committees. Finally, I will help to get bills authored, through committee to the floor and passed or in some cases through the same procedure get laws taken off the books. I would also support groups that are already fighting these fights and most importantly listen to my constituents, the people of Texas District 10.

Q. What do you think are the largest international threats to the United States?

A. Our government's interventionist foreign policy is the largest threat to the people of the United States and is a destabilizing factor around the world that will continue to cause economic and security problem here at home. The best option we have to make Americans and Texans lives better is to focus our resources here at home. I basically agree with Dr. Ron Paul, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. I believe these are the best policies to further humanity, civil rights and prosperity throughout the world. Thomas Jefferson summed up the noninterventionist foreign policy position perfectly in his 1801 inaugural address: “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations – entangling alliances with none.” Washington similarly urged that we must, “Act for ourselves and not for others,” by forming an "American character wholly free of foreign attachments."

Q. How do you think the government should invest in alternative sources of energy?

A. Create a large, nation-wide market for alternative fuels and renewable resources by requiring government vehicles and agencies to use more alternative fuels and renewable resources in their everyday operations and new construction. The U.S. Government is the biggest business in America and the largest polluter, we as shareholders should vote/tell our government to lead by example.

Q. What do you think about the National Animal Identification Database?

A. The National Animal Identification System is an unnecessary new level of government bureaucracy that will hurt every one involved with livestock except huge subsidized farms. I will work to completely stop NAIS, and if that is not possible I will work to make sure it only applies to very large live stock operations.

Q. What is your stance on the Trans Texas Corridor and how do you feel about eminent domain?

A. There are too many unanswered questions, real concerns and logistical problems to go ahead with the Trans Texas Corridor. Yes, we need to continually improve our infrastructure but I do not believe this is the answer we are looking for. Since the Supreme Court ruling in Kelo V. City of New London, local state and federal governments have had expanded authority to take privately owned proper if it benefits the public use. The courts interpret the law and the legislature makes the law, and since the courts have ruled this way we need to work at the city, county and state levels to pass legislation that more clearly defines and restricts governments authority to take privately owned land.

Q. Do you feel that the immigration system in the US is broken?

A. The immigration system is broken but we can fix it by realizing that it is a large government bureaucracy with lots of red tape and inefficiencies and by knowing that most people are just trying to make a better life for themselves and their families, something I commend them for. We should allow more work visas for Latin Americans. If we can provide a simple, more efficient way for people to immigrate and work legally, we can solve problems here in Texas and across the Border. Legal immigrants have auto insurance. Legal immigrants don't need to steal Social Security numbers to pay taxes. If more workers do it legally we can effectively catch terrorists and increase our tax base. A more simple and timely immigration procedure can be a win-win situation for everyone, especially Central Texas.

Q. Do you support the border law?

A. As far as the Border Law, I am against building a wall but have no problem adequately funding our boarder patrol. That being said, in congress my job would be to allocate funds. I would try not to micromanage how an agency does their job as long as they are getting the job done in an ethical manner.

Q. Do you support sanctions for people who have employed illegal immigrants?

A. I would only support penalties for employers who have treated their employees in an unethical way. We can stop people from being taken advantage of and being treated as second-class human beings with a system that allows people to work and immigrate legally.

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