Interview with Adrian Smith
On November 22nd, 2005, Nebraska Citizen interviewed Adrian Smith. He is a candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, which covers 68.5 Nebraska counties. This was the last stop on a 14-day tour.
Since agriculture is such a large part of the economy of the third district, the 2007 Farm Bill will have a significant impact and the first question was about the Farm Bill. I asked what Adrian’s position was on limits on subsidies that farmers can receive.
Adrian believes that caps on subsidies are necessary and that unlimited subsidies are not good fiscal policy. When asked if the current limits are adequate, Adrian indicated that we should be mindful of loopholes within current or future Farm Bills.
Adrian believes that continued ethanol development is good and that the State should continue to provide performance-based subsidies. However, he does not feel that the federal government should mandate ethanol use. He believes that it is best when consumers make their own choices.
Just before the interview with Adrian, Tom Osborne announced that he felt Nebraska should renegotiate the Republican River Agreement with Kansas, since the agreement as written could bankrupt the Republican River Valley. I asked Adrian for ideas on what he thought Nebraska should do regarding the Republican River.
Adrian indicated that he was open to suggestions on the issue. He does not feel that we can just regulate the problem away, especially during a drought. He recognizes that the issue existed before the drought as well but feels that the issue is best addressed at the local level.
We talked about the Platte River and how Lake McConaughy is low and is projected to stay low. I asked if he felt the Federal Government should get involved and help pay farmers to not irrigate.
He felt that would be a short-term fix. “I believe many of the problems are caused by the Endangered Species Act. The Act is one of the biggest unfunded mandates, and it is bad for agriculture and the municipalities.” He feels that the water use on the Platte is best dealt with on the local level.
I asked if Adrian believes in global warming. “No!” He believes many of the “facts” about global warming are in dispute. So, I asked if he would support nuclear power development. He responded by saying that he was not afraid of nuclear power and felt that we should decide the issue on facts, not emotion.
We talked about immigration, and I asked if a fence should be built on the border with Mexico. He does not like the fence idea but, instead, feels that we should enforce the laws that we have now. He personally watched as a child persuaded a border guard to let her across the border.
When asked what he meant by stricter enforcement, he indicated that it would be difficult to send all illegals back, but that we must insist that everyone go through the process. He also thinks the process should be easier with which to comply. Someone in Scottsbluff should be permitted to go to Denver to get processed instead of Omaha.
When asked what illegals are a problem, Adrian indicated that the financial drain they put on our very generous health care system was the biggest issue.
We talked about health care costs and what he would do as a congressman to address the issue. Adrian feels that one of the best solutions is to support Association Health Plans, which would permit groups to define what they want coverage for and negotiate a group rate. Adrian recognizes that the insurance industry feels that group plans should be subject to the same regulations to which the insurance industry is subject. He believes that it is best for the federal government to stay out of this and let the people choose the plans that are best for themselves. He also supports permitting different associations joining to increase their bargaining position.
We talked about how many people feel their elected representatives do not listen. Adrian addresses this by going on speaking tours and talking to as many people as he can. His phone number has always been listed in the phone book. He enjoys getting out and talking to people and knowing their concerns.
When asked what the people on his tour were talking about he said, “Agriculture. The key issues are ag and economic growth.”
Adrian believes that tax policy is important and that reduced taxes create economic activity, which in turn increases stock market values and land and home values. He says this is a good thing.
Adrian was asked how growth could occur when access to water is being restricted and farmers are being forced to reduce what they can produce. His response was that we have to rely on the intelligence of the people of the area. Even during a drought, farmers have found ways to produce more corn with less water. He also feels that Kansas should not rush to judgment. “Nebraska could have won millions in damages from Wyoming, but Nebraska chose a long-term solution that made more sense. Most problems are best solved by local people and the best policy is for the federal government to permit local people to solve things.”
Adrian says he is not an environmentalist, but is a good steward of the environment. He does not believe the Farm Bill should be driven by environmentalists. “Environmental programs cost money, which the little guy is least able to afford. Only the large farms can afford to comply.”
When asked what the biggest challenge in the 3rd district is, Adrian responded by saying agriculture, water, and expanding markets. He feels that the mission to Cuba was a good thing and that it is unconscionable for America to use food as a negotiating tool when trying to persuade nations to do something. He thinks cutting off exports to a country is an ineffective method.
We talked about NAFTA and CAFTA. Adrian believes we should have free and fair trade. “NAFTA and CAFTA are here, so we have to live with them. The United States should focus on new technology, new crops, new genetics, and pharmaceutical crops.”
We switched to a question about when life begins. Adrian believes life begins at conception. He would permit abortion to save the life of the mother. He does not support the use of fetal stem cells, but does support stem cell research using non-fetal cells and non-embryonic stem cells.
He does not believe marijuana should be legalized or that a doctor should be able to prescribe it for pain relief.
“States should not be able to collect taxes on sales made via the Internet,” he said. He also said that Nebraska has a lot to gain from mail order sales. He specifically mentioned Cabella’s and Omaha Steaks as benefiting from Internet sales being non-taxed and feels that Nebraska is a net beneficiary of this policy.
We talked about a flat tax. Adrian is open to the idea, but wants to use caution. He wants to protect things such as the mortgage deduction, which creates an incentive for home ownership. He supports the idea of a simpler tax code to leverage growth. He wants to see accelerated depreciation on commercial property in rural areas. He would like to see it moved from 40 years to 15 years, believing this will help increase revenue through more turnover.
Adrian is a real estate agent, so I asked when he last sold a property. He said that he had closed several sales since he announced for Congress and will be cutting back due to the full time commitment of campaigning and his legislative schedule. He stated that he and his associates are constantly moving property and that he just renewed his license.
His proudest achievement as a Nebraska Legislator is the expansion of the Western Veterans Home. “I also like to think that I helped give the opponents of LB126, which is the forced closing of class 1 schools, more time.” He hopes that the people have a chance to vote down the new law.
We closed with my asking what the State Legislature should do with the excess revenue that is coming into the state now. Adrian believes this should be returned to the taxpayers. He believes that it is like a business returning money to a customer they over-charged. He believes the return should be based on property tax payments; those paying the most property taxes should get the greatest tax refund from the State.
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