Carl Crabtree

1. I have spent my life in business, and have served in government. It is so hard to make a dollar in business, and so easy for government to waste those dollars. I believe my experience in both sectors will help me make better decisions for District 7. Additionally, I like people, and working with them.

2: I don’t have partisan political experience. I have many life experiences, which are often some form of political experience. I believe I have an ability to bring people together who have widely varying opinions. It is my observation that people generally have more things in common than they often realize. We need to build relationships from our common ground to tackle the problems on which we differ.

3. 1. Education is a top priority for me. We had to balance the budget during the recession, and it was done largely on the back of education. There appears to be continued support for improving the educational situation in Idaho.

2. Jobs/business is a critical concern for District 7. We have the largest unemployment rate in the state at about 7 percent.

3. Who should pay for government in Idaho? Should the federal government help provide governmental services at the current rate. With that money comes federal restrictions and restraints. Are Idahoans ready to say no and shoulder more of the load, or are they willing to see significantly less services?

4. Ed- ucation, while last in spend- ing for most items, we don’t have a really good handle on how our students compare, over a significant time period, to students in other states. If funding is increased, can we attach a consistent long-term measurability component so we can measure the output of the education process, not just the spending? I think we have to.

Jobs/business. I am enthused about some of the Economic Development Associations I have met with in the district. They are comprised of local people with a small amount of government money, and a large component of local money and sweat equity. I will support these community based efforts. Additionally, I am hearing more about the need for high school students to come out of school ready for either trade school or a job. I will be interested in seeing some of the secondary education money pointed toward this end.

Pay for government. I need to listen more and find out what most constituents really want to do. It is easy for us to say what we don’t want. We need to get to the specifics, in a proactive way, as to what we will pay for on a state and local basis.

5. I am not trying to create a legacy for myself. I am trying to serve my constituents in an effective and honorable way. If I can do that I will be successful.

6. HJR 5 is about balance of power, in my opinion. It fundamentally allows the Legislature to have oversight as to the executive branch rulemaking. This process is in place and has been deemed legal by the judicial branch, in a close vote. Voters have to decide whether this tilts the table toward too much power for the legislature, too little for the executive branch, or should it allow a different court to rule on its legality. As an aspiring member of the legislative branch, I will vote for HJR 5.

7. See 3 and 4 above.

8. In my conversations with constituents, I hear significant support for a strong transportation system. We depend on commerce in Idaho and we have to move these products. Northern Idaho roads are particularly expensive to maintain. We have to be very careful with expenditures, but make sure we can move our commodities safely.

9. Idahoans should have more input into federal land management than they have. There are few who can point to current federal land management outcomes as a template for success. Decisions have been made too far from the forests. People with good intentions have made decisions which ended up with unintended consequences. Increased local involvement from local people with local vested interests, mixed with healthy broad-based objectives has got to be better that a “preserve/burn it down”, situation currently in place.

10. I do not like the idea of increasing the involvement of government in healthcare. Probably few really do. The reality is that costs are so far out of hand people can’t deal with them. So, who should help pay…or should anybody? In V2011, the Idaho Legislature passed a bill – House Bill 260 – requiring the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to modernize the Medicaid program. They were directed to find additional savings AND make the program work better. The Department has done some things to comply with HB260, such as managed care contracting for behavioral health services and non-emergency transportation services. But I think there is more that can be done under the guidance given in HB260. One thought could be to move from a fee-for-service reimbursement system to a managed care system. Other ideas could be, cap the costs that the state will pay, make the providers assume some risk, and make the Medicaid recipients more accountable. All of these considerations may be changed by the national election, which will include a new president and may include congressional changes. All of these factors make it difficult for me to know today, what the right answers will be in January, on this very complicated issue.

11. This topic has not been mentioned to me on the campaign trail. I do not know enough about it to advance an opinion, at this time.

12. I don’t know if any issues that are being lost.

13. Who should pay for government? And what role the federal government should play in financing state and local government. If less federal money is used, what programs should be cut, and which should be locally financed.

14. Why did you run against the incumbent? I did so because there was significant support to broaden the conversation. Not to change the issues talked about, but to reprioritize them.

15. See 3 and 4 above.

16. What is your record of achievement and leadership in the past, as a predictor of your future performance? My answer is on my website www.crabtree4senate.com.