Statesman Journal mini-questionnaire for ov.

2, 2010, General Election

Thank you for responding to this questionnaire, which is for use by Statesman Journal
Editorial Board members in evaluating U.S. House and Senate candidates for potential
endorsements. Your answers also will be shared with reporters, may be published in the
print newspaper and may be posted on StatesmanJournal.com.

Deadline: Please return the questionnaire by 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 4. Earlier is even
better. E-mail it to our Editorial Board address: dhughes@StatesmanJournal.com.

Length: Feel free to limit each answer to 75 words or fewer, but that’s not a requirement.

Questions: Contact Editorial Page Editor Dick Hughes, 503-399-6727,

dhughes@StatesmanJournal.com, or Editorial Assistant Nancy Harrington, 503-589-
6944, nharring@StatesmanJournal.com.

Congress

Name: Kurt Schrader

Position: U.S. Congress, Oregon’s 5th District

Party affiliation: Democrat

Age: October 19, 1951 (58)

(We want to be accurate. So if you have a birthday between now and the election, please
indicate when your birthday is so that we can get your age right.)

City/town of residence: Canby, OR

Number of years you have lived in the region (legislative district or state) you will be
representing: More than 30 years.

Family (name of spouse/partner, number and ages of children if at home, number of

grown children): Wife: Martha Schrader. Kids: Clare, Maren, Steven, RJ, Travis (all
grown)

Current employer/job: Small business owner, U.S. Representative

Employment, military and volunteer history:
Small business owner, veterinarian, farmer.

Civic/religious/other local involvement:

Member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Oregon City.
Board member - Clackamas County Children’s Center for Abused Kids

Please list all public offices to which you’ve been elected, and when:
State Representative (1996-2002)
State Senator (2002-2008)
U.S. Representative (2008- present)

Please list any unsuccessful candidacies for public office, and when:
State Representative (1994)

Other political and government experience:

Canby Planning Commissioner, Co-Chair Joint Ways and Means Committee

How the public can reach your campaign:

Mail address:
P.O. Box 3314
Oregon City, OR 97045

E-mail address: campaign@kurtschrader.com

Web site URL: www.kurtschrader.com

Phone: 503-723-6174

Fax:

How much will your general election campaign cost? (Please be specific about your
campaign budget, not “as much as we can raise.”)

It really depends on the next couple of weeks. I would estimate my campaign will
have spent more than a million dollars by the time the campaign is over.
Who are your top campaign contributors/lenders? (Please list at least the current top five
and their total dollar amounts.)

In federal elections individuals are only permitted to contribute $2,400 each and
organizations are only allowed to contribute $5,000 each. I’m proud to have
received that maximum level of support from many individual Oregonians and
organizations from areas such as Agriculture, Education, Doctors and healthcare
professionals, Building Trade workers, and Firefighters.

Who are your key political advisers? (Please identify at least your top three.)

My answer changes depending on individual issues. I listen to my constituents, staff,

the congressional research service and the congressional budget office. I would be
happy to discuss this question further during my interview.

Key endorsements you’ve received:

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States PAC, Alliance for Retired
Americans, orth Clackamas Chamber of Commerce, Oregon State Firefighters,
Oregon Teachers, ational Rifle Association, Oregon urses, The Oregonian, and
many more.

1. Have you ever been convicted of a crime, been disciplined by a professional licensing
board/organization or had an ethics violation filed against you? If so, please give the
details.

As the owner of the Clackamas County Veterinary Clinic I was fined by the Oregon
Veterinary Medical Examining Board because one of my technicians did not file for
renewal of his license on time.

2. Have you ever filed for bankruptcy, been delinquent on your taxes or other major
accounts, or been sued personally or professionally? If so, please give the details.

Like many small business owners I have gone through periods of financial
challenges. In the 1980’s I was late on my property taxes. They were fully paid with
interest and I am currently up to date.

3. If you are an incumbent, explain why voters should re-elect you. If you are a
challenger, explain why voters should elect you:

I’ve delivered on my campaign promises and have been productive as a new

member in fighting for Oregon’s priorities. I secured flexible money to help our
schools through the recession, made college more affordable, voted against the big
bank bailout, reformed Wall Street, started a forest/timber caucus, got Oregon’s
seniors better Medicare reimbursement, brought OAA’s Pacific fleet to ewport,
secured more manufacturing and energy jobs for our community, fought
successfully for our veterans and Oregon Guard members, introduced and passed a
critical small business/jobs tax credit and loan assistance package, and joined the
fiscally conservative Blue Dogs that have successfully reinstated statutory pay-as-
you-go to control federal spending. I have walked my talk by personally voting
against two pay increases, returning more than $100,000 to taxpayers from my
office budget and introducing legislation cutting $132 billion from the federal
budget.

4. What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s)?
1. I voted against the big bank bailout and for meaningful financial reform.
2. I voted for transparency in our campaign and election process with the
Disclose act to limit the corrupting influence in our elections.
3. I voted to curb tax loopholes that encourage outsourcing American jobs
overseas and put that money into education and health care for Oregonians.
4. I am against privatizing any aspect of social security and putting seniors
retirement at risk.
5. I am against drilling for oil off of Oregon’s beleaguered coast to protect our
fishing and tourist industries.
6. I believe we should end the war in Afghanistan and bring our warriors home.
We should fight the war on terror using special forces and drones and use
the war money to pay down our debt, create jobs and help our veterans.

My opponent opposes all these.

5. What specific steps would you advocate to improve Oregon’s economy and create
jobs?

1. I helped craft small businesses tax credits and lending opportunities that will
create thousands of jobs across the country. We must continue to make it
easier for small businesses to create jobs by continuing small business tax
breaks, improved loan guarantees and small business lending funds with our
community banks.

2. We need to put rural Oregonians back to work in our forests. They can be
properly managed to provide a sustainable timber yield to create jobs, while
protecting the environment.
 3. We need to rebuild our transportation infrastructure putting Oregonians to
work right now while building global economic competitiveness for years to
come.

4. We need to improve our exports with fair trade, force China to revalue it’s
currency and renegotiate WTO agreements that are outdated.

6. What specific steps would you advocate to balance the federal budget?

1. Enforce pay-as-you-go rules so Congress has to pay for every new spending
program

2. Find and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse from government programs – I
have a bill eliminating $132 billion over the next 10 years.

3. Institute Performance-based budgeting where agencies and government

programs are funded based on their performance.

4. Audit the Department of Defense to account for every dollar it spends

especially in contracting and weapons procurement.

5. I look forward to the recommendations from the bi-partisan Fiscal

Commission to get our entitlement programs under control.

6. And the rest of my 10-steps to fiscal reform.

7. What policies would you advocate that the U.S. follow in the wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq?

It’s time to bring our brave warriors home. They have fought valiantly and we will
always honor and remember their service and their sacrifice. We cannot continue
pursuing a land war in Afghanistan when we should be fighting the wider war on
terror and repairing our economy here at home. It’s time to refocus our attention on
our economy and creating jobs here at home while bringing our men and women
home safely with honor, dignity and job opportunities.

8. What changes would you advocate in federal tax policy, such as the Bush-era tax cuts
and other tax policies?

We need to simplify federal tax policies. The first bill I introduced was bi-partisan
legislation to simplify taxes for small businesses and I am committed to working on
that issue. I also helped pass a permanent estate tax exemption for family-held small
businesses and farms.
For the near term we must extend the Bush tax cuts for middle class Americans. But
we simply cannot afford to add nearly a trillion dollars to our ational Debt by
spending taxpayer money for additional tax breaks for the top 3% of wealthiest
Americans that would already see a large benefit from just extending the middle
class tax breaks.

What we really need is complete tax overhaul and simplification including a hard
look at our corporate tax structure that makes America less competitive.

9. What specific steps, if any, would you advocate to improve government openness and
transparency?

We absolutely need to eliminate the excessive money in elections. I favor amending

the U.S. Constitution to allow some limitations on money in politics and improve
transparency for how money is spent and by whom. The Disclose Act would at least
give voters information on who is behind the ads and where they are from.

I believe regular order and the committee process should be observed for all
legislation. Bills should not be voted on either in committee or on the floor without
at least 72 hours for bills to be read by all.

10. What changes, if any, would you advocate in the structure, scope or role of the federal
government?

Congress needs to do a better job of living within their means just like Oregon
families do every day. That’s why I’m a big proponent of statutory PAYGO and
instituting performance-based budgeting. Congress also needs to do more to combat
waste, fraud and abuse and I’ve introduced legislation to do just that and cut $132
billion over the next decade. Congress needs to prioritize it’s spending.

The Federal government needs to have a more limited role only intervening in
extraordinary circumstances like we saw the last two years. The federal
government should be partners with our state governments that actually deliver
most of the services and benefits we enjoy.

11. What changes, if any, would you advocate in health-care legislation, oversight and
funding?

Despite the extensiveness of the healthcare reform legislation there is a lot of work
to do as we write the rules of implementation. I will continue to work with Oregon’s
health care community and professionals as we go forward. We need to eliminate
the 1099 provision for businesses and make sure there is a lot of flexibility. We may
need to further refine the insurance subsidies to find the right balance between
affordability and responsibility. We need to make sure the cost savings are realized
and not undermined. The Congressional Budget Office historically underestimates
Medicare legislation cost savings and has not even included savings from prevention
and well-care or my own effort that forces Health and Human Services to base
reimbursement on value not volume; good health care outcomes.

12. What changes, if any, would you advocate in federal timber policy as it affects
Oregon?

As co-founder of the bi-partisan Healthy Forests Caucus, I believe we need to create

more jobs in rural America. I’m focused on trying to put more jobs back in the
woods. Our forests can be properly managed to provide a sustainable timber yield
to create jobs, while protecting endangered species and habitat. I successfully
advocated for allowing our federal forests that occupy half of Oregon, to be part of
our renewable biomass energy solution.

13. How should Congress respond to illegal immigration?

The system is broken and must be addressed. I support comprehensive immigration

reform strengthening our borders; creating a better legal immigration program;
and designing cost effective and fair processes for immigrants already in this
country illegally requiring them to declare themselves, pay a fine, and then go
through the legal immigration system just like everyone else. In Oregon, this
approach is supported by business, labor, farmers and nurserymen, the Hispanic
community, and human rights advocates.

14. What social issues, if any, would you advocate that Congress tackle?

Putting Oregonians back to work is my first, second and third priority. That’s
where my focus is right now and will continue to be going forward.

15. What are the lessons of President Obama’s first two years in office?

A lot can be accomplished even in a highly partisan atmosphere. But we really need
moderates of both parties to step up and take more control of how things get done so
all Americans feel represented.

16. What are the three most important issues you would address if elected? How?
A. Putting Oregonians back to work is the most important issue facing our state
particularly by helping small businesses create jobs. I’ll refer to my earlier answers
on my plan for job creation.

B. Helping our veterans and their families transition from active duty to civilian life
and get the benefits they earned. And making sure Oregon seniors get the benefits,
assistance and respect they deserve.

C. Get our fiscal house in order. I’ll refer to my earlier answers on how to get our
budget under control.

17. What do you see as other important issues?

We need to reform the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to reward

students for making progress. Immigration reform is important for our security,
economy and human decency. And we need to reauthorize a multi-model surface
transportation act to provide jobs now and increase our global competitiveness.

18. Would you support a federal shield law for journalists?

Yes.

19. Any skeletons in your closet or other potentially embarrassing information that you
want to disclose before it comes up in the campaign?

o.

20. As a candidate, your positions on statewide ballot measures are relevant to voters,
even though you’re running for federal office. Please indicate whether you support or
oppose each of the measures.

Measure 70: Veterans’ loans Yes No

Measure 71: Annual legislative sessions Yes o

Measure 72: State bonding authority Yes No

Measure 73: Sentencing Yes No – undecided

Measure 74: Medical marijuana Yes o

Measure 75: Multnomah County casino Yes o

Measure 76: Lottery funding for parks, habitat Yes No

Thank you for completing this questionnaire and returning it by 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 4 by e-mail to
Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com