STATE REP. CANDIDATES TACKLE THE ISSUES

Democrat Karen Spilka, Libertarian Gregory Doherty Voice Opinions

The two candidates running for the 7th Middlesex District seat on the state
Legislature both support medical use of marijuana. That's about as far as
their similarities go.

Incumbent state Rep. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, and Libertarian Gregory
Doherty of Framingham will face each other in November for the seat. The
position covers all of Ashland and precincts 8, 10, 11, 12, 15,16, and 18
in Framingham.

Spilka, who took office in January, touts the importance of
government-supported education, health care and social programs. She wants
the state to play an active role in the lives of people who need
assistance, and she believes she can help achieve that goal.

Doherty fully backs the Libertarian platform. He wants to see less
government, greater personal and economic freedom, and privatization of
schools and health care. He believes a vote for any Democrat or Republican
is a vote for a state-dominated system in which government impinges on
individuals' lives.

Spilka feels the "puzzle pieces" of her life have come together since she's
been in office. As an attorney, arbitrator, mediator and social worker, she
said she's not only prepared for the job, but well-suited to it.

"I feel lucky to be able to use all that experience in this capacity," she
said. "It's helpful to me, and it's helpful to my district. Good people
skills are a real critical part of working up there, as well as certainly
the knowledge of the legal processes and state information."

She said she's proud of the work she's done lobbying for increased salaries
for group-home workers and fighting for equity and adequacy in state
education spending.

An electrical engineer by profession, Doherty said he has worked on
government contracts for a private company developing an anti- ballistic
missile system. Prior to that he worked in virtual reality. Currently he is
working full-time on his campaign.

"For awhile I was a one-issue voter for the right to keep and bear arms,"
Doherty said. "I couldn't find a candidate who supported all civil rights.
Voting the lesser of two evils didn't work for me. Then I discovered the
Libertarian party."

Gun Control

Doherty is still pushing hard to ensure the right to keep and bear arms. He
said he believes restrictions of that right are largely responsible for
much of the violence on the streets today.

"Guns should be more readily available so people can defend themselves,"
Doherty said.

A competitive handgun and rifle shooter, he believes teachers and students
age 18 and older should be able to bring guns to school. He said he
believes incidents like the shootings at Columbine and Santee would be less
frequent and less destructive if people could defend themselves with guns.

"Gun laws disarm all the teachers," he said.

Spilka disagrees with Doherty's perspective. She said she's in favor of
keeping gun control laws in tact.

"I believe we need to ensure that those with guns are people we want to
have guns, such as hunters and collectors," she said. "I'm not at all in
favor of letting just anyone have guns."

The 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights states, "A well-regulated Militia
being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to
keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed."

Taxes

Spilka said she understands the burden taxes can impose, but without taxes
the state cannot provide services she says are absolutely essential to the
functioning of the state and adherence to the U.S. Constitution.

Doherty wants the state to repeal the income tax, which he says would put
more money in people's pockets, and thus enable them to make choices about
how to spend their own money.

"The average American pays more for taxes than they spend on housing, food
and clothing combined," said Doherty. "It is such a burden on the working
class that it prevents many people from affording houses, health care,
automobiles, care for elderly parents and other consumer goods and services."

Spilka said taxes are necessary to ensure those very same services, and
that Libertarian assumptions of "what would happen" under a tax repeal are
incorrect. She does not believe, as Libertarians do, that private companies
would "jump in and provide the services. Who would oversee it all? There
would be no money for overall accountability."

"There would be no Department of Education, no Department of Elder Services
and no public school system," she said. "On top of that, property taxes
would have to go up tremendously because (towns) would have to privately
contract for ... police, fire and safety."

Doherty doesn't like what he calls "government schools" anyway, so he'd be
content to see them dissolve. He said a competitive, private market would
ensure quality educational programs, and money saved on taxes could be
spent on schools.

He said layoffs and economic downturns would not prevent families from
being able to afford the schools, and that cutting the tax would create
jobs because more people would have to be hired to meet the increased
demands of consumers.

"I don't believe (people) can't find jobs," Doherty said. "Whether it's in
a person's field is another story. There's always a way to do it. You could
work at McDonald's or rake leaves. Now people collect welfare instead of
working those jobs. Life throws you curveballs and you have to make
adjustments."

Doherty was laid off from his job a few months ago. He said he is currently
collecting unemployment from the state.

More Issues

Spilka favors the decriminalization of medical marijuana, but she supports
the status quo for other drugs.

Doherty wants to decriminalize all drugs. He said he never uses alcohol or
drugs himself, but the prohibition of drugs "has wreaked the same type of
havoc on our society that alcohol prohibition did in the 1920s."

He believes the black market on drugs is wholly responsible for the crime
and violence associated with drugs. "Re-legalizing drugs would eliminate
the violence immediately," he said.

Spilka recently founded the Women's Legislative Mentoring Program to assist
newly-elected female legislators learn the ropes. She has also advocated
for prescription programs for seniors, teen pregnancy prevention programs
and improved opportunities at community colleges. She supports the idea of
Clean Elections, but believes it "needs some major overhauling."

Doherty opposes Clean Elections spending.