Joel Hefley has represented Colorado’s 5th Congressional District since 1986. Now, at age 70, he is stepping down. Democratic candidate Jay Fawcett and Republican candidate Doug Lamborn are fighting to become Hefley’s successor. One of them will have to win the trust of the majority of voters before the November election.Candidates provided personal background information; answered a wide range of questions concerning international policies, homeland security, immigration, education, health care, and environmental issues; and stated their top priority if elected.Jay FawcettBackground: Fawcett was born in southwestern Pennsylvania, where his father worked in a steel mill and his mother was a nurse. “In 1973, I received an appointment to the Air Force Academy and that’s when I first fell in love with Colorado,” he said. “After graduation, my first assignment was to a fighter squadron in Korea, and I also served in the first Gulf War, finally returning to Colorado in order to teach a course at the Academy.”Retiring in 1998 with the rank of lieutenant colonel, Fawcett became a defense contractor and worked for Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base. His wife, Susan, owns and operates a UPS franchise at Fort Carson.On major international issues: “The war in Iraq is really part of the global war on terrorism, and I agree with President Bush that America must fight terrorism,” Fawcett said. However, he criticized the president’s handling of the war, adding, “What has not been done so far is to tie specific goals and objectives in Iraq to goals and objectives on global terrorism.”While not wanting to immediately withdraw American troops from Iraq, Fawcett said he would like to see more diplomatic and economic efforts used to reach out to other countries to form a solid United Nations peacekeeping force in Iraq. His plan includes moving American troops to border areas of Iraq, which would secure the borders and allow our troops to train the Iraqi Army without interference from factions within Iraq.Fawcett said there is a better opportunity to solve the problems in Afghanistan because of the multinational support there, which, doesn’t appear as an “American invasion.” But he said that securing the country is difficult because of the mountainous terrain and a long tradition of smuggling. “After all,” he added, “Afghanistan was once part of the silk route.”He said he thinks one of the problems with America’s foreign policy is that local customs are ignored. “In Afghanistan, we have to deal with the war lords who are still in control while also being careful that the Taliban doesn’t regain control.” In China, “We tend to think of it as a monolithic country, but China is actually made up of many small cultures.”Addressing the nuclear threat from Korea, Fawcett said, “Once the genie is out of the bottle you can never get it back in. Korea will get nuclear weapons, but America needs to make it clear to Kim Jong Il that if he wants to have nuclear weapons, this government is going to hold him responsible should they ever be used.”A long term solution to the Korean problem will involve diplomatic negotiations with China, which holds the purse strings to North Korea, he said.Asked about the U.S. policy towards Cuba, he said, “I’ve always been concerned about America’s policy of isolating Cuba. My view of our diplomatic history is that the more you remain open and trade with a country, the more power you have.” After Castro’s death, Fawcett would like to see the government move quickly to re-establish full trade with Cuba.National Issues: Fawcett said Homeland Security could be improved by taking steps to immediately enforce the 911 commission’s recommendations. “Unfortunately, those recommendations have not been addressed.” Flying also would become safer, he added, if the government moved to place explosive scanners that detect microscopic explosive residue in airports and began scanning all mail and baggage checked onto planes.Global warming is an issue that will always be bogged-down in scientific debate, Fawcett said. “But why would anyone want to add pollutants to the air, whether it exists or not?” he asked. Fawcett wants to see the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science in Golden fully funded, and then have the results of their studies shared with entrepreneurs. He said, “Getting off oil should be a major goal in this country,” because it is a non-renewable resource controlled by foreign countries that do not like America, he said.Health care: Fawcett said Americans have to stop spending health care dollars inefficiently. He pointed to the use of emergency rooms as the primary care facility for many uninsured and under-insured Americans. “This has to be stopped,” Fawcett said. “We have already decided not to turn people away from medical facilities in this country, so we need to set up a system that will place the least financial strain on the taxpayer.”Education: “Labor intensive programs, such as the special needs program, are mandated by the federal government,” Fawcett said. These programs slice into a school district’s budget, especially in small districts, making it impossible to provide more than the basic educational requirements, he said. The federal government must start paying for these programs.Children should also be exposed, via field trips or other means, to the many career opportunities that exist. When esoteric scientific or mathematical facts can be connected to real careers, students will become passionate about learning, Fawcett said.Final words: Fawcett said his military experience, plus his background in finance, makes him the best candidate to represent a district that has five major military installations. Programs must be funded, “and it is in Congress where ideas are translated into action,” he said, and added a saying from the military, “A vision without funding is only a hallucination.”Doug LambornBackground: Doug Lamborn was born in Leavenworth, Kan., in 1954. He attended the University of Kansas, receiving a degree in journalism in 1978. He later returned to the university and received a law degree, and, in 1987, moved to Colorado with his wife, Jean, and their four children. He has served in the Colorado State Legislature for the past 12 years.On major international issues: “I support President Bush’s efforts in Iraq 100 percent,” Lamborn said. “I believe Iraq is the frontline for the war on terrorism, with terrorists coming into Iraq from all over the Arab and Muslim world to fight our troops and stop our efforts to create a stable democracy in Iraq.”Regarding Afghanistan, Lamborn said, “I approve of what has already been accomplished, but we need to keep our guard up to make sure remnants of the Taliban do not re-surface.””I would also like to see a peaceful solution between Israel and Lebanon,” he said. “But when literally thousands of rockets are fired across Israel’s border in violation of all international standards, then Israel has a right to defend itself, and I believe the U.S. has taken the correct stance in not attempting to stop them from exercising that right.” He added that he hopes an international peacekeeping force will be able to control Hezbollah in Lebanon in the future.Closer to home, Lamborn said he would like to see freedom and democracy on the island of Cuba, but he will not second guess America’s current policies toward Cuba and said little can be achieved as long as Castro, or his brother, Raul, remain in power.National Issues: Lamborn said profiling is necessary in order to improve Homeland Security. “I know that is considered politically incorrect, but male Muslims from Arab countries are responsible for the terrorist acts that have occurred so far in this nation, as opposed to 80-year-old women from Iowa, so I believe profiling is warranted.”Lamborn also supports enhancing the Mexican border with a fence and high-tech security. He also would like to see a non-forgeable identification system developed for non-citizens that would enhance America’s internal security.Speaking about the eminent domain issue, Lamborn said the Kilo decision by the Supreme Court was wrong. That decision gave private corporations the power to seize private property to improve the property tax base for local jurisdictions. He said he would support or introduce legislation at the federal level that would stop those types of eminent domain seizures.As for global warming, Lamborn said he doesn’t believe there is enough scientific data to prove that increased levels of greenhouse gases occurring in the atmosphere are caused by man-made activities. “I don’t see any sense in creating legislation to control global warming, if in fact it may be created by volcanoes or a natural shift in the climate,” he said.He also would like to see states have more control over what happens on federal lands within their borders. Lamborn referred to roads within federal properties as an example of where states should have more input.Health Care: Lamborn prefers free market incentives to solve health care problems, rather than adopting a national socialized medicine program. He said expanding the use of health savings accounts for individuals and small business owners may be one solution to current funding problems in health care.Education: Lamborn’s and Fawcett’s ideas were closest when it comes to federally mandated programs in education and their economic impact on local school districts. “The federal government believes one size fits all when it comes to education, Lamborn said. “Yet, the federal government only funds 8 percent of the programs they mandate, passing on the tax burden to local property owners to fund the rest of their education programs.”Final Words: Lamborn said if he is elected to Congress, his top priorities will be supporting the military, making sure the bases in Colorado are fully funded and cutting wasteful federal spending. “The federal government spends way too much money. We are the strongest country on earth, and the only way we can be defeated is by not being fiscally strong and dissipating our wealth.”
