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Welcome to the Voter Guide You may scroll down to begin viewing
the information provided by the candidates in this race.
NR - indicates "No Response" - the candidate chose not to
participate in this Voter Guide Candidates are listed in the same order they are listed on the ballot.
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QUALIFICATIONS |
1. What are your strongest qualifications for this position?
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) |
During my first term in Congress I have been a strong and independent voice for the people of WNC. As a husband and father, I have represented the values and culture of our region. I have worked with members of both parties to move beyond partisan differences to do what is right for our country, and I have used my experiences as a small business owner to make Congress more fiscally responsible. |
In my 6 years of public service, I have consistently upheld conservative principles and worked as independent thinker with a devotion to action over image: qualities I believe we need in Congress. I am consistent and do not back down: from inner-city drug dealers, special-interest groups, self-serving politicians, or even the leadership of my own party.
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I'm not tied to following either of the two Parties that have been in power and am free to follow the path I think is best without worrying about repercussions from Party leaders. |
IRAQ WAR The War in Iraq continues to be a source of grave concern and controversy throughout the US. |
2. What position would you urge Congress to take on the US presence in Iraq?
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) |
Our Armed Forces have performed exceptionally, and I will always support them with the funding they need to stay safe. However, our military cannot bring political and religious reconciliation to Iraq. The Iraqi people must stand up and take responsibility for their country, so we can redeploy our troops to track and destroy the terrorist groups that threaten our nation's security.
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Winston Churchill once said, “If you're going through hell, keep going.” I served in Vietnam and it broke my heart when we betrayed those who served and died there. Iraq is a questionable foreign entanglement, but we are there and should fight to win. We fail the Iraqi people and ourselves if we surrender hope and potential for chaos and assured disaster. |
Tell the Iraqi's to stand up. We have been doing too much for them. Tell them it's time to start taking on more of the burden. |
HEALTH CARE Rising costs of health care now equal 16% of our national economy and increasing numbers of Americans—now almost one in six—are without health insurance. While the US spends more per person on health care than any other country, it ranks 37th in the world, based on life expectancy and infant mortality. Our employer-based health insurance system is not working for large numbers of Americans. |
3. Would you support a federal plan for universal health insurance coverage?(Support/Oppose)
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) |
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Oppose |
Oppose |
4. How would you address the growing problems of access to affordable, high quality health care in the US?
I strongly support making health care more affordable and accessible to all Americans. In Congress I have focused my efforts on expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program and protecting funding for Medicaid and Medicare, to protect the most vulnerable among us. Given our current budget constraints, however, I question whether we can realistically create a new entitlement program. I do not believe that big government is a good answer to problems – including health care. Solutions will be found in reducing legal and regulatory constraints hampering the free-market from providing easy and affordable access to most medical services. If government is involved, let it come in the form of tax credits so that Americans can retain individual control and purchase their own health care. Limit Dr.'s liability which would lower their cost to offer services by lowering insurance costs, allow foreign doctors into the country, provide loans similar to student loans for surgeries
Shuler (D)
Mumpower (R)
Smith (L)
5. What is your position on the bipartisan proposal to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that was vetoed by the President? (Support/Oppose)
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) |
Support |
Oppose |
Oppose |
6. Please comment on your response:
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) |
I voted several times to improve SCHIP, and to override the President's veto, so that every eligible child could be covered. It is immoral that over 9 million American children, whose parents are hard-working taxpayers, lack the basic health insurance they need to grow up healthy. The vetoed SCHIP legislation would have enrolled 116,000 N.C. children who are now eligble for SCHIP. |
Liberals in Congress misused SCHIP as backdoor to “welfare healthcare” for the rest of us. In the new SCHIP, upper-income children from families with private insurance and others earning as much as $83,000 a year would be eligible. This sort of “something for nothing” government service hidden behind the legitimate needs of children in poverty was shameful. I applaud the President's veto. |
Government only ends up costing more and providing worse service than private and personal health care can provide. |
ENVIRONMENT-CLIMATE CHANGE & POLLUTION The world is putting about 3 billion tons of carbon emissions from fossil fuels into the atmosphere each year, up nearly 500% from 1950. The consensus of scientific opinion is that this has contributed to global warming and increasing climate extremes. The changes are raising ocean levels which could make many of the world’s largest cities uninhabitable and dramatically reduce the world’s agricultural land. Two ideas currently being discussed in Congress to reduce CO2 emissions are a “carbon tax” and a “cap and trade” system. |
7. Do you support a “carbon tax”, which is a federal tax on the carbon content of fuels? (Support/Oppose)
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) |
Oppose |
Oppose |
8. Do you support a “cap and trade” system which (a) sets a declining limit - “cap” - on the amount of carbon emissions permitted and (b) allows businesses to buy and sell - “trade”- unused emission allotments? (Support/Oppose)
Shuler (D)
Mumpower (R)
Smith (L)
9. Please comment on your responses:
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) |
I have cosponsored legislation to implement a cap and trade system. Additionally, I have worked to give America an energy policy for the 21st Century. I wrote and passed legislation to help small businesses become more energy efficient. I also supported legislation to end wasteful subsidies to Big Oil companies and invest in clean, renewable energies.
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Cap and Trade is an exercise in social engineering that uses legitimate environmental fears to create a US welfare program for other countries. Adding the inherent inefficiencies of government and fantasy fixes to our environmental problems is not helpful. Illuminating the facts and developing realistic solutions with us all fairly sharing the burden and opportunities can be.
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Tax credits are a scam used by people to profit from other businesses that actually produce something. They really don't lower pollution. They just make people think something is being done when really it just adds costs to production. |
IMMIGRATION Congress has not passed a comprehensive immigration bill. The administration has begun to enforce some existing laws more strictly. Local governments have passed a variety of ordinances related to immigration, even though the Supreme Court has ruled the federal government has sole authority over immigration |
Illegal immigration is one of the most important issues facing the U.S. That is why I wrote the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act. The SAVE Act is a three-part to stop illegal immigration: improved border security, mandatory employee verification, and increased enforcement of existing federal laws. (A) Substantially increase the penalties for those who hire illegals: make it unprofitable for magnet companies to break the law and the illegal immigration tide will turn. (B) Provide the necessary resources to beef up border security—including manpower and physical barriers. (C) Realistically assess our capacity to accommodate further immigrants and streamline the process to come here legally. Just have a difficult to forge ID card that employers can use to verify a person's right to work in this country. It's really not all that difficult. A valid work document would vastly cut down on illegal workers if companies could check on their legality to employee them.
10. List the components you think are needed in a comprehensive federal bill:
Shuler (D)
Mumpower (R)
Smith (L)
11. In the absence of a comprehensive federal bill, what specific changes in immigration policy would you support?
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) |
I support the SAVE Act and believe it is the right step to take. This bill has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, as well as the support of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, 9/11 Families for a Secure America, U.S. Business and Industry Council, N.C. Grower's Association, and the National Association of Police Organizations. |
One word—enforcement. We must rededicate ourselves to persistently and enthusiastically enforcing the laws we already have in place. That includes providing support and authority for local law enforcement officials. Any society that refuses to enforce its laws risks its future. I am concerned for our future. |
Have NC adopt an examination of employees at work places if ilegals are suspected. |
SOCIAL SECURITY-REFORMS The most recent report from the trustees of the Social Security System indicates that the System can fund all scheduled benefits through the year 2040. Nonetheless, trustees believe that Social Security needs strengthening to avoid an eventual shortfall in guaranteed benefit pay outs. |
12. Check each of the following reforms for Social Security which you support:
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) | |
Raise the cap on earnings which are taxed |
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Support |
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Raise the payroll tax rate to increase contributions |
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| Further raise the retirement age |
Support |
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Adjust the cost-of-living index to reflect the inflation rates most affecting retirees |
Support |
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| Invest part of the Social Security Trust in stocks/securities rather than government bonds | Support |
Support |
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Preserve a limited estate tax and dedicate it to Social Security |
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Increase taxation of Social Security benefits |
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Reduce benefits for future retirees |
Support |
SOCIAL SECURITY-PRIVATIZATION In December 2001 a Presidential Commission presented three models for modifying the current Social Security System. All of these plans focus on redirecting funds from Social Security into private investment accounts
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13. Do you support replacing Social Security with private investment accounts?
Shuler (D)
Mumpower (R)
Smith (L)
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) |
Social Security has been a compact between the generations, and we must work in a bipartisan fashion to secure its stability for future generations. I strongly oppose any efforts to privatize Social Security or attempts to change the program from a defined benefit for all to a welfare program for a few.
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The problems with Social Security require more flexible and creative options than provided above. A starting place is to stop a spend-happy Congress from stealing from our senior's social security fund and passing IOU's to our grandchildren. We can then establish policy initiatives that have us all fairly sharing in the social security fix.
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Let people decide where they want to put their retirement money such as an insured bank account or insured account similar to an IRA |
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM Current financing of political campaigns contributes to voter apathy, raises questions about the role of special interests, requires that lawmakers spend much of their time on fund-raising, and discourages those without considerable financial resources from seeking public office. Proposed Senate and the House legislation would provide public campaign funds to candidates who meet specific qualifications, including agreement to restrict receipt of private campaign money. The Senate Fair Elections Now Act of 2007 (S.1285) and the House Clean Money, Clean Elections Act of 2007 (H.R. 1614) provide free access to broadcast media for qualifying candidates; stop incumbents from mailing campaign literature at taxpayer expense; and accomplish other reforms for more fair and clean elections.
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15. Do you support these legislative efforts for election/campaign finance reform? (Support/Oppose)
| Shuler (D) | Mumpower (R) | Smith (L) |
Oppose
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Support |
16. Please comment on your response:
Third party candidates and people that aren't rich can't compete with incumbents in the current system.
Shuler (D)
Mumpower (R)
Smith (L)
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