Q&A with Sylvia Allen

Candidate Interview

Sylvia Allen, Arizona House of Representatives

Ed. Note: Sylvia Allen is running for District 5 in the Arizona House of Representatives in the Sept. 7th Republican Primary. She is recognized by the initials "SA," and The Arizona Conservative is recognized by "TAC."

Questions

TAC: What are the top issues facing the state this year?

SA: I believe it will be the push to raise taxes.

TAC: What are the top issues in your district?

SA: Forest health and the fires. Jobs and economic growth. Protection and development of our watersheds. Funding of our Community Colleges and Education in general.

TAC: Do you consider yourself a pro-life conservative?

SA: Yes.

TAC: Do you support or oppose tax increases to help solve the state's budget problems?

SA: No. I have pledged not to raise taxes. Instead I want to see the state be willing to reduce spending, look for ways to better allocate our money. Cut programs that are not working. I bet every department could cut back 15 percent. This is what Navajo County did last year and for the first time in five years we have a surplus.

TAC: What is your opinion of the 2004 state budget approved by the legislature this spring?

SA: I was disappointed. Especially the all-day kindergarten. Studies show that it does not give that much of a benefit to the children in later academic performance. Plus the money was not there. I feel that the money that will be spent on this could be used in other areas of our education to a better benefit. The spending was 13 percent more than last year's budget. We can't keep going down this "California" road and think that we won't have serious consequences to follow.

TAC: Do you support or oppose Prop 200, the PAN initiative?

SA: I support it. We must protect the integrity of our elections or the people will lose confidence in the process.

TAC: How do you evaluate the legislative record of the incumbent(s) in the seat you are pursuing?

SA: I think I will be more conservative. I really do want to see our state take on some serious reforms in the budget process and the spending that is going on. I believe we live in unpredictable times and we should be prudent and careful with the people's money. After all, we are at war.

TAC: If the Clean Elections initiative makes it on the ballot, will you support or oppose it?

SA: I am running on Clean Election money, but if this initiative makes it to the ballot I hope that the people can become better informed on this law than they were when they passed it. Money does not make elections clean, people's conduct and character is what makes the political process function on a high plane. Because this law was passed by the people the legislature cannot change it. But I hope the people realize that we need to be prudent and cut back in our spending. I would vote against Clean Elections.

TAC: How long can Arizona sustain the type of pressure on AHCCCS that raised the expenditure five-fold from 2001 to 2003, from $200 million to $1.2 billion?

SA: We can't; it is a bomb ready to go off. This is another issue that must be addressed now. We must find ways to improve our heath care and lower the cost of insurance so more people can afford it. But the answers must be found in free market principles.

TAC: How can Arizona improve its K-12 education system and lower the high school dropout rate?

SA: Our education system is too top heavy. Too many strings attached to the money. Too many mandates. Less teaching of the basic subjects. We must find ways to better allocate our education dollars so that the money gets to the teacher, classroom and student. We must return to local control.

TAC: What social issues legislation is needed in 2005?

SA: We need a drug program that can really work.

TAC: General comments: Please comment on any issue or topic not raised above:

SA: I am very concerned about our rural families. The cost of living; food, housing, energy, and taxes continue to go up. We need better paying jobs. We need to ask this question: Are we getting our monies worth? It seems that more money and new programs to administer excessive regulations are always the solution to every problem. We can't keep doing the same old thing and think we will get anything new. As a lifelong, self-taught student of the philosophy this nation was founded on, I would like to be a voice and a vote for time-tested principles that just need new methods of applying them.