Missouri Eagle Forum PAC Candidate Questionnaire

Thomas L. Knapp's Responses to the
MISSOURI EAGLE FORUM PAC CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

[Note: It is Tom Knapp's intention, as a candidate for public office, to respond as best possible to the surveys and questionnaires which PACs and interest groups send to such candidates, and to post his responses to the campaign web site. Responsiveness to these questionnaires and surveys is not intended to constitute an endorsement of any group or its program. Tom Knapp is not a member of Eagle Forum or a financial supporter of Eagle Forum PAC. The questionnaire is reproduced verbatim from the print copy sent to the candidate and formatted for display to simulate that print copy as closely as possible.]

YES	NO
		ABORTION
YES		1. Will you vote to eliminate all state funding of abortions and abortion-related services?
		DEFUNDING OF BIG GOVERNMENT
		1. In the last 8 years, the state budget has grown at the rate of approximately $1 billion per year. How would you propose to stop the growth of state spending? (use back of page for more space)
		Candidate Response: The most obvious answer is that I will vote against specific programs and expenditures which do not meet the litmus test of legitimate state activity. Above and beyond that, I will also support: 1. An amendment to the Missouri Constitution requiring a 2/3 super-majority of both houses of the Missouri General Assembly to approve any state budget larger than that of 2002, adjusted for inflation and population growth. 2. An amendment to the Missouri Constitution requiring a statewide referendum, with a 2/3 requirement for passage, of any new state tax or any increase in the rate of any existing state tax beyond the 2002 rate. In the absence of the passage of such measures, I will resolutely and without exception vote against the adoption of any budget which exceeds the spending of 2002, adjusted for inflation, and against any new tax or increase in the rate of any existing tax. I will also, on principle, vote in favor of any tax cut or repeal which is proposed.
		EDUCATION
		1. How would you propose to stop the implementation of a federally mandated curriculum for Missouri's schools? (See attached news article.)
		Candidate Response: The U.S. Constitution contemplates no role for the federal government in education. The mechanism by which such a role has been implemented has been federal funding, which composes approximately nine percent of the states' education budgets, approximately 2/3 of that delivered via the U.S. Department of Education. As a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, I will work to devolve responsibility for the funding and delivery of education both from the state to the local level, and from the public to the private sector, to the greatest degree possible, getting government out of the way and allowing parents and communities, rather than public servants and bureaucracies, to make the decisions relevant to their children's education. To the extent that responsibility for education does continue to reside at the state level, I will vigorously work for the rejection of federal funding that comes with strings -- including federally imposed curriculum standards -- attached; and to the extent that such standards are imposed as a matter of law rather than as a condition of funding, I will support Missouri's participation in any legal challenge to such impositions under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
	NO	2. Do you favor the use of state funds for schools to provide health-care?
	NO	3. Will you support a bill that requires teachers to receive a course in phonics instruction? Candidate note: I support the use of phonics as the preferred method of teaching children to read. However, I oppose state-mandated "teacher certification." Individual schools and localities should be free to set the qualifications for those whom they entrust with the education of their children.
		FAMILY
	NO	1. Do you favor the inclusion of sexual orientation in the definition of minority groups? Candidate note: This would appear to be something of a "trick question." It appears obvious to me that members of the gay and lesbian community are, by definition, "minorities." However, I oppose discrimination by the state based upon any arbitrary grouping of persons, whether that grouping be on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation or any other criterion not relevant to legitimate issues of governance. It is my understanding of the question that by "definition," the questionnaire refers to governmental classification. I indeed oppose any governmental differentiation between individuals based on their sexual orientation.
		GAMBLING
	NO	1. Will you oppose the expansion of gambling in Missouri?
		PRIVACY
YES		1. Will you oppose spending any state funds to build or coordinate databases of medical, financial or insurance records, including registries of immunization?
YES		2. Will you work to stop federal mandates requiring Social Security numbers or fingerprints for drivers' licenses?
		PROPERTY RIGHTS
	NO	1. Do you support regulation of private land for environmental purposes by state or federal agencies without legislative oversight?
		What do you read to stay informed on issues relating to government policy? Candidate Response: I read a number of publications, both political and general, in print and on the Internet. These include, but are not limited to: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Riverfront Times, The St. Louis American, Time, Newsweek, Wired, Rolling Stone, Confluence (a St. Louis area Green publication), Libertarian Party News, National Review magazine, Liberty magazine, Reason magazine, Freedom News Daily, the Cato Institute's Policy Briefs, WorldNetDaily, etc.