Published: October 24, 2008 02:06 pm      

Blake Cummings

The Duncan Banner emailed some questions to all the candidates running for political office that members of Stephens County will be voting on Nov. 4. What follows is this candidate's responses to these questions.



Questions to Blake Cummings, Democratic candidate, US House of Representatives, 4th District of Oklahoma:





1) What qualifications do you have for running for U.S. Representative District No. 4?

Well, aside from meeting the Constitutional requirements, I am a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, I am self-employed in the oil and gas industry, and my past experience in government relations (local, state and federal) give me the background necessary to be successful in Congress.



2) Why are you running for U.S. Representative District No. 4?

My family and I face the same challenges as everyone else in this District: finding and paying for health care, saving for my daughter’s college education, getting to retirement. These are all issues we face daily, but with little help from our government. They promise lower taxes, but leave our children and grandchildren with massive debt. They tell us we can’t afford universal healthcare, but jump through fire to write a check to Wall Street that is close to double the cost of the war in Iraq. Our nation’s priorities are wrong, our government is at fault, and it will take real people to offer real solutions. I am running as a private citizen, not as a friend of lobbyists or as part of a special interest group. My only interest is in representing the people of the Fourth District of Oklahoma, not in gaining favor with my party or the Oval Office.



3) What is the most important issue to you and how will you work to alleviate the problem if elected?

So many issues demand immediate attention, but available, affordable healthcare is of primary importance. Good health is necessary for the pursuit of happiness for anyone. Certainly, the financial crisis is getting all the attention now, but we must work to make sure every American has access to doctors without life or death decisions being made by whether you can pay. As families lose healthcare due to the costs, our children miss out on the needed preventative care necessary to insure a lifetime of good health. I would push for making Medicare a true, single payer system, and make a form of no-deductible, no-copay health insurance available for children under 18.



4) With the ever increasing costs for construction materials, road construction/maintenance costs are increasing exponentially, what can be done to alleviate the problem? In other words, can the number of road projects remain steady or will the number of projects need to decrease yearly unless taxes are raised?

I think an increase in rail service can help take some of the pressure off of road construction. By creating more passenger rail options, increasing availability of mass transportation options and by moving more goods by rail transport, we can decrease the number of passenger miles and freight miles driven on our roads, allowing them to last longer. Also, increased use of new materials for road surfacing that are more durable and last longer will allow for a longer period between road resurfacing projects on any given stretch of highway. It is likely we will have to find a way to increase road use revenue to provide necessary funding for any of these projects. We are way behind in the replacement of hazardous bridges; it is imperative that we move quickly to address the safety issues in these areas.



5) Oklahoma has a prison capacity of about 25,000. We stay filled at between 96% and 98% yearly, which is well into overcrowded status. What is the answer for prison overcrowding in Oklahoma and how will you work to alleviate the problem? Do you think taxes need to be raised to solve the (any) problem?

We have to make choices between types of prisoners held by the state; individuals convicted of non-violent crimes may have to be put under house arrest or private halfway-house programs rather than being housed by the state. I believe prisons should be set up in such a way as to require the prisoner to perform work duties while incarcerated, to help cover the costs of the prisoner’s term of sentence. Hopefully, by implementing these types of programs, we can avoid spending more of the people’s money on criminals than is absolutely necessary.



6) Recidivism is measured as the percentage of all prisoners within a given year who return to incarceration within three years. For fiscal year 2005, the recidivism rate is 27.8%. What will you do to lower that percentage?

We have to make sure these prisoners get job training or education while incarcerated. Continued interaction after incarceration, in the form of counseling and alternative education programs, can help reduce the number of re-incarcerated convicts.



The last six questions come from a Duncan Banner reader.



7) What have been some “positives” that have happened during your campaigning?

I have met so many people who are upset with the way Washington works. People don’t like paying taxes, but don’t want the taxes they pay to go to help bad businesses stay afloat. This is being heard by us at every campaign stop. People truly want to take back their government. Great things happen when “We the people” take an active part in the process of governing.



8) How can we make public schools better?

Funding. Make sure we pay our teachers competitive salaries, make sure the teachers themselves are competent, and don’t give public funds to private schools. We have to find a way to keep public schools alive in our small towns. When a town loses its school, it loses its identity. With technology advances, there is no reason why every student in Oklahoma can’t have the same course availability as any other student in the state, regardless of school size.



9) Do you stand with your party affiliation on the issues of abortion and marriage? Why?

These issues go beyond party affiliation. There are pro-choice Republicans and pro-life Democrats. Personally, I am against abortion as a form of birth control. But I believe there are times, in cases of rape or incest, when the victim should be allowed to consider all options. Roe v. Wade, while still the law, will eventually be revisited by the Supreme Court. In any case, if I am required to vote on bills dealing with this issue, I will vote the will of the people of my district over my party or the Oval Office. The same goes for marriage. The State of Oklahoma has defined marriage as between a man and a woman. While there are several issues faced by same sex couples that should be addressed, Oklahomans have made it clear as to what constitutes marriage in our state.



10) Would you ever cross party lines in a voting session? Why?

Of course. Neither major party has a monopoly on good ideas, though both are suffering from a plethora of bad ones lately. Party politics often gets in the way of good government. It almost seems like an elected official will withhold judgment on the validity of a bill until he or she knows which party introduced it. This is wrong on so many levels. My father’s family are Democrats, my mother’s family mostly Republican. In a District that is fairly equally Democrat and Republican, I know that I will be in Washington to represent our people and their wishes, and not to follow a particular party ideology or President unless their goals are shared by the 4th District of Oklahoma. If a Republican has a good idea, and it helps Oklahomans, I will back it. If not, I will be against it. I will do the same with Democrats. While I believe I identify with more of the progressive ideas coming from my party, I also find common ground with Republicans on making government more efficient and simplifying our tax system. However, both parties have failed in recent years with respect to representing the will of the people. I will not fail in that regard. If I try to represent our people fairly and honestly, my votes will reflect that, and I will sleep well at night.



11) Are you for or against Tort Reform? Why?



I am for Tort Reform, especially with respect to ending the practice of filing frivolous lawsuits. However, I do not necessarily agree with capping damages on certain suits. I think consideration has to be taken to the nature of the tort. Gross negligence, for example, should not have a cap on damages, punitive or otherwise. There is a fine line between Tort Reform that is good for Oklahoma business, and Tort Reform that falls short of adequately protecting the consumer. Our legislature must be very careful when considering new reforms.