Today I was contacted by Heritage Alliance and told that my candidate information was online and ready for review. I looked.
It was blank.
So I asked if I could update it.
It seems, they sent out an email last month giving 5 days to respond. I don’t recall ever getting that email, so I askled if I could send updates. Here is the response I got:
Mr. Chabot, I’m sorry that the deadline has already passed for candidates to complete the on-line survey. We sent instructions to campaign@brianchabot.org on September 15 with a deadline of September 20. That was the same email address that I used earlier this morning to notify you of the opportunity to preview data. The only information we have on your campaign is the website, and we do have a link to that site in our voter guide. Thanks for contacting us.
James Randall
Heritage Alliance
Well, thank you for the link, but that was terse. So I looked into who these people are. It seems they are trying to spread Christian Values in government. While I applaud their values, not allowing a candidate to update publicly available information, ewspecially from nothing to something seems more like rudeness than anything. Are they afraid it’ll look like I’m changing my mind? Are they going to a printer and have a print deadline? Why did they contact me about something I cannot change? Sorry. They present as good people but end up sounding like prudes.
Most especially, I do not see the point, as NONE of the candidates in NH answered the main set of questions on their site.
So, in fairness to my future constituents, I will answer them here:
1. Free enterprise and the right to private property turn mankind’s natural self interest into the fairest and most productive economic system there is, and are the key to national prosperity.
Chabot: Agree.
2. It is the government’s responsibility to be sure everyone has health care and a livable income.
Chabot: Disagree. While health care is a human right, livable income is not. If you can’t get a job, there should be support. If you won’t, it is not my responsibility to make sure you get paid.
3. The United States must maintain a nuclear arsenal that is safe, reliable, modern and numerically superior to those of potential adversaries.
Chabot: Disagree. Nuclear weapons are vile, taking out innocent along with the guilty. They should be replaced with more accurate precision delivery weapons. Additionally, and more importantly, we need to work diplomatically so that we can prevent war.
4. Government should enforce laws designed to protect the border and to prevent illegal entry of persons into the country.
Chabot: Agree. See my TL:DR post here.
5. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) should be repealed by Congress.
Chabot: Agree.
6. Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Chabot: Disagree. Life begins at conception, but humanity begins at birth. It has always been thus, especially from a legal perspective.
7. Marriage is a union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Chabot: Disagree. No government has the right to define marriage. Let marriage be defined by ecclesiastical authorities and make all secular legal unions domestic partnerships only. Get government out of marriage.
8. Efforts to bring Islamic law (shariah) to America do not pose a threat to our country and its Constitution.
Chabot: ANY religious law is unconstitutional.
9. Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.
Chabot: Judeo-Christian values shaped Western European society from which our society began. Of course there was an influence.
10. Governments should pay to develop wind and solar energy solutions when these are not economically feasible.
Chabot: NO, but they should encourage alternative energy development.
11. More restrictive gun control laws are needed now to protect public safety.
Chabot: The only gun control law constitutionally allowed is mandatory training. This is the “well regulated” part of a “well regulated militia”. While threatening, murder, and assault are crimes, all citizens have the right to self-defense and as such should nopt be barred from exercising that right. As a civilized and orderly society, we impose the requirement of being properly trained so as not to move from self-defense to crime or accident.
12. The founders established pure democracy in the Constitution because they believed that it is the best form of government to ensure the safety and equitable treatment of all citizens.
Chabot: False. They established a republic. Do your homework.
13. People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Chabot: I would be OK with requiring identification if there was a system whereby all citizens could obtain such without undue hassle and at no cost to the individual. (AKA, a proper national ID). We don’t have that yet.
14. The federal government should establish nationwide standards (such as Common Core) for high-school graduation.
Chabot: Standards: yes. Common Core: no.
15. What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers within the Constitution?
Chabot: Greed and corruption.
16. Briefly list three (3) political or legislative issues of most concern to you, and explain why each is important to you.
Chabot: Liberty, Rights, and Reduction of government.
17. Should abortion be allowed under extenuating circumstances? If so, what circumstances?
Chabot: Yes. If the doctor and patient agree. This is NOT a legislative issue. It is a medical issue.
18. Based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, please arrange the following entities, starting with the highest source of authority, and continue the list in descending order of authority, skipping any that do not apply: Academia, Congress, Constitution, God, Industry, Media, Professional Sports, Supreme Court, Voters.
Chabot: God, Voters, Constitution, Supreme Court & Congress (equals). God (in the role of creator) has been rather silent and the rest do not apply.
19. Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Chabot: None of your business. “Religion is a subject on which I have ever been most scrupulously reserved. I have considered it as a matter between every man and his Maker in which no other, and far less the public, had a right to intermeddle.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Richard Rush (1813).
Education
A.S. General Studies, Daniel Webster College, May 1994.
Vocational & Military Experience
Civil Air Patrol, 1986-1991
Charitable, educational, religious, or political organizations you have been affiliated with as a leader, member, contributor, or volunteer
Boy Scouts of America
Civil Air Patrol
A Sacred Place LLC
Political Offices Held
None
Other Political Offices Sought
US Senate, NH 2nd District, 2010, Independent.