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Candidate Name: Walter Wm. Hofheinz
Party: Democrat
Office: U.S. House of Representatives
District: 32nd District of Texas
Following are a series of statements on Federal issues. Indicate your position on the following statements by choosing the appropriate response. Indicate only one response to each statement (either a. through e. or one of the qualifying options). No answer or multiple answers will result in "No Response" being indicated on the survey for that question. Comments, although welcome, will not be published.
1. Federally regulated drugs should be available:
a. only for their federally approved use (excludes assisted suicide).
b. for federally approved use and assisted suicide.
c. for any use deemed appropriate by the physician (including assisted suicide).
Hofheinz response:
c. Medical treatment decisions are a matter for private decision by the physician, patient, and patient's family, without governmental interference.
2. Medicare should be expanded to include prescription drugs:
a. for all.
b. for low income people.
c. by supporting the purchase of drug insurance.
d. for low income people by supporting the purchase of drug insurance.
Hofheinz response:
a. I believe that affordable, high-quality health care should be available to all Americans, and is a goal of national importance that is appropriate for federal government action. The need to expand Medicare to include prescription drugs is inextricably intertwined with the severely dysfunctional nature of our national health care system. We need a basic reformulation of the way in which health care services are provided and compensated. I am currently preparing a comprehensive position statement on health care.
3. Tax credits or vouchers (free of federal constraints) should be available:
a. for any school, public, private or parochial.
b. only if the public schools are low performing.
c. only for non-religious private schools.
d. only for non-religious private schools if the public schools are low performing.
e. for any school, public, private or parochial, if the public schools are low performing.
Hofheinz response:
Oppose the statement and all of the positions. Market-based decision systems are not appropriate for allocation of public funding. Such decisions are properly political decisions subject to public debate and policy. In addition, I oppose all funding programs which do not direct with particularity the expenditure of funds (see general principles found on my website, and attached to these responses).
4. The U.S. Constitution should be amended to state that humans at any stage of development, whether inside or outside a womb, are persons entitled to Fourteenth Amendment protection whether produced by cloning, in-vitro fertilization or natural conception.
Hofheinz response:
Oppose the statement.
5. Abortions should be banned:
a. without exception. The life of the mother and the unborn child are equally valuable. (Allows medical procedures with the intent to save life, but not to cause death.)
b. except to save the life of the mother.
c. except in ease of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.
d. except to preserve the health of the mother (essentially unrestricted as defined by the Supreme Court).
Hofheinz response:
Opposed to the statement and all of the positions. Medical treatment decisions are a matter for private decision by the physician, patient, and patient's family, without governmental interference.
6. The destruction of human embryos to obtain stem cells should be:
a. banned in all cases.
b. allowed for the purposes of doing therapeutic (scientific) research.
Hofheinz response:
The statement does not address my position. I do not believe that this is a matter appropriate for governmental action.
7. Gun sale restrictions:
a. are currently acceptable.
b. need to be strengthened.
c. need to be more vigorously enforced.
d. need to be strengthened and more vigorously enforced.
Hofheinz response:
b. I am in favor of real-time, comprehensive background checks prior to sale.
8. A country's human rights record should be considered in establishing trade policies.
Hofheinz response:
Support the statement. Human rights and fundamental freedoms should be one foundational element of U.S. foreign policy, including trade policies.
9. Public funds should not be used to promote or provide abortions, locally or abroad.
Hofheinz response:
Oppose the statement. Religious values should not be imposed through restrictions on medical education or treatment provided with public funds. History teaches that to implement religious values through government weakens both. I fully support individual choice, both for those who choose not to have abortions and for those who do.
10. Debt should be forgiven for poor countries:
a. for any desperately poor country.
b. only if needed government reforms are instituted.
c. evaluated on a case by case basis.
Hofheinz response:
a. Our foreign policy should be founded on facilitating the creation and expansion of social justice and human rights in all countries, including the very poor countries, not in just serving the interest of large multinational businesses. While debt relief is one component of such a policy, it should be coupled with other aid directed toward those goals.
11. Immigration limits should be:
a. vigorously enforced.
b. vigorously enforced and made more restrictive.
c. made less restrictive.
d. maintained at current levels and current enforcement.
Hofheinz response:
c. I believe we should have open borders.
12. The US approach to the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty should be to:
a. withdraw from the treaty on June 13, 2002 (in keeping with the 12/13/01 notice of intent to exercise the withdrawal clause ).
b. renegotiate a less restrictive treaty.
c. keep it in place as is.
Hofheinz response:
c. I believe a reduction in nuclear arms and the threat of nuclear conflict is an essential process if the future safety of the world is to be assured. The ABM treat is an necessary component of that process, and should be retained. In addition, further reductions in nuclear armaments should be undertaken either unilaterally or by treaty.
Walter Wm. Hofheinz
2401 Turtle Creek Blvd.
Dallas, Texas 75219
214.363.2400
walter@hofheinz2002.org