4th U.S. Congressional District Race Pits Incumbent Dave Camp

Against Saginaw Attorney Andrew Concannon

By Mike Thompson

    We are pleased to present this spirited forum,

with Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Camp of Midland

squaring off against challenger Andrew Concannon of

Saginaw Township.

    The Fourth District sprawls from Saginaw County's

Freeland area and extends in a northwest direction,

all of the way to Traverse City. The communities of

Midland, Mount Pleasant and Big Rapids are along the

route. This comprises a population of 662,000 people.

    Republican incumbent Dave Camp has held the turf

since 1992. Camp was co-chairman of Mitt Romney's bid

for this year's presidential nomination, before Romney

lost to John McCain. In the past two elections, he

defeated Mike Huckleberry of Greenville.

    Democrat Andrew Concannon is a newcomer to

elective politics.

    Here are their responses, heading into the Nov. 4

election.

Review: Please explain your main priorities for the

next two years in Congress.

Concannon: I intend to focus on the economy. In

particular, I will turn my attention to trade

agreements. I wish to move to modify and/or rework

agreements already in place in order to stem the

bleeding of lost jobs in the Fourth District.  I will

also work to promote investment in

alternative/renewable source energy to promote job

growth --- both in terms of enticing out of state

companies to move here, and in terms of starting up

companies to manufacture components used in renewable

energy.

Camp: Jobs, jobs, jobs.  Included in that, of course,

is the rising cost of health care, high energy prices

(especially gas), and the need to reinvest in our

workforce while better enforcing our trade agreements.

Clearly, we must aggressively prepare for a new

economy.  I have routinely brought the federal

officials to Michigan to examine ways to support those

who have been displaced, but also to advocate for

increased federal assistance to create new jobs. I

have consistently sought to expand retraining programs

and tax redits for businesses to expand , such as

those at United Solar, Hemlock Semiconductor and the

Great Lakes Energy Park.  Beyond retraining and

unemployment, we must better enforce our trade laws.

To that end, I have introduced a bipartisan bill to

create a Chief Trade Prosecutor whose sole mission is

to defend the jobs of American workers.

Review: Why should a citizen vote for yourself, as

opposed to your opponent?

Concannon:  As noted in The Saginaw News, Oct. 16, my

opponent is a political animal with years of political

experience.  As an attorney, I have experience in

resolving disputes.  While it is true that I lack

experience in bailing out PAC's and interest groups, I

believe that is a good thing. My opponent does not

vote for the average constituent in this district. I

will.

Camp: No response.

Review: On which issues do you disagree with your

opponent?

Concannon: Trade. He repeatedly votes for free trade

agreements while I will not. Taxes. He voted to

drastically shift wealth from the middle class to the

upper class, with his repeated votes with George W.

Bush on tax policy.  Energy. My opponent has

repeatedly voted to protect big oil companies, and has

specifically done so in several votes against small

businesses looking to engage in renewable source

energy research and production.  Health care. My

opponent will resist any change to the current health

care system.  I will work to devise a solution

workable for both Democrats and Republicans alike. He

will not.

Camp: My opponent's support for raising taxes is

absolutely wrong.  Higher taxes would severely hurt

Michigan's and America's ability to recover and start

creating jobs.  I have a dedication to community and

public service and have the experience necessary to

get results on behalf of the people of the Fourth

Congressional District.

Review: Are there any issues on which you disagree

with your own party's presidential nominee?

Camp: I will list two main issues: immigration and

taxes.  With regard to immigration, I believe we need

to secure our borders first. Only once the American

public has confidence in our borders, can we can go

about fixing our immigration laws. I also believe

Senator McCain was wrong to vote against tax cuts that

lowered taxes for working families, and on those

trying to expand their businesses and create new jobs.

Concanon:  I do not share Senator Obama's view on

certain school funding for charter schools. Nor do I

agree with his views on certain legislation that he

has favored, benefitting companies over individuals

who get injured by negligence and defective products.

Review: What is your opinion of the economic recovery

or "bailout" plan approved early this month, $700

billion-plus for Wall Street?

Concannon: I think it was unsuccessful in placating

the market's desire for a quick fix to the liquidity

problem. I also believe that the lack of

infrastructure developmement or other economic growth

within the bill results in an inability to increase

confidence in economic growth in the future to get us

out of this tailspin. Hence, the market dropped even

further as of October 16.

Camp: The credit system is to our economy what the

circulatory system is to the body. If blood doesn't

flow through the body, it seizes. The same is true

with credit. If credit dries up, then money stops

flowing and our economy seizes. What does that mean

for you? It means businesses can't get money to

expand, or to even pay their employees. Students can't

get student loans for the next semester. People can't

get car loans. Seniors may not have access to their

savings. Clearly, the consequences of inaction were

too great. The impact would have been too severe.

(Editor's Note: Camp voted for the eventual bailout

plan on Oct. 3.)

Review: Would you extend or revoke the tax reductions

under the Bush Administration, and do you have any

general comments regarding tax and budget policy?

Camp: I believe it is absolutely wrong to raise taxes,

especially when we are facing an economic crisis in

Michigan. Elimination of tax cuts would make it harder

for businesses to expand and employ new workers, and

it would make it harder for families to make ends

meet.  If anything, we need to make our taxes lower,

fairer and simpler.

Concannon: No, I would not extend the tax cuts. I

agree with Senator Obama's focus on middle class tax

cuts.  Unlike my opponent, I also support a "pay as

you go" budget policy to limit deficit spending.

Review:  At what rate per hour, if any, should the

minimum wage be established?

Concannon: I do not have a specific number in mind. I

will support workable increases when they are

proposed.

Camp: $7.25.

Review: What are the best methods to improve the

access and affordability of health care?

Camp: Large companies use the tax code to provide

workers with quality, affordable health care. Every

American should get that same help. By using both tax

credits and tax deductions, we can make healthcare

affordable for every American. We also need to enact

several reforms, including: (1) eliminating red tape

that increases insurance costs, (2) implement health

information technology that can prevent medical errors

and eliminate duplicative procedures, and (3) apply

Benjamin Franklin's adage that an ounce of prevention

is worth a pound of cure. This means a greater focus

on wellness programs, not just hospital visits.

Concannon: I would support a combination of tax

credits for companies and individuals. But, unlike my

opponent, I would also support a direct subsidy to

individuals who work without a health plan offered or

who do not have a job so that they are not left out of

coverage.

Review: What are your feelings on offshore oil

drilling, and on expansion of nuclear power?

Concannon:  I believe we must now put nuclear power

higher on our list of options than it has been. I

believe it can be safe. On oil, offshore drilling will

not result in oil – or a drop in gas prices – for

nearly a decade.  Yet, I would not stand in the way of

it, if it is necessary to come to an agreement on

promotion of other energy plans for renewables.

Camp: We have 50 years worth of energy in Alaska and

in the Outer Continental Shelf. We can recover this

oil in environmentally safe ways, and we should do it

today. Job creation requires new sources of affordable

energy. That is why I authored the law to expand tax

credits to produce wind and solar energy. We also need

to invest in clean coal plants as well as advanced,

safe nuclear technology.

Review: Would you make specific changes in the No

Child Left Behind Act for public education?

Camp: With the No Child Left Behind Act, Congress laid

out a simple mandate to schools and states: Show

improvement. Because of the hard work by teachers and

school districts, students are achieving higher scores

in reading and math than ever before. But instead of

enacting more federal mandates, states should be

making these important education decisions. I have

co-sponsored legislation that gives states flexibility

on how federal dollars are spent. Congress should

continue to expect results for providing federal

education funding, yet states should be given the

ability to set the educational agenda.

Concannon: I believe that the No Child Left Behind Act

improperly ties funding with certain problems beyond

the control of schools. I would be more flexible in

applying penalties to determine why a school may fail

before funding gets impacted.

Review: Do you perceive that your opponent has

misrepresented your own views in any way?

Concannon: Not that I am aware of.

Camp: I authored the law that has helped develop

alternative energy-credits for automotive companies to

develop hybrid, plug-in, and alternative fuel

vehicles, credits for consumers to buy these cars and

trucks, and credits for fueling stations that convert

to these new technologies.  The suggestion my opponent

has made — that I don't support alternative fuels –-

is as patently false and as it is ludicrous.