Campaign ‘94: Issues and Answers

Three candidates are running in the Nov. 8 election to represent the 72nd Assembly District. They are Democrat Allan L. Dollison of Brea; Libertarian Geoffrey Braun of Placentia; and Republican Ross Johnson, the incumbent, of Placentia. Here’s how they stand on four issues.

“Three Strikes” Crime Law

Dollison: “I favor and endorse the ‘three strikes’ initiative. We must do all we can to protect society from dangerous and violent repeat felons. However, those politicians who say that ‘three strikes’ is all that is needed are living in denial. We must do something about the unlimited and free access to killing machines (guns) that have endangered society rather than protect it. We must also reform the juvenile justice system, and require boot camps for all young offenders. These camps would concentrate on military-style discipline and education.”

Braun: “No one can deny that crime is a serious problem in America. But rather than protecting us and keeping our streets safe, current government policies are the primary reason that the crime problem is growing worse, and ‘three strikes’ crime laws are bandages, not cures. The Libertarian alternative to ‘three strikes’ would apply a victim-centered approach to all aspects of the criminal justice system: shifting resources away from victimless crimes and toward violent crimes with real victims; protecting the rights of victims throughout the criminal justice process; and preventing new victims by ensuring the right of self-defense.”

Johnson: “I co-authored the ‘three strikes’ anti-crime law in the Legislature. Fifty-eight percent of those released from California’s prisons are convicted of a new crime within two years of release. It’s time to shut this revolving door. Some repeat offenders have, quite simply, forfeited their right to live free in a civilized society. Incarceration is costly, but it’s far more expensive to pay for police, courts, prosecutors, probation officers and public defenders processing the same career criminals over and over again.”

Initiative to Curtail Benefits to Illegal Immigrants

Dollison: “I am opposed to Proposition 187. It is contrary to the U.S. Constitution. I am proposing that we re-prioritize the mission of the California National Guard and send a force of 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers to protect the border. A massive recruitment drive would need to be undertaken as the Guard does not have the manpower to keep a force like that full-time. Secondly, I propose that we analyze where the holes in the border are and that a ‘Berlin-style’ wall be built to keep the illegal aliens from coming. Kicking children out of school will only worsen our crime problem, and not affect our immigration problem.”

Braun: “ ‘Save Our State’ is a racially motivated proposition that tries to pin California’s financial troubles on undocumented Latino immigrants rather than admit that government programs are inherently unmanageable. It presupposes that undocumented aliens cross our borders for the sole purpose of obtaining government handouts. In reality, the majority of our immigrants, documented and undocumented alike, are drawn by our higher wage base. Any problem with California’s taxpayer-financed programs comes primarily from the way government does business, not from those who utilize the flawed programs.”

Johnson: “More than half the illegal immigrants in the United States reside in California, including 23,200 state prison inmates whose upkeep costs taxpayers $200 million annually. The state Department of Finance estimates that another 100,000 undocumented immigrants move here every year. California’s diversity is a great asset, but footing the bill for a wide range of services to illegal immigrants imposes a burden on taxpayers that is unaffordable and unfair. The ‘SOS’ initiative will end the benefits that draw people here illegally, and send a message to Washington that the federal government must control our borders.”

Single-Payer Health Initiative

Dollison: “Universal coverage should be guaranteed for all, but provided by government, employer and employee contributions into ‘health-care accounts.’ Then, individuals would negotiate with doctors to keep their prices down. The days of the $18 Tylenol pill need to come to an end. We also need to increase the number of doctors produced in this country. Basic economics tells us that by increasing supply, prices will fall. Lastly, something needs to be done about the fact that the average person spends a third of his entire health-care budget in the final year of life. This issue would present very difficult moral dilemmas.”

Braun: “A single-payer health-care plan would increase costs, crush jobs, impose broad new taxes on Californians, destroy consumer choice and lead to rationing of health care. Instead, health-care reforms should draw on the strengths of the free market. I support the following reforms: establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts similar to IRAs; restructuring tax policy to make all health-care expenditures 100% tax deductible; deregulating the health-care industry; replacing the Food and Drug Administration with voluntary certification by a private-sector organization; privatizing Medicare and Medicaid.”

Johnson: “This measure would impose the largest tax increase in California’s history--an estimated $40 billion to $53 billion in increased income and payroll taxes--to fund a state-run bureaucracy that could easily double the size of state government. Under Canada’s single-payer system, 177,000 people are currently on a waiting list for surgery, and waits of eight months for tests such as mammograms are not uncommon. We need reform, but this initiative is not the answer. I support insurance coverage reforms to ensure wider access to health-care coverage, and consumer-oriented reforms to help bring medical costs down.”

Future Uses For El Toro Marine Corps Air Station

Dollison: “I support converting El Toro into a commercial airport, where only small aircraft land. This is very similar to the airport that exists in Fullerton. Currently, John Wayne Airport has both type of aircraft land, and Federal Aviation officials consider this a dangerous situation, and is inviting an accident. If you only allow small aircraft to land, it will appease the neighbors in the community, as it will actually be a reduction in noise from the F-16s they grew used to.”

Braun: “The Department of the Navy should sell MCAS El Toro to the highest bidder, and the new owner should be free to develop the site into a commercial airport if he feels that is the highest and best use of the property.”

Johnson: “Orange County voters will have the opportunity to express themselves on this issue on Nov. 8. This much is clear: If Orange County is to realize its full potential as an economic power on the Pacific Rim, a truly international airport is an important step. El Toro is one option, but legitimate environmental and other concerns of area residents and local governments would certainly have to be addressed.”