2016 General Election Guide

Sunday, October 30, 2016

GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8 Polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

WHAT’S INSIDE: • Q&As with the Alaska Legislature and U.S. House and Senate candidates • Sample ballot • District maps and polling places • A look at the ballot measures • Important issues in the national election • Profiles on presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, Donald Trump Find more election coverage online at www.newsminer.com

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Sunday, October 30, 2016

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

GENERAL ELECTION 2016

What to know about this guide About this section

T h e Fa i r b a n k s D a i l y News-Miner sent a list of questions to candidates for Congress and the Alaska Legislature. Candidates were allowed up to 60 words to respond to each question for this publication.

Two candidates did not return a survey: independent U.S. Senate candidate Ted Gianoutsos and House District 9 Republican candidate George Rauscher.

Only candidates whose

names will appear on the general election ballot are included in this election guide.

Official write-in candidates — those whose names are on a list available at polling places — are not included in this election guide. This is because the Division of Elections deadline to become an official writein candidate is Nov. 3, several days after publication of this election guide. Because the state’s deadline for write-in candidates comes after publication of this election guide,

survey answers from write-in candidates will be published online only to avoid the potential occurrence of some writein candidates being included and late-applying candidates being excluded. This will ensure all write-in candidates are treated equally should any candidates file after this guide is published.

Readers will also note that some pages contain more questions than others. That occurs when there is an advertisement on that page. All candidates were given the same survey

appropriate to the seat being sought. Answers to all questions from all candidates who returned the survey will be available online.

Occasionally a candidate’s answer would greatly exceed the 60-word limit.

In those instances the survey response was shortened from the bottom. In many instances a candidate’s answer would exceed the limit by a few words.

In those cases the excess words were allowed to remain so a candidate could complete a thought.

Contact us

You can give us your comments about this election section by contacting Managing Editor Rod Boyce (459-7585, editor@newsminer.com) or political reporter Matt Buxton (459-7544, mbuxton@ newsminer.com).

Comments about this section that are intended for publication in the letters to the editor section of the newspaper can be emailed to letters@ newsminer.com.

IMPORTANT DATES

“I Voted Today” stickers are lined up on the Accu-Vote machine as voters pick up their ballots at the Precinct No. 3 polling station at the Noel Wien Public Library on Aug. 16.

Key general election dates

M o n d a y, O c t . 2 4 : Absentee in person, early vote, electronic transmission and special needs voting begins.

Tuesday, Nov. 1: Deadline for Absentee Review Boards to begin reviewing absentee ballot envelopes received up to this date; no less than seven days prior to the election.

T h u r s d a y, N o v. 3 : Deadline for write-in candidates to submit a letter of intent.

S a t u r d a y, N o v. 5 : Regional offices open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for absentee in person, special needs and early voting.

Sunday, Nov. 6: Fall back to standard time.

Gain one hour.

S u n d a y, N o v. 6 : Regional offices open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for absentee in person, special needs and early voting.

Monday, Nov. 7: Deadline to receive absentee electronic transmission ballot applications. Must be received by 5 p.m. Alaska Standard Time.

Tuesday, Nov. 8: Election Day. Polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day. Deadline for ballots being returned by electronic transmission to be received. Must be received by 8 p.m. Alaska Standard Time.

T h u r s d ay, No v. 1 0 : Deadline for Questioned Review Boards to begin reviewing questioned ballot envelopes in regional offices. State Review Board randomly selects precincts for hand count verification.

Friday, Nov. 18: Deadline to receive absentee ballots mailed by voters from within the U.S., U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. Ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day. We d n e s d a y, N o v.

23: Deadline to receive by-mail ballots mailed by voters from overseas addresses. Ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day. Final count of absentee and questioned ballots by review boards and certification of the review in regional offices.

Tuesday, Nov. 29: Target date to certify general election.

Source: Alaska Division of Elections

DIVISION OF ELECTIONS Fairbanks office information

Region III Elections Office 675 Seventh Ave., Suite H3 Fairbanks, AK 99701-4542 Phone: (907) 451-2835 Toll-Free: (866) 959-8683 Fax: (907) 451-2832 Fax toll-free: (855) 977-3594

ERIC ENGMAN/ NEWS-MINER FILE PHOTO

INTERIOR POLLING PLACES District 1

North Pole

01-446 Aurora Agricultural MuseumFairgrounds 1800 College Road, Fairbanks

03-175 North Pole North Pole City Hall 125 Snowman Lane, North Pole

01-455 Fairbanks No. 1 Fairbanks North Star Borough Building 809 Pioneer Road, Fairbanks

03-183 Plack North Pole Plaza 301 N. Santa Claus Lane, North Pole

01-465 Fairbanks No. 2 Golden Towers 330 Third Ave., Fairbanks

District 4

01-470 Fairbanks No. 3 Noel Wien Library 1215 Cowles St., Fairbanks 01-475 Fairbanks No. 4 National Guard Armory 202 Wien St., Fairbanks 01-480 Fairbanks No. 5 Pioneer Park Centennial Center 2300 Airport Way, Fairbanks 01-485 Fairbanks No. 6 Shoppers Forum 1255 Airport Way, Fairbanks 01-490 Fairbanks No. 7 J.P. Jones Community Development Center 2400 Rickert St., Fairbanks 01-495 Fairbanks No. 10 Pioneer Park Centennial Center 2300 Airport Way, Fairbanks

District 2

03-135 Chena Lakes Santa Senior Center 101 Fifth Ave., North Pole 03-165 Newby North Pole Plaza 301 N. Santa Claus Lane,

05-596 University West Woodriver Elementary School 5000 Palo Verde Drive, Fairbanks

06-007 Arctic Village Arctic Village Council office

04-250 Goldstream No. 1 Chena Goldstream Fire Station 3 1300 Goldstream Road, Fairbanks 04-260 Goldstream No. 2 Ken Kunkel Community Center, 2591A Goldstream Road, Fairbanks 04-265 Steese East/Gilmore Bentley Mall 32 College Road, Fairbanks 04-270 Steese West Bentley Mall 32 College Road, Fairbanks

District 5

03-130 Badger No. 1 New Hope Church 2371 Bradway Road, North Pole

06-053 Mentasta Mentasta Lake School

04-240 Farmers Loop Seventh-Day Adventist Gymnasium 1811 Farmers Loop, Fairbanks

02-355 Fairbanks No. 8 Frontier Outfitters/ Gavora Mall 250 Third St. Suite 6, Fairbanks

District 3

05-594 University Campus Patty Center Lobby University Alaska Fairbanks campus

District 6

04-280 University Hills Effie Kokrine Charter School 601 Loftus Road, Fairbanks

02-375 Fort Wainwright Last Frontier Community Center 1044 Apple St., Fort Wainwright

06-050 Manley Hot Springs Manley Hot Springs Community Hall

04-230 Ester Ester Fire Station 3570 Old Nenana Highway, Ester

02-345 Badger No. 2 Badger Place 771 Badger Road, North Pole

02-365 Fairbanks No. 9 Tanana Middle School 600 Trainor Gate Road, Fairbanks

05-592 Shanly Beaver Sports 3480 College Road, Fairbanks

05-580 Airport Pike’s Waterfront Lodge 1850 Hoselton Road, Fairbanks 05-582 Chena Faith Baptist Church 910 Chena Pump Road, Fairbanks 05-586 Geist University Baptist Church 1197 University Ave., F airbanks 05-587 Lakeview Gene’s Chrysler Center 3400 S. Cushman St., Fairbanks 05-588 Pike J.A. Kornfeind Training Center 4782 Dale Road, Fairbanks 05-590 Richardson North Star Fire Station No. 1 2358 Bradway Road, North Pole

06-005 Anderson Anderson City Building

06-010 Beaver Beaver Council house 06-012 Cantwell Cantwell Community Center 06-015 Central Central Corner Mile 128 Steese Highway,Central 06-020 Chistochina Slana League Building 64 Mile Tok Cutoff, Slana

06-054 Minto Minto Lakeview Lodge 06-056 Nenana Nenana Civic Center 06-060 Northway Northway Community Center 06-070 Stevens Village Stevens Village Council office 06-075 Tanacross Tanacross Community Hall 06-080 Tanana Tanana City Office 06-085 Tetlin Tetlin Community Hall 06-090 Tok Tok Senior Center 06-095 Venetie Venetie Community Hall

06-023 Circle Tribal council office Circle

06-145 Eielson Ben Eielson Jr./ Sr. High School 675 Ravens Way, Eielson Air Force Base

06-024 Clear Rochester Lodge 280 Mile Parks Highway, Anderson

06-150 Fox Turtle Club 2098 Old Steese Highway North, Fairbanks

06-025 Copper Center Native Village of Kluti-Kaah Old Richardson Highway, Copper Center

06-155 Moose Creek North Star Fire Station 35 3483 Old Richardson Highway, Moose Creek

06-026 Denali Park Denali Park Community Center Mile 230 Parks Highway, Denali Park

06-160 Salcha Salcha Elementary School 8530 Richardson Highway, Salcha

06-027 Dot Lake Dot Lake Village Council Office* 06-030 Eagle Eagle Public Library 06-033 Fort Yukon KZPA radio station lobby East Third Ave. Fort Yukon 06-035 Gakona Gakona Volunteer Fire Department 2.2 Mile Tok Cutoff, Gakona 06-040 Healy Tri-Valley Community Center Usibelli Spur Road, Healy 06-047 Kenny Lake Kenny Lake Community Hall

06-170 Steele Creek Door of Hope Connection Cafe 270 Fairhill Road, Fairbanks 06-180 Two Rivers Two Rivers School 400 Two Rivers Road, Two Rivers

District 9

Interior precincts only 09-600 Big Delta Delta Junction Community Center, 2287 Deborah St., Delta Junction 09-608 Delta Junction Delta Junction Community Center, 2287 Deborah St., Delta Junction

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Sunday, October 30, 2016

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GENERAL ELECTION 2016

Voters to consider two ballot measures on Election Day Staff Report NEWSROOM@NEWSMINER.COM

It’s not only political leaders who voters will be choosing in the Nov. 8 election in Alaska. Two ballot measures will also be decided.

The one getting the most attention is Ballot Measure 1, the automatic voter registration initiative. If approved, Alaskans who are not registered to vote would automatically be registered when they apply for their annual Alaska Permanent Fund dividend.

The Division of Elections would let a newly registered voter know that he or she has been added to the voter roll but would also give the person the option of unregistering.

Here is the text of the ballot

SAMPLE BALLOT

measure, which was placed on the November ballot after initiative supporters gained the required number of petition signatures: “This act would instruct the Division of Elections to register a qualified Alaskan to vote when applying for the permanent fund dividend (PFD). If a person registers to vote for the first time through a PFD application, the Division of Elections would compare the person’s information to state records to ensure that the person is an eligible voter. The Division of Elections would let the citizen know if he or she has been added to the state registration list, or if the person’s current voting address does not match the one provided on the PFD form.

In that case, the person could change their voter registration address. The notice also would allow an applicant to request removal from the registration list.

“Thus, using the data from the PFD form, the Division of Elections would register a qualified Alaskan to vote unless he or she opts out. The notice would also allow a person to register with a political party. Voter information is already confidential under existing state law.”

Supporters had gained enough signatures to have the measure placed on the August primary election ballot, but the measure was pushed to the November election because of a state law requiring at least 120 days between the adjourn-

ment of the annual legislative session and the placement of a measure on the ballot. The Legislature this year, due to extended work on the budget, ran into that 120-day period, forcing the measure to the November ballot.

Ballot Measure 2 would add eight words to the Alaska Constitution to allow the state to contract for debt for postsecondary student loans. Existing law only authorizes state debt for such purposes as capital projects, housing loans for veterans, military defense, and some other reasons.

The measure, placed on the ballot by the Legislature, would amend Ar ticle IX, Section 8 of the state Constitution by adding the words “unless authorized by law

for postsecondary student loans.”

The amended section would read as follows: “No state debt shall be contracted unless authorized by law for capital improvements, unless authorized by law for postsecondary student loans, or unless authorized by law for housing loans for veterans and ratified by a majority of the qualified voters of the State who vote on the question.

The State may, as provided by law and without ratification, contract debt for the purpose of repelling invasion, suppressing insurrection, defending the State in war, meeting natural disasters, or redeeming indebtedness outstanding at the time this constitution becomes effective.

Here is an official sample ballot from the Alaska Division of Elections. House District 3, which roughly encompasses the North Pole area and the front portion of Chena Hot Springs Road, is presented here because it includes contested races for seats in the Alaska House and Alaska Senate as well as the contested federal races. Sample ballots for all state legislative districts are available at the Division of Elections website or at a Division of Elections office.

Race in GOP-friendly Missouri could determine Senate control AP CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT

KANSAS CITY, MO. — The clamor for change fueling Republican Donald Trump’s presidential campaign may help a little-known Democrat upset a powerful GOP senator in red-state Missouri on Election Day. And with just a handful of competitive races around

the country, the outcome in Missouri could help determine control of the Senate.

The contest between Missouri’s secretar y of state, Democrat Jason Kander, and Sen. Roy Blunt did not start out high on either party’s list of competitive Senate races in a state Trump is likely to win.

But Kander, a 35-year-old veteran, has proved to be a smart and aggressive campaigner,

challenging Blunt’s attempts to brand him a liberal by running an ad in which he assembles an AR-15 rifle blindfolded and describes his combat service.

Kander also has sought, unapologetically, to exploit the outsider mood that’s propelled Trump to the fore, criticizing the 66-year-old Blunt as a Washington insider who is part of a failed system.

“Really Donald Trump’s entire message is that people like Sen. Blunt are the problem,” Kander said before a recent rally in Kansas City where Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren appeared on his behalf.

“Washington’s broken and we’re not going to change Washington until we change the people we send there,” Kander added, “and here in

Missouri folks recognize that and they’re looking for a new generation of leadership.”

Missouri is one of three GOP-friendly states, along with North Carolina and Indiana, that have emerged as top battlegrounds as Democrats fight to gain a Senate majority. Democrats need to pick up five seats to accomplish SENATE » 16

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By Erica Werner

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Sunday, October 30, 2016

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

GENERAL ELECTION 2016

Why it matters: Issues at stake in the presidential election ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — A selection of issues at stake in the presidential election and their impact on Americans, in brief:

Energy

Energy independence has been a goal of every president since Richard Nixon. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have very different ways to get there. How energy is produced and where it comes from affect jobs, the economy and the environment.

Domestic production of all types of energy except coal has boomed in recent years, spurred by improved drilling techniques such as fracking and discoveries of vast oil supplies in North Dakota and natural gas in states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and West Virginia.

Hillary Clinton vows to continue the boom while ensuring the U.S. generates enough renewable energy to power every home in America within 10 years.

D o n a l d Tr u m p v o w s t o “unleash American energy,” allowing unfettered production of oil, coal, natural gas and other sources to push the U.S. toward energy independence and create jobs.

Both Clinton and Trump support natural gas, a cleaner alternative to coal. Trump calls for rescinding the Clean Power Plan, a key element of President Barack Obama’s strategy to fight climate change. Clinton is committed to Obama’s climate-change goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 percent by 2025.

LGBT

Same-sex marriage is now the law of the land, but there are other battlegrounds related to civil rights and nondiscrimination protections for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people. Two polarizing questions: What sort of access should transgender people have to public bathrooms? And are the advances for LGBT rights infringing on the religious freedom of some Americans?

Whoever wins the presidency will be somewhat limited in his or her ability to influence national LGBT-rights policies.

A pending LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination bill is unlikely to advance through a Republican-controlled House. And the nationwide legality of samesex marriage is unlikely to be threatened.

However, the election outcome could determine how aggressively federal agencies work to expand LGBT rights.

Hillary Clinton would probably press efforts to bolster transISSUES » 6

E L E C T I O N

2016

U.S. SENATE BRECK CRAIG Independent, Anchorage

RAY METCALFE Democrat, Anchorage

QUESTIONS North Korea, which has a missile capable of reaching Alaska, reportedly conducted a higher-level nuclear test on Sept. 9.

This has prompted concern that the nation’s nuclear weapons program has advanced further than previously thought. How should the U.S. respond?

The U.S. needs to respond to North Korean aggression by forcing them to surrender their nuclear weapons and allowing free and democratic elections, including reunification with South Korea. North Korean leaders need to be tried for crimes against humanity. They have murdered millions of their own citizens in work-to-death prisons camps. North Korea considers itself at war with South Korea and the United States.

Very cautiously, lest we wind up confronting China. U.S. and South Korea forces trained at Eielson Air Force Base this year, rehearsing a pre-emptive strike on North Korea’s nuclear facilities. Japan and South Korea are wealthy countries with modern air forces capable of destroying North Korea’s ragtag army and nuclear facilities. They should lead any response.

Will you be voting for your party’s presidential nominee?

Please state your level of support for that person. If not voting for your party’s nominee, who will you vote for and why?

Clinton, only because she has the emotional maturity required for the office. Trump is a world-class creep who has the emotional IQ of a grade-school bully. America deserves better then either Clinton or Trump.

I supported Bernie. I’m still promoting Bernie’s agenda through his organization “Our Revolution.” The next president could have four U.S. Supreme Court appointments. If Trump appoints them, “Our Revolution” is dead. If Hillary appoints them, there’s a chance. Protest votes for Ralph Nader caused Al Gore’s loss to George Bush in 2000. I will cast an unenthusiastic vote for Hillary.

Changing climate conditions in the Arctic, leading to less ice, have attracted military and economic interest from some nations. What should U.S. policy be regarding economic development and military presence in the Arctic?

The U.S. and Alaska need to mobilize the required U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and other military resources to protect our Arctic territorial waters. New Arctic naval bases. Increased Coast Guard presence. New deep-water Arctic ports. A strong Arctic military presence will provide the foundation for Arctic economic development on our terms, not China or Russia’s.

Opening Arctic waters creates a void. Russia will fill what we do not. We need icebreakers and a port in Nome. The link below features a ship capable of receiving North Slope gas in its raw bulk form and processing it on board for delivery to market. Maybe it’s time to rethink how we monetize North Slope gas. http://www.bbc. com/news/science-environment-30394137

Immigration has been a major topic in the 2016 presidential race. What is your position on immigration overall, not just with illegal immigration from Mexico?

I support legal immigration. By law, that’s currently 675,000 people, worldwide, with exceptions for family members and other special cases, allowed to immigrate to the U.S. If you’re not here legally, you should leave, unless you’ve lived here your whole life. We have to make humanitarian exceptions. Most of the purported 12-15 million illegal aliens need to go back home and apply for legal entry.’

Nations have a moral obligation to open their boarders to refugees fleeing for their lives. I want to live in a world where people travel freely and have the right to choose where they live.

The more we restrict the migration or travel of others, the more others will restrict the migration and travel of us.

The nation’s foreign policy posture has been the subject of debate. To what extent should the U.S. try to shape world events?

The U.S. should stay actively engaged in foreign policy areas that “directly” affect us.

We are the only country powerful enough to stop the spread of tyrants around the world.

However, our allies and treaty partners need to start paying their fair share. We currently have over 600 military bases around the world. That is an absurd number of bases.

The U.S. should strive to be the moral compass for the rest of the world to imitate. We should cease to be involved in foreign military adventures and regime changes unless our security is clearly affected. I support fighting groups like the Islamic State, keeping the seaways safe from smuggling and piracy and a case-by-case intervention in genocide.

Alaska is feeling the effect of climate change. In June, 31 scientific organizations sent Congress a letter unequivocally stating that climate change is real and that “rigorous scientific research concludes that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver.” What is your response to this statement?

It’s true. Climate change is real and we need to prepare for the rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and increased severe weathers impact on our Alaska communities.

The statement is correct. Every Alaskan has witnessed climate change over the past 50 years.

Winters are warmer, summers are longer, and our Arctic village shores, once protected by sea ice, are eroding. Our coastal villages in the Arctic need help, and bold investments in clean energy action is needed to stave off a climate hostile to human life.

The Census Bureau reported in September that median household income in the U.S. in 2015 was $56,516, the first annual increase since 2007, the year before the most recent recession.

The Obama administration says this validates its policies. How do you respond?

That’s ridiculous. The cost of living has almost doubled in the same time. If wages had kept up with the rising prices of food, health care, housing, fuel, cars, energy, the median household income should be close to $100,000. The big thing President Obama did was save us from a Great Depression, but he sold his soul and our future economic viability to do it.

Our current economic condition validates Obama’s claims, but the gap between wealth and poverty remains unacceptable. When Bill Clinton left office, a surplus of wealth was flowing into the treasury. Had George Bush not pushed through an unnecessary giant tax break for the rich, we could have paid off the national debt, implemented single-payer health care, and fixed Social Security.

Regarding the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, do you agree or disagree with the House majority’s proposal to use $18 billion in wartime overseas contingency operations funds, which are exempt from statutory budget caps, to provide unrequested troops and equipment? Explain.

Yes. The military and the commander-in-chief needs flexibility to fund troops and equipment in response to unforeseen crises that pop up.

Unrequested equipment is far more likely to be the result of some senator repaying a contributor who makes the equipment. It is not the job of the U.S. military to repay contributors or shore up local economies. I would oppose financing unrequested troops and equipment, and my vote will never be for sale in this manner.

House Republicans in June presented their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, known widely as Obamacare. What, if anything, would you change about the Affordable Care Act?

I would change everything. Obamacare doesn’t work for the middle class. We can’t afford to use it. The high deductible policies mean families have to pay $6,000 plus monthly premiums before the insurance kicks in. It’s absurd, and the bills never stop coming from providers, even after insurance pays and your copay limits max out. We need a single-payer system with more public hospital options.

I am 100 percent in agreement with Bernie Sanders’ stated position that “Health care must be recognized as a right, not a privilege. Every man, woman and child in our country should be able to access the health care they need regardless of their income. The only long-term solution to America’s health care crisis is a single-payer national health care program.”

Read more questions and answers with candidates online » www.newsminer.com/news/politics

For all the election coverage, go to:

newsminer.com/news/politics To subscribe (print, online or both), call 456-6661

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Sunday, October 30, 2016

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GENERAL ELECTION 2016 E L E C T I O N

U.S. SENATE

2016

JOE MILLER

LISA MURKOWSKI* Republican, Girdwood

Libertarian, Fairbanks

MARGARET STOCK Independent, Anchorage

* Denotes incumbent

QUESTIONS North Korea, which has a missile capable of reaching Alaska, reportedly conducted a higher-level nuclear test on Sept. 9.

This has prompted concern that the nation’s nuclear weapons program has advanced further than previously thought. How should the U.S. respond?

The U.S. must improve its missile defense shield, part of which is based here. We should remain engaged in the region and work with allies to develop their anti-missile capabilities to protect themselves and provide a first line of defense for us. Unlike Lisa Murkowski, who gutted initial efforts to protect the grid, I believe EMP protection is also critical.

North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are of great concern and every effort must be made to counter them. My focus is enhancing our missile defense capabilities including the Long Range Discrimination Radar, maintaining Army force structure in Alaska, bringing the F-35 and additional refueling tankers to Alaska and supporting our allies’ participation in the Red Flag Alaska exercises, among other efforts.

The United States should continue deploying anti-missile interceptors in South Korea, developing the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) anti-missile system (primarily based in Alaska), and expanding sanctions. The Senate, however, has failed to provide effective oversight for the struggling and wildly expensive $40 billion GMD program and refused to vote on key nominations like that of Adam Szubin, the Treasury official responsible for overseeing sanctions against North Korea.

Will you be voting for your party’s presidential nominee?

Please state your level of support for that person. If not voting for your party’s nominee, who will you vote for and why?

Unlike Lisa Murkowski, I support Donald Trump.

A Hillary Clinton presidency would be catastrophic for Alaska, shutting down even more resource development, ensuring a continued recession, and guaranteeing a permanent loss of our PFDs. It would also mean the loss of the Supreme Court for a generation and Alaska’s consignment to national park status for the next 100 years.

I seek a presidential candidate whose policies will bring economic growth and opportunity back to Alaska, respects and understands Alaska’s uniqueness, and will ensure our national security. While I have not made a final decision about how I will vote, I will continue to raise Alaska’s priorities with the candidates and ensure our voices are heard.

I am running as an independent, not as a member of a party. I encourage voters to cast their ballot for the candidate they consider most qualified regardless of party labels.

However, one candidate, Donald Trump, is in my view unfit to serve as president. He does not have the temperament, character, or experience to be president of the United States.

Changing climate conditions in the Arctic, leading to less ice, have attracted military and economic interest from some nations. What should U.S. policy be regarding economic development and military presence in the Arctic?

Our policy should be to aggressively protect national and state sovereignty over the resource-rich Arctic. Unlike Lisa Murkowski, I oppose the UN’s Law of the Sea Treaty. No international bureaucracy should ever be allowed to tax and regulate Alaskans or control our resources. We must significantly expand our Navy’s and Coast Guard’s presence given an increasingly bellicose China and Russia.

We are an Arctic nation because of Alaska, and I am deeply involved in advancing U.S. interests in the changing Arctic. We must invest in arctic infrastructure and capabilities including icebreakers, ports, transportation, telecommunications, and search-and-rescue capabilities in order to fully capitalize on the opportunity — from national security to energy, shipping and tourism — of the Arctic.

The United States must invest in Arctic resources, including Coast Guard icebreakers. The Senate should also ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty, which was negotiated by the Reagan administration and supported by all the armed services and every administration — Democratic and Republican — since then. Among other important benefits, the treaty establishes rules for transit through international straits.

Immigration has been a major topic in the 2016 presidential race. What is your position on immigration overall, not just with illegal immigration from Mexico?

I support legal immigration. My daughter is married to a Mexican national, two of my siblings are married to immigrants, and my in-laws are immigrants. But I oppose Obama’s illegal executive amnesty, something Murkowski voted to fund. Islamic refugee resettlement must end, given major security risks. Immigration laws must be enforced. Americans shouldn’t lose their jobs to cheap, illegal labor.

I have consistently supported efforts to secure the border and enforce our laws, including measures to hire additional border patrol agents and technology improvements. By working hand in hand with a broad spectrum of the faith community, I support comprehensive immigration reform that secures both our borders and makes it possible for immigrants to come legally.

Immigrants are vital to Alaska’s economy, and we must streamline the legal immigration system. We must enforce our immigration laws and exclude individuals who are not legally entitled to enter the country. Beyond enforcement, we must rationalize our broken immigration system by allowing entry of individuals who will help grow our economy.

The nation’s foreign policy posture has been the subject of debate. To what extent should the U.S. try to shape world events?

The United States cannot be the world’s policeman. Our nation’s foreign policy must be guided by what is in America’s vital interest. George Washington warned of the perils of foreign entanglements that sap the nation’s resources and make us vulnerable. We see that today, with Russia, China, and North Korea flexing their military might while we remain dangerously overextended.

The activities of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea have made the world more dangerous. The United States must remain a force for good in the world by projecting an appropriate mix of soft power and military strength when necessary. Isolationism is never good. Despite our nation’s weariness toward international engagements, we cannot afford to disengage.

America must constructively attempt, with our allies, to promote a more democratic world with reduced poverty and disease. The alternative is more war and more mass migration. Use of force should be a last resort. Contrary to past practice, we must carefully and honestly consider the full likely human and economic costs before military intervention.

Alaska is feeling the effect of climate change. In June, 31 scientific organizations sent Congress a letter unequivocally stating that climate change is real and that “rigorous scientific research concludes that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver.” What is your response to this statement?

I share the view of the Weather Channel founder, as well as hundreds of other top scientists, that climate change science is inconclusive or flawed. Temperatures have trended cooler in recent years (according to a UAF study) and the polar ice cap has grown. I oppose taxes and regulations arising from the climate change agenda that hurt average Alaskans.

I agree that climate change is real. We must take steps to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, promote research and innovation, and invest in adaptation to support resilient communities. It’s important that our policies are balanced. I do not support policies that simply increase the already high cost of energy in Alaska.

I accept the overwhelming scientific consensus on this subject. Wishful thinking will not work in the long run.

The Census Bureau reported in September that median household income in the U.S. in 2015 was $56,516, the first annual increase since 2007, the year before the most recent recession.

The Obama administration says this validates its policies. How do you respond?

The Obama administration has overseen the country’s worst economic recovery since the 1940s, with anemic growth and low job creation. The true unemployment rate (including those who have left the workforce) remains over 10 percent. It is inconceivable in this environment that Lisa Murkowski and her allies would support the PFD theft that has devastated Alaska families.

I disagree. President Obama’s economic policies have limited opportunity and failed to reinvigorate the long-term growth potential of our nation, leaving us with the lowest economic growth since WWII. He has sought increased federal control to solve our economic woes, stifling small businesses, energy development opportunities, and removing choice and competition from our health care markets and creating an unsustainable debt.

Growth has been sluggish but consistent since the nearly catastrophic 2008 “Great Recession.”

Our dysfunctional Congress, however, has failed to authorize sufficient public infrastructure investment. Public construction as a percentage of GDP is at record lows. For example, 10 percent of our bridges are structurally deficient. Government borrowing costs have never been lower. The slow recovery is due to our dysfunctional Congress.

Regarding the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, do you agree or disagree with the House majority’s proposal to use $18 billion in wartime overseas contingency operations funds, which are exempt from statutory budget caps, to provide unrequested troops and equipment? Explain.

As the only U.S. Senate candidate in Alaska who has served in combat, I personally know how critical it is for service members to have every resource necessary to accomplish their missions. However, I oppose budget gimmicks.

The military should be fully funded through the Defense Department’s annual budget. Obviously, if unforeseen military operations become necessary, Congress must appropriate those funds.

Sequestration had been deeply damaging to our military readiness and modernization. It is Congress’ constitutional role to determine whether the administration’s requests are adequate to the task. A broad cross-section of colleagues shares my view that more is necessary to meet the challenge. The question of how to fund the 2017 defense budget will be resolved later this year.

I am opposed to the use of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funds for non-overseas military spending. I am opposed to spending $18 billion on military items the Pentagon does not want. I am opposed to leaving the OCO account (after spending $18 billion elsewhere) with only enough money to fund overseas operations for the first half of the next fiscal year.

9. House Republicans in June presented their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, known widely as Obamacare. What, if anything, would you change about the Affordable Care Act?

Some Alaskans have benefited, but many more have experienced the devastating impacts of Obamacare: loss of insurance plans and doctors, and skyrocketing premiums. Consequently, I will fight to repeal/defund Obamacare’s mandates and penalties and replace them with a plan that incentivizes Americans to obtain coverage, at the level they choose, and introduces free market principles like tax-incentivized health savings accounts.

The ACA’s mandates have limited choice.

Access to insurance is not access to actual health care. I have voted to repeal the ACA and replace it with effective and sustainable solutions that reduce costs and increase choice and access, such as the Ensuring Healthcare Opportunities Act, the Family Healthcare Accessibility Act, and the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act.

The House “plan” is not proposed legislation; retains many popular features of Obamacare (no disqualifying preconditions, children insured until age 26) without a means to pay for them and proposes to privatize Medicare through a complicated, inadequate voucher program. We must allow insurance to cross state lines, better link provider payments to outcomes, increase transparency, and consider allowing people to join Medicare at a younger age.

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Sunday, October 30, 2016

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

6

GENERAL ELECTION 2016

ISSUES Continued from 4 gender rights.

Thus far, federal judges have generally been unsympathetic to arguments that certain types of antiL GBT discrimination are permissible if in accordance with a person’s religious beliefs. Donald Trump has told conservatives he’d place a high priority on religious liberty.

Race and policing

The continued deaths of unarmed African-American men women and children at the hands of police are turning into one of the most consequential civil rights issues of the ne w millennium. Since the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the sharing of video-recorded deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement has sparked unrest in many cities around the country, and prompted calls for additional training and more monitoring of police forces.

Hillary Clinton has offered specific proposals, including legislation that would help end racial profiling, providing federal matching funds for more police body cameras and overhauling mandatory minimum sentencing.

D o n a l d Tr u m p has described himself as the “law and order” candidate, and has not specifically addressed plans on race and policing. He endorsed a former New York City police policy called “stop and frisk” after unrest in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.

Taxes

Presidents like to try reshaping the tax code to make substantive changes in fiscal policy and to show voters their priorities.

Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have made clear that that’s just what they want to do. There’s an enormous difference between their approaches and goals.

Trump, the Republican, is intent on cutting taxes. He’d collapse the current seven income tax brackets, which peak at 39.6 percent, into just three tiers with a top rate of 33 percent, slice the corporate income tax and eliminate the estate tax. Analysts say the wealthy would benefit disproportionately.

Clinton, the Democrat, is proposing tax increases on the rich, including a minimum 30 percent tax on incomes over $1 million and higher taxes on big inheritances.

Most taxpayers would see little or no impact on their tax bill, but the government might look different. She’d use the added revenue to expand domestic programs.

Guns

The right to bear arms is carved into the Constitution and seemingly embedded in the national DNA. But after a seemingly endless stretch of violence, Americans are confronting how far those rights extend.

Do Americans ISSUES » 7

E L E C T I O N

2016

U.S. HOUSE STEVE LINDBECK Democrat, Anchorage

JIM MCDERMOTT Libertarian, Fairbanks

QUESTIONS North Korea, which has a missile capable of reaching Alaska, reportedly conducted a higher-level nuclear test on Sept. 9. This has prompted concern that the nation’s nuclear weapons program has advanced further than previously thought. How should the U.S. respond?

Missile launches by North Korea’s unstable regime are especially troubling to Alaska because Alaska is the closest U.S. target. We must maintain and invest in our defenses, such as Fort Greely’s missile interceptor system. And we must maintain strong diplomatic efforts that include pressuring China to constrain the unpredictable North Korean regime.

Let me reassure you that the U.S. Air Force already has the technology to blast the enemy’s missiles before they leave their silos. And we now have a missile defense program here in the U.S., including Alaska, that can handle our defense. I sleep well at night knowing the men and women in the U.S. military are prepared to defend our nation.

Will you be voting for your party’s presidential nominee? Please state your level of support for that person.

If not voting for your party’s nominee, who will you vote for and why?

I believe Donald Trump is unfit to be commander-in-chief of our armed forces, so I will vote for the Democratic nominee. In Congress, I will always put Alaska first, and it will be my top priority to hold either a Democratic or Republican administration accountable to make sure that Alaska’s needs and priorities are heard and accounted for.

I fully support Gov. Gary Johnson. Gov. Johnson is pro a lean and effective government; an example, he would work to re-engineer the IRS as an organization. I believe Gary would rather see virtually no taxes, but as a compromise he would look at flat tax or fair tax system as a more equitable tax system.

Changing climate conditions in the Arctic, leading to less ice, have attracted military and economic interest from some nations. What should U.S. policy be regarding economic development and military presence in the Arctic?

Alaska’s role is vital in the Arctic. We should consider expanding the Arctic Council’s jurisdiction into security issues and focus more on sustainable development, including through the Arctic Economic Council. I support additional funding for icebreaker construction and the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as improving the incorporation of traditional knowledge from the Arctic’s Native peoples into international Arctic policies.

The U.S. in my opinion ought to establish a strong presence in the Arctic region. We need to be in place to ensure free trade and open shipping routes protected from pirates and rogue nations. Additionally, the harvesting of natural resources could lead to economic booms. So, yes our U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ought to ensure U.S. access within the Arctic region.

Immigration has been a major topic in the 2016 presidential race. What is your position on immigration overall, not just with illegal immigration from Mexico?

I’m the grandson of four Swedish immigrants and the son of a career Navy officer – and I’ve seen firsthand how our country, Alaska, and our economy are strengthened by immigrants.

I support comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship and fixes our broken system, including updating HB-1 and worker visa policies.

I have suggested that there ought to be a better, more effective immigration work card visa program in place allowing immigrants wanting to work in the USA a righteous path to do so. All immigrants would then need to show proof that they have found a job, have obtained a work visa, and are working toward becoming an American citizen if applicable.

The nation’s foreign policy posture has been the subject of debate. To what extent should the U.S. try to shape world events?

I believe America should play a leading role in international security, and Alaska’s military expertise and strategic position is crucial in defending our country — as well as an important part of Alaska’s economy. At the same time, I believe the United States cannot be the world’s policeman in every conflict.

End the practice of employing the U.S. military as the world’s police force. I have suggested repeatedly that we ought to close hundreds of our foreign U.S. military installations around the world and then deploy our military in time of need from their domestic-based military locations. With today’s technology, we no longer need a physical presence everywhere around the globe.

Alaska is feeling the effect of climate change. In June, 31 scientific organizations sent Congress a letter unequivocally stating that climate change is real and that “rigorous scientific research concludes that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver.” What is your response to this statement?

Climate change is real and Alaskans see its effects everywhere — coastal erosion that forces villages to move inland, melting permafrost that damages infrastructure, and acidification that affects our fisheries. While my opponent called climate change a “scam,” it is clear that climate change poses a serious threat to our communities and our economy.

I see government’s role as to help ensure the security and safety of its people, but I don’t believe government has the ability to control the weather. This ought to be turned over to science and academics via grant researching. Yes, academic research is indeed needed concerning a better understanding of climate change.

The Census Bureau reported in September that median household income in the U.S. in 2015 was $56,516, the first annual increase since 2007, the year before the most recent recession. The Obama administration says this validates its policies. How do you respond?

As Alaska faces a deep economic crisis, the recovery has clearly not reached our state. While Congressman Young took $300,000 from a Louisiana company and looked the other way while they could outsource 200 jobs to Louisiana workers, I am committed to fighting for Alaska jobs, rebuilding our infrastructure, investing in broadband, and expanding economic opportunities in rural Alaska.

Nationally there is little trust of D.C. politics, and that includes announcing with the most fortuitous timing good news. “We the People” know how we feel economically; our people can’t eat non-creditable figures. The good ol’ boy political party elitists are as rich as ever, but they look out at “We the People” and think let them eat cake and celebrate their DC politicians (Phooey).

Regarding the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, do you agree or disagree with the House majority’s proposal to use $18 billion in wartime overseas contingency operations funds, which are exempt from statutory budget caps, to provide unrequested troops and equipment? Explain.

I strongly disagree with this deceptive budget trick, another example of bad business as usual by career Washington politicians. The House stole money needed to fight Middle East terrorism in order to force a phony crisis. It’s wasteful, risks the safety of our troops, and is the same obstructionist game that leads to a government shutdown and hurts Alaska families.

Listen, these politicians in D.C. are about the Big Business giving lots of dollars to their re-election funds. This bill has forced the U.S. Air Force to keep operational at a high expense that they want to retire due to expenses and becoming obsolete. It’s a boondoggle for the politicians in D.C. as they continue to become Big Business voice and no longer the voice of the people.

House Republicans in June presented their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, known widely as Obamacare. What, if anything, would you change about the Affordable Care Act?

Alaskans face the highest health care costs in the country, and the Affordable Care Act is simply not affordable for Alaskans. I support adding a less-expensive tier of plans and creating regional exchanges with other Northwestern states to broaden the risk pool and reduce costs.

You know, the ACA needs calibration, but I can think of one of my former students who said “Jim, I most likely wouldn’t be sitting in your class if it wasn’t for ACA.” So, Don Young wants to kill the ACA while he gets the best medical care possible on the people’s back. Me, I’m pro-people and I will listen to them.

The latest report from the Social Security Board of Trustees states that the trust fund that pays benefits will be insolvent by 2034, at which time a 21 percent reduction in benefits will occur. What is your solution?

Social Security is a critical safety net for our nation’s seniors and the bedrock of retirement security for working families. I support raising the contribution cap to reduce the program’s shortfalls, and I’ll vigorously oppose privatization. I will stand up for Social Security’s guaranteed benefits under the current law and oppose increasing the retirement age.

Congress has been swiping our Social Security dollars for decades and leaving the American people with worthless IOUs. Still, even with these piss-poor career politicians who have bankrupted our Social Security system, we can still turn things around with a robust economy. We need less government regulations that only impede economic growth, and prosecute the corrupt politicians.

Should Congress amend the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which allows the secretary of the interior to accept Native American lands into trust (similar to Lower 48 Indian reservations), to restore the provision excluding Alaska Native lands in Alaska from the act? Explain.

No. Trust lands will give tribes a larger say in land usage, public safety, and economic development in places where past practices haven’t worked. I support policies that ensure Alaska’s tribes are self-determined, and believe the state and Native tribes can co-exist without spending years in court. Alaska will be better off if Alaska’s tribes can benefit from trust lands.

Sure, Alaska Natives ought to be included, but the story behind the turn of events is spelled out in a book by Judy Ferguson called “Windows to the Land Volume 1: Alaska Native Land Claims Trailblazers.” I’m about two-thirds through the book and I have learned so much. Note: Unfortunately, the act identifies “ ... assimilation of Indians into American society.” I prefer the “tossed salad” analogy.

Reproductive decisions are solely a private matter between a woman and her doctor. I support a woman’s right to choose and access to safe and legal abortions.

Is being pro-life the same as being anti-abortion? I’m against abortion as a practical choice but OK with someone choosing euthanasia if that someone is suffering from a terminal disease. I’m against capital punishment but OK with someone’s choice to walk away from conventional medical wisdom. So, am I truly painted into a corner as pro-life or am I truly pro-personal liberty? I think the latter.

In what situations, if any, do you believe abortion should be legally permitted?

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Sunday, October 30, 2016

7

GENERAL ELECTION 2016 E L E C T I O N

2016

U.S. HOUSE

ISSUES

BERNIE SOUPHANAVONG

Continued from 6

Independent, Anchorage

DON YOUNG* Republican, Fort Yukon

* Denotes incumbent

QUESTIONS North Korea, which has a missile capable of reaching Alaska, reportedly conducted a higher-level nuclear test on Sept. 9.

This has prompted concern that the nation’s nuclear weapons program has advanced further than previously thought. How should the U.S. respond?

North Korea’s missile program exemplifies our present national inability to formulate a practical foreign policy in general and disarmament policy in particular. Conflicts between the executive and legislative branches over foreign policy render long-term linkages between governments unreliable. Overall U.S. policy toward North Korea’s nuclear ambition will have to be carved out with China, South Korea, Japan and the U.N. Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

North Korea’s continued development of nuclear and ballistic missile technology speaks volumes to the importance of missile defense capabilities at Fort Greely — a system I’ve championed from the beginning. The United States must be vigilant and committed to aggressively enforcing unprecedented new sanctions, enacted by Congress this year, to cut funding and resources that sustain this totalitarian nation.

Will you be voting for your party’s presidential nominee? Please state your level of support for that person. If not voting for your party’s nominee, who will you vote for and why?

The Libertarian presidential candidate is my choice.

This will force both parties to work together to advance state and national interests. The legislative offices can learn how to compromise for the national good.

I’m not particularly pleased by any of the candidates – a well-reported position. One thing is clear; Hillary Clinton does not have Alaska’s best interests at heart. She’ll continue the many destructive policies of the Obama administration. She supports locking away ANWR, stopping Arctic development onshore and offshore, putting miners out of work, and restricting our Second Amendment rights.

Changing climate conditions in the Arctic, leading to less ice, have attracted military and economic interest from some nations. What should U.S. policy be regarding economic development and military presence in the Arctic?

Regardless of climate changes now, Alaska’s geographical location should be America’s frontier for climate, military, transportation research and development. Alaska should be at the very front and center of academic studies leading to practical commercial advancements.

As chairman of the Arctic Working Group, I continue to raise awareness for the opportunities and challenges we face as an Arctic nation, including national security needs and the development of ports, polar icebreakers, and other infrastructure. With increased maritime traffic and unprecedented Russian activity in the region, the U.S. must renew its focus and become leaders in the Arctic.

Immigration has been a major topic in the 2016 presidential race. What is your position on immigration overall, not just with illegal immigration from Mexico?

Immigration is central to national prosperity. Find a country that is closed border and you will find a no-growth country. As soon as humans were able to walk was when immigration began. Our immigration system must respond to national policy for replacement, skill development, education propagation and regional stimulation.

As a nation of immigrants, many of our ancestors came here to provide opportunities for their children or to escape persecution and danger—and the United States should continue this in the future. However, our immigration system is broken. I support immigration reform that ensures our nation’s current immigration laws are enforced and reflects our economic and national security interests.

The nation’s foreign policy posture has been the subject of debate. To what extent should the U.S. try to shape world events?

The president should formulate foreign policy with congressional endorsement to coincide with shortterm national objectives against international consequences. The president has use of military resources against congressional budget control, and both branches should agree on international commercial policies. Our foreign policy should reflect our national interests.

The United States must be a leader on the world stage. We cannot turn a blind eye to atrocities taking place across the globe, nor put our head in the sand and ignore the serious threat ISIS and radical extremism poses to the American people. We must ensure that our people, our interests, and our allies are protected.

Alaska is feeling the effect of climate change. In June, 31 scientific organizations sent Congress a letter unequivocally stating that climate change is real and that “rigorous scientific research concludes that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver.” What is your response to this statement?

From Portage glacier to Arctic sea changes, Alaska is at the forefront of climate change. Arctic academic research needs to be increased. Congress and the government must focus on doing a lot more in Alaska.

I understand that Alaska is a focal point in the climate change discussion. Although I don’t challenge climate change is occurring, I believe we’re awaiting an answer as to what extent man-made emissions are responsible for the change. Further, I reject the idea that economy-killing regulations, which harm 21st century innovations necessary to adapt, will make meaningful impacts to global temperatures.

The Census Bureau reported in September that median household income in the U.S. in 2015 was $56,516, the first annual increase since 2007, the year before the most recent recession.

The Obama administration says this validates its policies. How do you respond?

Economic statistics speak for themselves: 1995 to 2005 to 2015, with war economy experience in between. Guns vs. butter matters. War economy sucks the life out of a country regardless of economic might. No production, no GDP, no economy. Almost as simple as that.

I constantly hear from Alaska families and small businesses about the inability to grow our economy. Many traditional economic metrics, such as labor force participation (38-year low) and stagnant GDP growth, back up these concerns. Unequivocally, the economy has suffered under the Obama administration. Going forward, we must repeal burdensome rules and regulations that have created this lost decade of economic growth.

Regarding the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, do you agree or disagree with the House majority’s proposal to use $18 billion in wartime overseas contingency operations funds, which are exempt from statutory budget caps, to provide unrequested troops and equipment?

Explain.

Budgeting is a difficult architecture from conception, planning, design to disbursement. There are events leading to unintended consequences regardless of how well the budget process was created. Only insiders know the truth and with it certain calculation of faith and how a leftover balance affects the next budgetary process. Money planners nonetheless must be held accountable for its accuracies. Stay true to the process.

The safety and security of the American people is paramount, which is why I support providing our military men and women with the necessary resources to fulfill the mission. This year’s NDAA restores the strength and agility of our military and ensures Alaskan interests — including the authorization for the F-35 beddown at Eielson and protections for JBER’s 4-25 — are protected.

House Republicans in June presented their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, known widely as Obamacare. What, if anything, would you change about the Affordable Care Act?

Health care continues to be an unresolved issue due to uncompromising Congresses since the Clinton era. Both parties enjoy finger-pointing and wasted opportunities. Only a bipartisan solution can create a national health program. Unlike the historical eras of Hoover , Roosevelt and Truman, when Congress passed national programs which we enjoy today.

What did Congress resolve during Bush I, Clinton, Bush II and Obama ?

I continue to focus on repealing and replacing this flawed government takeover of health care built on broken promises. I’m focused on empowering people to make their own health care choices and restoring a level of financial feasibility for health care. Through common-sense, patient-centered reforms, I believe American families, patients, and small businesses will have the relief and flexibility they deserve.

The latest report from the Social Security Board of Trustees states that the trust fund that pays benefits will be insolvent by 2034, at which time a 21 percent reduction in benefits will occur. What is your solution?

Social Security will definitely be insolvent when no one pays into it and everyone wants the benefits.

Congress will have to formulate continuous Social Security budgetary forecasts to balance employment, population, Social Security tax revenues against beneficiaries. The hard tasks will be reviewing, reformulating all levels of benefits for which the 1935 act was created to address the needs of the next 100 years.

Tough changes must be made soon to ensure that Social Security remains solvent and viable for future generations. I support increasing the full retirement age for individuals younger than 55, while holding individuals older than 55 harmless. I also support incentivizing workers to invest some of their earnings in private-market retirement accounts, such as a 401(k).

Should Congress amend the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which allows the secretary of the interior to accept Native American lands into trust (similar to Lower 48 Indian reservations), to restore the provision excluding Alaska Native lands in Alaska from the act? Explain.

ANCSA continues to be a formidable piece of legislation relative to IRA of 1934 and the Nixonian doctrine of the Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975. ANCSA strengths and derivatives are exhibited everywhere from remote Alaska villages to the Lower 48. To reverse Native lands from ANSCA to IRA would alter the fundamental principle on which Alaska Natives can determine Native land management.

The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 allowed the federal government to take land into trust for tribes. In 1971, Congress passed ANCSA. Until recently, DOI’s interpretation of ANCSA prevented land-into-trust in Alaska. The decision to end the state’s litigation on this matter was Gov. Walker’s and I respect that decision.

Moving forward, we must ensure DOI’s implementation is fair to stakeholders.

In what situations, if any, do you believe abortion should be legally permitted?

Reproductive decisions are private matters and should not be by community. Incest, rape and untold medical reasons form the basis for abortion decisions.

Life rights for oneself supersedes someone else’s as in self-defense.

My opinion on abortion has and always will be consistent. I have been pro-life throughout my entire service to Alaska, which is reflected in my voting record. I believe that the act of abortion is unacceptable unless the life or health of the mother is endangered by her pregnancy or in cases where rape or incest is involved.

have the right to have AR-style firearms, the long guns with a military look used in the past year in several mass shootings? Should they be able to buy magazines that hold 10 or more bullets? Should every gun buyer have to pass a background check?

Donald Trump casts himself as an ardent protector of gun rights and proclaims that if more “good guys” were armed there would be fewer gun tragedies.

Hillary Clinton wants to renew an expired ban on assault-type weapons instituted when her husband was president. She’s also called for measures to ensure background checks are completed before a gun sale goes forward, mandating such checks for gun-show sales and repealing a law that shields gun manufacturers from liability.

Jobs

Tepid income growth and a smaller share of the population at work have kept many Americans anxious about jobs and the economy, seven years after the Great Recession ended.

And most jobs that pay decent wages require more education than in the past, leaving many workers feeling left behind.

Donald Trump says he would cut regulations and taxes to spur more hiring, and renegotiate or withdraw from trade agreements to bring jobs back to the U.S. Hillary Clinton says she would spend more on roads, tunnels, and other infrastructure and make state colleges and universities tuition free to most students.

Even though hiring has been healthy for the past six years, incomes have lagged. A typical household didn’t see its income recover to pre-recession levels until just this past July.

And the proportion of Americans working or looking for work remains below pre-recession levels, as some of the unemployed have given up searching for jobs.

Social Security

Big changes are coming to Social Security, sooner or later.

If left to later, those changes promise to be wrenching.

The trustees who oversee the program say it has enough money to pay full benefits until 2034. But at that point, Social Security will collect only enough taxes to pay 79 percent of benefits. Unless Congress acts, millions of people on fixed incomes would get an automatic 21 percent cut in benefits.

S o c i a l S e c u r i t y ’s fi n a n c i a l p r o b l e m s might seem far off. But the longer Congress waits to act, the harder it will be to save Social Security without dramatic tax increases, big benefit cuts or some combination.

Hillary Clinton has proposed expanding Social Security benefits for widows and family caregivers. She says she would preserve Social Security by requiring “the wealthiest” to pay Social Security taxes on more of their income.

Republican Donald Trump has promised not to cut Social Security. He’s suggested he’d revisit the program after his tax-cut plan boosts economic growth.

ISSUES » 9

8

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

GENERAL ELECTION 2016 E L E C T I O N

2016 * Denotes incumbent

ALASKA LEGISLATURE SENATE DISTRICT B

HOUSE DISTRICT 1

JOHN COGHILL* Republican, North Pole

LUKE HOPKINS Democrat, Fairbanks

SCOTT KAWASAKI* Democrat, Fairbanks (Unopposed)

QUESTIONS Explain why the Legislature does or doesn’t need to close the budget deficit in 2017.

With the sustained low oil prices, we will have a hard time closing the gap between our income and expenses. We should continue reducing the overall budget. Changing the statutory requirements in many of the formula and non-formula government services takes more time to debate and implement than one session. It will take several years to close the budget gap.

The Legislature must act this session to close the gap and create a sustainable fiscal plan.

Every minute the Legislature fails to act costs Alaska $6,000 from our savings accounts. This is unsustainable, and the longer we wait, the fewer options we have available to us, because we need those savings accounts to earn us a stable, predictable revenue source.

The Legislature must continue to close the budget deficit over the next couple years because the savings account that was built up during the bipartisan Senate is quickly being spent. If the legislative Republican leadership continues to only use savings, they will leave future generations and our children with a hefty bill.

Do you support or oppose using a portion of the Alaska Permanent Fund earnings to pay for government? Explain.

Support. As long as cutting the cost of government continues at least at the rate of the last four years. A portion of the earnings is reasonable to use for the cost of government as well as the sharing of the wealth of the state in a dividend.

Only after every other option for closing the deficit is vetted should we utilize permanent fund earnings. Using earnings will most likely be part of a comprehensive package. The Legislature looked at no other options the entire session and four special sessions. They only voted to cut the dividend. The entire burden should not be put solely on everyday Alaskans.

I would support using permanent fund earnings as proposed as a last option.

Many families use the PFD for education, savings and to pay for the high costs of living. Cuts to the PFD are the most regressive way to fund state government. We must continue targeted cuts to the budget and get a fair share for our oil first.

Even if the state adopts a restructuring of the permanent fund, the budget deficit is expected to be $1.5 billion next year (and about $3.2 billion without it). How do you propose closing that gap?

Restructuring is important because we should use the savings from the earnings to help us, rather that spend the savings. Cuts and changes in government services need to be dramatic. Less big projects for now. Do not increase state employee wages, reducing government services we’ve become accustomed to, looking to reduce boards and commissions.

All departments need changes, reductions or reprioritizing.

I would start with mega-projects and oil credit subsidies we cannot afford. I would look at other projects and subsidies we can postpone or rewrite to affect the fewest people. We must take a comprehensive approach where no one group bears the burden. Our priority must be a sustainable, stable path for Alaska.

Legislators were shown that savings can be stretched out over a decade or more if the governor’s PFD restructuring plan would have gone in to effect this year. The Legislature should look at the costly oil tax subsidies that are costing us hundreds of millions a year and represent the largest growth in our budget in the last 10 years.

One of the first things cut from the budget was the capital budget. When, if at all, should the Legislature resume capital budget spending? What projects would you prioritize?

When income is low, prioritizing is tougher.

Taking care of our obligations like state roads, buildings, projects underway, and maintenance that has been deferred. University deferred maintenance, matching federal dollars for roads are where I would start.

Alaska is a construction-driven state, and I would re-establish the capital budget as soon as possible. Our state has the capacity to bond as an option to generate jobs and fund projects. I would prioritize new construction projects that could bring in revenue, open access to new resources or save us money in the future.

We should focus existing funds on unfinished projects like the final phase of Barnette Elementary and University Avenue.

We should not build new roads or buildings that will cost us in maintenance until we have the revenue to sustain them. We should pull back money on mega-projects that we simply can’t afford to build in the near future.

Gov. Bill Walker has signaled he plans to cut 5 percent to 10 percent of the University of Alaska budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Are those cuts too deep or not enough?

Explain.

These cuts may be in the target, but I think the Board of Regents should be part of the decision-making on the depth and nature of the cuts or restructuring of our university. UAF’s core STEM strengths should be enhanced. I would like to see us take another run at land for our land grant portfolio to help us financially.

Continuing to cut into educational programs, research, and athletics will only drive more of our students out of state and damage its international standing and its economic impact on the Interior and state. Having worked at UAF for 35 years, I know first-hand that there are efficiencies that could continue to reduce costs.

The university has been cut for four years, and students and teachers are seeing an erosion of their core mission of research, teaching and public service. The new president and board are looking to increase tuition, decrease opportunities and find efficiencies, and it is too early to tell whether these will be successful. A 5 percent cut is too deep.

Do you support or oppose Gov. Bill Walker’s plans for a state-led natural gas pipeline? Is the plan realistic? Explain.

The last question is important — Is it realistic? I don’t know for sure. Potentially, there are tremendous risks, tremendous costs, and lower margins with the governor’s plan. Many questions remain. More detail and explanation is necessary. Many new faces in agencies like Department of Law, DNR, and Alaska Gasline Development Corp. cause concern with changes in directions and transparency in decision-making.

I support continuing this gas line phase to find out where Alaska stands. As with any mega-project, partners are needed and Alaska must continue its commitment to bring gas to market and maintain current funding. I believe looking at international markets and partners now beyond the Big Three is the type of investment approach we need for a successful outcome.

I support a natural gas pipeline that will lower energy costs, bring money to our state and put Alaskans to work today. A state-led natural gas pipeline would be the optimal for our state and our future because we would control our own destiny instead of being controlled by Houston or London.

Is the state doing enough to address alcohol or drug abuse? What, if anything, should the Legislature do in its next session to address alcohol and opioid abuse?

Abuse of drugs and alcohol is a social problem that destroys families. We as a people, need to stand up and say enough! I sponsored SB91, (the omnibus criminal justice reform bill), which makes people accountable while diverting them to risk and needs-based programs. Examples of changes include real-time prescription tracking and statistically proven behavior-changing incentives.

No, we are not. Recovery programs must be stronger to break the addiction cycle. The number of available beds must be increased.

Most communities have a bed shortage, preventing programs from fully addressing recovery. If we don’t address the need for long-term therapy programs, we’ll not reduce addiction rates. This will save lives and save millions in the future.

The Legislature has made slow and measured progress to address the issue, but the lack of revenue has meant huge cuts to alcohol/drug abuse programs and behavioral health grants to municipalities. The Legislature should reinvest in these types of programs and look to sobering centers, which have been the focus of local government.

Eight inmates have died in state prisons and jails this year. What, if anything, should the Legislature do to improve safety of people in the custody of state correctional centers?

The Legislature and governor already have taken some action in changing leadership, reviewing training of correctional officers and assessing the physical and mental health of those coming into prison. Medical expertise, officer training, crowding of prisons, are problems that need constant attention and review.

There needs to be better-coordinated continuum of care between incarceration facilities and local community health care services. We just can’t accept “we did all we could” when higher levels of care can be provided through new programs. A more comprehensive approach to incarceration is needed to change this path.

Low staffing and overcrowding continue to be a problem in our correctional system.

Many of the deceased should have been in sobering centers or medical facilities instead of a jail. Alaska should use models used in the Lower 48 so that people who need mental health/drug addiction issues are treated in medical facilities and real criminals are put in jails.

Do you think the state is doing enough to support education at both the grade school and university levels? What legislative support for education would you advocate?

Yes. We could do better. Better outcomes throughout Alaska are needed. Generally, grade outcomes, college preparedness, and vocation introduction are good in some areas but need improvement. Support for distance education, private/home-school education, boarding schools, and flexible college distance/tutoring programs are important. The emerging military industry in the Interior presents an opportunity for “K-12 to U of A synergy.”

The Legislature must uphold the promise it made to Alaska’s students by fully funding the Base Student Allocation in statute. We can support our university by protecting its funding and supporting its mission, faculty and staff. We lose brilliant minds and see declining student retention when the Legislature treats Alaska’s education system the way it has in recent years.

The funding to schools and the support for the university has not kept up with inflation for the last four years and has been cut in many cases. Education is the No. 1 priority of the state along with public health and safety, and it should be the first budget item passed at the beginning of the year.

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Sunday, October 30, 2016

9

GENERAL ELECTION 2016 E L E C T I O N

2016 * Denotes incumbent

ALASKA LEGISLATURE

ISSUES

HOUSE DISTRICT 2

Continued from 7

TRUNO HOLDAWAY Democrat, Fairbanks

STEVE THOMPSON* Republican, Fairbanks

QUESTIONS Explain why the Legislature does or doesn’t need to close the budget deficit in 2017.

Essential government services and jobs are being threatened right now, not to mention the PFD. The longer we continue to delay, the more difficult it will become to find a solution. Seeing that we are now paying oil companies to take the oil and this is causing the deficit, wouldn’t that be a good place to start?

I believe that the Legislature’s top priority in 2017 should be to reduce Alaska’s budget deficit and to establish a glide path forward to obtain sustainable budgets that are not directly tied to the price of oil.

Do you support or oppose using a portion of the Alaska Permanent Fund earnings to pay for government? Explain.

If we allow the dividend to be used as an emergency fund as planned, Alaska will not only have a deficit but no dividend as well. The oil companies are dumping millions into lobbying and advertising convincing us to give them more money while they are scaling back production and seeing record profits.

I support using a portion of the earnings reserve account to fund essential government services.

With $6.37 billion left in the budget reserve, these savings will be depleted by 2018, leaving Alaska no choice but to use funds from the earnings account to fund essential government services. It is a sound business decision to restructure our wealth to attain economic stability and to guarantee future PFD checks.

Even if the state adopts a restructuring of the permanent fund, the budget deficit is expected to be $1.5 billion next year (and about $3.2 billion without it). How do you propose closing that gap?

The only way to solve this deficit problem is to stop giving money to the oil companies and make them pay their fair share.

And the only way to make them pay their fair share is to get rid of the politicians who are in the pocket of Big Oil.

The Legislature will again be looking at savings and efficiencies obtained by reducing the operating budget, and once again we will have to take an honest look at revenue enhancement (taxes). I believe that there is a reasoned approach to seeing our way through this budget deficit that will involve some compromise and sacrifice by all Alaskans to ensure our brightest future.

One of the first things cut from the budget was the capital budget. When, if at all, should the Legislature resume capital budget spending? What projects would you prioritize?

To dig ourselves out of this hole we need to start developing infrastructure that will bring money back to Alaska. Instead of just giving our money away to oil companies, we have to force them to develop new energy sources and jobs. Thorium reactors are the smartest investment that we can make.

It is important to think of the capital budget as an appropriations bill. There are many ongoing and necessary items labeled “capital projects” that fall by the wayside in times of pressured budgets.

Among these are deferred maintenance projects that keep the state’s assets from deteriorating while employing small businesses and hardworking Alaskans. Not paying for deferred maintenance will cost the state more money down the road.

Gov. Bill Walker has signaled he plans to cut 5 percent to 10 percent of the University of Alaska budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Are those cuts too deep or not enough?

Explain.

It’s shameful that America is cutting more and more funding for education and science. The only reason America is the superpower it is today is because we used to encourage people to understand the beauty of God’s universe. Now we are caught up arguing about each other’s beliefs. If we don’t invest in education and technology, America is doomed.

These will be deep cuts to the University of Alaska system and hard decisions will have to be made.

However, the university has been given almost a year’s notice that these cuts are inevitable and therefore has had time to prepare and make smart decisions regarding its budget.

Do you support or oppose Gov. Bill Walker’s plans for a state-led natural gas pipeline? Is the plan realistic? Explain.

The pipeline is going to cost $27 billion, for one-fifth that cost we could replace every single power plant in Alaska with Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors (LFTRs).

Our aging power plants need to be upgraded, and what better way to do it than with the most advanced system possible. If only more new people knew about this amazing technology.

Not at this time. The state would be assuming too much risk, and at this time the governor’s plan does not have enough detail to evaluate.

Is the state doing enough to address alcohol or drug abuse? What, if anything, should the Legislature do in its next session to address alcohol and opioid abuse?

I’m a drug rehab counselor, and I know very well this is a complicated issue. Better rehab programs are the most cost-effective solution but are only a small piece of the puzzle. Prevention and education programs are badly needed also.

Regulations specific to Alaska’s unique geographic complications are often overlooked as well.

The Legislature worked this past year to redirect funds to drug and alcohol abuse treatment. With the uptake of heroin abuse, it is imperative that the state works to provide effective treatment for the needs of our society.

Eight inmates have died in state prisons and jails this year. What, if anything, should the Legislature do to improve safety of people in the custody of state correctional centers?

It’s not my place to interfere with the judicial branch. While my heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones, death is a fact of life and there is such a thing as personal responsibility. If I do find that inmates are being mistreated and the judicial branch has done nothing, I will take action.

For lack of proper treatment facilities, fragile inmates are being housed in prisons with the general population. There needs to be adequate observation and medical treatment for our fragile prison population who are struggling with drug withdrawal or other mental or physical health issues.

Handling tough medical issues is outside the scope of the Department of Corrections.

Do you think the state is doing enough to support education at both the grade school and university levels? What legislative support for education would you advocate?

Alaska needs options for quality education, especially for rural communities.

We also need better-quality college programs if we wish to attract intelligent and innovative minds and keep the ones that we already have here. The path to the future is built on a strong foundation of education and scientific literacy.

With the current budget shortfall, it is becoming increasingly difficult to fully fund any of the departments. The Legislature is trying to carefully measure the cuts so that we don’t cause a spiral down in our economy that could result in a major recession. The state is doing everything it can to support education at all levels. At this time, I will not put forward any legislation that would make the deficit bigger.

Minimum wage

Modest income gains, strikes by fast-food workers, the rapid growth of low-paying jobs while middle-income work shrinks. These factors have combined to make the minimum wage a top economic issue for the 2016 campaign.

Millions would benefit from higher pay, of course. But an increase in the minimum wage would also boost costs for employers and may slow hiring.

Hillary Clinton supports raising the minimum wage at least to $12 per hour, even higher at state and local levels. Donald Trump has said he supports an increase to $10, but thinks states should “really call the shots.” It’s $7.25 now.

Why the momentum for higher minimums? The typical h o u s e h o l d ’s i n c o m e h a s f a l l e n 2.4 percent since 1999. Low-paying industries, such as retail, fast food and home health care aides, are among the largest and fastest-growing. And many low-wage workers are older, have families and are probably more willing to demand higher pay.

Infrastructure

The nation’s infrastructure is in need of repair and improvement. On that, politicians generally agree. Harder to answer: How to pay for it and which projects should take priority?

A reliable infrastructure system is important for the nation’s economy, safety and quality of life.

Public health can be put at risk by poor infrastructure, such as the lead-tainted pipes that contaminated the water supply of Flint, Michigan.

Poorly maintained highways and congested traffic also can raise the cost of shipping goods and the price consumers pay.

A recent report by the American Society of Civil Engineers projects the U.S. will face a $1.4 trillion funding gap for its infrastructure by 2025.

Democrat Hillary Clinton wants to spend $250 billion over the next five years on public infrastructure and direct an additional $25 billion to a new infrastructure bank to help finance local projects. Republican Donald Trump has said he wants to spend at least double that amount on infrastructure, financed with bonds.

Whoever becomes president, it’s a staggering amount of money for the federal treasury to put out — if Congress goes along.

Child care/pay equity

In much of the U.S., families spend more on child care for two kids than on housing. And if you’re a woman, it’s likely you earn less than your male colleagues. That’s according to the latest research, which suggests that while the U.S. economy has improved, women and their families are still struggling to make the numbers work.

Women comprise about 57 percent of the labor force and many of them have young children. If they aren’t getting paid enough to make ends meet, more families will seek out government aid programs or low-quality, unlicensed daycares for their children.

Clinton wants a 12-week government-paid family and medical leave program, guaranteeing workers twothirds of their wages up to a certain amount. Trump proposes six weeks of leave for new mothers, with the government paying wages equivalent to unemployment benefits.

Both candidates propose tax relief for child care costs. Trump’s plan provides for a new income tax deduction for child care expenses, other tax benefits and a new rebate or tax credit for low-income families. Clinton says no family should spend more than 10 percent of its income on child care. She would double the child tax credit for families with children 4 and younger, ISSUES » 14

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10

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

GENERAL ELECTION 2016 E L E C T I O N

ALASKA LEGISLATURE

2016

HOUSE DISTRICT 3

JEANNE OLSON

CHRISTINA SINCLAIR

Independent, North Pole

* Denotes incumbent

Democrat, North Pole

TAMMIE WILSON* Republican, North Pole

QUESTIONS Explain why the Legislature does or doesn’t need to close the budget deficit in 2017.

Yes, an absolute must. Not producing a sustainable fiscal plan for the past two years has cost the state (and its citizens) money, credit ratings and credibility. Every passing day, we continue to spend more money than we are currently generating. That doesn’t work for small businesses or personal finances, nor is it a viable business plan for Alaska.

The Legislature should close the budget deficit in 2017. We require properly funded services per our state Constitution. Denying children of proper education, denying lifelong hard workers of retirement, underpaying police, fire, and other first responders, and ignoring the fact that there are Alaskans in need of food and shelter is despicable.

The state needs to live within its means and meet the obligations set forth by the Alaska Constitution.

Do you support or oppose using a portion of the Alaska Permanent Fund earnings to pay for government? Explain.

I oppose using the earnings to pay for government until the oil tax revenue system is revised and we continue to find more efficient ways for state operations. Then, and only then, should we tap into the earnings that includes a sunset requirement, because when government is given a power, it is tough to remove it.

The Legislature should have made a budget plan before any talk of touching the PFD was made. The only justification is if it goes to Alaskans, not to corporate welfare and to the large oil companies. This should only be temporary and should not be relied on for Alaska’s budget in the future.

Not at this time. We must rightsize government by reducing regulation, combining departments, turning functions over to the private sector and shrinking the impact of government on Alaskans everyday lives.

Even if the state adopts a restructuring of the permanent fund, the budget deficit is expected to be $1.5 billion next year (and about $3.2 billion without it). How do you propose closing that gap?

If we only rely on a restructured permanent fund, we will not only still have a deficit, we will also deplete the permanent fund in a few years. The most effective way to increase revenues is to require oil producers to pay us a fair share of gross revenue, which would increase revenues by roughly $3 billion under current conditions. Then, create more diverse revenue sources.

First, there should be cuts to the budget in corporate welfare. Alaska is being robbed and the Legislature is helping them. I would also consider a modest tax mostly on visitors to our state or a sales tax on luxury goods. I want to look into any option that will give the least amount of financial burden on Alaskans.

The Alaska Constitution is very clear on what the state is responsible for in funding. The Legislature should start with those obligations. They must make sure that departments are accountable and that the money is being wisely used.

One of the first things cut from the budget was the capital budget. When, if at all, should the Legislature resume capital budget spending?

What projects would you prioritize?

We’re losing at least $1 billion per year without the capital budget, which trickles down to a loss of 8,500 annual jobs.

Until we are fiscally sound, it would be foolish to resume capital budget spending. Then, like repairing the older car rather than buying a new model, we first need to invest in much-needed repairs of our infrastructure such as roads and public buildings.

Once we have stability with revenue, we must move forward with the capital budget. I would want to prioritize spending that gives the most back to the economy in the form of jobs. For instance, roadwork and repairs for schools would benefit many more Alaskans.

The Capital Budget is currently providing matching federal funds for infrastructure projects like roads. We should resume spending when we have a balanced operating budget.

Gov. Bill Walker has signaled he plans to cut 5 percent to 10 percent of the University of Alaska budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Are those cuts too deep or not enough?

Explain.

It saddens me that programs are being cut and outstanding professors are leaving. The cuts are at the expense of the students and our community. I trust the Board of Regents and the president will make right choices. The governor said cutting education was the toughest decision he had to make. I agree. He took the heat because the Legislature failed to act.

Just about any cut to the University of Alaska budget is a deep cut. The UA system is one of the largest economic powerhouses in the state.

It provides jobs, education, and research and development for Alaskan concerns like energy and engineering. Cutting the university budget would be the wrong plan for our state’s future.

The university could bring more monies in if they were to increase their student retention.

For example, if they were to increase their retention by just 10 percent, they would generate an additional $5 million, and 20 percent would be over $11 million. Graduation rates are currently under 50 percent.

Do you support or oppose Gov. Bill Walker’s plans for a state-led natural gas pipeline?

Is the plan realistic? Explain.

While natural gas is our best current solution for clean energy, we have spent years and millions just studying the issue. The opportunity to export this resource may be gone. At this time, we don’t have the money to finance a pipeline, and the oil companies have intentionally delayed construction. Small-scale, renewable energy systems could be a wiser use of our time and money.

As long as the natural gas pipeline follows advice from environmental and economic experts, I feel that Alaska could benefit from a state-led natural gas pipeline. The plan appears to be realistic and would garnish a source of revenue and cleaner energy for our community.

I support affordable energy to the Interior. I have not seen an analysis on the governor’s plan to know whether or not it is economically sound and therefore cannot comment on it at this time.

Is the state doing enough to address alcohol or drug abuse? What, if anything, should the Legislature do in its next session to address alcohol and opioid abuse?

The Legislature partially addressed this issue by passing the Medicaid and criminal reform bills. However, addictions need educational and pro-active prevention programs, which are much less expensive and more effective than rehab programs. The framework is there, it needs to be refined, and of course, money. Heed the advice of the medical/social professionals who are actually involved. This problem involves generations within families and requires more than creating laws.

No, the state is not doing enough to address alcohol or drug abuse. With the passing of SB23 and 2014’s HB369, the Legislature made great start to help Alaska’s growing drug and alcohol problem. However, there are still uneducated legislators who don’t realize that addiction isn’t treated by punishment; it is treated with help.

Yes, the state is sufficiently addressing these issues. The Legislature added more funding in these areas and in this next session should analyze the success of each program.

Eight inmates have died in state prisons and jails this year. What, if anything, should the Legislature do to improve safety of people in the custody of state correctional centers?

Listen and heed the recommendations of Department of Corrections Commissioner Dean Williams. He spoke at a local community listening session recently about this very issue.

This is disturbing. The Legislature should do a review of current regulations and ensure each facility is performing best practices. Having at least one health care provider on duty 24/7 at every correctional facility should help to lower the chances of inmate death. Members of the Legislature could also go and visit correctional facilities and learn more about what actually happens on a daily basis.

The Legislature should make sure that proper processes and procedures are being followed and review any and all investigative findings.

Do you think the state is doing enough to support education at both the grade school and university levels? What legislative support for education would you advocate?

Education is one of the most important aspects of a society. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. Years ago, there was a $10 annual education income tax. That is a tax that most people support and would also apply to non-Alaskans who work here but take their income away from Alaska.

According to the Alaska Constitution, every child is granted a proper education and the Legislature is not being held to that. Ask any teacher and she or he will tell you how much the children suffer from these funding cuts. At the very least, I would advocate for a higher Student Base Allocation fund.

The state of Alaska funds both the K-12 programs and the university above and beyond most other states. I would advocate for more of the monies to be spent directly into the classrooms.

The Alaska Constitution allows the Legislature to repeal a citizens’ initiative two years after the new law’s effective date but says legislators can amend the law at any time. Is there anything about the new marijuana law approved by voters in 2014 that you would change?

Explain.

Allowing consumption facilities is what concerns most Alaskans. Most voters probably didn’t know that was part of the initiative. I didn’t. If that part is eliminated through legislative reform, it would be an acceptable compromise.

Soon, it will become quite confusing throughout the state about where you can/cannot grow, sell or consume, because local communities are creating their own rules.

At this time, I do not feel that there is reason to overturn the people’s decision. The only item I would tweak is to make the sales tax slightly higher on recreational marijuana. This could be a great source of revenue for our failing budget.

No, I would not make changes, the voters approved this as is.

Regulations are still being formulated and local municipalities are deciding how they will treat the industry in their areas.

INDEPENDENT

If we send the same people back to Juneau, why would we expect different results?

IT’S TIME TO WORK TOGETHER!

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Paid for by Alaksans for Jeanne Olson • PO Box 74388, Fairbanks, AK 99707

olson

Candidate for House District 3

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Legislature is Broken... + + + + + + Our + State + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Candidate + + -+ +District + + Independent House 3 + + + + + + + + Now + as a+veterinarian, + I+ + + + + + Together, + + + + + fix animals... we can work to fix In the Air Force I fixed airplanes... + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + in+Juneau.+ + what’s wrong + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

www.jeanneforstatehouse.com www.facebook.com/Jeanne4House/ Phone: (907) 987-7474 Email: jeanne4house@gmail.com

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Air Force Veteran

Vote for Jeanne Olson on November 8

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Sunday, October 30, 2016

11

GENERAL ELECTION 2016

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2016 ELECTION DISTRICT MAPS

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Arctic Village

Nenana

Anaktuvuk Pass

Paxson

Wiseman Coldfoot

Alatna

Beaver Stevens Village

Hughes Huslia

Rampart Minto Manley Hot Springs

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Steele Creek FAIRBANKS Ester NORTH STAR

Eagle Village Glenallen

37-S

MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH

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ANCHORAGE MUNICIPALITY

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McCarthy Valdez

Valdez

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KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH

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McKinley Park

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YAKUTAT CITY AND BOROUGH

HOUSE DISTRICT 39

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Glennallen Tazlina Coper Center Willow Creek

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Valdez

HOUSE DISTRICT 40 Barrow

Diomede Wainwright

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White Mountain Golovin Elim

Savoonga

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Unalakleet

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Pilot Station

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Nikolai

Grayling

Pikas Point

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NORTH SLOPE BOROUGH

Red Dog Mine

Stebbins

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Nuiqsut

Point Lay

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Shaktoolik

Scammon Bay

Prudhoe Bay

Atqusuk

Teller Port Clarence

Shageluk

Holy Cross

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Venetie Noorvik

Selawik

Hughes

Buckland

Hooper Bay

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Alatna Deering Huslia

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Gulkana Chistochina

Lake Louise Gulkana Trapper Creek MendeltnaGlennallen Nelchina Tolsona Susitna North Eureka Roadhouse Glacier View Sutton-Alpine Chickaleon Willow Buffalo Soapstone Meadow Lakes Lazy Mountain Fishhook 9-E Big Lake Knik River Tanana Lazy Mountain Farm Loop Point MacKenzie Valdez ANCHORAGE 10-E 11-F MUNICIPALITY Palmer 7-D Wasilla Gateway Butte 12-F Whittier Cordova

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Paxson

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Dot Lake Tanacross Tok Tetlin Mentasta Lake Northway

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DENALI BOROUGH

Gulkana

Healy Lake

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Lake Minchumina

Ferry Healy

Cantwell

Gakona

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Anderson Lake Minchumina

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Chistochina

Circle Central

5-C Salcha Harding-Birch Lakes

Ruby Kaltag

6-C

Venetie

Evansville

39-T

3-B

HOUSE DISTRICT 9

NORTH SLOPE BOROUGH

Kobuk

6-C 2-A

6-C

HOUSE DISTRICT 6 40-T

1-A

5-C

Military

Old Nenana Hwy

NORTHWEST ARTCTIC BOROUGH

4-B

5-C

North Pole

5-C

Hwy

Rd E Van Horn

S Cushm an

Standard Ave

Sheldon Ave

Patton St

35th Ave

Easy St

34th Ave

Holt Rd

at

rdson

Bidwill Ave

5-C

Flo

Ric ha

Rd Williams Gate

32nd Ave

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Hwy

on Ramp/off Ramp

State Hwy 2

Mitchell Exp

Beaver Stevens Village

Kenny Lake Tonsina

12

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

GENERAL ELECTION 2016 E L E C T I O N

2016 * Denotes incumbent

ALASKA LEGISLATURE HOUSE DISTRICT 4

HOUSE DISTRICT 5

DAVID GUTTENBERG*

AARON LOJEWSKI

Democrat, Fairbanks

Republican, Fairbanks

ADAM WOOL* Democrat, Fairbanks

(Unopposed)

QUESTIONS Explain why the Legislature does or doesn’t need to close the budget deficit in 2017.

In a few short years we went from a state deriving great wealth from our resource to a state struggling to sustain basic services.

The state is not the federal government; we can’t print money. We must live within our means and our saving, although substantial, won’t last much longer.

Billions of dollars were set aside and are still available to address situations such as the one we currently face. The Legislature urgently needs to adopt a fiscal plan that aligns the cost of operating the government with longterm anticipated revenue to avoid depleting these reserves. Using some of the reserves can be a part of that plan.

The Legislature does not need to close the budget deficit 100 percent in 2017, but we need to get on the path to a balanced budget. We can’t keep drawing down our savings. If we were to cut too much from the budget or the PFD, either one of these may hurt the economy.

Do you support or oppose using a portion of the Alaska Permanent Fund earnings to pay for government? Explain.

It has been difficult to be in a situation where so many legislators were willing to use the permanent fund but not touch oil tax credits. Our oil tax system is neither fair nor balanced. Alaskans should want a fair return on our resources before we tap the permanent fund.

I am not entirely opposed to considering using permanent fund earnings to fund general government expenses after the statutory obligations for inflation-proofing and dividend payments are met. I do not support the governor’s veto of the dividend appropriation, nor do I agree that he has the authority to reduce the statutorily determined amount by exercising his veto authority.

Without a comprehensive fiscal plan, there will be no permanent fund dividend in the future.

The only way to protect the PFD for future generations is to restructure the program and adopt a comprehensive fiscal plan.

Even if the state adopts a restructuring of the permanent fund, the budget deficit is expected to be $1.5 billion next year (and about $3.2 billion without it). How do you propose closing that gap?

I will not put the entire burden of balancing the budget on the back of working Alaskans. The governor’s original balanced budget plan touched everyone and every industry. I supported that plan, but it all fell away except for the PFD and left unsustainable oil and gas tax credits in place.

The Legislature should continue to examine the viability of providing services that were established under unusually favorable financial circumstances for the state, especially services that were established or expanded after the oil price run-up that occurred after 2006.

A balanced fiscal plan includes broad-based revenue sources and certainly cutting the oil tax credits. We can’t do it with any one revenue source alone or by just hoping the price of oil will go up. We need a balanced plan.

One of the first things cut from the budget was the capital budget. When, if at all, should the Legislature resume capital budget spending? What projects would you prioritize?

Capital projects are very important to the economy. The mega-projects need to be canceled or put on the back burner. We need to strengthen the infrastructure and fix what’s broken on a sustaining schedule and finish what was started first.

This question implies that there is no capital budget. There is; however, it is small when compared to the last 10 years of large budgets. Additional capital spending should occur in anticipation of future and current needs when our total budget is at affordable levels. If we act soon to adjust our budget, this will not be far off.

We absolutely need to budget for building and maintaining critical infrastructure like fixing our roads and bridges and finishing the Engineering Building at UAF. What we don’t need is to waste more money studying mega-projects that we can’t afford to ever build or wasteful vanity projects like the legislative building in Anchorage.

Gov. Bill Walker has signaled he plans to cut 5 percent to 10 percent of the University of Alaska budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Are those cuts too deep or not enough?

Explain.

Continued cuts to the university are the equivalent of eating our seed corn. The quality of our research has put the university in the forefront of Arctic information and interests. As the world looks north, they need to see the University of Alaska as the place to turn to for guidance with the experience and ability to lead.

It may be possible to make such cuts responsibly. We have satellite campuses with extreme levels of cost per graduate when compared to UAF. Any such cuts should be made in a way that fully preserves our flagship university.

The university shouldn’t be cut anymore. I was proud to lead the fight to stop cuts that would have crippled the university system. UAF is a world leader in research in many areas, including climate studies that will only become more important. We can’t let our standing slip, and we can’t afford to lose talent to other institutions.

Do you support or oppose Gov. Bill Walker’s plans for a state-led natural gas pipeline? Is the plan realistic? Explain.

I support going forward with the governor’s plan for a state-led natural gas pipeline until such time that a prudent person lays the project aside. The project needs to be constantly examined for economic viability.

The best chance for a natural gas export line is one that leverages industry expertise and knowledge and fully partners with the industry. Without a partnership with such experts, access to capital becomes scarce, and the risk of severe economic loss for Alaska increases greatly.

I do support a plan for a gas line. I’m not sure the project is feasible with the current price of gas on the world market, but we do have an abundance of gas that needs to be monetized.

We’ve been talking about a gas line for decades and it’s time to act on it.

Is the state doing enough to address alcohol or drug abuse? What, if anything, should the Legislature do in its next session to address alcohol and opioid abuse?

Alcohol and drug addiction are serious and expensive problems. Treatment centers need to be available, counselors need to be educated and trained. We need to stop the revolving door and break the cycle of crime and drugs/alcohol abuse. Jails are often the wrong remedy. Evidence-based treatment and drug courts need to be funded and used.

While family members, community members, and local governments work on solutions to this issue, the state government should diligently work to fix the state budget.

We passed some good legislation in the last session, but more needs to be done. We need more access to treatment and counseling. Medicaid expansion allowed more people access to substance abuse treatment, and the telemedicine bill we passed will give people access to treatment, even if there isn’t a provider in their community.

Eight inmates have died in state prisons and jails this year. What, if anything, should the Legislature do to improve safety of people in the custody of state correctional centers?

There is a protocol missing that define procedures and remedies that need to be followed in our prisons and correctional facilities. Medical and public safety staffs need to be better trained about the interactive work that is done between agencies.

We need more adequately staffed detox and sleep-off beds.

A comprehensive investigation should be conducted by experts, and the Legislature should seriously consider acting on its recommendations.

One thing we need to have is a more appropriate place to bring chronic inebriates or those in need of medical care besides jails. We also need more and better training for corrections officers and to make sure correctional facilities are properly staffed.

Do you think the state is doing enough to support education at both the grade school and university levels? What legislative support for education would you advocate?

Educating our children gives them the tools to manage our tomorrow. Children cannot learn if they come to school not ready and prepared to learn. Parents and teachers are where the educational issues are front and center. The first step in correctly funding education is to give the school districts a budget that allows them to plan for the future.

Open-ended unsustainable school building construction and curriculum requirements have been imposed on the public through litigation and education industry lobbying pressure. The Legislature must examine Alaska’s education service delivery system in light of the public purpose to be accomplished and define the limits of the state’s requirement to provide that service.

The cuts to both neighborhood schools and the University of Alaska have to stop. I voted for reasonable budget cuts, but we can’t cut anymore. The university is a major component of our community and its research is world class.

We need it to stay robust as a growing part of our economy.

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F12512339

Your Citizen Legislator

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Sunday, October 30, 2016

13

GENERAL ELECTION 2016 E L E C T I O N

2016 * Denotes incumbent

ALASKA LEGISLATURE HOUSE DISTRICT 6

HOUSE DISTRICT 9

JASON LAND Democrat, Salcha

DAVE TALERICO* Republican, Healy

PAMELA GOODE Constitution Party, Delta Junction

QUESTIONS Explain why the Legislature does or doesn’t need to close the budget deficit in 2017.

The Legislature must close the budget deficit or we will continue to spend our savings.

Before long, that will mean taking from the permanent fund. Continued deficit spending will hurt our credit rating and worry investors.

Nothing good can come from continuing to fail to pass a sustainable budget.

Most definitely need to begin closing the gap, but it may take more than just one year to get that fully accomplished. More budget cuts and efficiencies are needed as we move forward.

The Legislature needs to close the deficit gap immediately by developing a strategic disciplined plan forward with spending cut targets according to the Institute of Social and Economic Research/Goldsmith budget model amounts or less. The Legislature continues to spend vital reserves necessary for easily achieving and maintaining the sustainable budget model, which cannot continue one more year to avoid raiding the PFD and one’s earned income.

Do you support or oppose using a portion of the Alaska Permanent Fund earnings to pay for government?

Explain.

I oppose using the permanent fund to pay for state government; our savings should not be going toward operating costs. Taking from the permanent fund is just like a tax except it is only taking from Alaskans, while an income tax would get the more than 20 percent of workers who are nonresidents to pay. But before this we must cut.

I oppose using half of the dividend to pay for government but believe we still need more analysis and discussions on utilizing a portion of the earnings reserve.

Gov. Hammond’s vision was “to transform oil wells pumping oil for a finite period into money wells pumping money for infinity. ... (e)ach year one-half of the account’s earnings would be dispersed among Alaska residents …. The other half of the earnings could be used for essential government services.” I support this only if the money is necessary and the ISER/ Goldsmith budget target (or less) is achieved.

Even if the state adopts a restructuring of the permanent fund, the budget deficit is expected to be $1.5 billion next year (and about $3.2 billion without it). How do you propose closing that gap?

Go through the budget, evaluate every item; if they aren’t in the people’s best interest, then eliminate them. Examples: refundable oil tax credits, stop appropriating money for positions that are vacant and put limits on total costs per legislator. No proposed budget is sustainable at current oil prices, so we must find the way to generate revenue that’s best for Alaskans.

More responsible resource development coupled with aforementioned cuts and efficiencies. Services need to be prioritized and some may need to be, at the least, put on hold.

Cut spending to ISER/Goldsmith budget target amounts (or less) and use the earning reserves to address the deficit if needed.

Consider instituting user fees to address programs and services that the people are willing to pay for, which may include the usage of their PFD. Eliminate those the people are not willing to fund themselves.

One of the first things cut from the budget was the capital budget. When, if at all, should the Legislature resume capital budget spending? What projects would you prioritize?

Many capital projects, such as the road to Juneau, are unreasonable and a waste of our money. I don’t see a reason that we should be investing in large capital projects in the next couple of years.

When funding is available, some capital spending would be appropriate, particularly health and safety projects.

No capital projects unless vital to the operations of Alaska. We are in a recession. Removing the PFD and earned income from families and local economies to fund unnecessary government capital projects is fiscally and morally irresponsible.

Gov. Bill Walker has signaled he plans to cut 5 percent to 10 percent of the University of Alaska budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Are those cuts too deep or not enough?

Explain.

Where will those cuts come from? The university should be pushed to generate land grant resources more in order to fund itself more and rely on the state less. If there is waste to cut, it should be found through examination and evidence, then cut. The university should not be told to just cut 5 or 10 percent.

I believe that almost all departments will see cuts. It’s hard to put a number on any particular entity, including the University of Alaska, at this time without knowing where and how large other cuts may be.

Most likely not enough. Cuts are needed, but more important is the need for restructuring three separate university systems into one well-maintained, efficient and effective one.

Prioritize the needs of the student’s academics over nice-to-have programs and projects.

Sports should be self-funding and self-sustaining. University land sales is an option available to help fund essential financial needs.

Do you support or oppose Gov. Bill Walker’s plans for a state-led natural gas pipeline? Is the plan realistic?

Explain.

We cannot invest in such a massive project only to supply Alaskans with natural gas; it will never pay off. The trend is toward self-sufficiency, especially renewable energy. Why invest in gas? If a buyer came along that was willing to sign a contract that would pay off the pipeline, then at least it would be feasible economically.

With the current market conditions and the global competition levels, I can’t see this being the appropriate way forward right now, so I do not support the most recent effort. I believe we may have to shelve the project for now until there is more potential for success.

If Big Oil does not want to participate with their high level of expertise, neither should Alaska.

Is the state doing enough to address alcohol or drug abuse? What, if anything, should the Legislature do in its next session to address alcohol and opioid abuse?

No. We need to invest less in punishing people for victimless crimes and drugs, especially possession, and more in helping people break out of the cycle of drug and alcohol addiction.

One avenue is to set up a grant program for communities to tailor treatment and aftercare programs to their specific needs. Help must be available for everyone who wants it.

SB23 dealt with a more uniform, easier way to dispense drugs to administer for an opioid overdose, but we still have a significant problem with drug and alcohol abuse. I believe everyone is open to ideas to combat this issue. I would like to think that an early intervention and education plan might be addressed in the near future. I wish I had a surefire cure.

Determination to overcome any addiction can only be achieved by those who seek it and truly want it. The “people” cannot prevent individuals from destroying their own lives.

Families, churches, and charity organizations are best positioned to fill any necessary gaps.

Leave the PFD in the hands of Alaskans who may wish to use that money to acquire help or to help others.

Eight inmates have died in state prisons and jails this year. What, if anything, should the Legislature do to improve safety of people in the custody of state correctional centers?

There are many policy and training updates and new policies and mandatory training for correctional center employees that need to be made.

These must include suicide prevention and awareness, how to pick out signs of and properly deal with a possible overdose, DTs, detoxing and other withdrawal symptoms. There must be clear lines of oversight and responsibility.

Proper procedures need to be followed, and evaluations upon entry should improve.

Although the causes of death are varied, it appears we need a better understanding of the physical and mental state of those entering the system. From what I have read, I believe we may be able to reverse this trend with better diagnosis of an inmate’s overall health and some of that person’s specific needs.

Make safety the first and highest priority.

Prisons are for criminals. Ensure our prisons are occupied by those who need to be there, which will allow correctional center staff to focus attention accordingly. Hold accountable correctional center staff for negligence.

Do you think the state is doing enough to support education at both the grade school and university levels? What legislative support for education would you advocate?

No. More needs to be done to support education, it’s the key to the future. We must invest in our children by funding programs that teach them necessary critical thinking and coping skills and encourage them to engage in and give back to their communities. If we teach them the values, skills and knowledge they need, our communities will prosper.

Our support could be somewhat limited financially for some time, although education is a higher priority for me than some other things the state provides. I could support keeping the funding near its current level, but that translates into deeper cuts somewhere else.

Lower the cost of education. Remove unnecessary, ineffective programs, requirements and demands that waste valuable class time and resources. Hold accountable those responsible for wasteful, inefficient and ineffective spending. Allow greater local control if requested.

Remove Common Core from the state and the AMP (data collecting) testing permanently.

Restore the PFD to Alaskans to assist in their chosen educational needs and extra curricular activities.

The Alaska Constitution allows the Legislature to repeal a citizens’ initiative two years after the new law’s effective date but says legislators can amend the law at any time. Is there anything about the new marijuana law approved by voters in 2014 that you would change? Explain.

The marijuana law approved by voters still leaves possession of between 1 and 4 ounces a misdemeanor and over 4 ounces a felony.

These are amounts that can be provided by one plant. I find it unreasonable to call something legal, yet still let the possession of what can be provided by one plant remain a felony.

The law states that the board may suspend or revoke a license if any material facts are misrepresented on an application. I would prefer that the word “may” be changed to “will.”

Not at this time. I support local control decision-making.

Would you vote to repeal legalized recreational and/ or commercial marijuana returning the state to pre-2014 marijuana laws?

Explain.

No, the people voted for this. I want to get the industry running and well regulated so that our communities and people are safe and better off.

We should be looking forward to a new industry that is estimated to generate $5-11 million in taxes, not back to when we would arrest and imprison those who wanted to use the plant.

I did not support the ballot measure. I will respect the will of the voters. I also support local options.

Not at this time. I support the will of the people but also the authority of local control to decide what they feel is best for their communities.

Irregularities were reported in the 2016 primary election. What, if any, changes does the Legislature need to make to Alaska’s voting laws? Explain.

The training of election workers every two years must be mandatory in order for that election worker to work the election. The state should be able to independently initiate a recount when there is a suspicion of fraud.

I don’t know that we need changes in law as much as we need to make absolutely sure that training is provided and the procedures are exclusively followed with no deviation.

See to it the laws currently in place are adhered to. I support the return of paper ballots to provide for greater checks and balances and the minimum of a single fault tolerant system.

Election irregularities took place in the 2010 U.S. Senate race that were never addressed. This will continue to occur if not corrected.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

14

GENERAL ELECTION 2016

ISSUES Continued from 9 to $2,000 per child.

Education

Education is a core issue not just for students and families, but for communities, the economy, and the nation as a global competitor.

The country has some 50 million K-12 students.

Teaching them, preparing them for college and careers, costs taxpayers more than $580 billion a year, or about $11,670 per pupil per year. A better education usually translates into higher earnings.

Although high school graduations are up sharply and dropout rates down, the nation has a ways to go to match the educational outcomes else where. American schoolchildren trail their counterparts in Japan, Korea, Germany, France and more.

For students seeking higher education, they face rising college costs and many are saddled with debt.

Hillar y Clinton has proposed free tuition at in-state public colleges and universities for working families with incomes up to $125,000 — free for families, that is, not for taxpayers. Donald Trump has focused on school choice, recently proposing to spend $20 billion in his first year in office to expand programs that let low-income families send their children to the local public, private, charter or magnet school that they think is best.

Student debt

More Americans are getting buried by student debt — causing delays in home ownership, limiting how much people can save and leaving taxpayers at risk as many loans go unpaid.

Student debt now totals around $1.26 trillion.

This amounts to a stunning 350 percent increase since 2005, according to the New York Federal Reserve.

More than 60 percent of the class of 2014 graduated with debt that averaged nearly $27,000, according to the College Board. Not all that taxpayer-backed debt is getting repaid. Out of the 43 million Americans with student debt, roughly 16 percent are in long-term default — a potential hit in excess of $100 billion that taxpayers would absorb.

Democrat Hillary Clinton proposes no tuition for students from families making less than $85,000 who go to an in-state, public college.

Republican Donald Trump promises to cap payments at 12.5 percent of a borrower’s income, with loan forgiveness if they make payments for 15 years.

Climate change

It’s as if Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton live on two entirely different Earths: one warming, one not. Clinton says climate change threatens us all, while Trump repeatedly tweets that global warming is a hoax.

Me a s u r e m e n t s a n d scientists say Clinton’s Earth is much closer to the warming reality. And it is worsening.

The world is on pace for the hottest year on record, breaking marks set in 2015, 2014, and 2010. It is about 1.8 degrees warmer than a century ago.

But it’s more than temperatures. Scientists have connected man-made climate change to deadly heat waves, droughts and flood-inducing downpours.

ISSUES » 15

Things to know about the candidates Donald Trump

By Jill Colvin ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — After vanquishing more than a dozen Republican rivals with a shock-andawe primary campaign, Donald Trump is about to learn whether that same strategy can deliver him the White House.

The most unconventional major party nominee in decades, Trump has emerged as a movement candidate with a knack for packing places with devoted followers who feel the system’s been rigged against them. At the same time, he’s alienated minorities, women and many members of his own party, leaving his path to victory increasingly slim.

A look at some things to know about him.

The brief

A year and a half ago, the reality television star and billionaire real estate developer was largely dismissed as an attention-seeking showman who had little intention of actually entering the race. But since announcing his candidacy, Trump has upended the presidential contest, seizing his party’s nomination despite breaking every rule.

Trump’s campaign can be charted in inflammatory statements, each seemingly more outrageous than the last. After kicking off his campaign by saying the Mexican government sends criminals across the U.S. border illegally, he’s questioned Arizona Sen. John McCain’s status as a war hero. He’s called for temporarily banning foreign Muslims from entering the country (then backed away from the plan), gone after the family of a slain soldier that criticized him, got into an extended verbal tiff with a former Latina

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Oct. 15 in Bangor, Maine. AP PHOTO/EVAN VUCCI beauty queen and belittled the appearances of some of the women who have accused him of sexual assault in the campaign’s final weeks.

Resume review

The son of a New York real estate developer, Trump grew up in an upper-income section of Queens and quickly joined his father’s business after graduating from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Lured by the tall buildings and bright lights, Trump moved across the East River and set his sights on Manhattan.

In the following decades, Trump’s reputation grew, not only for his assets but for his madefor-New-York-tabloid exploits. He became a national household name with the success of the hit television show, “The Apprentice,” and earned credentials in some conservative circles as he questioned the fact that President Barack Obama was born in the United States.

Signature issue

The campaign promise best associated with Trump is his plan to

build a wall along the length of the border with Mexico to stop the flow of migrants. And, Trump says, he’ll make the Mexican government pay for it. Trump has also vowed to restrict legal immigration dramatically as well as deport millions of people living in the country illegally who have committed crimes beyond their immigration offenses. And he says he’ll renegotiate the country’s trade deals and threatens to slap a 35 percent tariff on goods produced by manufacturers that move jobs overseas.

Debate digest

After the first presidential debate, Trump patted himself on the back for not bringing up former President Bill Clinton’s indiscretions.

He’d said on stage: “You want to know the truth? I was going to say something extremely rough to Hillary, to her family, and I said to myself, ‘I can’t do it. I just can’t do it. It’s inappropriate. It’s not nice.’”

By the second debate, with his campaign in deeper trouble, Trump and his aides abandoned such veiled niceties and invoked the

nuclear option, inviting three women who had accused rival Hillary Clinton’s husband of sexual harassment or assault decades ago. An hour before the debate, Trump held a jaw-dropping appearance with the accusers, an unprecedented abandonment of political decorum to make a personal attack.

Moment to remember Where to start? He acted out a near-homicide scene from a primary rival’s autobiography. He convened that press conference with women who accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct against them.

He’s unleashed Twitter bombshells galore in the wee hours.

But perhaps the most symbolic moments were the enormous rallies Trump held in the summer of 2015, including one in Mobile, Alabama, that drew tens of thousands. At that point it was clear Trump had tapped into a deep and festering anger that had been largely overlooked.

Please forget That time he joked

about dating his daughter, if only the two weren’t related. A series of derogatory comments aimed at women.

Dozens of potentially offensive tweets, including several re-tweets of accounts linked to white supremacists.

His caught-on-camera boasts from 2005 about being able to grope any woman he wanted without permission because he’s famous, and his subsequent attempts to discredit a number of women who have accused him of sexual assault.

Trump’s refusal to play by the rules has earned him legions of loyal supporters. But his comments have also fed fuel to critics who say he does not have the temperament or judgment to be president.

Online and social media • Web site: http:// www.donaldjtrump.com • Tw i tt e r : h tt p : / / twitter.com/realDonald Trump • Instagram: http:// www.instagram.com/ realdonaldtrump • Facebook: https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / DonaldTrump

Jill Stein

By Kathleen Ronayne ASSOCIATED PRESS

RICHMOND, VA. — Green Party candidate Jill Stein sees an opening to woo disaffected Democrats, environmentalists and young radicals inspired to political action by the candidacy of Democrat Bernie Sanders.

Things to know about Stein, a longtime activist who has never won statewide or national political office:

The brief

This isn’t Stein’s first foray into presidential politics. She ran on the Green Party line in 2012, failing to crack 500,000 votes or generate any significant spotlight. She thinks this time could be different, thanks to Sanders. Stein wasted no time swooping in on his political revolution, campaigning in Philadelphia during the Democratic National Convention and rallying throngs of angry Sanders’ supporters outside of the convention hall when the Vermont senator conceded the nod to Hillary Clinton.

Stein’s running on a platform of erasing all existing student debt, mobilizing what she calls a wartime effort to switch the United States to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 and disengaging from foreign wars that she says the United States has no business being in. She’s offering a dark view of the future, saying both Republicans and Democrats are leading the country into imminent disaster.

She’s admitted that winning

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein answers questions from members of the media during a campaign stop Oct. 6 at Humanist Hall in Oakland, California. AP PHOTO/D. ROSS CAMERON the presidency isn’t quite the ultimate goal. Instead, Stein’s hoping to capitalize on fresh interest in third party candidates to build momentum for the Green Party, which has had success in some local elections but has largely failed to make a dent in state or national politics. Stronger than normal turnout for Stein could help keep the Green Party on state ballots and provide additional public funding for future elections if Stein cracks 5 percent, a tall task at this point.

Stein dismisses Democratic critics’ comments that she’s a spoiler who could help hand the election to Republican Donald Trump. She says she won’t be able to sleep at night if either Clinton or Trump is elected.

Resume review

Stein, 66, graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1979, going on to work in internal medicine with a focus on young adults.

As a mother and doctor living in Lexington, Massachusetts, she turned to environmental activism in the 1990s.

She joined efforts to regulate coal plants in Massachusetts and reduce mercury in the food and water supply. Using her medical background, Stein testified before several legislative committees on the harmful effects of mercury and other pollutants in child brain development.

In 2 0 0 2 , t h e s t a t e’s Green-Rainbow Party recruited her to run for governor.

A political newcomer, Stein thought achieving electoral success could help advance her activist causes. She lost the race, and went on to lose every race after, including bids for the state legislature in 2004, secretary of state in 2006, governor again in 2010 and president in 2012.

Moment to remember

Cries of “Jill Not Hill” dotted the streets outside the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last July.

Stein hit a peak of sorts that week, when angry supporters of Sanders stormed out of the STEIN » 16

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Sunday, October 30, 2016

15

GENERAL ELECTION 2016

Hillary Clinton

ISSUES Continued from 14 Studies say climate change is raising sea levels, melting ice and killing coral. It’s making people sicker with asthma and allergies and may eventually shrink our bank accounts.

The American Association for the Advancement of Sciences says warming can be highly damaging to people and the planet and potentially irreversible.

By Ken Thomas ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton may be within striking distance of becoming the first woman to win the White House, now that the U.S. is in the final weeks of one of its nastiest presidential campaigns in recent history.

The former secretary of state leads rival Donald Trump in preference polls in a series of battleground states as the Republican nominee has struggled to overcome allegations of sexual misconduct against several women. But the race is far from settled.

Both Clinton and Tr u m p h a v e b e e n viewed harshly by the electorate. For her part, Clinton has tried to use Trump’s provocative statements and policy proposals to make the case that he is unqualified to lead the nation.

A look at some things to know about her.

The brief

Entering the primary race as the overwhelming favorite, Clinton won the Democratic nomination after a lengthy, unexpectedly competitive battle against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Her general election campaign against Trump has amounted to a series of explosive exchanges: a convention dustup over a Muslim Gold Star family, Clinton’s description of Trump supporters as “deplorables,” her bout with pneumonia and collapse at a 9/11 ceremony, then her strong, momentum-shifting first debate with Trump.

The revelation of an 11-year-old video in which Trump crudely said he forced himself upon women rocked the Republican’s campaign and prompted him, in retaliation, to bring forward several women who had accused former President Bill Clinton of sexual impropriety.

Role of government

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to volunteers at a campaign office Oct. 14 in Seattle. AP PHOTO/ANDREW HARNIK

Resume review

Clinton has been a trailblazing figure as an attorney, senator, first lady and diplomat. In Arkansas, she became the first female partner at the Rose Law Firm while Bill Clinton served as governor and acted as his key political and policy brain trust. In the White House, she helped redefine the role of first lady as a top adviser to her husband, overseeing an ill-fated health care overhaul. At the end of her husband’s second term, Clinton became the first presidential spouse to be elected to the Senate, helping secure benefits for 9/11 responders as a New York senator. Her vote for the Iraq invasion became a dividing line in her 2008 presidential primary campaign against Barack Obama and she later described her support for the war as a “mistake.” As secretary of state, she was a hawkish member of Obama’s national security team and helped set the foundation for nuclear talks with Iran.

Signature issue

In her campaign against Trump, Clinton has stressed her foreign policy expertise through her plans to combat the rise of the Islamic State group abroad and terrorism at home. And

in recent months she has rolled out endorsements from retired generals and admirals and convened a meeting with national security experts. Clinton likes to highlight her experience, frequently telling voters about being in the Situation Room with Obama when Osama bin Laden was killed. Her foreign policy credentials have helped Clinton to cast Trump as lacking the temperament and experience to handle global affairs. She has said that Trump’s call for a temporary ban on foreign Muslims entering the U.S. and restrictions on immigration send the wrong signals to allies in an increasingly complex world.

Debate digest

Clinton was convincing against Trump in the first presidential debate, forcing him to defend his part in conspiracy theories about President Barack Obama’s citizenship and pressing him to release his income tax returns and recant derogatory comments about women. Trump frequently interrupted Clinton and failed to put her on the defensive about her use of a private email system.

When he sug gested that Clinton had been a less-than-stellar campaigner, Clinton noted

that she had prepared for the debate and “prepared to be president.”

The second encounter in St. Louis was among the most tense in debate history, as Trump said he would call for a special prosecutor to investigate Clinton’s email practices, telling Clinton, “you’d be in jail,” if he oversaw the Justice Department.

Moment to remember In the first debate, Clinton carefully laid a trap for Trump by mentioning Alicia Machado, a 1996 Miss Universe pageant winner whom Trump allegedly demeaned for gaining weight. In the days that followed, Trump kept returning to Machado again and again. The story turned damaging for Trump, as he was seen disrespecting and degrading women.

An explosive “Access Hollywood” tape of Trump bragging about sexually predatory behavior followed by a series of women publicly accusing him of assault only deepened that problem. By mid-October, Trump was trailing Clinton by double-digits among female voters, setting up a gender gap difficult for any candidate to overcome.

Please forget Clinton has been bat-

tling doubts about her health ever since a troubling video emerged of her being helped into a van at a 9/11 anniversary ceremony. Her campaign kept silent for nearly eight hours before revealing she had been diagnosed with pneumonia several days earlier. After several days of rest, Clinton — age 69 on Oct. 26 — returned to campaigning. She also released additional medical information to try to reassure voters about her health. “Obviously I should have gotten some rest sooner,” she said on CNN. Trump has repeatedly questioned Clinton’s stamina. Clinton has been a more vigorous presence in battleground states in recent weeks but the episode reinforced public perceptions about Clinton’s preference for secrecy and privacy, which has contributed to a lack of trust in her candidacy.

Online and social media • Web site: http:// www.hillaryclinton.com • Tw i tt e r : h tt p : / / t w i t t e r. c o m / h i l l a r y clinton • Instagram: http:// www.instagram.com/ hillaryclinton • Facebook: http:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / hillaryclinton

Gary Johnson

By Nicholas Riccardi ASSOCIATED PRESS

SANTA FE, N.M. — Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson is counting on voter disgust at Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to give him the best showing in November of any third-party candidate since billionaire Ross Perot in 1992.

Things to know about the former New Mexico governor:

The brief

Johnson has managed to anger both parties because they fear he’ll peel off critical voters. Democrats worry that his appeal to young voters will hurt them in some tight battleground states. In other states, he seems to be taking from Trump’s column, frustrating the GOP nominee’s backers. By picking another former Republican governor as his running mate, Massachusetts’ Bill Weld, Johnson heightened his visibility. The ticket has received more donations than prior Libertarian ones, but Johnson fell short of cracking the 15 percent polling threshold to qualify for a seat at the presidential debates.

Johnson, 63, mixes social liberalism with a far stricter fiscal conservatism than the Republican nominee embraces. He Libertarian calls for raising the eligibility age for Social Security, eliminating the federal departments of Commerce, Education, Homeland Security and Hous-

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks during a rally Oct. 3 in Parker, Colorado. AP PHOTO/DAVID ZALUBOWSKI ing and Urban Development, and implementing a flat tax. He became known for calling for legalization of marijuana in the late 1990s, long before states like Colorado permitted recreational use of the drug. Johnson also supports gay marriage, backs abortion rights and supports increased immigration into the U.S., as well as free trade and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Resume review

Johnson was born into a middle-class family in North Dakota and moved to New Mexico when he was 13. He was still a student at the University of New Mexico when he founded a construction company, and eventually made millions. Johnson was a little-known outsider

when he entered a four-way Republican governor’s primary in 1994. He eked out a narrow win and went on to defeat the Democratic incumbent.

Johnson vetoed more than 700 bills as governor, a record.

He focused on fiscal conservatism and limiting government, striking down even the smallest fee increases. But it was his call for the legalization of marijuana soon after his 1998 re-election that got him noticed far outside his state. He pushed for legalizing the drug after leaving office and served as chief executive officer of a marijuana branding firm.

Moment to remember Just as voter disgust with the

major party candidates was peaking, Johnson went on a cable news show to get his message out. One interviewer asked him what he’d do about Aleppo, the largest city in Syria, now under Russian bombardment in the midst of that country’s civil war. “What is Aleppo?” Johnson asked, sparking widespread mockery on social media.

The candidate apologized but then, weeks later, was asked to name a foreign leader he admired. Johnson paused and said he was having an “Aleppo moment” and couldn’t think of one. After another round of mockery, the governor didn’t apologize. Instead, he said he still couldn’t think of an overseas leader he looked up to JOHNSON » 16

I t ’s t h e G o l d i l o c k s conundrum of American politics: Is the government too big, too small or just right? Every four years, the presidential election offers a referendum on whether Washington should do more or less.

Donald Trump favors cutting regulation and has promised massive tax cuts, but his plans are expected to add trillions to the national debt. Unlike most conservatives, he supports eminent domain and has spoken positively about government-run health care. And don’t forget that massive border wall. Hillary Clinton has vowed new spending on education and infrastructure that could grow government, too. She strongly supports “Obamacare,” which most small government proponents see as overreach.

At its heart, the debate a b o u t g o v e r n m e n t ’s reach pits the desire to know your basic needs will be cared for against the desire to be left alone.

For the last few decades, polls have found Americans generally feel frustrated by the federal government and think it’s wasteful. A smaller government sounds good to a lot of people until they’re asked what specific services or benefits they are willing to do without.

Supreme Court

The ideological direction of the Supreme Court is going to tip one way or the other after the election. The outcome could sway decisions on issues that profoundly affect everyday Americans: immigration, gun control, climate change and more.

The court has been operating with eight justices since Antonin Scalia died in February. His successor appears unlikely to be confirmed until after the election, at the earliest. The court is split between four Democratic-appointed, liberal justices and four conservatives who were appointed by Republicans — although Justice Anthony Kennedy has sided with the liberals on abortion, same-sex marriage and affirmative action in the past two years.

The ninth justice will push the court left or right, depending on whether Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump becomes president. President Barack Obama has nominated Merrick Garland to take Scalia’s seat, but the Republican Senate has refused to consider Garland’s nomination, in an effort to prevent a liberal court majority.

Income inequality

Income inequality has surged near levels last seen before the Great Depression. The average income for the top 1 percent of households climbed 7.7 percent last year to $1.36 million, according to tax data.

That privileged sliver of the population saw pay ISSUES » 16

16

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

GENERAL ELECTION 2016

Teachers use raucous election to spark polite student debate

By Jennifer C. Kerr ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — From mock elections to writing projects and Electoral College math, many teachers around the country are embracing the often nasty presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as a real-world teaching tool.

Muslims. Taxes. The wall. Emails. The negative exchanges. They’re all up for discussion in Halie Miller’s fourth-grade class at Glacier Ridge Elementary in Dublin, Ohio. But when the students hold their own debates, they’re polite and respectful.

“We kind of have debates and never yell at each other,” says 9-year-old Mia Dahi. “We give our opinions and what we think about it, but we don’t really fight about it.”

The election provides material for other subjects beyond social studies. In math, Miller’s students have learned about the magic of the number 270, using addition and subtraction to come up with different combinations to get to 270 electoral votes to claim victory.

“Educating students about their role in a democracy was one of the original goals of public education in this country and it should remain so today, as our nation becomes more and more

STEIN Continued from 14 convention hall to protest the Vermont senator’s decision to endorse Clinton. On the convention’s second night, Stein led a rally of hundreds in sweltering heat right outside the convention hall.

Her language sounded familiar: She pledged to continue the “political revolution” Sanders had started and said only she could be a vessel for the change Americans were truly seeking.

Stein’s also been forced to explain away some of the comments her running mate, human rights activist Ajamu Baraka. He’s called President Barack Obama an “Uncle Tom.” Stein told The Washington Post’s editorial board she would never use the same language, but said Baraka is speaking to a “disenfranchised demographic.”

How many votes?

In her various campaigns for public office, Stein’s barely amounted to more

ISSUES Continued from 15 climb at almost twice the rate of income growth for the other 99 percent, whose pay averaged a humble $48,768.

Dogged on the issue during the primaries by Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton has highlighted inequality in multiple speeches.

She hopes to redirect more money to the middle class and impoverished.

Clinton would raise taxes on the wealthy, increase the federal minimum wage, boost infrastructure spending, provide universal pre-K and offer the prospect of tuition-free college.

Donald Trump offers a blunter message about a system “rigged” against average Americans.

To bring back jobs, Trump has promised new trade deals with better terms, greater infrastructure spending than Clinton foresees and tax cuts

Fourth grade teacher Halie Miller and students at Glacier Ridge Elementary School in Dublin, Ohio, are using the election as a teaching tool for students in social studies and math. From left are Halie Miller, Calvin McCormick, Sriram Katta, Audrey DiCesare and Mia Dahi. KATE BAKER VIA AP diverse,” Education Secretary John B. King Jr. said in recent remarks at the National Press Club.

This election no doubt has presented challenges for educators, with difficult topics such as sexual assault, infidelity and just the general bitterness and angry rhetoric.

“Teachers all over the country are having some very hard conversations with their students in a non-partisan way,” says National Education Asso-

ciation President Lily Eskelsen García.

It’s also opened the door, though, to some good debates. “They’re having discussions about race.

They’re having discussions about religious freedom,” she said. “They’re having discussions about should girls aspire to be president as likely as a boy would aspire to be president.”

Alice Reilly, president of the National Social Studies Supervisors Association, says teachers can’t ignore

than a blip on the radar.

She’s won just two elections: Her races for town meeting members in Lexington, Massachusetts, in 2005 and 2008. Those races took about a few hundred votes to win.

In her state and national races, she did once crack double digits. Running for secretary of state in Massachusetts in 2006, she took 18 percent of the vote — which amounted to just about 350,000 votes. She won 76,000 — or less than 4 percent — in her 2002 gubernatorial bid. In 2010, she won even fewer, bringing in less than 33,000.

Ralph Nader, the last Green Party candidate to make a difference in a national election, won nearly 3 million votes in the 2000 presidential contest.

Online and social media

• Facebook: https:// www.facebook.com/drjill stein • Twitter: https://twitter. com/DrJillStein • Instagram: https:// w w w. i n s t a g r a m . c o m / drjillstein

that he says would propel stronger growth (though independent analysts say his budget plans would raise deficits).

Opioid epidemic

Mo r e t h a n 2 8 , 0 0 0 Americans died from overdosing on opioids in 2014, a record high for the nation.

That’s 78 people per d a y, a n u m b e r t h a t doesn’t include the millions of family members, first responders and even taxpayers who feel the ripple of drug addiction in their daily lives.

A rise in prescription painkillers is partially to blame: The sale of these drugs has quadrupled since 1999, and so has the number of Americans dying from an addiction to them.

When prescriptions run out, people find themselves turning to the cheaper alternative heroin and, increasingly, the even more deadly drug

the election.

“It’s part of social studies.

It’s part of civics. It’s part of government,” she said.

Teachers Sara Winter and Patricia Carlson at Williamsburg Middle School in Arlington, Virginia, turned the election into a five-week THINKTAC-TOE project for their sixth graders, who are required to complete three of nine activity squares on their worksheets.

Among them: • Analyze a newspaper

article on the election and write two to three paragraphs about it.

• Take a 30-minute walk around the neighborhood, tally Clinton and Trump yard signs and write two to three paragraphs about why the student thinks people in the community might support one candidate over the other.

• Interview five people about who they are voting for and write about why they support a particular candidate.

In Denver, social studies teacher Aaron Stites says the tone of the campaign can at times be discouraging.

“You can get bogged down by the negativity, but to see kids excited about the election and kids feeling they have a voice, it gives me a boost,” Stites said in an interview. “Any time kids in your classroom are engaged and don’t want to leave class, that’s a good feeling.”

Stites, a teacher at the Bryant-Webster Dual Language School, says immigration is the issue his seventh- and eighthgrade students have the most questions about. The school has a diverse population and some kids, he says, have asked him, “Mr. Stites, if Trump is elected, what does that mean for us, and how much power does a president really have?”

There are questions

JOHNSON

SENATE

Continued from 15

Continued from 3

and contended that his skepticism about U.S. military involvement overseas should outweigh any geographic slip-ups.

that, or four if they hang onto control of the White House, because the vice president casts tie-breaking votes in the Senate.

Trump’s slide in the polls has sparked growing fears among Republicans that he could cost them majorities in the Senate and even the House. Yet operatives on both sides say the top Senate races remain very close, and thus far, at least, GOP candidates have not cratered in the polls as a result of Trump’s problems.

Blunt counters Kander’s attacks by tying the Democrat to Hillary Clinton, who is highly unpopular in the state, and painting him as too liberal.

Blunt’s ads describe the “Clinton-Kander agenda” and they hit Kander for supporting President Barack Obama’s health care law and policies on immigration and taxes.

An ad released Saturday in support of Blunt’s campaign goes even further, portraying Clinton and Kander as identical

Personal quirks

Johnson has never been a typical politician. He was famous for oddball behavior as governor. Asked at a press conference whether he’d sign the budget the Legislature produced, he took out a toy pig and whirled it around his head as his answer — yes, he’ll sign it when pigs can fly. (Indeed, Johnson vetoed the entire budget.) When he misspoke at another press conference, he apologized by taking off a shoe and sticking it in his mouth.

An obsessive athlete, Johnson is a triathlete, extreme marathoner, skier and mountain climber. He’s summited the highest peaks on the seven continents and vows to ski 120 days in 2017 if he’s not elected president.

Online and social media

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ GovGaryJohnson • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/govgaryjohnson/?hl=en • Snapchat: Govgaryjohnson • Fa c e b o o k : h tt p s : / /w w w. facebook.com/govgaryjohnson

fentanyl.

Recovering addicts and their family members are increasingly speaking out, putting a face on drug addiction and lessening the stigma surrounding it.

But dollars for prevention, treatment and recovery services are still hard to come by, leaving many people waiting weeks or months to find the treatment they’re seeking.

Meantime, family members empty bank accounts in search of help, while law enforcement officers and emergency rooms serve as a first line of defense.

Donald Trump says the wall he wants to build along the southern border is essential to stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the country.

Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, pledges to spend $10 billion to increase access to prevention, treatment and recovery services, among other things.

Health care About 9 in 10 Americans now have health insurance, more than at any time in history. But progress is incomplete, and the future far from certain.

Rising costs could bedevil the next occupant of the White House.

Millions of people previously shut out have been covered by President Barack Obama’s health care law.

No one can be denied coverage anymore because of a pre-existing condition. But “Obamacare” remains divisive, and premiums for next year are rising sharply in many communities.

Whether Americans w o u l d b e b e tt e r o ff trading for a GOP plan is another question. A recent study found that Donald Trump’s proposal would make 18 million people uninsured. GOP congressional leaders have a more comprehensive approach, but key

details are still missing.

Overall health care spending is trending higher again, and prices for prescription drugs — new and old — are a major worry.

Medicare’s insolvency date has moved up by two years — to 2028.

Hillary Clinton would stay the course, adjusting as needed. Republicans are united on repealing Obama’s law, but it’s unclear how they would replace it.

Voting rights Voting rights in America are in flux.

Republican-controlled legislatures are tightening voter laws, placing limits on early voting and same-day registration, and imposing new requirements for IDs at polling places.

In 2013, the Supreme Court invalidated a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. T hat provision had required states with a history of racial discrim-

about Clinton, too. Stites says his students have discussed her emails and whether they think she’s good at securing classified information. “They want to read and find out more about the candidates,” says Stites.

Back in Miller’s class outside Columbus, students read about the campaign in Scholastic News.

Miller says one student asked what a Muslim was, and why Trump wanted a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country.

So, Miller turned to the children’s book “Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors,” to discuss Muslim culture with her class.

Another child said the Islamic State group and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had something to do with the ban, and the students then discussed whether they thought that was fair.

“They hear things at home or on the news and they just need someone to help connect the dots,” Miller said in an interview.

“I’m trying to focus more on the positives.”

The fourth grade at Miller’s school also is participating in a mock election. Sriram Katta says he still doesn’t know how he’ll vote. “I want to hear about who’s going to do something about health care and who’s going to do something about taxes,” Katta said.

on issues such as liberal Supreme Court justices.

The ad by the Senate Leadership Fund acknowledges Clinton is likely to be elected, and argues: “One Hillary in Washington would be bad enough. Reject Jason Kander.”

An ad on the air for GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire contains a similar message. The strategy of arguing in favor of GOP congressional candidates as a check against a President Clinton may become widespread if Trump’s loss looks inevitable.

“This is really an important time. You look at how much is at stake,” Blunt, who backs Trump, said at a rally in the St. Louis suburb of O’Fallon. “We’re going to live with this for a long time.”

Blunt served seven terms in the House before his election to the Senate in 2010, and he’s a member of the Senate GOP leadership. Yet he seemed to be caught unawares in a volatile election year in which Missouri voters also nominated a Republican candidate for governor who’s a young outsider with little political experience.

ination to get federal preclearance to change election laws.

The issue has become highly partisan with the rapid growth of minority populations, which in recent presidential elec tions have tilted heavily Democratic.

The Obama Justice Department has challenged voter ID and other laws, saying they could restrict access for minorities and young people.

Federal court rulings softened some of the toughest restrictions, but litigation remains knotted up with Supreme Court appeals underway. Bills in Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act are stalled.

Donald Trump opposes same-day voter registration, backing laws to ensure only citizens vote.

Hillary Clinton wants Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act and seeks a national standard of at least 20 days of early in-person voting.