3rd Congressional District

Deseret Morning News

Democrat challenger Beau Babka

1. What is the major issue facing Utah today, and how would you deal with it?

When looking to find the single most important issue that Utah faces in this election, there are obviously many issues that need to be addressed. The need for tighter border security and homeland defense, responsible health care, control of nuclear proliferation, greenhouse gases, and while the list is long, I plan to focus on them all. But these are all national issues. I think that the major issue facing Utah in this election is our children's educational needs. With overcrowding in schools and a shortage of teachers, we need to take a look at what the federal government can do to help. With the current state of the No Child Left Behind Act, un-funded mandates and overemphasis on administrators and testing prohibit this act from doing what it needs to help our children achieve in school. We must overhaul the plan and get money to teachers and into the classrooms where we need it most.

2. Do you favor or oppose a U.S. constitutional amendment that would define marriage between a man and a woman? If yes, why? If no, why?

On the issue of a federal amendment to the Constitution, aside from the fact that it is simply a state's rights issue, I deeply believe, as I hope any American should believe, that prejudice has no place in our Constitution. In this document's 200-plus years, it has seen a handful of amendments that were at the time popular sentiment but after later review were removed due to their inequitable meanings. America has worked very hard to remove discrimination from the Constitution, and I see no reason to change that policy now.

3. Do you favor or oppose allowing U.S. citizens to buy prescription drugs from other countries, like Canada. If not, what can be done to quickly reduce the cost of prescription medicines in the United States?

One of the fundamental principles of capitalism is the free flow of goods and the right of consumers to be able to choose the best price. With the prescription drug prices as they are, many Americans are forced to choose between buying groceries and buying their prescriptions. If there are safe alternatives that come from across the border, Americans should have the right to purchase them. This must be done in a responsible fashion through an FDA-regulated list of known drug producers and distributors. The drugs imported from Canada are the same drugs we buy here. Why should Americans be punished by American drug companies for being American?