OCF Candidate Survey 2006
Candidate: Bruce Guthrie
Party: Libertarian
Running For: US Senate
State: Washington
1
QDo you think organic agriculture should receive a fair share (at least 2.5%) of government resources spent on agriculture?
A Yes
Comment: If we give subsidies to corporations at all, they must be given out fairly. Instead of increasing subsidies to organic corporations, I would like to eliminate subsidies to non-organic corporations like Archer-Daniels-Midland and Con-agra.
2
QDo you support strict standards for processed foods, dairy, and body care products that are labeled or marketed as organic?
A Yes
Comment: These standards should be private and voluntary. They should not be enforced by government, unless to enforce a private label copyright.
3
QDo you support more aggressive government action to assess the harms of pesticides, take harmful pesticides off the market, and hold companies responsible for diseases and environmental damage caused by pesticides?
A Yes
Comment: Corporations must be held responsible for all of the ecological and health damage they may cause.
4
QShould people have the right to pass consumer safety laws at the state or local level that require food labels to include information on dangerous ingredients?
A Undecided
Comment: I prefer voluntary labeling standards. Consumers should boycott poorly-labeled products, and private organic standards should include extensive labeling requirements. I believe in free speech.
5a
QDo you support Country of Origin and labeling that helps consumers choose local products?
A Undecided
Comment:
5b
QDo you support government action to help US farmers develop local and regional markets and to reduce non-renewable energy use on their farms?
A Yes
Comment: Education is very valuable in this area.
6a
QDo you support mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients?
A Undecided
Comment:
6b
QDo you support mandatory pre-market safety testing for all genetically modified foods and crops?
A No
Comment: Such testing should be voluntary, and it is very important to educate the people about the importance of knowing what the genetic status of their food source is.
7
QDo you support universal testing for Mad Cow disease and a ban on feeding slaughterhouse waste to farm animals?
A Undecided
Comment: Such testing is important, but should be voluntary. Ranchers should be held fully liable for any disease spread to their consumers. Right now, the government protects them from lawsuit and imposes small fines instead. This reduces their incentive to test voluntarily.
8
QDo you support a restructuring of trade-distorting US farm subsidies?
A Yes
Comment: All subsidies to for-profit businesses should be eliminated. This applies to all other industries as well as agriculture.
9
QDo you support a significant shift in US farm subsidies to help family farmers and ranchers make the transition to organic?
A Undecided
Comment: I oppose pollution, but subsidies are not the answer. All subsidies to for-profit businesses should be eliminated. This applies big agricultural conglomerates as well as small, entrepeneurial organic producers. Sorry; it's only fair. I think organic producers will have a tremendous advantage if we only level the playing field.
10
QDo you support a significant shift in subsidies to help US farmers adopt conservation and renewable energy practices on farms?
A Undecided
Comment: I oppose pollution, but subsidies are not the answer.
11
QDo you support increases for WIC (Women, Infant and Children), the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and other programs to help low-income Americans buy organic food?
A Undecided
Comment: Organic food will be cheaper if we stop subsidizing non-organic producers and if we force them to pay for their pollution. This will add the cost of pollution to the price of their non-organic produce. Organic produce will be cheaper for the poor for this reason.
12
QDo you support universal health care with a preventive focus and a major emphasis on better nutrition?
A Undecided
Comment: We need to provide a high-deductible, catastrophic health insurance plan to all who can't afford it, and we need to link it to a free, health savings account with money that can be used for any alternative or regular health expense. But giving a taxpayer funded health program to the rich and middle class will wind up reducing choice, increasing waiting lines and decreasing service quality. We need to defend our rights to medical choice, not to force people into a monopoly system that will make things worse. Let's provide a safety net for those who need it, without socialized medicine.
13
QDo you support 80%-by-2050 reduction in climate destabilizing greenhouse gas pollution?
A Yes
Comment: We must take care of our environment because we and all other species on our planet depend on it. Our first step should be to stop subsidizing the oil industry. Alternative fuels will be able to compete and will be chosen voluntarily because they will be cheaper.
14
QDo you support ending the Iraq war and redirecting funds from the $500 billion annual military spending in the U.S. toward greening the U.S. economy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and converting U.S. agriculture to organic practices?
A Yes
Comment: Senator Cantwell supports the war. She wants to defend the Iraqi government, but replace US troops with foreign troops. But what other countries will be willing to contribute any troops? Probably none. So her position amounts to "stay the course." I want to bring the troops home as quickly as is consistent with their safety.
15
Q Do you support requiring electronic voting machines to produce voter-verified paper records and election officials to use these records to conduct mandatory audits of election results?
A Yes
Comment:
16
QDo you support eliminating the distorting effect of special interest money on our elections and politicians by requiring full public funding for all federal, state, and local elections?
A Undecided
Comment: Do you want your tax money to support Republicans? Nazis? It could happen under this plan. I view this as corporate subsidies to politicians. Money plays too big a role in politics because we have allowed politicians to grab too much power. No politician should be able to vote for special subsidies to particular industries or special interest groups. They are supposed to be defending our rights, and legislating in the general welfare, not accepting bribes from special interests and then doing their bidding. Power corrupts. If we reduce the power, then the corporate contributions will dry up.
17
QDo you support legislation to prevent internet companies from rigging the system to serve only the highest-paying users and discriminate against users they don’t like?
A Undecided
Comment: This issue is complex. I defend the right to free speech. I oppose forcing those who do not use the Internet, or those who use it less, to pay for those who use it more. People should pay for internet use in proportion to how much of it they use, just as people who buy two organic apples have to pay twice as much as those who only buy one. But I oppose efforts of big corporations to gain monopoly power over the Internet. We need a diversity of service providers.
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