League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	San Mateo, San Francisco County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues United States Representative; District 14

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Economy, Budget, Energy, Health care, Campaign financing Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. In this time of high unemployment, what are the most important steps that should be taken to improve our nation’s economy? Answer from Deborah "Debbie" Bacigalupi: It is inexcusable that the unemployment rate today is as high as advertised. It's even more so that the numbers actually are much higher than discussed. Small business contractors, owners of "cottage" industies, and farmers and ranchers aren't even included in the official number. It is unconscionable that our nation, the greatest in the world, the nation that has changed and bettered the world, is facing historical unemployment numbers---most of it due to goverment intrusion in our businesses. Elect me to the House of Representatives and I'll work not only for a true assessment of the American unemployment picture, but to support tax restructuring that brings American jobs back home from foreign soil. Our country RELIES on private property rights and this includes intellectual to which many businesses are created. California is losing, on average, 5.4 business per week - UNACCEPTABLE. My priorities include protecting and promoting private property rights. I believe in the rights of American citizens to hold private property, and see it as urgent to defend private-property rights. One of the unique things about America our right to earn and keep private property, whether that be physical or intellectual. Stewardship of private property is key to prosperity. My concerns about private property rights include informing the public on the One Bay Area and high-speed rail plans. Transportation is a challenge in the Bay Area, yes, but forcing the One Bay Area Plan down citizens' throats is not the way to solve that challenge. There should be an informed public debate and a public vote. If I'm elected I will ensure that this happens. There is a recent attack on our small farmers and ranchers. As the daughter from a family of California generational farmers and ranchers I can express, with authority, we are concerned about our ability to provide the public with "local and sustainable" food in the future. Our farmers and ranchers should be able to produce real, chemical-free, nutritious food, but doing so is nearly impossible given today's regulatory climate. I believe that American farmers and ranchers are greatest stewards of land, animals, and food production in the world. The system leans against small farms and ranches, though. If my ranching parents were to produce an animal that was sick, we would lose everything. If an industrial farming concern were to produce the same kind of sick animal, or any other product that could make consumers ill, they would breeze through the inevitable lawsuits with financial impunity. The lobby-backed industrial concern won't lose personal or family livelihood along with everything for which a family has worked. Protecting and defending farmers and ranchers is a priority for me. I am deeply concerned about the effects of endocrine disruptors such as dioxins, cadmium, parabens, phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), bisphenol A (BPA), and others, to the deterioration of our nation, and our planet. BPAs in particular are in everything! BPAs have been implicated in abnormally early puberty, chromosomal abnormalities, decreased testosterone levels, obesity, certain cancers, infertility, type-2 diabetes, attention deficit disorder, cardiovascular diseases, and other problems---all present and I believe increasing in our society. If I'm elected I will do everything I can to discourage the use of endocrine disruptors, such as BPAs, in this country. Another GREAT GREAT concern of mine, of which I have been speaking vigorously, is an unprecedented level of dam removal across the US. Dams are vital to our environment and our economy. The safety of our dam system is of concern on so many points, from food production to domestic water supplies, from recreation to clean, green and renewable energy production... all things on which we rely. Our government, though, currently is acting on an agenda that removes vital, life-sustaining dams and ignores their own scientists' concerns. Government employees have been fired for whistleblowing data that supports our need for existing and new dams. If I'm elected I'll fight for disclosure of information, and a rational approach to preserving and modernizing dams. It is so very sad and concerning that our career politicians are not as concerned as I am with restoring and saving the infrastructure of the agriculture industry which has set the state of California on the map. We once were considered the bread basket of the world. Private property, farming and ranching, and managing and controlling water as well as protecting water rights are the reason for this...yet those important resources are quickly being eroded by egregious, often unnecessary legislation and regulation. Let the farmers, ranchers, and small business owners do what they do best: create products and by products that benefit us all. 2. How should the federal budget deficit be addressed, now and into the future? How should budget priorities for defense and domestic programs be adjusted? Answer from Deborah "Debbie" Bacigalupi: Government Spending Our Federal government does not have a balanced budget. They're not even working on it. We have government pension plans that are out of control, and lavishly wasteful government conferences on the taxpayer dime. There must be reform. Elect me, and I'll focus on choices such as helping the homeless, fixing the educational system, and reforming the foster-care system, as opposed to things like putting up city banners in multiple languages. Overregulation is creating too many expensive, budget killing bureaucracies. There is far, far too much regulation. It's killing our freedom of choice, killing opportunities, and killing American business. The last few years have seen over 100,000 new laws enter the books; California is getting thousands of new ones every year and adding to our deficit - locally, state-wide, nationally. We need less regulation and less government intrusion, not more of either. Elect me, and I'll work to enact only laws that are in concert, not in conflict, with the Constitution, and to reform laws that work against American freedoms and our founding concepts. 3. What are your priorities with respect to our nation’s energy policy? Should there be an emphasis on clean energy and reducing carbon emissions, and/or on reducing our dependence on foreign sources? Answer from Deborah "Debbie" Bacigalupi: Smart Energy Solutions Our reliance on foreign oil is obscene. Overreliance on other energy forms, such as solar, wind, and sea, may lead us into an equally deep hole. I believe that a little of everything is necessary, and is ultimately what America is all about: freedom of choice. Agendas that wholly remove dams and move us all into electric cars are nothing short of narrow and risky. And what if some of these ideas don't work "down the road"? Elect me, and I will work to bring about a balanced and logical approach that takes all of America's great resources into account. Dam Removal Dams are vital to our environment. Besides being clean, green, cheap energy our dams provide recreation, environment for wildlife, reliable irrigation and billions of cubic feet of stored water. It is absurd that our government is on an agenda to remove dams while succumbing to special interest groups who claim they are the stakeholders over the private property owners, farmers, and ranchers. The safety of our dam system is of concern on so many points, from food production to domestic water supplies, from recreation to clean, green and renewable energy production... all things on which we rely. Our government, though, currently is acting on an agenda that removes vital, life-sustaining dams and ignores their own scientists' concerns. Government employees have been fired for whistleblowing data that supports our need for existing and new dams. If I'm elected I'll fight for disclosure of information, and a rational approach to preserving and modernizing dams. The Environment No one has to tell the daughter of a farming and ranching family how vital the environment is to our wellbeing. These days, though, NGOs seem to have a louder voice about the environment than do we, the people---even though the true stakesholders are, in fact, we, the people. Many career politicians are beholden to extreme environmental and special-interest lobbying groups. The influence of such groups therefore impacts small businesses, homes, our schools... our very freedom of choice. The EPA is far too large as has too far-reaching a grasp. This is equally true of the developing United Nations environmental program, which seeks to influence choices even at the local level. The powers of the EPA and UN must be curtailed. Elect me, and I'll do everything I can to encourage intelligent environmental policies that support positive outcomes for ourselves and for future generations. 4. What, if any, changes should be made to federal health care policies or programs? Answer from Deborah "Debbie" Bacigalupi: Freedom of Choice...period. What makes this Nation stand out from any other place in the world is our ability to choose what is best for us, our family, our business, our farm, etc. Health care is an individual issue...not a collective issue for which a bureaucracy has authority and control for personal decisions. The solution is to put government aside and let people determine their own health care needs. The Federal government forcing We the People to buy a product from government approved insurance companies is a type of domination that I will never support. Enormous Federal programs created to solve social issues (war on drugs, teenage pregnancy, poverty) have been nothing but failures in and to this country while wasting trillions of dollars. Expecting that a government-run healthcare program will be better than fair market principles and freedom of choice is risky at best. Repeal Obamacare and restore individual choice and freedom. Promote prosperity and the power of the individual. 5. What, if any, changes should be made to federal rules on campaign financing? Answer from Deborah "Debbie" Bacigalupi: As a new candidate, having never run before, I believe running for office is absurdly expensive for the average citizen who should be able to run. Our political system is so swayed in favor of the wealthy, career politician that I declare it social, economic injustice to the average citizen who cares enough to put himself/herself in the line of fire that comes with running. Career politicians get wealthier year over year, even in the downturn of the economy. The fact that special interest groups donate massive amounts of money to career politicians is in direct correlation to how these politicians vote. The gap between the wealthy and the middle class/poor is increasing and as this gap widens so does the lack of opportunity for concerned citizens to represent via an elected position. Something HAS to change!! Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.