League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz Counties, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Dave Chapman Answers Questions Candidate for United States Representative; District 18

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. In this time of high unemployment, what are the most important steps that should be taken to improve our nation’s economy?

First, we should have a rule that any company who have had a layoff cannot sponsor foreign workers to come to this country.

Second, the Fed should reduce the US trade deficit (and associated unemployment) by printing dollars and buying bonds from top-rated foreign governments and money-center banks.

Third, in any case where a corporation has imported foreign workers and then laid off the American workers, the executives of that corporation should be thrown in jail.

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?

Economic growth in the key to reducing the deficit. Attempting to fix the deficit by austerity will fail, just like it failed in the 1970s, and just like it is failing in Greece and Spain today.

We need to change the debt:equity ratio of the entire economy by having the Fed increase the money supply via paying taxes, rather than by lending money to the banks.

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?

Carbon taxes are much more honest that cap-and-trade. In fact, the current cap-and-trade program is so corrupt that it appears to be designed to discredit the whole idea.

We currently pay $120 Billion per year on military activities which protect our oil imports. That is $40 per barrel. We should pay at the pump. If the oil industry paid its fair share of the military budget, then it would not be necessary to have solar or wind subsidies.

4. What, if any, changes should be made to federal health care policies or programs?

There are no easy answers.

We should avoid making sudden, radical changes to the current situation. In particular, a dramatic reduction in the rates which are paid to doctors and hospitals would be very disruptive.

5. What, if any, changes should be made to federal rules on campaign financing?

The whole system has a bad case of "original sin". The current Federal Campaign Laws were passed in response to the insurgent campaign of Gene McCarty. The purpose of the current campaign finance laws is to prevent a bunch of rich people from suddenly writing checks and making opposition to the Vietnam War a mainstream opinion.

Given that the purpose of these Campaign Finance Laws is to stifle dissent and to prevent honest discussion, you cannot be surprised when they have anti-democratic outcomes.

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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.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 14, 2012 06:56
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