District 89 race is battle of fiscal conservatives
Posted on Wednesday, October 29, 2008
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The two candidates for Arkansas House District 89 both claim to be fiscal conservatives who will be good stewards with taxpayers’ money, but they disagree on several other issues.
State Rep. Jim House, D-Fayetteville, faces a challenge from Fayetteville business owner Gene Long.
House seeks improvements in various heath-care services, while Long wants to streamline spending and cut taxes.
House, a retired public health professional from the state Department of Health, is seeking his second term in the Legislature. He want to continue that public service career by returning to the Legislature because he likes to help people. He believes that his experience makes him the better candidate.
House is very concerned about the looming critical shortage of physicians in the state. He said that studies have shown that there are not enough trained physicians to meet the state’s future needs. Many of the state’s physicians are growing older and will soon be retiring, House said.
“ Health security may be an issue if physicians are not ready, ” House said.
House believes that state scholarship funding for doctors should require them to stay and work in Arkansas. He said he is very supportive of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences coming to Fayetteville to train physicians.
Long, the owner of a Nationwide Insurance business, said he is seeking public office because he wants to pay back his country and God for all the blessings that he has received.
Long said this is the right time for him to turn over the daily management of his business to his two adult children and serve in the Legislature. He believes that his business experience will help him save taxpayers’ money in Little Rock.
“Business owners are always looking for ways to save money,” Long said.
House, who is a farmer and horseshoer, said that he is so careful with money that he makes his own campaign signs.
“I’m a very tight fiscal manager,” House said.
Both candidates say that they want to eliminate the sales tax on groceries. House wants to be sure that the state can afford the loss of $ 130 million in sales tax revenues. Long is sure that the state can afford to give up sales tax revenues because of its surplus.
“A surplus means we’re over charging taxpayers,” Long said. “We need to give that money back.”
Long wants to increase revenues by building on the state’s tax base and by working with economic development teams to bring new jobs to the state. He wants government to be business friendly.
“We don’t look like we’re very business oriented,” Long said. “We’ve got to be more aggressive in helping support new clean coal power plants in Arkansas.”
In his campaign material, Long has criticized House for voting to raise taxes and voting against tax relief for the middle class. House said that he voted against one tax relief bill that he knew would not pass in the Senate and ultimately supported a different bill that provided the same tax relief.
Long said he plans to cosponsor with state Sen. Bill Pritchard three bill that will directly impact tax cuts, he said.
House said that Long’s focus on cutting taxes misses the point that when legislators cut taxes, they must also identify which specific programs will be cut.
House believes that most taxpayers are worried about abuse and don’t mind paying for vital services, like helping to raise a child with a medical condition or who is handicapped.
“He does not seem to see the need for the programs that we have,” House said.
House criticized Long for not voting in a school board election since 1998.
“His public voting record is terrible,” House said. “Don’t tell me you are interested in schools if you do not vote...”
Long believes in conservative family values and has criticized House for supporting gay civil unions. House said he has supported civil unions based on the belief that we are all God’s children, but that issue is now a mute point.
House said civil unions are no longer an issue before legislators because four years ago voters approved the 83rd Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution and the amendment forbids civil unions.
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