(Nancy Dallas) – Gary Duarte is a candidate for the Assembly District 31 seat (Sparks, southeast Reno), formerly held by Democrat Bernie Anderson (term-limited out). You may learn more about Gary’s background and political views at www.garyduarte.com
• You have never run for political office. Give a brief summary of why you believe you are qualified to run for the State Assembly. Describe your political philosophy.
I am qualified on the basis having 30 years of experience in small business management, community activities and a multitude of experience with government issues, not as a lobbyist, union representative, political consultant or government pimp. I am running because I believe that our representatives have lost their accountability and fiscal responsibility to our citizens and their duty as legislators. I believe in conservatism of lower taxes, smaller government, strong national defense, and respect for the strength of the family as the core for individual citizens.
• Why should the voters in your district elect you over your opponents?
Voters statewide are not being represented by citizen representation. Government needs more business representation less lawyer and union representation. I believe union members deserve an ear I don’t believe their orator should be a union representative. With over 50% of the current Nevada assembly being government employees, union representatives, etc. “Joe Citizen” is not getting the representation he deserves. I am that citizen candidate. My Republican opponent is more of the elite establishment variety, a lobbyist, political consultant and doing some campaign work for a New York City BANKER? And, has lost three times in other Assembly attempts, only FILED on the very last day, only signed the taxpayer pledge after encouragement questions? The Tea Party motto, “throw them all out”. You connect the dots.
• What are the demographics of your district? What are the greatest concerns of residents in District 31 and how do you intend to address them if elected?
AD-31 includes part of downtown Sparks, the Sparks Marina-Legends complex and much of the business and industrial areas of Greg, Mill, Glendale and Longley lane areas. Residents are the results of jobs. Jobs are the results of business and industry. My major interest is small business and industrial expansion via better business practices in Nevada government and reduced and receptive regulation practices. Bringing a nuclear power plant to Nevada will be a massive incentive to encourage new small industrial business to Nevada. There are many industrial products connected to the nuclear industry.
• You support increased domestic energy, nuclear energy production and oppose Cap & Trade energy tax schemes, noting “we need to ‘build’ low cost carbon free nuclear power stations.” How would you intend to address these issues as a Nevada Assemblyman?
I established the non-profit US Nuclear Energy Foundation in late 2006 a mission to educate common citizens about the truth of nuclear energy. In the Nevada assembly I would continue the same mission. When the public is given the truth they are able to make informed, logical, common sense decisions. 80% of the public after our presentations come away with a positive opinion of nuclear energy. Our goal is that of winning the public opinion is necessary to drive our political community to respond to their constituents. The Cap & Trade tax schemes are generally designed for renewable construction. No matter how one chooses to do his arithmetic renewable energy will costs 12 to 23% more than current fossil fuels. Renewables on a massive scale will cost trillions in energy cost increases.
• What do you see as the best means of providing sustainable, affordable energy to Nevada? You strongly state a support of nuclear energy? Elaborate on this position.
Sustainable affordable energy is a U. S. problem not only a Nevada issue. Nuclear is the answer, carbon free, it is cost comparative to coal with no emissions. There are locations in Nevada that can support the water cooling and steam generation requirements. Illinois has the largest number of nuclear plants in the country. Residential electrical power in Illinois is roughly 30% less than Nevada, at 10 cents per KW opposed to Nevada’s 12.8 cents per KW. Nevada and the country MUST reduce our energy production costs in order to return to industrial manufacturing competition in the world market.
• You oppose ‘bigger government’. How would you propose to address this issue in relation to the state of Nevada?
No politician or their “political strategist” will dare state this. All governments, or more accurately, (citizens and constituents) should set the mark of reducing governments to 50% of their current sizes. That is a general assessment of their “oversize”. Many agencies should be converted to Public-Private entities run by the private sector “overseen” by “volunteers for public administration”. Government and its agencies are inherently not entrepreneurially creative which is why their only answer to “resolutions” is to increase funding under the guise of public services, incorrect answer. Services to the public feeds on itself and the public loses their own accountability as productive citizens.
• What are your views in regards to the federally mandated Real ID program?
I do not support this federal mandate. This is an “identification” that should be returned to individual states if it is driver license mandated. It infringes on the “choice” of privacy of American citizens at the national level. However, “if” citizens “choose” purchasing such a “federal identification identity” for the purpose of “their individual travel expediency” this allows for their choice of privacy.
• Do you believe the Nevada legislature should address the illegal immigration problem in the same manner as Arizona recently did? Elaborate.
A question of this type of state law has to be reviewed by the legal system in order to determine the law’s validity to our U. S. Constitution. Nevada does have a significant immigration issue that needs to be addressed by the state. Per my issues statements, borders are established by countries for the purpose of protecting the sanctity of our land and its citizens. It is vital to the security of our country. Secure borders should be championed by all of our citizens. I do not favor amnesty it would be unfair to citizens who have attained their citizenship legally and an insult to them if we allowed amnesty. My statement is a method by which more responsibility should be put on naturalized Hispanic citizens to get involved in the legal process of citizenship of their illegal population by officially registering them as illegal aliens. A logistical solution will need extensive discussion but this would be my introductory proposal and this too is subject to state vs constitutional law.
• To what degree should the state support those students attending Charter schools and schools of choice? Do you support these programs?
Nevada’s entire educational problem is its lack of “diversified educational” choices. Nevada shares the same problem with its lack of “commerce diversification” in the business sector which also shares a relationship problem to the educational system. Nevada has very few educational choices and this is why its single University System is mismanaged due to lack of competition. Even my old home State of Maine with Bates, Bowden and Colby colleges are some of the best private colleges in the country. I had one on experience in a small Jr. College in Maine. Academic professors or even economics professors should not “run” colleges. They have a difficult time separating academics and business and successful colleges must have a sound business operation.
• How would you address improving the performance of Nevada’s public school students?
This has to be a direct correlation to the teacher and their ability to bring the students to the academic requirements. A sliding scale of teacher performance. Further detail is represented in the question below.
• Do you support Nevada’s Right-to-Work law? Should Nevada State employees be allowed to unionize?
I support Right –to –Work, NO State employees should not unionize. They become state employees by choice of employment and should not be there for any other reason than to serve the public not themselves. This is why it is called “public service”. According to one of Nevada’s largest unions Culinary 226 “members continue to fight for free health care, a secure retirement, owning a home and sending their kids to college”. Listen folks, these are the dreams of most people in life. But, they are the RESPONSIBILITY and the ACCOUNTABILITY of the EMPLOYEE NOT the employer. If your job can’t support your life’s ambitions American’s have the full freedom to start their own business and achieve their individual success. This is the beauty of our free enterprise system. Listen, this country was FOUNDED on the basis of “piece work” you get paid for how many you get DONE! Some get paid little because their performance is sub standard, others get paid lots because they “figure out” how to be very productive. Many “salespeople” are productive and earn a very good living. These same “systems” must be applied to government jobs because they now outweigh private sector employment.
• If elected, will you vote to uphold the legislated sunset clause on many of the tax hikes approved by the 2009 legislature? If so, how do you propose addressing a revenue deficit of between $2 to $4 billion?
Yes uphold the sunset clause. The government has fueled its own budget shortfalls. A business fails (or is supposed to) when it extends its funding and purchases beyond its cash flow ability to sustain its debt. Government’s problem is that it spends “other people’s money” instead of its “elected official’s money” The resolution to the budget shortfall is cutting everything to the realty of the actual adjusted cash flow. E. g. exactly what every business would do to sustain itself. This “self discipline” must be done in our state government. What business would consider moving to Nevada with a government that is financially irresponsible in itself?
• Do you support ‘prevailing wage laws’ for state and local government construction projects? Elaborate.
I have only briefly reviewed both sides of this question and thoughts that prevail for both sides. I think we have too many laws that hinder our competitive free enterprise system. The end result of laws for management, control and equalization of labor fees, benefits practices, etc. ALWAYS INCREASE THE COSTS, the bottom line ALWAYS rises.
• State tuition support of in-state students at Nevada’s two universities ranks far above the national average. Would you support reducing the amount of this support in an effort to reduce budget deficits? Elaborate.
I would introduce here the concept of a sliding scale based on a student’s GPA. State support should be in line with other states but at the same time the budget deficit is not a direct cause by the students. At the same time a sliding scale would reward the best students and could also provide a financial incentive for college bound high school students to graduate with higher GPAs.
• There have been legislative efforts in Nevada and other states to allow voter registration up to the day prior to or on voting day. Elaborate on you position in regards to this issue.
Not intimately familiar with this consideration but a knee jerk reaction is I would not be very confident that a last minute signup would be adequately versed on the candidates. More and more I am a proponent of better educated voters on the candidate positions and principles.
• The Missouri Plan for electing/appointing judges will be presented to Nevada voters in November 2010. Do you support the Missouri Plan? Elaborate.
In a short review of this it seems that many states have assessed this process which should indicate that it has merit. In my quick overview I would tend to offset the committee with more lay people appointments to offset the three lawyer appointees.
• Is there an issue you would like to elaborate on that I have failed to address? Go for it….
It is SIMPLE, I’ve been advocating for several years. “Energy is the DRIVER of all economies worldwide and no one can change that. Until we learn to harness energy completely, cheaply, the tail will continue to wag the dog!
