U.S. House of Representatives

District 6

Candidate Name: Andrew Duck

Party affiliation: Democrat

Place of residence: Brunswick

Date of birth: Oct. 31, 1962

Place of birth: Washington, D.C.

Current occupation: Intelligence analyst

Education: Graduate, Middletown High School; BAAS of public administration, Southwest Texas State University; graduate study in economics, University of Oklahoma.

Community associations, involvement: Citizens for Responsible Growth; member, Jack Webb VFW Post; member, American Legion; member, Military Officers Alumni Association.

Professional associations: Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization.

Family: 15th of 17 children. Married, wife Whitney Summers. Three children.

Campaign office address and telephone: 120 W. Church St., Suite F, Frederick, MD 21701. 301-696-1881.

Candidate’s Web site: www.DuckForCongress.com

Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

Changing our course in Iraq. Establish American energy independence in 10 years. Ensure universal health care for all Americans.

How would you rate the performance of the House of Representatives: excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

Poor. They have given us the biggest deficit in history, the largest and most inefficient government in history, and the most intrusive government in history. They have failed to exercise oversight to make sure laws are enforced, especially with immigration. They have failed in their oversight on Iraq and protection of individual liberties.

Do you have a timeline on when the U.S. should pull out of Iraq?

I served on the ground in Iraq, and have outlined a plan for how to proceed on my Web site. We must change course in Iraq immediately. We showed in Bosnia how to do the job right. In Iraq, we were not permitted to do the right things. Our tactics should not be based on traditional combat, but on counter-insurgency and peace enforcement techniques. As someone with more than 20 years of military experience, I have the knowledge to lead on this issue while adapting to the rapidly changing situation. Withdraw should be tied to events, not a calendar.

We must also ensure that we do not lose sight of traditional American values. America is based on the rule of law. We must ensure our laws are followed and that violators of the law are punished fairly. It is unfair that enlisted soldiers from Cumberland are sentenced to prison while the advisor who created the policy goes unpunished. Americans value the Geneva Conventions and they are part of our laws. Success in Iraq requires that we restore our legitimacy. We can only do that by holding people accountable.

How should the government pay for the War on Terror?

We have always paid for our defense by funding the Department of Defense. We must begin by reallocating our resources to face the current threat. We no longer need the weapons and systems designed to defeat the Soviet hordes. Much of the funding to face the current threat can come from terminating programs that will not be effective against our current enemy.

Would you make any changes to the way the Department of Homeland Security is run?

Yes. The Department of Homeland Security should be reorganized based on the assigned missions. FEMA should be a separate agency, able to react to natural disasters in addition to security threats. The current structure consists of many separate agencies with overlapping functions that have been lumped together in one department. There should be a complete overhaul to clearly align missions with the properly trained personnel and resources.

What should be done to save Social Security?

Social Security is not in crisis. Social Security is fully funded for the next several decades. We should act now to ensure the continued stability of Social Security by adjusting the cap on taxable income for inflation, and having that cap and the benefits both adjusted for inflation on an ongoing basis.

What should be done to save Medicare?

We need Universal Access to Health Care in America. We pay 40 percent more than any other country for our health care and we are not getting our money’s worth. We should ensure all Americans have health care, as the uninsured are forced to receive the most expensive care possible, emergency room care. Universal access to health care will permit care to be given in the most cost efficient manner. We must reduce the administrative costs, as more than 20 percent of our health care dollars are spent on administration. We must standardize the paperwork across insurance companies, standardize coverage, and reduce the number of times claims must be re-filed. We must reduce health care costs not just for Medicare, but for all Americans.

What is your position on the death penalty?

I am opposed to the death penalty. As a soldier, I have been trained that it is wrong to kill a prisoner. If someone is a threat to me or another person, then I would take action without hesitation. But once a person has been captured they are no longer a threat.

What is your position on abortion?

I am pro-life, but I do not think we should change the laws on abortion. I believe we need practical solutions. Outlawing abortion will not be effective, just as prohibition was not effective in eliminating alcohol consumption. Instead we need to focus on practical solutions to reduce abortion, including universal access to healthcare, affordable childcare, effective sex education, jobs that pay a living wage, quality education, and eliminate the marriage penalty in income taxes.

I want to reduce the number of abortions and the best way to do that is to reach out to women in crisis with effective support. We need to ensure that no woman feels that having a child will ruin her life forever.

When I say I am pro-life, it is not simply a political position. Whitney, my wife, and I have been there. Faced with difficult decisions, my wife put her life on the line for the potential of another life. When the choice was up to us, we fought for our child. Having been through that experience, I do not trust that decision to be made by anyone other than the family involved. This decision should not be left to a government bureaucrat, or to a judge. It is the family who must make this decision, not a politician in Washington.

Do you support same-sex marriages? Why?

I do not think we should change the definition of marriage. Marriage should be between a man and a woman. I do support civil unions, which will provide equal rights, with the same legal protections for same-sex relationships that traditional relationships have, while not changing the definition of marriage.

Do you support the federal No Child Left Behind law? Why or Why not?

I will vote to repeal No Child Left Behind. It has not worked. It imposes a large unfunded mandate on local school systems. Any program that says that we should cut funding to failing schools is not designed to fix the problem. We need to fix those schools that are having problems, not make the problems worse. The ‘‘one size fits all” approach of the program is not effective. While reading, writing and arithmetic are important, we also know that students who learn music are better at math, students who learn art are better at English, and students who have phys ed are more attentive during history. Rote memorization for standardized tests will not provide our students with the critical thinking skills and creativity that are needed in the modern workplace.

What state transportation projects are a priority for you and how should we pay for them?

Within the sixth district we need to extend the HOV lane on 270 all the way to Frederick, provide a north-south highway through Cumberland, and expand access to MARC and the Baltimore Light Rail. We must increase access to public transportation, including building the Purple Line and extending the Red Line as part of Metro.

Has Sarbanes-Oxley worked? Is there more the government can do to prevent corporate corruption?

Sarbanes-Oxley has worked. It is a needed protection for investors. The government should immediately investigate corporate corruption in the contracting process, particularly in Iraq and in response to Hurricane Katrina. We should examine the corruption among elected officials, especially in Congress, and begin that process by reconstituting the Ethics Committee in the House. The government should enforce existing laws, especially regarding workplace safety, hiring of illegal immigrants, and anti-trust legislation.