{"id":5268,"date":"2010-05-25T06:07:42","date_gmt":"2010-05-25T13:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/?p=5268"},"modified":"2010-05-27T11:15:41","modified_gmt":"2010-05-27T18:15:41","slug":"candid-candidate-an-e-interview-with-orrin-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/candid-candidate-an-e-interview-with-orrin-johnson\/","title":{"rendered":"CANDID CANDIDATE: An e-Interview with Orrin Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Nancy Dallas)<\/em> – Orrin Johnson is a candidate for the Assembly District 25 seat (Reno), formerly held by Republican Heidi Gansert (who decided to not run for re-election). You may learn more about Orrin\u2019s background and political views at www.orrinjohnson.com <\/p>\n

\u2022\tYou have never run for elective office. Why do you feel you are qualified to run for the State Assembly?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for a new generation of principled, positive, and effective conservatives to step up and take responsibility for our state, our nation, and our futures. I represent that new generation in a way none of my opponents do. And, we are at a critical time in our history.<\/p>\n

There are some who speak of \u201cpolitical experience\u201d as if that\u2019s necessarily a good thing, but the experience of politicians has done Nevada no favors. It\u2019s time for a fresh voice and a fresh perspective. My background as a military officer and subsequent practice of Constitutional Law gives me the tools to be an effective leader for the voters of District 25.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tWhy should the voters in your district elect you over your Primary opponents? Describe your political philosophy.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I am a conservative. I believe that we must never forget the ultimate mission of government \u2013 to preserve, protect, and promote the individual liberty if its citizens.<\/p>\n

Some of my opponents have called for, or at least suggested, that we should raise taxes on Nevadans and the businesses that employ them. I, however, understand that it\u2019s not too little taxing that is the problem, but too much spending. I\u2019m the only candidate pushing for discussion and implementation of the SAGE Commission recommendations \u2013 ready made proposals which, if passed into law, would save hundreds of millions of dollars. <\/p>\n

I know what it\u2019s like to suffer poverty in a way that none of my opponents do. As a result, I also know that encouraging personal responsibility rather than government dependency is the answer to helping people escape it. When I graduated from high school, I lived in a small mobile home in a run down trailer park. Because of the values I was taught by my family, my teachers, and my friends, I was able to put myself through college and have been blessed with a successful and wonderful life. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m the only candidate in this race to have served in the military. I spent six years in the US Navy, deploying overseas three times. In addition to the discipline, planning, and mission oriented thinking the military provides, there is nothing like actually having been willing to fight for your country to make you ready to handle anything the political arena may throw at a person.<\/p>\n

In my post-Navy life I chose a profession which allows me to study and put into practice Constitutional Law on a daily basis. While in law school, I was the president of my school\u2019s Federalist Society chapter, a group of conservative law students committed to studying and promoting our founding governing principles. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for us to get back to basics \u2013 basics in spending, basics in free market principles, and basics in the proper role and limits of government. I\u2019m the candidate that best can bring the shared principles of the Republican Party to Carson City, and to see them effectively turned from principles to policy. <\/p>\n

\u2022\tWhat are the demographics of your district? What are the greatest concerns of residents in District 25 and how do you intend to address them if elected?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

25 is a heavily Republican district, but those Republicans come from all socio-economic backgrounds and all walks of life. But no matter whose house I knock on the door of, people are concerned about one issue more than anything else \u2013 runaway government spending. They realize we will not enjoy an economic recovery or see jobs come back to Nevada until we get spending under control.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tWhat do you see as the best means of providing sustainable, affordable energy to Nevada? Do you support nuclear energy? Elaborate on this position.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Nevada has such a wealth of energy resources from our sun, wind, and geology. We need to encourage businesses to come to Nevada and develop these technologies. We should free private industry to develop these resources. I do strongly support nuclear power. But like any economic sector, there is great strength in diversity.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tHow would you propose to address the issue of Nevada\u2019s growing budget crisis? Will you support the legislatively implemented sun-setting in 2011 of those taxes imposed by the 2009 legislature? Elaborate.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, they absolutely should sunset. Opponents of those tax increases at the time pointed out that raising taxes on job-creators in the middle of a deep recession would only make our economic situation worse \u2013 and we now know they were right! Why would any reasonable person vote to compound this error? Extending those tax hikes will only make the problem worse far into the future. The solution isn\u2019t more taxing, but less spending. Ending this ever-increasing government spending must be our first order of business. We have only to look at the disaster that California\u2019s economy has become to know we can\u2019t spend our way out of this crisis.<\/p>\n

Again, it all comes down to the fact that we spend too much money, not that we don\u2019t take enough in. To fix the problem, we need to stop. The 2009-11 legislatively approved state budget will spend 31.2 percent more on an inflation-adjusted, per-person basis than did the 2003-05 budget. (Remember this the next time you hear a politician talk about things \u201calready being cut to the bone!\u201d.) And things will only get worse in the future as unfunded liabilities in our state employee retirement program and federal spending mandates push us further off the economic cliff. Rolling spending back to 2005 levels and then implementing the SAGE commission recommendations will go a long way to putting us back on solid financial footing.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tDoes the state need to revise its property tax guidelines? Explain.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m open to looking at better, more fair, and more stable methods to collect revenue. But most of the time, such suggestions are nothing more than thinly veiled tax hike proposals, which I find unacceptable.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tWhat are your views in regards to the federally mandated Real ID program?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

One of the geniuses of the American Constitution is the freedom it protects to travel freely from state to state. This freedom of movement is part of what has made us the most productive and innovative economy in the history of mankind. Inexpensive and widely accessible air travel has made this an even more important economic driver than the Framers could have possibly imagined.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the reality of the post 9-11 world is that this freedom of movement is threatened by terrorists who have shown preferences for air travel attacks in particular. In order to keep us safe, reasonable security measures are in order. Having a single set of standards for ID integrity makes authenticating those cards far more efficient and effective, and I think falls correctly within the federal government\u2019s power to regulate interstate commerce.<\/p>\n

However, I don\u2019t believe in a uniform, federally issued ID card (beyond a passport, of course). States must still retain their sovereignty, and the ability to control who is licensed to drive on their roads is part of that. I also oppose RFID chips \u2013 new technology allows such chips to be scanned and \u201cread\u201d at a distance. Requiring RFID in our driver\u2019s licenses would be an invitation to have a massive identity theft problem \u2013 not to mention the vulnerability to our privacy.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tWhat is your view in regards to Initiative Petitions? Should the process be more strictly governed, or not? Should those petitions advocating a measure that would cause a tax or fee increase be required to pass under stricter guidelines than a simple majority?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I believe the initiative process is an important check on the power of government by the people and would not support making it more difficult to exercise. I would support maintaining the current guidelines once the initiative is on the ballot.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tDo you believe the Nevada legislature should address the illegal immigration problem in the same manner as Arizona recently did? Elaborate.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The brilliance of Federalism is that states aren\u2019t bound by one-size-fits-all solutions to problems which affect them differently. I strongly support Arizona\u2019s new law, along with their efforts to curb illegal immigration. But not being a border state, the same solution may not be the most cost effective way for Nevada to deal with our own illegal immigrant population. <\/p>\n

In any event, illegal immigration costs Nevadans millions of dollars every year, and I strongly support measures to stop this. If the Federal government continues to abandon their responsibility to Nevada, we may have to take more serious action.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tHow would you propose determining and rewarding outstanding educators? <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The same way private sector employees are recognized \u2013 by examining their product. I believe in standardized testing, and believe that teachers should be held accountable for their students\u2019 performance. While anyone who has ever been in a classroom will tell you that some years you get a tougher class than others, consistent performance (or lack of it) over several years will always be very telling. And while measuring teacher performance consistently and accurately will never be easy, that\u2019s no excuse for not attempting it at all.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tHow would you address improving the performance of Nevada\u2019s public school students? To what degree should the state support those students attending Charter schools and schools of choice? Do you support these programs?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I support school vouchers that give parents more choice and control over their child\u2019s education. We need to further explore the concept of empowerment schools that give principals and communities more control over how their education dollars are spent. I support public\/private partnerships that make our education dollars go further, and legislation that makes it easier to get bad teachers out of our schools. <\/p>\n

We also need to embrace building reform that lets us build more schools for our tax dollars and ensures that we keep our schools in good working order. And we need to reduce the extraneous layers of bureaucracy that bog down our education system. Not one dime should be spent by the State on education until the question is asked, \u201cHow does this actually benefit the student in the classroom \u2013 and would we get more benefit if we spent it another way or didn\u2019t spend it at all?\u201d <\/p>\n

The education issue is very personal to me. My wife and I have a daughter who will be going to school here in Washoe County when she gets a little older, and I want her and all our children to have the best education possible. But there is nothing worse we could do for our schools or our children than to break the back of our economy by spending money we simply don\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tDo you support Nevada\u2019s Right-to-Work law? Should Nevada State employees be allowed to unionize?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I absolutely support our Right-to-Work law and Nevadan\u2019s right to choice in whether or not to belong to a union. I believe that public employee unions are one of our biggest threats to economic recovery right now, and have recently written about exactly that. No one should ever be coerced or forced into joining a union, and I will fight \u201ccard check\u201d style legislation strongly. I wouldn\u2019t outlaw public unions, but public employee negotiations should be subject to Nevada\u2019s Open Meeting Law. I further believe that public employee benefits packages are unsustainable over time, and we need to follow the SAGE Commission recommendations to bring those packages in line with what the private sector is doing. <\/p>\n

\u2022\tDo you support \u2018prevailing wage laws\u2019 for state and local government construction projects? Elaborate.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not opposed to an annually set average rate for construction to be used as a guideline, especially in public work. I am very much opposed to the current system where rates are more often than not set by the union collective bargaining agreements and not the true reflection of our market and economy. The most conservative estimates show that taxpayers are paying 10% more \u2013 other estimates rage 40% and higher – for public construction than comparable private projects. This is simply unacceptable when we don\u2019t have enough schools, and of the ones we do, most are due for expansion and retrofits. <\/p>\n

\u2022\tState tuition support of in-state students at Nevada\u2019s 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.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I attended college on a Navy ROTC scholarship. While it has become accepted that taxpayers now subsidize college educations, that should never fully remove the student from responsibility. In fact, education is devalued when the individual receiving it isn\u2019t significantly helping to pay for it. <\/p>\n

Over the long term we will simply have no choice but to reduce the amount of subsidization for higher education in Nevada, but we cannot make dramatic reductions in the short term that would make it more difficult for our students to graduate from college. If we make these cuts too quickly, we risk losing Nevada\u2019s best and brightest and making it more difficult for thousands of current students to graduate.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tThere have been legislative efforts in Nevada and other states to allow voter registration up to the day prior to or on voting day. What is you position in regards to this issue.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I think there is such a thing as too much convenience with regard to voting. Same day registration, coupled with early voting gaining in popularity all over the country, makes it too easy to engage in voter fraud. After seeing groups like ACORN already engaging in potential election fraud crimes here in Nevada, we shouldn\u2019t further risk the integrity of our system of elections for a mere convenience.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tThe Missouri Plan for electing\/appointing judges will be presented to Nevada voters in November 2010. Do you support the Missouri Plan? Elaborate.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Modified Missouri Plan on our ballot is a very flawed one. But electing judges has its own serious problems. A judge may be hard pressed to make an unpopular but legally correct ruling for fear of upsetting voters \u2013 or their political donors, who often are the attorneys who practice in front of them. And because of judicial election rules which keep judicial candidates largely silent on many issues that ordinarily help voters make up their mind, it is difficult to knowledgably choose the best judge. <\/p>\n

The Framers of the Constitution understood this, and that\u2019s the reason federal judges are appointed. Judges should be protected from potentially fleeting public moods so they are free to rule on the law as it is, as opposed to what interpretation would make it more politically palatable. And with this plan, the voters still ultimately have the power to get rid of bad judges.<\/p>\n

There are serious problems either way, but on balance, I think the Modified Missouri Plan is better than the status quo.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tIs there an issue you would like to elaborate on that I have failed to address? Go for it….<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Anger about ObamaCare is overwhelming in my district and emblematic of the understanding that government on all levels is spending far too much of our money. Although it is a federal issue, there is action Nevada can and should take to help ensure its Constitutional challenge and\/or repeal. Several weeks ago, I wrote in detail on why it\u2019s critical for Nevada to join the fight against this unconstitutional and unaffordable government takeover of our everyday lives. If elected, I will fight to ensure we do exactly that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Nancy Dallas) – Orrin Johnson is a candidate for the Assembly District 25 seat (Reno), formerly held by Republican Heidi Gansert (who decided to not run for re-election). You may learn more about Orrin\u2019s background and political views at www.orrinjohnson.com \u2022 You have never run for elective office. Why do you feel you are qualified […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5268"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5268"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5280,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5268\/revisions\/5280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}