Minnesota Family Institute 2006 Voter's Guide Questions
State
House of Representatives 58-B Questions
Alan Shilepsky, Candidate for House District 58-B
(Candidate comments not part of MFI's Voter's Guide)
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1. Pass Minnesota Marriage Amendment Bill : Would you have voted to place before the people of Minnesota a state constitutional amendment recognizing marriage or its legal equivalent as only a union between one man and one woman? (2005 House Journal, p.1381)
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No. I favor "Equity Marriage" as an "Equal Protection under the Law" issue, but I would prefer the avoidance of the word "marriage" at this time. (See my Equity Marriage and Gay Rights statement here.)
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2. End State Funding of Abortion in Minnesota : Would you have voted to end taxpayer funding of abortions in Minnesota? (2006 House Journal, p. 7389) |
Yes. I believe abortion services should be generally available, but I also realize that abortion is morally repugnant to a large number of our fellow citizens. To defuse societal division we should limit or end taxpayer funding. This would still allow private funding of abortions. This position reflects my libertarian belief in limited government, focused primarily on matters where there is substantial societal concensus.
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3. Increase Gas Tax : Would you have voted to raise the state gas tax 10 cents a gallon? (2005 House Journal, p. 3979) |
Yes. We need money for expansion of mass transit and maintenance of roads. The gas tax has the added benefit that it signals to drivers the environmental and foreign policy costs of profligate use of oil.
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4. Eliminate Gambling in Minnesota : Would you have voted to eliminate all forms of gambling in Minnesota? (2006 House Journal, p. 6861) |
No. I am generally against legal prohibitions of "minor" vices. The Prohibition experience should have taught us that activities will go underground, "business" disputes will be settled violently, regulation will be impossible (like keeping minors away, or taxing the activity), and capital will be generated for further illegal activities. Mine is a libertarian perspective. I do not think that something a small percentage of the society abuses should be prohibited for everyone. All that said, I think it is unseemly and wrong for government to encourage destructive vices, like gambling, by directly running them or by advertising them.
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5. Pass Initiative and Referendum : Would you have voted for a constitutional amendment establishing an initiative and referendum process where citizens could directly place issues before the voters statewide? (2005 House Journal, p. 1972) |
No. I used to believe in this, but my political involvement has taught me that most people do not want or have the time and interest to make detailed policy decisions, including on choices that can be emotionally charged and advertised sensationally. I become more and more impressed by the vision of the Founders for limited government directed by representatives of the people. And it probably works best when we choose our representatives based on character, integrity, intelligence, and closeness to our value set, than if we choose them based on one or two sound bite issues.
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6. Require Hospitals to Notify Women on Availability of Abortion Inducing Drugs : Would you have voted to require hospitals to notify women who allege a sexual assault of the availability of abortion inducing drugs? (2005 House Journal, p. 3373) |
Yes.
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7. Expand Welfare Restrictions : Would you have voted to require persons coming to the state to wait 90 days before they receive full welfare benefits? (2006 House Journal, p. 6370) |
Yes. If it passes Constitutional muster, which I am afraid it may not. We should explore alternatives to achieve this end. By the way, I am definitely in favor of helping the needy, but I believe that they must make efforts, insofar as their situation allows, to "meet society halfway", by trying to skill-build and reduce dependency over time. This includes efforts to ensure that generational cycles of dependency do not form and perpetuate (e.g., by good parenting, by discouraging truancy, etc.).
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8. Prohibit Kids from Renting Violent or Sexually Explicit Videos Games : Would you have voted to prohibit children under age 17 from renting or purchasing excessively violent or sexually explicit video games? (2006 House Journal, p. 8115) |
Yes. I am a strong First Amendment supporter, but some of these games (brutal, misogynist, etc.) are way over the line. Lenin supposedly said: "the capitalist will sell you the rope to hang him with." Americans profiting on this poison should be ashamed.
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9. Allow Illegal Immigrant "Sanctuary" Ordinances : Would you have voted to allow local governments to prohibit local law enforcement officials from inquiring into a person's immigration status and sharing it with immigration officials? (2006 House Journal, p. 5411) |
No. I don't believe in city's having their own foreign policies. If people don't like national policies (like having borders?) they should work to change them via the Congress. Individuals can practice civil disobedience anytime, but they must recognize that that includes accepting the consequences, for instance jail. When Emerson asked Thoreau: "Henry, what are you doing in there?," Thoureau asked back, "Waldo, the question is what are you doing out there?" Unfortunately now some "activitists" believe that their principles and values trump the laws that we have collectively agreed upon, and their disobeying the laws should have no consequences. That road leads to anarchy, and a Hobbesan State of Nature.
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10. Reduce Voter Fraud : Would you have voted to require persons who vote on Election Day to present a picture ID? (2006 House Journal, p 7544) |
Yes. We require picture ID to drink (if you look under 21), to drive (if you are stopped) and to fly on an airplane. I consider voting a civic sacrament, and its integrity, and appearance of integrity, should be protected. It is serious and should not be trivialized.
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