Taking the gloves off, former Colorado Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton said in an 85-minute interview in her Centennial office today that Ken Buck, her opponent for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, is the real Washington insider and that she’s the fiscal conservative in the race.

“I am not the Washington insider in this race. That would be Ken Buck. Ken has a Washington insider 527 running over $1 million of ads on his behalf. And he received over a third of all his donations from employees of one company that relies on stimulus money and millions of dollars of special interests contracts,” Norton said.

(Her campaign provided me with a list of employees of Greeley-based Hensel Phelps Construction Co. who have contributed $141,800 to Buck’s Senate campaign.)

In reply to the Buck campaign’s charges that Norton is a Washington insider because she is backed by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and is related to a Washington lobbyist, Norton said, “Ken Buck was Governor Bill Ritter’s best man. If we’re going to play the guilt by association game, that’s an interesting connection.”

Like Buck, Norton says she would not vote for a bill that would help Colorado if it included a tax increase.

Appointed Democrat Senator Michael Bennet “is totally out of touch with Colorado values. . . He’s a rubber stamp for anything the Obama administration wants.”

As executive director of the Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment between 1999 and 2002, Norton said, “My general fund request was down 28% when I left office. We eliminated programs that were not authorized by the state statute or in the state constitution.”

Norton also noted that when she ran for lieutenant governor, she took an unpaid leave of absence from her state job. Ken Buck continues to serve as the district attorney of Weld county even though he’s often absent so that he can attend campaign events, she said.

She also clarified her role at the Englewood-based Medical Group Management Association, where she was in charge of monitoring changes in states’ laws and regulations and informing managers of some 7,000 medical group practices about how they could comply with new state laws. She wasn’t in charge of the MGMA’s lobbyist in Washington and she never managed lobbyists or served as a lobbyist, she said.

“I have never been a lobbyist,” she said.

To see the 27 questions and answers, please click on the hed of this story. If you’re viewing this story at Rocky Mountain Right or Peoples Press Collective, go to www.businessword.com.

1. What do you like about the immigration reform bill being pushed by President Obama? What don’t you like?

The president is playing politics with immigration, trying to rally his base around his failed policies in the economy and health care. I don’t like the politicization. I would not be for amnesty. If it doesn’t secure the borders, I would not like it.

We need a temporary guest worker program with state biometrics identification programs that can verify that they’re here legally and temporarily. 

2. Do you support Arizona’s new immigration enforcement bill? Should Congress pass that kind of bill?

I think it’s emblematic and a reaction of the people of Arizona to the government’s failure to secure the borders. To keep America safe, we have to secure our borders. The courts will decide whether the law is constitutional. It’s another example of how the federal government is not keeping its promise to keep us safe by securing the borders.

3. Both you and Ken Buck have said that you believe that immigration reforms should allow foreign workers to come into the country temporarily and do seasonal work for farmers and others. Exactly how would that work? Would it be enforceable?

We could enforce it by cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrant workers. Use state issued biometric I.D.s. The design and administration of a temporary work visa program should be dictated on the needs of our economy. Do we need farm workers, hospitality workers, technical workers? 

4. Ken Buck says he never would vote for a bill that included a tax increase even if it was a bill that would help Colorado. Would you?

No. I wouldn’t. Our economy is in bad shape, and you don’t improve it by increasing taxes. I was the first candidate in this race who signed pledges to not raise taxes. I’ve walked the walk as a fiscal conservative. Ken’s allowed his budget in the DA’s office to grow. I had two tax supported budgets when I was in office that were lower when I left office than when I started.

I support a three-year time out on the payroll tax, a reduction of the corporate tax, elimination of the estate tax and a fairer and flatter tax code. 

She’s opposed to a value added tax. “We’re not under taxed, we’re over spent.”

5. Ken Buck has said he doesn’t totally believe in America’s traditional separation of church and state?  Do you?

I do support our country’s founders’ view of separation of church and state which is that the government never should establish a state religion or prohibit the free exercise of our religious liberties. Some state and federal government officials have misinterpreted that as meaning there can be a license to get rid of public expression of religious views—banning the display of nativities, banning meetings of religious clubs in public schools. 

6. How would your religious beliefs affect your votes in the Senate? How would they not affect them?

My faith is really important to me. It’s shaped my values. If elected, I would represent all of the people of Colorado and do what’s best for the state, not my denomination.

7. There is some confusion about your careers in government. When you were regional director of HHS, did you establish budgets, or was that done by OMB and HHS? 

I was regional director of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) from April 1988 to January 1993. Region 8 included the 6 states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. My office was in Denver. I had a small administrative budget that was requested by the secretary of HHS. My budget did not include the budgets of the various HHS programs like Medicare or Medicaid. The program initiatives were set by the secretary who requested funding from Congress. I was the secretary’s representative in the region. My budget was the administrative budget.

Under former Governor Bill Owens, Norton was executive director of the Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) from 1999 to 2002. Her bio says she managed a staff of 1,100 with a budget of over $280 million. 

“Working with the governor’s office, the executive director makes a general fund request to the legislature. I spent it within the intent of the legislature.” She had quite a b it of influence because she made budget recommendations. 

“My general fund request was down 28% when I left office. We eliminated programs that were not authorized by the state statute or in the state constitution.” 

When she ran for lieutenant governor, she took a leave of absence without pay. 

Buck hasn’t taken a leave of absence as the district attorney of Weld County and is often out of the office campaigning, Norton notes. 

8. As lieutenant governor, did you have any power over any kind of spending by the state of Colorado? If so, how did you use that power? 

I had responsibility for the general fund appropriations, which decreased during my tenure. I could have asked and made the case for more money but didn’t.

In 2004, there was a bill that authorized the state to collect money to send WW II VETS of limited means to the dedication ceremonies for the National World War II memorial opening in Washington, DC. Instead of asking for tax dollars, I went out and raised private dollars. I believe we sent 24 veterans back.

9. Were you ever a Washington lobbyist? Did you ever talk to members of Congress or people in the White House or government agencies about bills, regulations and policies?

I have never been a lobbyist. I am not the Washington insider in this race. That would be Ken Buck. Ken has a Washington insider 527 running over $1 million of ads on his behalf. And he received over a third of all his donations from employees of one company that relies on stimulus money and millions of dollars of special interests contracts.

If you want to be worried about Washington special interests, we should worried about Ken Buck.

Ken Buck was Bill Ritter’s best man. If we’re going to play the guilt by association game, that’s an interesting connection.

10. As head of the Office of State Government Relations and the Office of Strategic Relationships at the Englewood-based Medical Group Management Assn. (MGMA), did you help hire and fire lobbyists?

I was director of state government relations from 1994 to 1999. There were two government relations offices, state and federal. My shop monitored health care reform legislation in the 50 states. We provided information to our members on how they could comply with regulatory and legislative changes. There was a federal lobbyist in DC who had a separate role and was a registered lobbyist.

11. Did you give instructions to those lobbyists? 

Absolutely not.

It was through my experience at HHS, MGMA and as the executive director of health etc., that I learned about real health care reform, and it was not ObamaCare.

12. Sen. Michael Bennet voted for Obama’s stimulus bill. Would you?

Absolutely not. It hasn’t created jobs and we know it can’t because government can’t create jobs. The private sector does. And that’s why I’m running for the Senate. The Federal government is out of control.

13. Bennet voted and strongly advocated for ObamaCare. Why?

I think he is totally out of touch with Colorado values. Coloradans want substantive changes that will reduce the cost of health care. 

He’s a rubber stamp for anything the Obama administration wants. 

14. What are the chances that the health insurance bill will be totally repealed in the next 6 to 12 years?

I’ve called for repealing and replacing the bill, but to override a presidential veto, we will need more help in the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, there are other things we can do to kill the bill before it goes into effect. Like stripping funding for 16,000 Internal Revenue Service agents needed to implement the bill. 

We should focus on not funding the critical pieces of the legislation, legal challenges by states’ attorney generals. We need incremental changes like tax equity and tort reform that would bring the cost of health care down.

We’ve just added 32 million people to Medicaid’s roles. We don’t have physicians to serve those people. The state’s budget is overburdened with the Medicaid cost shift and we don’t have the providers. Under ObamaCare, it will take you five to six months to see a primary care physician.

15. What would be your top priority when it came to trying to “fix” the bill in the next session of Congress?

We know tort reform works, tax equity increases coverage, portability, purchasing across state lines and consumer directed health care. Choice and competition would bring the cost of health care down and increase quality.

16. You are for a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Correct? 

Yes, without raising taxes, and that’s the difference. I think it’s possible. There is incredible momentum because of the out of control spending by the Federal government.

17. What are the chances that such an amendment will be approved by Congress and the states and become part of the U.S. Constitution in the next six years? 

I"m optimistic because there is so much displeasure because we’re mortgaging our children’s future. This kind of spending is not sustainable.

18. Senate Republicans appear to be near a deal on finance reform, or they were on Friday. What financial reforms do you support and oppose?

We need to reform our banking laws. Never again can we allow taxpayers put on the hook for bailouts. Protect taxpayers from bailouts, prevent a financial crisis from happening again. We need an effective bankruptcy system for large financial institutions that fail. Get rid of the too big to fail policy. They’re not doing anything to regulate the culprits who got us into this, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. There are stringent regulations, but I don’t think they’re effective.

19. Are you concerned that the financial reform bill’s creation of a regulatory agency that could shut down financial companies, including manufacturers with financial operations, could be politicized and that the power could be abused?

They’re perpetuating a too big to fail mentality. Any time the government offers such guarantees, there is room for all sorts of abuses. 

There is so much discussion about what would be the systemic risk and there is concern about politicizing the regulatory framework.

20. Energy is a big issue in Colorado. How should federal laws be changed to make the U.S. less dependent on foreign energy providers?

We’ve got massive government regulations that are driving jobs from the state. We need an all of above energy policy that supports the wind, oil, natural gas, nuclear and coal industries. It’s a matter of national security.

21. You are for eliminating the U.S. Dept. of Education. What are the chances that would be done during your six to 12 or more years in the U.S. Senate?

This question strikes at what is the proper scope and size of the Federal government. Eliminate the 5,000 bureaucratic positions in the department and block grant the money to the states and local entities. Massive spending doesn’t increase student performance. Look at the department’s budget and how it’s grown over the years and how it has not increased student performance. This is another example of spending at the federal level.

In 2008, there was one person at the Dept. of Transportation who made over $170,000, now there are almost 1,700 in the government, according to USA Today.

Average private sector job right now is $41,000. The average public sector job is $79,000, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. 

You take all of the unspent TARP and stimulus money, put it towards reducing deficit, cut discretionary spending by 20% and freeze it for three years. You repeal ObamaCare, which is a huge tax on Americans. You don’t pass cap and trade. Reduce the corporate tax rate. Eliminate the estate tax. Eliminate payroll tax for three years and allow small businesses to flourish.

22. What are people telling you about starting and growing businesses in Colorado?

Every day I have people tell me that they aren’t going to add people because of the uncertainty. I’ve had acquaintances who’ve closed businesses.

23. How do you think you would vote in the Senate differently than Ken Buck?

That’s simple. I have a record of fiscal conservatism. Ken doesn’t. Ken would vote to help the Washington special interests that backed him. With him you’ll get politics as usual and with me you’ll get a vote to end runaway spending.

24. Is Michael Bennet representing Colorado or the unions and his home town of Washington, DC?

Michael Bennet is representing unions and Barack Obama. He is a rubber stamp for Obama and the special interests that are trying to get him elected. His votes on unions are out of touch with Colorado. He’s not listening and he’s not representing us.

25. Public employee unions are almost bankrupting the Federal government and the governments of California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois and other states. Do you agree that that’s a problem? What should Congress do about it?

It’s a huge problem. Congress needs to place people at the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) who understand the importance of industry, not just union lackies like Craig Becker.

Congress shouldn’t make it easier for unions to place a choke on employers and employees with card checks for union elections.

26. Big government gives special interests huge incentives to spend billions on lobbyists who, in effect, corrupt members of Congress and state legislatures with campaign contributions. How do you convince voters who love all of their government subsidies and tax exemptions that  governments that are run by lobbyists and special interests hurt them more than help them live prosperous lives?

We have to eliminate earmarks if you really want to get at the corruption and special interests. I was the first one in this race to pledge not to support earmarks.

A true discussion about the power of incumbency is needed and whether we are at a time where we need term limits. Incumbency and spending have gotten so out of control that we need term limits at the federal level.

27. That would require a Constitutional amendment?

Yes.

LINKS:

Click the interviews tab below this story to see my interviews with Ken Buck and other candidates.

Jane Norton for Colorado.

Ken Buck for Colorado.

Tom Wiens for Senate.

Federal pay continues rapid ascent. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

For feds, more get 6-figure salaries. By Dennis Cauchon, USA Today.

Hensel Phelps Construction Co.

Medical Group Management Association.