State House Candidate Greg Kolich says his campaign has three priorities – 100% pro-life, 100% pro-family and 100% pro-gun.
Kolich, a machinist who served 20 years in the National Guard, is running for state House in the 66th District, which includes Van Buren and northwest Kalamazoo County. Kolich sat down with WMUK’s Gordon Evans.
Abortion
Being 100% pro-life for Kolich means that life begins at conception, and the only exception he would make for allowing abortion is if the life of the mother is in danger.
Welfare
Kolich says welfare prevents families from forming and encourages families to break up. That’s why he says he’s 100% pro-family. Kolich says it would be better to eliminate the state income tax on the first $25,000 of income. He says that would encourage people to go to work. Kolich also claims that taxpayers are subsidizing adoption through the foster care system, and allowing families to live well by adopting children.
Guns
Kolich says for him being 100% pro-gun means letting people know about Michigan’s castle doctrine. He says people should be aware that they have the right to defend themselves. Kolich also says there are some people who don’t recognize self-defense.
Education
Asked about a potential lawsuit over state money going to private schools, Kolich says all education should be funded equally. He says barring private schools from getting state funding presumes that the state knows better than everyone else. But Kolich wouldn’t put any more into education, and says he doesn’t worry about spreading the money over more schools. Kolich says education is being over-funded right now in Michigan. He says the state shouldn’t pay for hundreds of separate school districts. Kolich says he would be in favor of having fewer school districts in Michigan. And he says services like transportation, grounds and food service should be privatized.
Roads
Asked if the state should put more money into roads, Kolich says the voters answered that question last year when they rejected the ballot question put before them by the state Legislature. Kolich says the state can do a better job on the roads with the same or less money.
Flint
Although a state task force found the Department of Environmental Quality largely responsible for lead contamination in Flint’s drinking water, Kolich says Flint caused its own problem. He says the state doesn’t need to invest in replacing lead water lines because the problem was with Flint city officials. Kolich says the emergency manager may have made a mistake in ordering the switch to the Flint River. But he says Flint failed to maintain its water system over the long-term.
More on Guns
Asked about any additional regulations for guns, Kolich says he “mistrusts the government more than I mistrust my neighbor.” Kolich also claimed that every big shooting has happened in a gun free zone. When it was pointed out that a shooting at an Oregon college happened on an open carry campus, Kolich acknowledged that sometimes people don’t pull their guns because they’re concerned about police coming to the scene. He says that has happened because when the police arrive on the scene they don’t know “who’s who.” But Kolich says that’s the choice of the person carrying the gun.
General Election
Kolich calls presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump “a big question mark.” He says “I wrote Bernie off as being crazy, Hillary off as being a criminal.” Kolich says he doesn’t think Trump has much respect for the Constitution and the rule of the law. But Kolich voted for Trump in Michigan’s Presidential Primary in March. Kolich says he chose Trump believing that he is more electable than Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Discussion of other issues can be heard in the web version of the interview.
More on Welfare
Asked if the state would have to make up any on the money from his proposed tax exemption on the first $25,000 of income, Kolich says the state would not be spending as much on welfare benefits. He claims people in lower paying jobs have less money than many people on public assistance. Asked how much aid to the poor he would eliminate, Kolich says as much as possible. As a former landlord he says
“What I see are worthless baby machines that know that more kids mean a bigger paycheck.”
Energy
As the state considers a new energy policy, Kolich says the state should mandate some energy be generated from “truly” renewable sources only if there is no public subsidy. He says wind and hydraulic are practical renewable energy sources. Kolich says solar is further down his list, and others are not cost-effective. Kolich says there should more competition for the state’s major utilities, Consumers Energy and DTE.
LGBT Discrimination
Kolich says he would not vote to add protections against discriminate for LGBT people to the state’s Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act. He says the Constitution includes everyone. Kolich says protections are not needed for certain groups.
Medical Marijuana
Asked about possible regulations on medical marijuana, Kolich says he doesn’t “care much one way or another” about any new regulations on medicinal pot or about making marijuana legal for recreational purposes.
Straight Ticket Voting
Although the state Legislature has voted to eliminate straight-ticket voting, Kolich says people should have the option. The law included an appropriation that makes it immune from referendum. Kolich says he would be reluctant to limit voters’ choice. He says lawmakers should want voters to have input on an issue.
