surf
08-03-2008, 01:45 PM
:)
Dear Ron Paul supporters,
Thank you for this opportunity to communicate with you. With this letter I want to share my vision for Washington and answer some of your questions about my campaign.
Since our kickoff on October 25, I have traveled the state and had the opportunity to meet many supporters of Ron Paul. I also understand that there are many in the state of Washington who continue to feel passionately about his candidacy and his platform. We have Ron Paul supporters on staff and volunteering in our campaign offices and in our field organizations around the state. I welcome their participation, and I am honored by their support.
Ron Paul supporters come from a wide range of backgrounds, but they share a common set of values: a strong sense of liberty, a desire to adhere to our constitution, and a willingness to defend individual rights. I want to take this opportunity to tell you that my views and positions on issues honor those same values.
I am focused on fixing the problems here in Washington that our current leadership has been unable to address. I welcome anyone, regardless of who they support for president, to join me. I am offering a vision of creating an atmosphere where entrepreneurs, small businesses, and individuals have the freedom to succeed without the overreaching arm of government stifling their progress. It is not my job to pick winners and losers, but to create a level playing field where citizens have the opportunity to do well.
A number of you sent questions to our campaign to get a better idea of where I stand on issues important to you. Below are my answers to some of the most-asked questions. If you have an issue you don’t see covered below, I invite you to visit our website for more information at www.dinorossi.com.
Q: Do you support a state income tax?
I oppose a state income tax while my opponent favors one. Last summer the incumbent told the Spokesman Review editorial board that she favors a state income tax and that citizens only need to be “educated on its merits.” I believe that taxpayers are sending enough of their money to Olympia. It’s time state government started spending taxpayer money more wisely and stopped looking for ways to collect more of it.
Q: How do you propose to reduce the state budget?
The Seattle Times recently detailed how the incumbent governor has increased spending by more than $8 billion, creating a growing $2.7 billion deficit for the next governor to face. My opponent has a record of raising taxes in the past. She will look to raise taxes again to solve this deficit, harming businesses and in turn our economy in Washington state.
My number one priority as governor will be to ensure responsible state spending. It’s time to start cutting waste and spend money wisely. Just as I did in the State Senate, I will use the priorities of government to balance the budget without raising taxes, while still protecting society’s most vulnerable citizens and our essential services. Whenever possible, I will also look to reform our tax structure to make Washington state more friendly to small and medium size business and ensure that our economy is strong for years to come.
When I balanced the budget in 2003, we had a Democrat-controlled House and a Democrat in the governor’s mansion. The key to success was working to find a philosophical majority rather than a partisan majority. This is exactly how I will work to address the deficit as governor.
Q: My generation of new voters were told that a vote against Reagan was a vote for aborting children, and today there are still folks – especially Christians – who vote Republican only because to them it means pro-life. Yet I don’t hear much about this issue from GOP candidates at either the state or national level any more. What would you like to say about abortion and euthanasia in Washington state?
My wife Terry and I are Catholic, and we believe that every soul has a value. These are not issue I am running on, but ones I will continue to believe in. They are issues of conscience.
This is not an issue that I am running on as governor, and I never sponsored any bills on this issue during seven years in the State Senate, but it is something I will continue to believe in.
Some have told me that I would be elected automatically if I changed my position on this issue, but if I had to change my mind on an issue of conscience just to become governor, I would rather not be governor.
I also oppose assisted suicide. In my own life I have seen loved ones struggle with the infirmities that accompany age and illness. My mother battled and eventually succumbed to breast cancer, but both she and our family valued every moment that we were able to spend together until the end.
Q: Will you be taking a public stand on the freedom of conscience for pharmacists?
I do not believe the state should force pharmacies to stock or sell Plan B – or any other drug. Just as government shouldn’t tell grocery store owners that they have to sell certain types of groceries, or hardware store owners that they have to sell certain types of tools, it shouldn’t tell pharmacists which drugs to sell.
Q: What is your position on the right to bear arms?
I support the Second Amendment right of citizens to keep and bear arms.
Q: I serve on the board of a private school and have many friends who home-school. With California asserting state control over education and threatening home-schoolers, I’m very concerned about educational choice in Washington. Can you tell me what your policies will be like in this regard? I’d be interested to hear him speak about some of those questions.
My wife Terry and I have had our four children in public school, private school, and we’ve homeschooled them – we’ve done it all. We know there’s no single best way to educate a child. We currently homeschool two of our own children. As governor, I will be committed to improving our public schools. But I will also support the rights of parents and students to decide the course of education that’s best for them. I want to ensure that our kids are given the greatest opportunity to succeed and eventually compete in a global economy.
Quality education doesn’t necessarily look the same for every child. Some children benefit most from the unique curriculum and attention that can only be given through homeschool education. Whether the right education choice for a child is found at a public or private institution, or at home, parents and children will have an ally in the governor’s office under a Rossi Administration. When it comes to education, I will always work hard to put the best interest of students first.
Q: National ID
I know there have been rumors that I favor a National ID Card. I have never supported a national ID card, and I do not know how this rumor started. Ah, the wonders of the Internet.
Q: National Animal Identification System: How many family farms and wanna-be farmers do you think there are in this state? How many depend on some form of poultry or other livestock for an important part of their food supply? How many people ride horses, or pack with llamas? NAIS makes it illegal to even have one un-chipped chicken in your backyard. Everything but dogs and cats. Expensive too, visitor log books, everything. This is a freebie in terms of getting support.
I would not implement a state version of an animal identification system.
In addition to these topics, there are other important issues that I am talking about on this campaign. My platform starts with smarter state spending of your tax dollars. I want to improve the quality of education, making the interest of the students a top priority. My vision for fixing our transportation system is rooted in freedom and the ability of people to make good choices for themselves. If you would like to learn more about our campaign, I invite you to visit our website at www.dinorossi.com.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to answer some of your questions and share my vision for Washington. I hope that you will consider joining our citizens’ movement to change our state.
Sincerely,
Dino Rossi
Dear Ron Paul supporters,
Thank you for this opportunity to communicate with you. With this letter I want to share my vision for Washington and answer some of your questions about my campaign.
Since our kickoff on October 25, I have traveled the state and had the opportunity to meet many supporters of Ron Paul. I also understand that there are many in the state of Washington who continue to feel passionately about his candidacy and his platform. We have Ron Paul supporters on staff and volunteering in our campaign offices and in our field organizations around the state. I welcome their participation, and I am honored by their support.
Ron Paul supporters come from a wide range of backgrounds, but they share a common set of values: a strong sense of liberty, a desire to adhere to our constitution, and a willingness to defend individual rights. I want to take this opportunity to tell you that my views and positions on issues honor those same values.
I am focused on fixing the problems here in Washington that our current leadership has been unable to address. I welcome anyone, regardless of who they support for president, to join me. I am offering a vision of creating an atmosphere where entrepreneurs, small businesses, and individuals have the freedom to succeed without the overreaching arm of government stifling their progress. It is not my job to pick winners and losers, but to create a level playing field where citizens have the opportunity to do well.
A number of you sent questions to our campaign to get a better idea of where I stand on issues important to you. Below are my answers to some of the most-asked questions. If you have an issue you don’t see covered below, I invite you to visit our website for more information at www.dinorossi.com.
Q: Do you support a state income tax?
I oppose a state income tax while my opponent favors one. Last summer the incumbent told the Spokesman Review editorial board that she favors a state income tax and that citizens only need to be “educated on its merits.” I believe that taxpayers are sending enough of their money to Olympia. It’s time state government started spending taxpayer money more wisely and stopped looking for ways to collect more of it.
Q: How do you propose to reduce the state budget?
The Seattle Times recently detailed how the incumbent governor has increased spending by more than $8 billion, creating a growing $2.7 billion deficit for the next governor to face. My opponent has a record of raising taxes in the past. She will look to raise taxes again to solve this deficit, harming businesses and in turn our economy in Washington state.
My number one priority as governor will be to ensure responsible state spending. It’s time to start cutting waste and spend money wisely. Just as I did in the State Senate, I will use the priorities of government to balance the budget without raising taxes, while still protecting society’s most vulnerable citizens and our essential services. Whenever possible, I will also look to reform our tax structure to make Washington state more friendly to small and medium size business and ensure that our economy is strong for years to come.
When I balanced the budget in 2003, we had a Democrat-controlled House and a Democrat in the governor’s mansion. The key to success was working to find a philosophical majority rather than a partisan majority. This is exactly how I will work to address the deficit as governor.
Q: My generation of new voters were told that a vote against Reagan was a vote for aborting children, and today there are still folks – especially Christians – who vote Republican only because to them it means pro-life. Yet I don’t hear much about this issue from GOP candidates at either the state or national level any more. What would you like to say about abortion and euthanasia in Washington state?
My wife Terry and I are Catholic, and we believe that every soul has a value. These are not issue I am running on, but ones I will continue to believe in. They are issues of conscience.
This is not an issue that I am running on as governor, and I never sponsored any bills on this issue during seven years in the State Senate, but it is something I will continue to believe in.
Some have told me that I would be elected automatically if I changed my position on this issue, but if I had to change my mind on an issue of conscience just to become governor, I would rather not be governor.
I also oppose assisted suicide. In my own life I have seen loved ones struggle with the infirmities that accompany age and illness. My mother battled and eventually succumbed to breast cancer, but both she and our family valued every moment that we were able to spend together until the end.
Q: Will you be taking a public stand on the freedom of conscience for pharmacists?
I do not believe the state should force pharmacies to stock or sell Plan B – or any other drug. Just as government shouldn’t tell grocery store owners that they have to sell certain types of groceries, or hardware store owners that they have to sell certain types of tools, it shouldn’t tell pharmacists which drugs to sell.
Q: What is your position on the right to bear arms?
I support the Second Amendment right of citizens to keep and bear arms.
Q: I serve on the board of a private school and have many friends who home-school. With California asserting state control over education and threatening home-schoolers, I’m very concerned about educational choice in Washington. Can you tell me what your policies will be like in this regard? I’d be interested to hear him speak about some of those questions.
My wife Terry and I have had our four children in public school, private school, and we’ve homeschooled them – we’ve done it all. We know there’s no single best way to educate a child. We currently homeschool two of our own children. As governor, I will be committed to improving our public schools. But I will also support the rights of parents and students to decide the course of education that’s best for them. I want to ensure that our kids are given the greatest opportunity to succeed and eventually compete in a global economy.
Quality education doesn’t necessarily look the same for every child. Some children benefit most from the unique curriculum and attention that can only be given through homeschool education. Whether the right education choice for a child is found at a public or private institution, or at home, parents and children will have an ally in the governor’s office under a Rossi Administration. When it comes to education, I will always work hard to put the best interest of students first.
Q: National ID
I know there have been rumors that I favor a National ID Card. I have never supported a national ID card, and I do not know how this rumor started. Ah, the wonders of the Internet.
Q: National Animal Identification System: How many family farms and wanna-be farmers do you think there are in this state? How many depend on some form of poultry or other livestock for an important part of their food supply? How many people ride horses, or pack with llamas? NAIS makes it illegal to even have one un-chipped chicken in your backyard. Everything but dogs and cats. Expensive too, visitor log books, everything. This is a freebie in terms of getting support.
I would not implement a state version of an animal identification system.
In addition to these topics, there are other important issues that I am talking about on this campaign. My platform starts with smarter state spending of your tax dollars. I want to improve the quality of education, making the interest of the students a top priority. My vision for fixing our transportation system is rooted in freedom and the ability of people to make good choices for themselves. If you would like to learn more about our campaign, I invite you to visit our website at www.dinorossi.com.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to answer some of your questions and share my vision for Washington. I hope that you will consider joining our citizens’ movement to change our state.
Sincerely,
Dino Rossi