Campaign for Congress: Lois Capps and Matt Kokkonen

The People

Background:
Incumbent Lois Capps has served in Congress for ten years, five of those as a representative for the 23rd district which includes San Luis Obispo County. Capps worked as a nurse for 20 years in the Santa Barbara School District and taught part-time as an early childhood education instructor at Santa Barbara City College for 10 years. She is “committed to helping people improve their daily lives through better schools, quality health care, and a cleaner environment,” according to her Web site.

Background:
Matt Kokkonen immigrated to the U.S. from Finland when he was 16 and is now an American citizen. He opened Matt Kokkonen Insurance and Investment Agency in San Luis Obispo in 1975 and still runs the business today. “Being an immigrant from Finland, I believe in changes for the better. All Californians deserve that change. High gas prices, high food prices, and fewer jobs mean hardworking families are not living the American dream,” Kokkonen said on his Web site.

The Issues

Why should students care about, or be interested in, your campaign for Congress?

Lois Capps: “This is an election year the has captivated my excitement. I believe that we have the chance of a generation to turn our country around, to make such significant changes. I’m translating the excitement about this election and I feel it at Cal Poly a lot. People really believe that we all need to get engaged because there’s so much at stake. I am running for office again because I want to make my community and my nation safer and stronger and more compassionate. We have so many challenges that directly impact today’s college students. We’re going to need every bit of skill and vision and technique that Cal Poly can produce.”

Matt Kokkonen: “Well, Congress is the main legislative body for the U.S. and what happens there affects everybody and everything. One of the issues that very specifically addresses students is my tax proposal to eliminate all income taxes on earned income under age 25. That’s a very novel idea. .I want to give the students and other young people a head start in their lives so they can start a business, so they can get established in a career, so they can pay off student loans, so they can buy a home, so they can start a family. I want to get them engaged in our system, and I want to get them engaged in our economy and I want to get them started to becoming entrepreneurs.”

How do you feel about the energy crisis and more specifically, and locally, offshore drilling?

Lois Capps: “If we can literally heal our climate or globe in time and fix the climate changes in time, before they become permanent that’s going to take. a revolution. Some folks are saying we can’t do it but I look to our young people to lead the way in that…We can become energy self-sufficient as a nation. When I had a visit (at Cal Poly) last summer, I had an opportunity to spend part of a day speaking with the students and seeing their projects.and the research that has practical application in the very green revolution that we need.”

“I’m objecting to new oil drilling because it really won’t make that much of a difference and it has the danger of really ruining a very precious part of our resource. We’re never going to drill our way to energy independence. We need to produce more of our own oil and gas here, but we don’t need to drill new platforms offshore. We need to make use of that which we already have leased.”

Matt Kokkonen: “The incumbent does not believe we should be doing any drilling in Alaska, or off-shore, or between Florida and Cuba. I believe we need to develop all sources of energy. We must become energy-independent. We need to conserve and at the same time we need to drill for oil and gas. We can do it safely, we can do it without harming the environment, and it will increase our energy supply.and that will drive down the price of oil. to claim that (drilling now) won’t affect our prices (for years) is flat wrong… we need to develop nuclear plants (right away).”

How do you feel about the $700 billion “bailout” and did you/would you have voted for it?

Lois Capps: “It’s an economic rescue package. It got labeled a “bailout” because people were so furious, including me, with Wall Street. It’s all about protecting taxpayers. we’re in a tough time because it hasn’t started yet to make a difference on Wall Street. now what we have to do is get into the long term to really fix our problems, and it’s going to take a while.we need to reform how Wall Street behaves. we need to use this funding so that people can be secure with their lives. college students can make sure their loans (stay at the failed institutions).”

Matt Kokkonen: “I would have voted against the Wall Street bailout and the bank bailout and the homebuyer bailout. I don’t think it’s the right way for our economy. The capital markets will take care of themselves if we permit them to work appropriately without undue government influence. One of the biggest causes of the credit crunch was the government’s intervention in the normal underwriting process of loans.”