Phil Roe

Name: Phil Roe
Date of Birth: July 21st 1945
Email address: dprapsu@aol.com
Campaign Web site: www.Roe4Congress.com
Party affiliation: Republican

Please answer the following questions about your background:

1.What is your educational background, including the highest degree you attained (high school, college, advanced degree, etc.) and the year it was attained?
1975-1976 Residency OB-Gyn U.T. College of Medicine Memphis TN, 1973-1974 Army
1971-1972 U.T. OB-Gyn_ Univ of TN College of Medicine, B.S. Biology and Chemistry Austin Peay 1967
Clarksville High School 1963

2.What is your professional background, including your present employer and job description and other significant posts you have held in the past? If you are retired, what was your most recent employment?
Medical OB-Gyn 31 years retired

3.Are you married? If so, please list your spouse’s name and occupation and any elected office they hold or have held in the past (if applicable).
Married Pam Roe Nurse

4.Do you have children? If so, how many and what are their ages? Do they (or did they) attend public schools?
David C. Roe 35, John Roe 31, and Whitney Larkin 23 all attended K-12 in the Johnson City Public School System

5.Do you presently hold an elected office or have you held one in the past? Please list all elected posts and the years you were in office.
2003-2008 City Commission Vice Mayor and currently Mayor

6.Have you ever been an officer in a political party on the local or national level, worked in a campaign or been a delegate to a political convention? If yes, please provide details and names of candidates for whom you worked.
Worked on Fred Thompson's Senatorial Campaign

7.Who are your three biggest campaign contributors? How much money have you raised in your campaign? Have you taken any special interest or PAC money? How much money do you expect to spend in your campaign?

250,00 raised to date, Janel Prescott, David Jones, and Gerald Thomas NO PAC MONEY or Special Interest Money

8.Do you volunteer your time or give money to local causes? If so, please list them.
ETSU Foundation Board, President of Foundation Board APSU, Boy Scouts, United Way, Johnson City scholarship fund, Munsey United Methodist Church,and Humane Society of Wash County

9.Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime as an adult? If yes, please give jurisdiction and details. You may explain if necessary.
NO

10.Have you ever filed bankruptcy? If yes, please explain.
NO

11.Have you served in the military? If yes, please provide details including branch of service, highest rank, years of service and date and terms of discharge.
US Army 1973-1974 Camp Casey Korea 2nd Infantry Division, Cpt promoted to Major Fort Eustis VA, Honoroble Discharge 1974 American Service Metal, Korea Service Metal, and Goood Conduct Metal

12.Have you or your business ever been the subject of a lawsuit, lien or foreclosure? If yes, please explain.
Yes Medial Malpractice- Case dropped 20 plus years ago.

13.What ties do you have to any business or organization that could profit from action as a congressman or senator, no matter how slight the ties or the action? Please explain your plan to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest.
NONE

Please answer the following questions about the issues:

1.The nation is in the grips of an energy crisis. What specific steps would you take to improve our energy independence and to reduce the strain of high prices on consumers? How would you balance these plans with the need to protect the environment?
The solution to the energy crisis involves looking forward, not backwards. In the short-term, we must take steps to ensure adequate domestic energy supplies. A key part of this immediate strategy needs to be the use of coal and the technology we now have to make this it a viable energy source for use in vehicles.
The Eastman Company, located here in East Tennessee, has been a leader in building vital coal gasification plants. Long-term incentives, such as tax credits for individuals installing things such as solar water heaters, helps in our conversion to non-fossil fuel technologies. The key is developing an energy vision for the country – something that is currently sorely lacking. Part of this vision should include nuclear power

2.What can Congress do to help the U.S. economy recover from the present downturn?
Excessive regulation and taxes are a deterrent to business expansion and income. While balancing the federal budget with reduced spending, we must lower the top corporate and individual tax rates to more reasonable levels. I support the President’s previous tax cuts and his plan to make them permanent. This is the best way to stimulate the economy, by giving both the worker and the entrepreneur incentives to grow business. These tax cuts, along with such incentives as tax credits for capital investment, are a vital step toward jump-starting our economy.

3.How will you ensure that health care remains affordable and accessible for all?
Health care is not affordable and accessible to far too many Americans. Escalating health care inflation is a seemingly endless cycle of health insurance premium increases, coupled with actual health care cost increases. The government consistently over-regulates and under-delivers. Medicare and Medicaid are vital federal government programs that serve the needs of those Americans who qualify for them, but much can be done to streamline the paperwork and the excessive administrative burdens associated with them. Simply put, reducing administrative costs always frees up funds to provide more actual health care.

4.How will you shore up Social Security and Medicare for the next generation?
The is a complex and long-term problem that is going to require bi-partisan support in both houses of Congress. The equation is fairly simple: Revenues versus expenses. To increase revenues would require having to raise the tax rate on Social Security and/or raise the threshold wage level where an individual currently does not have to pay these taxes. On the expense side, the choice is to raise the retirement age and/or cut benefits. I believe with a bi-partisan effort, and with a more efficient management of the Social Security System, we can keep Social Security intact with little change to the system. If we get both sides to give or take just a little, Americans can continue to enjoy the benefits of this system that has been in place for well over 60 years.

5.What should be done to realize the vision of the No Child Left Behind law?
More regulation, particularly at the federal level, does not equal better education. President Reagan was right when he wanted to get the federal government out of the education business. The best educational system is one directed by parents, teachers and local school boards – not bureaucrats in Washington. But we must not be afraid of accountability, school choice and innovation. Excellence in our public schools should always be rewarded. We must empower families who live in communities with failing schools to seek better educational alternatives.

6.What can be done to reduce the national debt? (Please be specific).
I have a very simple philosophy of Government spend less than you take in Certainly many of these federal programs need to be brought down to the state level where they rightly belong, according to the 10th Amendment of the Constitution. I plan to ask the President to form a high-level commission to study the budget and to empower that commission by directing the Government Accounting Office to identify specific spending items in all branches of government where a cut of 10 to 20 percent could be implemented without affecting the vital functions of our federal government. When our households in East Tennessee are impacted by a job loss or less income, then we know what to do. We cut back and spend only on essentials. This is what needs to happen across all branches of the federal government.

7.Should the tax code be simplified? Explain.
Of course. I am a fan of the fair tax and I am also a fan of the flat tax proposed by Steve Forbes and others. Americans deserve a tax system that is fair and equitable and not time-consuming. I am open to a complete rework of our current tax code.

8.What is the proper balance between protecting the nation’s natural beauty and using natural resources? What will you do to maintain the balance?

Well, I obviously do not want to see oil derricks in the Grand Canyon or strip logging in all of the Cherokee National Forest. But, we continue to be at the mercy of foreign energy suppliers. The answer lies
in short-term oil production increases through new technology and long-term alternative energy sources. I also believe that the current proposal to drill in ANWR is in the best interest of our country, as
long as we pass laws to require that this oil it must be sold only in the United States.

9.What programs would you put in place to ensure that America’s young people remain competitive in math, science and engineering?
Making education affordable is a priority of mine. Since America vitally needs students in the sciences, and in order to avoid a "brain drain",extra incentives in the form of very low interest loans, such as those as low as 1%, coupled with loan forgiveness for those that enter the teaching profession, would be an excellent way to attract people into these fields.

10.What local projects would you support with federal funding?
Any sort of public works project, such as grants to ETSU for research or research facilities or funding such vital infrastructure as the Tri-Cities Regional Airport would be a prudent use of federal funds.

11.How will you meet the needs of a diverse district that includes both rural areas and urban centers?
I will invite the leadership of rural areas as well as urban centers and have a consensus on what needs have priority. Rural areas support urban centers and vice versa. It is not a situation of us-against-them.

12.Do you support a Constitutional ban on gay marriage, and should such a ban be extended to civil unions? Explain.
I am both philosophically and morally opposed to gay marriage. As much as I would like to see this remain a state issue, I am concerned that we have activist judges that are legislating from the bench. If this continues, which I fear it will, it may force the people to settle the issue with a Constitutional ban.

13.What is one piece of legislation you plan to introduce in your first (or next) year in congress? Why?
It has been my experience that care for our veterans and the funding of the VA system have both been lagging recently. I was a supporter of the recent Veteran GI bill, which was opposed and voted against by David Davis. Veterans and their issues are one of my top priorities. I will do everything I can as your congressman to see that veterans and their families are supported by the best personnel and assistance that our government can provide.

14.Should illegal immigrants be deported? How would you accomplish this?
While we as Christians need to maintain our Christian character and love our neighbor, it is also imperative that we obey the law of the land and deport those that are here illegally. The Department of Naturalization and Immigration needs to have more funds made available to them so they can send back those that choose to break the law and come here illegally. We should welcome those who wish to come here legally and be productive and valuable citizens that support our laws and institutions.

15.Should there be a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who work, pay fines and back taxes and learn the English language? Explain.
As a Christian, it is in my nature to forgive and to love my neighbor, but sometimes I believe that tough love is the answer. President Reagan had a similar plan that granted amnesty in the 1980's, but I am leery of doing this again. It sends the wrong message to the rest of the world that we are overwhelmed and cannot enforce our immigration laws. One of the first steps we must take immediately is to regain control of our borders.

16.Should parents get vouchers to send their children to any school, public or private? What about a tax credit? Explain.
I support educational choice – but I am opposed to government regulation of the educational programs of private and religiously-affiliated schools.

17.Does the U.S. have a clearly defined foreign policy? What would you do differently? I believe that our foreign policy is in disarray right now. I have supported the war in Afghanistan and in Iraq, but our troops and the American people deserve to be told how we win what is an apparently open-ended war in the Middle East. Clearly defined goals and missions, along with a foreign policy that puts America and her interests at the forefront, are what is needed.

18.Should the U.S. set a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq? Explain.
The prospect of a timetable is actually intrinsic and was part of the original plan when we went into Iraq. Obviously, America never intended to invade Iraq and stay there permanently. Therefore, the only timetable to withdrawal from Iraq results when we have accomplished our mission. When this happens, then we can withdraw from Iraq. To set an arbitrary date only empowers those that want to do harm to us and our forces.

19.Has the war in Iraq distracted the U.S. from the war on terror? Explain.
I believe that the war in Iraq has resulted in the elimination of many terrorist threats, but we should clearly place increased emphasis on Afghanistan. Recent reports show the Taliban has reconstituted itself and is growing stronger every day in Afghanistan. This is a troubling development and one that Congress needs to consider when preparing the new defense budget for the coming fiscal year. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the brave men and women who serve to defend our freedoms.

20.Should smoking in restaurants and other public places be banned? Explain.
As a physician, I will tell you that smoking is an unhealthy habit and breathing second-hand smoke is not good for you. I support the smoking ban. I reference the 10th Amendment of the Constitution and believe that this matter is a state issue.