Candidate questionnaire: Jo Ann Emerson

Candidate Name: Jo Ann Emerson

Party: Republican

Age: 59

Place of birth: Washington, D.C.

Spouse: Ron Gladney

Children: Tori and Katharine; stepdaughters Liz, Abby, Alison, Stephanie, Jessica; stepson Sam

Occupation: U.S. Representative, Missouri's Eighth Congressional District

Education: B.A., Political Science from Ohio Wesleyan University

Employer: I work for the people of our congressional district

Businesses owned, all or part: None

Previous offices held/sought: I've represented the Eighth District since 1996, my home since 1979.

Question 1: Will you request earmarked appropriations for Eighth District projects? Why or Why not?

Answer: Elected representatives of the people are better guardians of the taxpayer dollar than unelected Washington bureaucrats, especially for rural districts like Southern Missouri. I have requested funds for vital transportation projects in Southern Missouri, such as the recently-completed four-lane Highway 60, agriculture research, drug task force partnerships, our health care system, and flood protections. I will continue to represent our district by identifying worthy projects and requesting federal funding in an open, transparent way.

Question 2: Should Congress repeal the health care overhaul bill? Explain why you support or oppose repeal.

Answer: Yes. It costs trillions, indulges special interests like the name-brand pharmaceutical lobby, creates an enormous bureaucracy to impede the doctor-patient relationship, and opens the door to taxpayer funding of abortion. Instead, we should make private insurance portable between states, boost providers in rural America, eliminate lifetime caps and denials based on pre-existing conditions, assure affordable coverage through competition and a reasonable safety net, and lower prescription drug prices. I have supported these ideas in Congress.

Question 3: What three specific steps should Congress take to control the federal budget deficit? Why?

Answer: This liberal Congress racked up a $1.8 trillion deficit, refusing to pass a federal budget this year. Slash most departments and agencies by 10%. 2. Require a balanced budget. 3. Extend tax cuts that provide a powerful incentive for investment in our economy. Small businesses, productive workers, and innovations generate job growth and federal revenues. Estate Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Dividend Tax and Income Tax relief should NOT expire. Reduce Corporate Tax Rates to match foreign competitors'.

Question 4: Cap-and-Trade legislation would impose additional costs on companies with greenhouse gas emissions and reward companies that cut emissions. Where do you stand on this bill?

Answer:: I voted against Cap-and-Trade (Cap-and-Tax), a policy so disastrous for Missouri it will cost us literally thousands of jobs and billions in economic activity. Cap-and-Tax would raise the cost of electricity by more than 60% in Missouri, and its effect on the price of gas at the pump would be almost as bad. I authored a bipartisan bill to remove the authority of the EPA to administratively impose Cap-and-Tax. This effort will be one of my first orders of business in the next Congress.

Question 5: What steps should be taken to deal with foreign and domestic terrorists?

Answer: Punishments for terrorist acts against innocent Americans at home or abroad should be swift and harsh. For terrorists captured on the field of battle, military tribunals should administer justice, not federal courts and taxpayer-funded lawyers. More cooperation among local, state and federal law enforcement and intelligence. Also, the politicized debate over illegal immigration has obscured an immediate national security need: stopping the freeflow of drugs, gang violence, guns and who-knows-what-else into our country.

Closing remarks: Representing our District is a great honor and a humbling experience, and the need for strong, conservative leadership in Congress is urgent. Irresponsible record deficits and sweeping executive powers mean we need an unprecedented shift in governing philosophy. The ideas that force these changes don't come from Washington; they come from places like Missouri and people like us. I'm proud to be our voice, and I want to lead this positive change for our future.