By Gabriel Perry-The Laconia Daily Sun
Republican Russell Prescott, a former state senator and executive councilor, is running against incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas to represent New Hampshire’s 1st District in Congress. He is president and owner of R.E. Prescott Co., an Exeter-based manufacturer and wholesaler of water treatment systems.
Q: What is your position on abortion policy?
Russell Prescott: That is a state’s right. It's not a federal issue any longer, and really it should be residing right here in the state of New Hampshire to decide on abortion laws. I do agree with the abortion law that we have today.
Q: Do you support cannabis legalization at the federal level?
Russell Prescott: I would leave that up to the states. Let’s not take rights away from our states. Let’s not make it a top-down legislative initiative.
Q: How do you view the issues of border control and immigration reform, and do you feel a comprehensive overhaul of the immigration system is necessary?
Russell Prescott: A comprehensive overhaul is necessary — we want to make sure that we are able to have more people come into our workforce. This is a problem that we have here in New Hampshire. I’m a businessman. I have 50 employees, and good help is the backbone of any small business, and that’s what we need when we’re talking about immigration reform.
We have had laws on our books for many, many decades — even centuries — concerning immigration, and those laws are not being enforced. I would need to, as your next congressman, stand up to any administration that’s not enforcing our laws. That is something that Chris Pappas has been failing on and something that needs to be done. He’s been ineffective in reducing our illegal immigration problem because the administration is not enforcing our laws. Our border patrol has said that if we could just be able to enforce our laws, we would be able to reduce the illegal part of immigration by 70%, and that’s not being done under Chris Pappas. He’s not vocal enough about that, and really we need to be vocal about that so we can do this the right way, the legal way — getting immigrants to be able to come to our country and thrive.
Q: Would you support legislation that may offer amnesty to migrants who came here illegally and are currently living in the U.S.?
Russell Prescott: No. It is a fact that we have laws in our country that have worked for many decades, and we need to enforce those laws. That’s part of the way that we would be able to control our border so that we can get the proper procedures accomplished legally, and streamline it legally, for immigrants to come to our country and help with our workforce. It’s very important that we do it the right way, the legal way.
If we don’t adhere to our Constitution, the rule of law, we are just a vote away from losing rights because the law is what guarantees our rights — enforcing those is the most important thing. It’s a personal decision to stand up for the Constitution, and that’s where I will always stand.
Q: Would you support strict tariffs on Chinese imports?
Russell Prescott: The problem with our economy is runaway inflation. The runaway inflation is caused by overspending — we’re spending money we do not have and we’re borrowing money, which floods the marketplace with extra dollars and, therefore, causes inflation. We need to just balance our budget based upon general balancing (like) the budgets that I’ve done in the state Senate. For 10 years straight, we had a balanced budget and always a budget surplus, and that was done by weighing our needs versus our wants. We always take care of the needs of our state; we need to concentrate on taking care of the needs of our country without overspending.
We don’t need to raise tariffs. We can work on a balanced budget, taking care of the needs of our country, and not doing the wants — setting those aside at the moment — so that we can have a balanced budget. And we don’t need to raise tariffs, raise taxes. I pledge that we will not do that and that we would balance our budget the way that I’ve always done it in the state Senate.
Q: Do you think fiscal responsibility will go far enough or would you advocate for reducing entitlements?
Russell Prescott: Social Security is the most important thing. Promises that we’ve been making over the years — those promises that were made need to be promises kept. We must support Social Security and not continue to do as Chris Pappas has done, which is to send billions of dollars to private pensions instead of bailing out and funding Social Security.
Q: What policies would you support on making an impact regarding the effects of climate change?
Russell Prescott: Every single time that I was in the state Senate, I voted for being able to monitor the effects of climate change and make sure that we’re prepared if we see a trend — sea-level rise, or any other trends that would show that we need to be prepared if they occurred. You trust the science, and you also have to verify the science and then make sure you take proper steps to address it and that’s what I’ve always done as a state senator.
Q: Do you agree with the federal status quo in terms of the conflict between Israel and Palestine?
Russell Prescott: In Israel and Palestine, we have a very similar situation where [Israel was] attacked right out of the blue, just like we were on Sept. 11. We have to realize that that was a direct perpetrated evil on Israel, and they have every right to bring those who did that evil deed of invading their country and taking so many captives and so many were killed, to justice. This is just an ongoing situation to get that accomplished, and I stand with Israel.
Q: What advice would you offer to young voters headed to the polls in November?
Russell Prescott: Demand authenticity. Figure out what is the person’s reputation locally, and if they’re able to show that they have performed in a high caliber of integrity and honesty and wanting to do what’s right — that’s what we should be looking for in our leaders, those that make promises and keep their promises. We need people that are like that in all parts of government because integrity and honesty are the most important attributes of success.
These articles are being shared by partners in theGranite State News Collaborativeand the Know Your Vote youth voter guide. The Know Your Vote youth voter guide project was designed, reported and produced by student and young professional journalists from The Clock, Concord Monitor, The Equinox, Granite State News Collaborative, Keene State College, Laconia Daily Sun, Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, Nashua Ink Link, and The Presidency and the Press program at Franklin Pierce University. You can see the full guide at www.collaborativenh.org/know-your-vote.