The Outspoken Sportsman

Tribune Editor                        http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2008/07/22/news/news5.txt

Three Republican candidates will face off on Aug. 5 to determine which one will move on to the November general elections.

The field consists of state Rep. Tom Casperson, Linda Goldthorpe and Don Hooper. The winner will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, in November.

Casperson, 48, is a resident of Escanaba. He represents Delta, Dickinson and Menominee counties in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Prior to election to the Michigan House, Casperson worked for 27 years with his family owned business, Casperson & Son Logging, including the last 12 years as its owner and operator.

Casperson said that he wants to be the representative in Congress for District 1 of Michigan, which includes all of the Upper Peninsula and much of the Northern Lower Peninsula, to protect the American dream.

“For too many, the American story has turned from timeless to tired,” Casperson said in response to a questionnaire. “Americans are tired: Of too much government and too few politicians that put sensible solutions over partisan politics; of too much tax and too little fiscal restraint; of too many threats to our national security and too little security for our children; and of too many regulations and too few jobs.

“My children serve as a reminder that we can't let these feelings of fatigue lead to further apathy.” Casperson continued. “We must work to bestow upon them a country that is in a condition that is better than what we inherited. That is why I am running for Congress - not out of a sense of entitlement, but a sense of obligation; not out of a sense of personal ambition but of allegiance to our ideals.

“Those ideals believe: That the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are not outdated documents; that our basic rights come from God, not government; that not every problem should have a federal solution; in freedom, and mindful of the President Ford's wisdom: ‘If the government is big enough to give you everything you want, it is big enough to take away everything you have.'”

Casperson says his terms in the state House and his business experience qualify him for the higher office.

“Although I have acquired legislative expertise and understanding through my service as a state Representative, which allowed me to author 20 public acts, the reason I believe I am most qualified to act as the voice for the First District is that I bring with me 27 years of experience working, operating, or owning a small business, struggling to make ends meet, and contending with the restrictions and irresponsibility of my government,” Casperson said.

“My record I believe proves me an adept conservative legislator who remains focused on issues and solutions, instead of party lines,” he continued. “My dedication to common-sense solutions and reasonable reform stems from what I believe is the greatest difference between my opponents and me: The parallel background I share with most of the residents of the First District. Prior to being elected to office, I struggled with a small forest products business, trying to make payroll and provide for my family, worried how I would make the next payment to the bank, and trying desperately to afford health care, all while trying to balance the emotional, social and spiritual needs of my family.”

Casperson said recovery of the economy would be his highest priority if elected.

“First and foremost, its the economy and jobs,” he explained. “For the First District to compete in the global economy we must rely on building business incentives and partnerships over government regulation; strengthen education; build and repair the national infrastructure; implement national tort reform; and lower the corporate tax rate.

“The second issue directly affecting the First District and the country is how the government operates,” Casperson continued. “To streamline government and eliminate waste we must prohibit the use of earmarks; downsize the size of government, from the top down, and strive for competitive compensation between government and industry; provide transparency to taxpayers by publishing on the Internet all government expenditures; and implement a zero baseline budgeting process for the annual budget.

“Lastly, with the rural nature and size of the First District we understand better than most the need for energy independence. To implement an energy policy that strives for energy independence, we must: Increase domestic supply by immediately exploring for energy locally; advance the opportunities for alternative fuels; provide for reasonable regulations that permit the expansion of traditional energy sources; and employ sensible reforms to limit speculation.”

Casperson has been married 26 years to his wife, Diane. They have four children: Ashley, 22, a student at Michigan State University; Tommy, 18, a student at Western Michigan University; Hillary, 14, and Dane, 12.

He is a former member of the Board of Directors and the Transportation Committee for the Michigan Association of Timbermen; former president of the Michigan Professional Log Truck Council; former Legislative Committee member of the Timber Producers Association; board member, New Life Assembly of God Church in Escanaba; member of the Bark River Lions; member of the National Rifle Association; member of the National Federation of Independent Business; and board member the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners.

Goldthorpe, a resident of Curtis in the Upper Peninsula, is a pro bono attorney who works out of her home. She is a graduate of Cooley Law School in Lansing, and practiced law for years in Marquette and Ontonagon before settling into her family home in Luce County.

She said her passion to minimize government qualifies her for the District 1 seat.

“I am fed up with the government constantly trying to control and diminish our lives instead of defending our freedom, and have no more time to wait for someone with this passion to step up for the seat,” Goldthorpe said in reply to the questionnaire.

She said her experience in the courtroom make her qualified for office in Congress.

“It's understandable that people distrust lawyers, but it's a good background for a lawmaker, to be able to read and fully comprehend a bill without assistance,” she explained.

“Additionally, all of my political opinions are clearly stated and explained on my Web site, and I think it's an important qualification that a candidate makes his or her positions clear.”

Goldthorpe listed her priorities if elected to the congressional office.

“American sovereignty is an important concept that covers many issues from finance and trade to border security,” she said. “We need to defend our freedom, our borders, and our free economy.

“Constitutional limit of power is another, covering civil liberties, the right to bear arms, and scope of the federal government,” Goldthorpe continued. “I will do everything in my power to defend - and in some cases, restore - the U.S. Constitution.

“Foreign policy is the third; we need to stop meddling around the world, focus on our own national defense, and remain otherwise neutral.”

Goldthorpe is married to her husband of 19 years, George Miller, who is a corrections officer at the Newberry Correction Facility. She home schools her two boys, Isaac, 16, and Joshua, 11.

Hooper is no stranger to Northern Michigan voters. He ran against Stupak in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

A resident of Iron Mountain in the U.P., he served in U.S. Aviation Engineers during the Korean war and was honorably discharged after tour of duty. He worked in the mining industry for 10 years and then became CEO of a trucking company with a fleet of 21 semi-tractors and trailers.

Hooper said Congress has lost its direction, and he could help bring it back on track.

“The U.S. House has 435 elected Representatives as members. Each one, is expected by the American public to use his or her creative talents, to contribute to the objectives of national defense, providing for energy requirements, organizing border control, contributing to economic stability, domestic tranquility, education, internal infrastructure and public health concerns,” Hooper said in response to the questionnaire.

“Instead of displaying creativity, the U. S. Congress has completely lost direction and is writhing in a cesspool of indecision,” he continued. “It needs an immediate overhaul which includes a massive replacement of current membership. I am a mature American patriot who has a sound formal education from a highly respected conservative college-university in Chicago, North Park University. This was followed by five decades of an intense self-taught study of political history, both national and international. My instruction was gleaned from the mistakes and successes of Western civilization and the great leaders that set the course of history.

“I want to become an active member of the United States Congress because I have the credentials, intelligence and drive that America needs to return to its rightful position as the worlds leader,” he added. “My character has a spotless record of civil behavior, with cultural and business success all contributing to the kind of profile that America needs from its congressional leaders.”

Hooper said his life experience qualifies him for office.

“I totally understand the American dream. Born in abject poverty, and left without any monetary inheritance whatsoever as the 13th child,” Hooper said. “I served my country militarily for three years and eight months. I earned every dollar paid for my formal education, I found all of my employment without help, I designed and built two homes, including the basements, totally alone, by the hands-on method of muscle, sweat and blood.

“I invented two successful businesses and built a third one providing 35 years of self-employment. I took part in politics, as county chair and many times as a delegate. I was the director of a large Bible camp. I served a number of churches as a lay preacher.

“I have traveled in all 49 continental states for a total of almost six million miles, (yes, million) and I have spent a lot of time in Great Britain, France, Canada and Mexico and traveled the Alcan highway about 20 times,” Hooper explained. “I ran for The United States House of Representatives three times, 2002, 2004, 2006, and now in 2008. This is the kind of living experience that very few Congressmen have. My two primary interests are politics and American history. Am I over qualified?”

Hooper said the economy and oil crisis would be his key priority if elected.

“Issues change, along with world events. At this writing, energy probably tops my list of priorities,” Hooper noted. “I have written essays on the oil crises, before the public started the swing to force release the restrictions on drilling in new and old oil fields. The far left environmentalists, including Congressman Stupak, have pressured us into a position of dependency on foreign markets that have cost us heavily and will continue to financially drain us until we can shift into an emergency mode to start producing and refining our own oil, which may take several years. I hope the voting public punishes them in November.

“Another subject of my deep concern is getting the federal government out of education, especially on the elementary level,” Hooper continued. “The extremely important period between 3 and 7 years are when a child develops his world view, and that impression could last throughout their entire lives. We want that world view to be wholesome and patriotic.

“The period of military invasion of this country has relinquished to political contamination from within our own institutions and the government itself,” he added. “We must prepare for a very long philosophical war with Islam and the United Nations.”

Hooper is married with four children. He has been involved in Grace Covenant Church as a lay preacher, Sunday school superintendent and was director of Hagerman Lake Bible Camp for two years.

He co-founded the first deep-water search and rescue operation in Michigan, and was Iron County GOP chairman for three years.

Hooper is a member of the National Republican Party, and the National Rifle Association and served on the Board of Directors for Americans for Constitutional Enforcement.