This is an WMD EXCLUSIVE Q&A with OH-18 candidate Paul Phillips:
General:
Will you personally read each and every bill that you vote on? Yes. This is what we are paid to do. The voters didn't elect staffers to review and advise us on how to vote. They elected me.
Are you planning to self-impose term limits if elected? I think this is a good idea, but I haven't given it enough thought to definitely give a term. It is important for other great candidates to get the opportunity to impart their ideas, and as difficult as it is to defeat a sitting member of congress, the system is adversely impacted. On the other hand, experience is important for job performance. I think 10 years is probably a ballpark number.
What is the greatest threat, foreign or domestic, facing the nation today? I think the strength of our economy is vital for future security. It determines our ability to create a strong military, influence other countries through economic pressure and validate our form of government and society to other nations. Militarily speaking, the threat of nuclear proliferation, as well as chemical, biological and radiological threats is growing and difficult to stem without adequate resources, including human intelligence (HUMINT). China and India are working hard to establish military parity and have had many successes. Iran's nuclear capability changes the dynamics in the Middle East and now involves European defense interest. We've got many security challenges that need attention, but I think the "least common denominator" is a strong economy.
What is the biggest challenge for the 18th district? Jobs. I believe well-paying jobs will do the most to address many of the problems, from schools, to health care, to infrastructure, to crime. We need to turn around the steady decline we've been on for decades.
Should it be a requirement that Members of Congress have served in the United States military? No, but it is definitely important. Ultimately, the voters need to decide what qualifications they feel are important and not the government, but I believe this background is crucial. Congress has the power of the purse and makes decisions not only related to war, but also weapons procurement and if they don't have any experience in the massive world of the military industrial complex, they are likely to not make wise decisions.
National Defense:
Was the Surge a success? Yes. Perhaps mainly from the psychological impact of sending the message that we aren't backing down, in fact we are ramping up. The numerous Sunnie factions that joined us probably realized "if we can't beat'em, join 'em. The surge was a huge success.
When should our troops come home from Iraq? Combat forces should come home over the next year or two, but it is the long-standing and wise policy of our country to foster continued military engagements with all friendly countries. I have friends stationed all over the world on assignments to various military schools to advisory roles to liaisons and more. It encourages and fosters understanding and cooperation with other nation's militaries. The pressure to leave Iraq is because of the continued casualties. But our determination will continue to reduce these until they are a thing of the past. As the security increases, we can continue to bring our combat forces home, until finally, we have a relationship as we do in peaceful countries with military exchanges and relationships.
Should we send more troops to Afghanistan? If determined by the leadership. As a former strategist for Iraq, it is important to let the field leadership make these decisions.
If we should get solid intelligence that proves Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan, should the United States military go after him? Yes.
What, if anything, should be done about Hugo Chavez? Chavez will self-destruct and his rhetoric will wear thin in his country. His main objective is a world stage to trick his citizens into thinking he is a powerful world leader. They know better. I had a friend who had a two-year exchange tour to their military school and he tells me the citizens see through his game. We should monitor him carefully to be sure, but not fuel his fire...it will burn out.
Homeland Security:
Should the United States build and maintain a border fence? Yes. It will not be physical in all locations, but will take advantage of virtual technology such as sensors, satellites and the most important element - adequate "force response times"...or people in place to respond to incursions.
What are your views on the state of port and coastal defense? We need to have better awareness of shipping. It's much too big of a problem to examine every box that comes in, but we can greatly reduce risk by regulating the companies and the procedures through which we receive imports.
What is your position on wiretapping and the current FISA law? Needed. When I lived in Europe, my German friends in the mid-90s were livid with our "Echelon" program, which allowed us to monitor communications within Europe. I explained to them we could care less about the Germans but were worried about their extremist from other countries. Public pressure in Europe won and Echelon went away. We all know the rest of the story with the Hamburg Cell responsible for 9/11.
Do you support amnesty and/or benefits for illegal immigrants? No. Work Permits are not the answer either. My little village in Germany was populated mostly with Turks on work permits to work at the Mercedes factory. They had 5 years to figure out how to cheat the system and stay - and they did. There was a perpetual ethnic tension due to their second-class status and inability to ever become citizens. This is a bad idea.
How important is the Second Amendment? Very important as we see from the startling Supreme Court case involving the rights of citizens in DC to own guns. We've got to keep our guard up to protect this right as the judicial system may try to establish law on its own as it often does.
Economy and Jobs:
Are we in a recession? Recession is a technical economic term defined by two consecutive quarters of decline. The technical answer today is no....but it is becoming more likely.
Should the Bush tax cuts be made permanent? Yes
Should Congress establish a moratorium on earmarking? Yes. This is government at its worst.
You have proposed a defense industry jobs program that I tagged as an “earmarking” or “pork” project, would you explain how I am wrong and detail your proposal? Every year the military asks congress for a defense budget that includes maintaining, manufacturing and developing new weapon systems. When congress approves the military request. usually much less than what was asked for...this money now goes out to the companies who win the contracts. My goal is to bring those contracts and companies here rather than have them go to some other district. It is not like more money is being spent...I just want what is going to be spent anyway, to be spent here. It is enormous job opportunity that passes us by every year because our leadership is unaware.
How should the 18th district compete in the global economy? More higher education opportunities are critical for our workforce. Infrastructure improvement is crucial in the area of broadband, cell reception, ground transportation (highway access), and air transportation. We can't ask for the world initially, but we have to continue to work on making our district attractive. We've already got the great quality of life, natural beauty and workforce potential. We need to market this aggressively.
Domestic/Other Issues:
What types of alternative energy do you support? Clean burning coal technology offers tremendous potential to revive this industry in our district. The oil companies have an interest in this, as one of the by-products is CO2 which can be used to recover about 40 billion barrels of oil existing in the wells of our country. Geothermal energy is very simple and cheap...my German friends all use it to help heat their homes. Solar and wind energy are also under pursued.
Should the United States drill in ANWR? Yes
Is global warming fact or fiction? To early to say, but there does appear to be a connection and there is logic in the greenhouse effect of pollutants. But, global weather patterns take 1000s of years to develop and have over the history of our planet.
Do you support the advancement of gay rights? No
What is your view on abortion? I oppose, with the slim exception of the health of the mother.
