NTEU Chapter 9 - Legislature

“My best friend at work is NTEU.”

Candidates Paul Hackett and Jean Schmidt are running in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District special election on August 2, 2005, to replace former Representative Rob Portman. The Cincinnati Enquirer asked these two candidates to detail their stands on a few issues, and explain why they are the best candidate.

- Taken from the June 10, 2005 Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper article.

Democrat
Candidate: Paul Hackett	Hackett
Age: 43
Residence: Indian Hill, Hamilton County
Occupation: Personal injury lawyer
Education: Bachelor's degree in English from Case Western Reserve University; J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
Political Experience: Milford City Council
ISSUES
Has the Iraq war been worth the price? Why? No. Having recently returned from Iraq, I believe that we need to develop an exit strategy and execute it. That strategy must commit 100% of our efforts to training the 140,000 Iraqi soldiers to do the jobs that the U.S. is doing now. We cannot again falsely declare victory, or the entire region will spiral into to chaos.
How would you describe your stance on abortion? It must be legal, safe, and rare.
Do you support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage? No.
Will you vote to make the Bush tax cuts permanent? No.
Why are you the best candidate? In 1993, the Milford City Council was not handling government respectfully so I organized and won a recall. I brought order to a distressed organization. I recently returned from Iraq, where I served in the Marine Corps. lthough I believe it was a misuse of our military force, it was an obligation made by America, and it was my responsibility to fulfill that obligation.
Endorsements: Brown County Democratic committee, Clermont County Democratic committee, Hamilton County Democratic Committee, Pike County Democratic Committee, Greater Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)United Auto Workers (UAW)International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)

Republican
Candidate: Jean Schmidt	Schmidt
Age: 53
Residence: Loveland, Clermont County
Occupation: President of Greater Cincinnati Right to Life; also helps run her family property investment business.
Education: B.A. Secondary Education, University of Cincinnati; B.A. Political Science, University of Cincinnati.
Political Experience: Served 11 years as a Miami Township Trustee and four years as a state representative. Member of the Clermont County Republican Party Central Committee for 31 years.
ISSUES
Has the Iraq war been worth the price? Why? Yes. We have begun to sew the seeds of democracy in a part of the world where many believed it could never exist. Where tyranny once thrived, free elections and opportunity are now starting to take root.
How would you describe your stance on abortion? I am pro-life.
Do you support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage? Yes.
Will you vote to make the Bush tax cuts permanent? Yes.
Why are you the best candidate? Having served 11 years as a Miami Township trustee in Clermont County and 4 years as a state representative in the Ohio House of Representatives in Columbus, I have the practical and legislative experience needed to hit the ground running in Washington and get to work addressing important matters that affect us all.

Hackett: Campaign Another Call to Serve

By Liz Carey, Staff Reporter, Forest Hills Journal

Paul Hackett feels he has been called to service again, much as he has been before.

The Indian Hill resident has served his country not only as a councilmember in Milford, but also as a major in the Marines this past year in Iraq.

“I see it as a natural extension to my commitment to service. I try to live my life by walking the walk and talking the talk,” he said. “I have served when I felt it was necessary. When I came back from Iraq in the middle of March, and was told that Rob Portman's seat would be open, I decided to run.”

A major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Hackett served in Ramadi, Iraq, from August 2004 to the end of October 2004. Following that, he volunteered to take part in the Fallujah campaign, throughout the invasion, and during the beginning phase of reconstruction period.

Hackett said he hopes to start discussing with voters his position on events as soon as possible.

He is scheduling seven town hall-type forums each covering a different topics-one in each of the seven counties in the Second Congressional district.

For him, the most important issues facing voters are the economy, Social Security, health care and education.

“These are the issues that permit people to pay the rent, pay their mortgage, educate their children,” he said. “Issues about bounced checks, marital infidelity and things like that are an insult to people like you and me.”

Hackett said, if elected, he hopes bring these issues back to the forefront.

For Hackett, another important issue was to shift the focus of the American military in Iraq toward getting troops home.

“I'll answer this very clearly. I believe that going to Iraq was a misuse of the American military,” he said. “We are not nation builders and that's what we are doing over there. But, we are there now, we've got to fix the situation.”

In his view, the focus of the American military had to be on fully supporting the Iraq government in transitioning them back to power.

“Politicians have to stop giving lip service to something they don't understand,” he said. “And they've got to demand that the full attention and focus be given to the Iraq so that every Marine, soldier, sailor and airman can come home as soon as possible.”

“We're there, we made a commitment. I keep my word, and I expect the American government to keep its word, too.”

2005 - 2006 Special Ohio District 2 Election
Candidate Questionnaire

The candidates Paul Hackett and Jean Schmidt were each given four questions requesting a response to be made available to their Ohio District 2 constituency.

Jean Schmidt did not respond.

Congress adopted the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act (FEPCA) in l990 to close the gap between private and public sector pay. Unfortunately, no federal pay raise since FEPCA's enactment has provided the full pay raise called for under the law. As a result, the gap between public and private sector pay today ranges from l0 to 30 percent depending on the region of the country. With the human capital crisis the federal government faces, NTEU believes it is imperative that the FEPCA law be followed. If elected, will you support efforts to get the FEPCA law back on track? Will you support pay parity between military and civilian pay raises as Congress has approved virtually every year for the last two decades?
Hackett: Yes, I will support efforts to get the FEPCA law back on track. Yes, I will support pay parity between military and civilian pay raises.

Despite the size of the pool of participants in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), premiums continue to spiral upwards, increasing an average of 7.9% for the 2005 plan year. Federal employees are required to pay an average of 72% of their FEHBP premium. NTEU believes the government needs to increase the share of the premium it pays for its employees to the most common industry average of 80%. In addition, NTEU believes the Office of Personnel Management needs to more aggressively negotiate premiums with insurance carriers for the 8 million participants in the FEHBP program. Would you support these efforts to make health care coverage more affordable for federal employees and retirees?
Hackett: Yes, I will support efforts to make health care coverage more affordable for federal employees.

The size of the federal government's contractor workforce has exploded in recent years while its in-house workforce has continued to shrink. Numerous reports have detailed the lack of oversight of federal contracts, contract cost overruns and the lack of a basic system to even determine if contracting out has achieved any cost savings. Despite the fact that contractors are not accountable, the Administration continues to press for further contracting out of federal jobs. What are your views regarding contracting out federal employees’ jobs?
Hackett: The contracting our of federal employees’ jobs is horrible and should stop.

Last year’s corporate tax bill gives the IRS the authority to hire private collection agencies to collect federal income taxes. Private tax collectors will be paid up to 25% of what they collect beginning in January 2006. NTEU is working with allies in Congress to repeal the IRS’ authority to contract out collection work. What are your views on using private collection companies to collect federal income taxes?
Hackett: Using private collection companies to collect federal income taxes is a government giveaway and I am against it.