William D. French

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should NH increase funding for heroin treatment programs?

"Yes. Heroin and other addictions are a huge problem. People on heroin may commit crimes to support their addiction. People have asked for help with their heroin addiction, and have died waiting, because there was a backlog of people needing treatment."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should there be a path to citizenship for some illegal/undocumented immigrants?

"We need to have a prompt immigration process for people wishing to enter the U.S. and for those here illegally, accepting those who are best for the U.S. Our goal should be to keep criminals outside the U.S., and to encourage honest persons who are employed in the U.S. to stay and to add strength to the U.S. economy.

"We need to construct an electronic wall along the border with Mexico to keep out criminals from all nations. The U.S. can pay for, and monitor, this wall. There is no reason to believe that Mexico would pay for it.

"We should encourage illegal immigrants to apply for legal status in the U.S., with the promise that we will not use their application to deport them. To do this, we should allow legal residential status for those who have jobs and who have not been in jail, and to grant citizenship for those who have jobs especially useful in the U.S. economy."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should NH continue to base statewide assessments on Common Core standards?

"Yes, the English is useful for everyone. The math is useful for those who might use advanced math in the future, such as in science or engineering. We should have alternate courses for students interested in arts, trades, and information technology.

"We would have fewer drop-outs, if there were more alternative courses for students who hated math and science."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should the federal government expand background checks for firearms sales?

"Yes. In the U.S. about 30,000 people die each year from gun-related causes.

"Stricter controls will have a limited effect, but saving even a few lives is worth the effort.

"Guns in irresponsible hands are dangerous. Guns in very responsible hands can increase our security.

"The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is: 'A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.' At the time of the Amendment, we needed the militia to fight British hostilities. Now, we may need such a militia to fight crime, including radical Islamic terrorism.

"We should encourage especially responsible people to carry guns. Such people could include off-duty U.S. military, police, security guards, congresspersons, district attorneys, judges, etc., or people retired from such positions.

"Getting people in the U.S. to be responsible is more important than gun control. If someone commits a crime, we should consider getting the person into a training group to learn and use skills that will allow the person to get a job that will keep them away from crime."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should the government do more to combat climate change, for example by restricting emissions, taxing carbon, or providing incentives to develop clean energy?

"Yes. Climate change is one of the most important long-term problems faced by the world."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should the federal government institute a flat income tax for all income brackets while eliminating many deductions?

"No. The income tax is fine as it is, except for the complexity and special interest deductions. A higher standard deduction would eliminate the complexity for many.

"A related question is whether the U.S. should require a higher minimum wage.

"Those in favor say that people cannot support a family on a $7.25 minimum wage.

"Those against say that a $15 per hour minimum wage will bankrupt many small or export-oriented businesses, and send the U.S. economy into recession.

"Both arguments are correct.

"So, since a higher minimum wage is a social program, I propose that the government pay the cost of the program directly by paying half the difference between what a person is paid and $15 per hour. The economic cost to the U.S. of paying this cost is less than the cost of requiring a $15 per hour minimum wage, which would be experienced in lost taxes and the costs of sending the economy into recession."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should the government enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have legalized marijuana?

"No, other than a requirement that marijuana not be sold to anyone under 21. We should respect the wishes of the majority of the voters in those states, and see what the impact of legalizing marijuana is in the states that have already legalized marijuana (Colorado, Oregon, Washington State, Alaska, and DC) and adjust the U.S. laws accordingly."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

How should the U.S. combat the Islamic State?

"We should be sure that Muslims are not radicalized in the U.S. This means watching all social media, keeping track of what is said in Mosques, and carefully monitoring travel and internet communication between the U.S. and areas where ISIS has power.

"We need to control our borders, and to be careful with visas and immigration, in order to keep terrorists and other criminals out. We should keep anyone from Syria and ISIS-controlled Iraq out of the U.S., unless we know exactly who they are.

"Encoded emails and text messages should allow the U.S. government to have a back door to read the messages. The reader of the messages should be a computer program that searches for certain words. Using a computer program rather than a human would keep this from being a way of someone spying generally on Americans. Once any jihad messages are found then a human should read the message. If a message cannot be decoded it should be stopped and the sender and intended recipient monitored. A few senders of emails and texts should not have a back door including selected persons at the State Department the military and defense companies.

"We need to make sure that there is no access to weapons of mass destruction by radical Islam including nuclear biological and chemical.

"We should continue to support our allies with tanks mortars airplanes drones helicopters surface-to-air missiles and a no-fly zone over southern Syria. The protected areas will provide safe places for Syrian and other refugees. We should control and have U.S. soldiers operate all the weapons we supply other than small arms. We need to have this support in place before ISIS Iran or Assad try to take over any additional territory in the Middle East. We should attack ISIS's access to money especially from the sale of oil. We need to supply heavy weapons to those fighting ISIS in Libya. The Iraqi army is having some success in that it regained Ramadi from ISIS.

"We cannot control the entire Middle East by ourselves without having more soldiers on the ground than there are in the entire U.S. military. I would talk with generals and certain world leaders about any military strategy."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should the federal government increase private sector involvement in veterans' health care?

"Yes. A veteran should have the choice of VA health care, or private health care."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should the federal government lower the corporate tax rate?

"Companies already are leaving the U.S. for other countries that have lower corporate taxes and more favorable regulations. The U.S. already has a high nominal rate of corporate income tax. The nominal rate should be lower and the deductions fewer, to keep corporations from moving to other countries.

"Some of those who advocate higher income tax rates, also recommend breaking up the large U.S. banks. They fail to mention that the U.S. has only 4 of the largest 50 banks in the world, and that banks need to be large in order to be competitive in international banking. The costs of advancements in computer and other technologies at banks need to be spread over a large number of branches. By comparison, China has 11 of the top 50 banks in the world, including 4 of the top 5.

"We need not a breaking-up of the banks, but measures to assure that the U.S. will not have to bail out the banks from future crises. We should require that banks have enough equity to remain viable during financial disasters."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should NH limit access to abortion?

"Pro-choice. Women who have abortions have them, not because they want to kill children, but because they do not want the financial or emotional burdens of caring for a child. The cost of raising a child puts many women into poverty.

"Many women cannot afford effective birth control, because they have no health insurance or health insurance that does not cover all the cost, and therefore these women are more likely to have unwanted pregnancies. We should have free birth control available to anyone who cannot afford the cost, and should encourage the development of reliable and reversible birth control for men. "

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should NH keep the death penalty?

"No. I do not want to be responsible for the death of anyone, other than in the defense of myself or others. It is disturbing to hear the many stories of people found guilty of crimes and put into prison, who are later proven innocent. By the way, I consider killing ISIS soldiers to be self-defense."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should the NSA continue its bulk data collection programs for U.S. citizens?

"Only people in the U.S. government know if this program really has provided information useful in stopping terrorist plots."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should the federal government privatize some or all of Social Security?

"The government provides a minimum living for retired persons.

"Average social security is only $1,336 per month, which provides only a minimal standard of living.

"We should not allow people to gamble this minimal retirement in the stock, bond or other market.

"The money that a person needs for the difference between social security and a nice retirement is already up to each individual."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should the federal government repeal the Affordable Care Act/”Obamacare” entirely and start again?

"Significant changes are needed in health insurance, whether the form is an amendment, or a replacement.

"A lot of Republicans want to repeal Obamacare, but I have not heard any agreement on a replacement for Obamacare.

"Obamacare does not allow for adequate competition by insurance companies.

"One complaint about Obamacare is that people should not be required to have health insurance. But, if that is allowed, some people will save the cost of insurance, while they are healthy, and then try to get health insurance, if they get a serious disease or have an accident. This does not allow for reasonable health insurance rates.

"The requirement for companies with 50 or more employees to provide health insurance to its employees encourages owners of companies with 30 to 60 employees to limit the size of the company to less than 50 employees.

"A single person with health problems can bankrupt the company that provides them health insurance. The government should cover health care costs for any employee with health costs exceeding $100,000 in any one year.

"We need to see that there is medical care for all U.S. citizens, especially birth control, breast and colon cancer screening, and HPV vaccinations. Colon cancer has a simple cure, if caught in time. It results in death, if caught too late."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

Should the federal government allow student loan payments to be reduced based on income?

"New student loan rates currently are about 4.29%, versus the U.S. government currently pays a maximum of 4% on notes and bonds it issues. So, with the cost of administering the loans, the interest rate on new loans is about right. Repayment of the loans currently is limited to 10% of a person's income, which is reasonable. The government should provide subsidies for classes that teach skills that will be in short supply in the future, so that people are encouraged to learn the skills that will help the economy in the long-term.

"The proposal to have the U.S. government pay for all state colleges would be expensive ($70 billion or more per year), and unlikely to be passed by Congress.

"Although colleges have been the primary source of advanced learning in the world for hundreds of years, college lectures are old technology.

"Colleges, and the students at each college, spend millions of dollars each year on substantially identical lecture courses that are given in hundreds of colleges throughout the U.S. These courses include the first year courses in accounting, economics, biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and hundreds more.

"There is a newer technology, online courses, which are available from many sources. Many of these courses are very low cost. They courses can be taken at home, without the cost and time wasted in commuting.

"We need to have a system of standardized tests available to grade students who have taken the online courses.

"Such tests are already done in some areas of learning, such as CPA and bar exams. This needs to be expanded. As a potential employer wanting to hire, for example, a bookkeeper, I would want to find an employee who had passed tests in basic accounting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and taxes. Most employers looking for a bookkeeper would not care if the applicant has spent 4 years in college taking history or science courses.

"Someone interviewing for a scientific research assistant person would want to see that the applicant had passed courses in science. Tests could be given by the Educational Testing Service or a similar organization for about $50 per test, and would have more meaning to a potential employer than a college degree.

"The federal government should make sure that there are tests available for all major online classes."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2016

How should the U.S. approach Iran?

"We should be sure that Iran does not have access to weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear, biological, and chemical. The U.S. has negotiated a treaty with Iran that may help stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. However, the U.S. is allowing Iran access to over $100 billion, which could be used to buy nuclear weapons from North Korea or from others. We need to monitor all shipments from North Korea to Iran. We also need to be concerned with Pakistan selling nuclear technology to Iran, as it did to North Korea years ago.

"By its testing of 2 missiles in late 2015, Iran has violated the 2010 UN Security Council resolution, saying that Iran could not have any missile activity. We need to impose new sanctions on Iran, based on these violations.

"Iran is shipping weapons by sea to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The U.S. Navy should board any Iranian ships going to Yemen, search for weapons, and turn the ships back to Iran, if weapons are found. These actions should begin only after the February 26 elections in Iran (for Parliament and for the Assembly of Experts). We should try to negotiate resolutions to wars, if possible.

"We should cooperate with Iran in fighting ISIS; and at other times, when it is in the U.S.'s interest to do so. But, we should not allow Iran to control any new territory.

"The U.S. should try to keep oil prices low, limiting the money that Iran, ISIS, and Syria from have to finance terrorism."