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| Karen Keiser, Democrat (Incumbent) |
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| Candidate: State Representative, |
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| Karen Keiser |
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District 33, Position 2 |
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| Age: 52 |
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| Residence: Des Moines |
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| Occupation: |
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Communication director, Washington State Labor Council |
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| Education: |
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B.A. in political science, M.A. in journalism, University of California, Berkeley |
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| Political history: State representative |
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| Endorsements: |
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District Lodge 751, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Sierra Club, Cascade Chapter, King County Women's Political Caucus |
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| Campaign Web site: http://www.karenkeiser.com |
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| Campaign theme: Working for us. |
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| 1. |
What is your position on the initiatives proposed on this year's November ballot? |
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I-713 - Animal trapping |
yes |
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I-722 - Property taxes |
no |
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I-728 - School district financing |
yes |
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I-729 - Charter schools |
no |
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I-732 - Teacher raises |
yes |
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I-745 - Transportation funding |
no |
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| 2. |
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has declared blanket primary elections like Washington's violate political parties' constitutional rights, what form of new primary election system would you propose adopting? |
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If our blanket primary is found unconstitutional, we should adopt a new approach that gives voters the most freedom possible to vote for whatever candidate they choose. |
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| 3. |
Would you continue the trend of recent years and support tax cuts for businesses? Which ones specifically? If not, why? |
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I support tax cuts when there is a demonstrated need or likely benefit that would help our state or a local community. I have voted for several targeted business tax cuts, but in general, I do not support across-the-board tax cuts when the economy is thriving. |
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| 4. |
Would you support a Constitutional amendment that would allow tax breaks for homeowners but not for business or commercial property? Why or why not? |
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Yes. Homeowners, especially seniors and first-time homebuyers, have been faced with skyrocketing property-tax bills. Businesses too have had to deal with increasing property taxes, but businesses can pass on higher costs while homeowners cannot. |
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| 5. |
What privacy legislation would you support? Would you exempt financial institutions? Why or why not? |
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I support giving consumers control over their own private financial, health and personal information. Financial institutions must be included in any privacy legislation to be at all effective. Consumers should be able to exercise their right to privacy to stop their personal information from being sold or "shared." |
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| 6. |
A commission studying transportation funding says a new financing mechanism is needed to keep Washington transportation projects on track. How would you propose financing future transportation projects? |
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Several different options need to be considered. Local regions should be able to create local revenue sources. We should shift transportation-related sales taxes to the transportation budget. We should consider an increase in the gas tax. Many sources should be investigated, but the key is to raise the funds necessary to fix our gridlocked roads. |
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| 7. |
With some states reconsidering the death penalty, what is your position and what changes, if any, do you think are needed in Washington's law? Under what circumstances would you support a moratorium? |
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I oppose the death penalty. |
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| 8. |
A judge struck down Initiative 695's provision that would have required a public vote for all tax and fee increases. Would you support a Constitutional amendment that would require the public vote? Why or why not? |
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No. Requiring a vote for every fee, from library fines to school lunch prices, would make voting a nuisance instead of a privilege. I do support referring major tax proposals to the people. |
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