Candidates sound off about issues at political forum

Candidates seeking nomination to Missouri's 8th Congressional District and the 147th State Representative District answered submitted questions from voters about poverty, spending, medical marijuana, health care and immigration during a Tuesday forum sponsored by radio station KRCU and the League of Women Voters.

Doug Enyart of the Constitution Party, independent candidate Terry Hampton, Republican Jason Smith, Democrat Barbara Stocker and Libertarian Rick Vandeven are the candidates that will be on the November ballot for the 8th District. The participants led the night by answering a question of how to tackle poverty -- a problem felt more strongly in the 8th District than many in the state.

A few of the candidates pointed to agricultural growth as a possible way to put more people to work. Vandeven said he was in favor of legalizing cannabis on the federal level and allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp. He said the move would be a "job boon" for the district.

Candidates were asked whether they would support a constitutional amendment to overturn the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that deemed political spending a form of protected speech under the First Amendment.

Smith, the incumbent, said when it comes to campaign funding, his biggest concerns are transparency and accountability.

"I believe that the most important aspect, when you're looking at campaign donations, is that it's transparent and that people can see where the money's coming from and where it's going," he said. "As long as you can see where the money's coming from and where it's going, that's the key."

Stocker stated her stance against the ruling in no uncertain terms.

"You bet I would want to overturn that," she said. "... I believe in transparency, too, but there are misnamed PACs [political action committees] that are nearly always named something that they are not. They come out with negative ads, often untrue, often lies, and they have managed to deceive an awful lot of people."

Hampton also voiced concerns about the possibility of large contributions from special interests to influence lawmakers. She said it was part of the reason she chose to run as an independent, which required her to collect certified signatures from more than 6,000 registered voters. She acknowledged it was part of the reason third-party candidates often failed to be elected.

"There is too much money flowing into campaigns and pockets," Hampton said. "There are too many people in or running for Congress willing to take money that's offered and those who want to run for office to help the country get back on track have difficulty being competitive in elections because there is no level playing field. I think only registered voters living within particular legislative districts should be able to contribute to a campaign."

The final issue addressed by candidates was immigration. Some candidates said those already living in the United States who entered illegally should be put on the track to citizenship. Others, including Enyart, said that posed a fairness issue to those trying to

enter legally.

"We have illegal immigrants coming here, and they're using our resources," he said. "This is a drain on our economy and our workers. It's not fair. It's also not fair to the people that have tried to come here legally. We have to close our boarders."

Democrat Gary Gaines, Republican Kathy Swan and Libertarian Greg Tlapek, candidates for the 147th District, discussed medical marijuana and ways to provide health insurance to the uninsured.

When it comes to legalizing marijuana, Gaines said he does not favor the measure, citing fear it could be a gateway drug and he would rather "err on the side of caution." Swan also said she believed it to be a gateway drug and said her support for medical marijuana ended at a recently passed bill that allowed hemp-extract oil for epilepsy patients who have not seen benefits from traditional treatments.

Tlapek said he would favor putting the issue on the ballot for voters to consider.

When the conversation turned to health care, Swan said helping the "working poor" gain health insurance needed to be addressed. She also said transformation in the benefits and incentives to reduce health-care costs was needed.

Tlapek said it could be a good idea to expand Medicaid in Missouri "for a while, to provide a window of opportunity for people" to take care of medical issues. He favors deregulation of health care.

"We need to make Missouri the mecca for health care. The most free-market place in America to get and provide medical care," Tlapek said. "Some state's got to be the most free-market state; why not us?"

Gaines said he favored expanding Medicaid in Missouri, but also said he agreed the medical system should be evaluated to create greater efficiency.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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