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Former Member, Select Committee on Legislative Facilities, Technology and Process, Wyoming State Senate
Former Member, Select Committee on Legislative Technology and Process, Wyoming State Senate
Former Member, Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration, Wyoming State Senate
Former Member, Select Committee on Statewide Education Accountability, Wyoming State Senate
Former Member, Select Committee on the Wyoming Value Added Energy and Industrial Plan, Wyoming State Senate
Former Chair, Task Force on Digital Information Privacy, Wyoming State Senate
Former Member, Select Committee on Legislative Facilities, Technology and Process, Wyoming State Senate
Former Member, Select Committee on Legislative Technology and Process, Wyoming State Senate
Former Member, Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration, Wyoming State Senate
Former Member, Select Committee on Statewide Education Accountability, Wyoming State Senate
Former Member, Select Committee on the Wyoming Value Added Energy and Industrial Plan, Wyoming State Senate
Former Chair, Task Force on Digital Information Privacy, Wyoming State Senate
Member, Capitol Building Restoration Oversight Group
Member, Council of State Governments West Executive Council
Member, Education Committee
Chair, Joint Blockchain Task Force
Member, Joint Committee on Minerals, Business, and Economic Development
Member, Joint Committee on Rules and Procedures
Member, Joint Management Council
Member, Select Committee on Capital Financing & Investments
Member, Select Committee on Coal/Mineral Bankruptcies
Member, Select Committee on School Facilities
Member, Task Force on University of Wyoming Housing
Member, Wyoming's Tomorrow Task Force
Hobbies or Special Talents:
Chris enjoys fishing, hiking and camping; loves basketball and soccer despite his ability; and plays guitar, mostly for his children, who remain his biggest fans. He is an avid computer programmer and user â" first learning BASIC in 1983 on his Atari, and maintaining a deep interest ever since. He loves the outdoors and has been a wilderness camp counselor, a rafting guide and a softball park manager and umpire.
1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
2. Abortions should always be legal.
- No Answer
3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester.
- No Answer
4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- No Answer
5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer
6. Dilation and extraction or "partial-birth" abortion procedures should be legal.
- No Answer
7. Medicare, Medicaid, and federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures.
- No Answer
8. Other or expanded principles.
- I am pro-choice. Congress should not legislate morality. The idea of our government having the authority to force a woman to bear a child against her will is unsettling. Instead of seeking to make abortion illegal, we should focus on making it unnecessary.
I would check the 'Abortions should always be legal' box, but the word 'always' is best avoided.
1. Agriculture
- Maintain Status
2. Arts
- Maintain Status
3. Defense
- Maintain Status
4. Education
- Greatly Increase
5. Environment
- Maintain Status
6. FEMA
- Maintain Status
7. Homeland security
- Maintain Status
8. International aid
- Greatly Increase
9. Law enforcement (Federal)
- Maintain Status
10. Law enforcement (State)
- Maintain Status
11. Medical research
- Slightly Increase
12. National parks
- Maintain Status
13. Public health services
- Slightly Increase
14. Scientific research
- Slightly Increase
15. Space exploration programs
- Maintain Status
16. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Maintain Status
17. United Nations
- Maintain Status
18. Welfare
- Maintain Status
19. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Armed forces personnel training
- Maintain Status
2. Intelligence operations
- Greatly Increase
3. Military hardware
- Maintain Status
4. Modernization of weaponry and equipment
- Slightly Increase
5. National missile defense
- Slightly Decrease
6. Pay for active duty personnel
- Slightly Increase
7. Programs to improve troop retention rates
- Maintain Status
8. Research and development of new weapons
- Maintain Status
9. Troop and equipment readiness
- Maintain Status
10. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Less than $12,000
- Eliminate
2. $12,001-$40,000
- Slightly Decrease
3. $40,001-$100,000
- Maintain Status
4. $100,001-$180,000
- Slightly Increase
5. $180,001-$350,000
- Slightly Increase
6. $350,001 and above
- Greatly Increase
7. Other or expanded categories
- Taxes should be equitable across all income ranges, with the exception of low income individuals and families.
1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status
2. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Increase
3. Cigarette taxes
- Greatly Increase
4. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status
5. Gasoline taxes
- Slightly Increase
6. Inheritance taxes
- Eliminate
7. Other or expanded categories
- Capital gains are income and should be treated as such; Cigarettes should be taxed to sufficiently to offset their burden on our healthcare system; Gasoline excise taxes should be indexed to inflation to pay for our highways and infrastructure; Death is bad enough, we shouldn't tax it... normal capital gains taxes would still apply to any sale of goods or property that appreciated in value since it was originally purchased by the deceased.
1. Charitable contribution deduction
- Maintain Status
2. Child tax credit
- Maintain Status
3. Earned income tax credit
- Maintain Status
4. Medical expense deduction
- Greatly Increase
5. Mortgage deduction
- Maintain Status
6. Student loan credit
- Greatly Increase
7. Other or expanded categories
- Medical expense deductions should be increased until we come up with a real solution for healthcare expenses; Student loans, tuition costs, and other education related expenses are investments in our future, our country and our people - they should be treated as such by our tax system.
8. Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
- Yes
9. Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year?
- Yes
10. Other or expanded principles
- The federal budget should be balanced each year unless under exceptional circumstances... e.g. a 2/3 majority in the senate approves the budget deficit.
1. Support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
- No Answer
2. Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
- X
3. Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
- No Answer
4. Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
- No Answer
5. Support prohibiting ads containing candidates' name that are paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election.
- X
6. Support instant run-off voting (IRV).
- X
7. Support designating Election Day as a national holiday.
- X
8. Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations.
- X
9. Support limiting the President's use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill.
- X
10. Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege.
- X
11. Other or expanded principles
- I support public funding of federal election campaigns to limit the influence of PACs and lobbyists and to reduce the advantage held by incumbents.
1. Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- No Answer
2. Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- No Answer
3. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X
4. Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
- X
5. Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
- X
6. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
- No Answer
7. Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
- No Answer
8. Require that crimes based on sexual orientation be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
- X
9. Other or expanded principles
- a) I am not opposed to the death penalty in principle for extremely egregious cases, but I believe it is absolutely unacceptable to ever be wrong about a death penalty case. Consequently, I generally oppose it in practice.e) Punishment for non-violent crimes should focus on reparations, financial punishment, home confinement and community service rather than prison. If the criminal is not a danger to the public, less expensive and more societally beneficial punishment options should be pursued.h) I oppose 'hate crimes legislation,' but if it does exist, it must include sexual orientation.
1. Support the federal government funding universal pre-K programs.
- No Answer
2. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- No Answer
3. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- No Answer
4. Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools.
- X
5. Increase funding for the Pell Grant program.
- X
6. Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans.
- No Answer
7. Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
- X
8. Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders.
- No Answer
9. Require universities to disclose financial relationships with lenders.
- No Answer
10. Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- No Answer
11. Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- No Answer
12. Other or expanded principles
- I do not support vouchers for private or religious schools; I support increasing federal aid for college, such as the Pell Grant program, although I believe the program should be revised to better meet the needs of the 21st century; No Child Left Behind is a failure and should be reworked to enable educators, rather than punish them.
1. Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today?s job market.
- X
2. Reduce government regulation of the private sector.
- X
3. Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
- X
4. Increase the federal minimum wage.
- X
5. Support the right of workers to unionize.
- X
6. Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
- No Answer
7. Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- X
8. Include gender identity in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- X
9. Other or expanded principles
- I'd like to see federal funding for job-training increased, but I do question the availability of funds due to our rampant spending.
I support the right of workers to unionize, but I also support their right to not unionize.
1. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
- No Answer
2. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
- No Answer
3. Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
- X
4. Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- X
5. Strengthen fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- X
6. Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted.
- X
7. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels.
- X
8. Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
- X
9. Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source.
- X
10. Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits under "cap and trade" laws.
- X
11. Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming.
- No Answer
12. Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming.
- No Answer
13. Other or expanded principles
- Sustainable energy independence is a national security imperative. We must use coal, oil, gas, wind, nuclear, geothermal - everything we have. I support doubling our domestic coal production and ramping up coal liquefaction to reduce gasoline prices and eliminate our dependence on foreign oil. But we can and should only accomplish this feat if we have a sensible national ?cap and trade? program in place to address CO2 emissions. We need a comprehensive long term strategy that emphasizes stewardship and sustainability, rather than the ineffective one or two year pork-laden energy bills that we have seen over the past decade.
1. Allow individuals to carry concealed guns.
- X
2. Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement and other government officials.
- No Answer
1. Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
2. Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
3. Other or expanded principles
- I am a strong advocate and defender of an individual?s right to keep and bear arms. I have been a gun owner for all of my adult life. I support Castle Doctrine legislation, concealed weapon permit portability, and I was happy to see that the Heller decision eliminated the DC gun ban.
1. Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income.
- No Answer
2. Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
- No Answer
3. Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States.
- No Answer
4. Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
- No Answer
5. Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
- No Answer
6. Support expanding child healthcare programs.
- X
7. Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government.
- No Answer
8. Other or expanded principles
- I believe all Americans must have access to adequate and affordable health care services that highlight preventive medicine. However, before we establish a national program, we must reduce the costs of health care which have skyrocketed over the past 2 decades. We need to bring together doctors, hospital administrators, health insurance providers, malpractice insurance providers, and consumer advocates; and mediate a recommended solution that would dramatically reduce costs and end the upward spiral of healthcare expenses. Until we do, all national coverage solutions will simply shift the expense from our insurance premiums to our income tax or the national debt.
1. Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
- No Answer
2. Establish English as the official national language.
- No Answer
3. Support a temporary worker program.
- No Answer
4. Support harsher financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
- X
5. Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
- No Answer
6. Illegal immigrants should have to return to their countries of origin before being considered for citizenship.
- X
7. Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship.
- No Answer
8. Support merit-based visas over family-based visas.
- X
9. Other or expanded principles
- I oppose an amnesty program - it will simply lead to more illegal immigration. I also oppose a fence. We need to remove the incentive for illegal immigration - jobs - and we can only do that by removing the financial incentive to employ illegal immigrants.Legal immigrants are essential for our country and our economy. We should seek out the highest qualified people from all over the world that want to become Americans and welcome them to our country.
1. Support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
- X
2. Support the United States granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
- X
3. Eliminate United States aid for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
- No Answer
4. Aid granted by the United States should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
- No Answer
5. Other or expanded principles
- Our international aid is an essential tool of our diplomacy. We should not cut it off for rights abuses, but we can certainly scale it back and link trade and some aid to a country's human rights record.
1. Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
- Yes
2. Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
- Yes
3. Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates?
- Yes
4. Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces?
- Undecided
5. Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq?
- No
6. Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
- Yes
7. Discuss your proposals for Iraq.
- The Iraqi people want us out of Iraq. Our people want us out of Iraq. We should get out of Iraq. I don't support timetable, I simply support telling our Generals to get us out as quickly as they can without sacrificing the safety of our soldiers. I am confident it will be quick and effective if they are given the freedom to do their jobs. Following our departure, we should provide logistical support to the Iraqis and help them to the best of our abilities without committing troops to their country.
8. Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to abide by its agreement to suspend its nuclear program?
- Yes
9. Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan?
- Yes
10. Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan?
- Yes
11. Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes?
- No Answer
12. Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan?
- No Answer
13. Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan?
- No Answer
14. Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan?
- No Answer
15. Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
- No Answer
16. Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia?
- No Answer
17. Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses?
- Yes
18. Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo?
- No Answer
19. Other or expanded principles
- We should work to maintain our relationship with Pakistan. Support should be contingent upon how things move forward.
We should employ diplomacy in all of these situations to try to minimize violence and conflict and to provide our good offices as needed for negotiation. However, military engagement in Darfur, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and Zimbabwe would be unwise.
The United States should not oppose the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo.
1. Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China?
- No Answer
2. Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela?
- Yes
3. Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements?
- No Answer
4. Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade?
- Yes
5. Other or expanded principles
- All of these issues are deeply nuanced. I do not oppose sanctions on China, but would certainly offer alternatives and seek a negotiated solution.
Free trade agreements are mutually beneficial if the 'playing field' is level. That is often not the case. In general I favor 'fair trade' that works towards 'free trade' while maintaining U.S. national security interests and developing the necessary regulatory structures in our trade partners.
1. Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
- No
2. Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks?
- No
3. Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
- No Answer
4. Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
- No
5. Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security?
- No Answer
6. Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system?
- No
7. Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas?
- No
8. Should the United States expand its missile defense shield?
- No
9. Other or expanded principles
- I'm actually a strong advocate for national security despite my general opposition to the policies mentioned. I do not believe we should diminish ourselves and our national integrity, or erode our personal liberties and freedoms in the name of our battle against terrorism. We must remember what we are fighting for. c) We should only hold a foreign state accountable for terrorists if we they act in support of the terrorist groups, or resist our efforts to eliminate them. e) I would support a pre-emptive military strike if I actually believed there was a genuine threat to our national security.
1. Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
- Yes
2. Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman?
- No
3. Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines?
- Yes
4. Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos?
- Yes
5. Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions?
- No
6. Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs?
- No
7. Should the federal government regulate internet gambling?
- No
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts that they manage themselves.
- No Answer
2. Ensure the viability of Social Security by increasing the payroll tax.
- No Answer
3. Decrease benefits paid to retirees.
- No Answer
4. Support proportional increases of Social Security benefits based on the cost of living index.
- No Answer
5. Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
- No Answer
6. Other or expanded principles
- Any solution for social security will be complicated. I am not fundamentally opposed to any of the options I have heard, subject to the following constraints: no changes should effect anyone within 10 years of retirement (if not more), benefits should achieve a livable income for retirees, and the solution should be sustainable. I suspect this will require increasing the age for benefits scaling back benefits based on income, and requiring that the current payroll tax surplus be loaned out at a fair market price.
1. Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
- No Answer
2. Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
- No Answer
3. Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
- No Answer
4. Abolish all federal welfare programs.
- No Answer
5. Other or expanded principles
- I support "workfare" programs, but not necessarily the requirement of 40 hours per week. There must be flexibility to allow recipients the opportunity to seek other jobs, or even hold other jobs in addition to their "workfare" program. Again, the solution would need to be well thought out, but the essential key is that our current system doesn't encourage or enable recipients to get out of the system. Programs similar to the Civilian Conservation Corps or Works Progress Administration should be available rather than just handouts.
Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- 1) Sustainable energy independence2) Reverse the recent erosion of individual rights and freedoms3) Get out of Iraq and address global terrorism
Type: bill Chamber: upper
Type: bill Chamber: lower
Type: bill Chamber: upper
Casper Star-Tribune, Enzi Touts Experience, Rothfuss Expertise By JOAN BARRON If the United States could save the half a trillion dollars a year it now spends on foreign oil, it could do wonders for the nation's ailing economy, said Chris Rothfuss, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. That statement seems a given, but getting to sustainable energy independence is complicated, said Sen. Mike Enzi, and will require the expertise he has acquired in nearly 12 years in the U.S. Senate. Enzi, 64, is a Republican seeking his third six-year term. A former mayor of Gillette and state senator, he is the only accountant in the Senate. Rothfuss, 36, is a chemical engineer and an instructor at the University of Wyoming making his first try for elected political office. Rothfuss describes himself as a consensus builder who can bring a scientist's perspective to the nation's energy problems. He believes those problems are closely tied to the nation's economic troubles. Both candidates agree on the need to tap all types of energy resources as part of a national energy policy. Rothfuss is critical of the approach taken so far by Congress. They "put together these one- or two-year energy policies that include a broad range of pet projects and temporary patchwork solutions," Rothfuss said. "It's all baby steps that hopefully are in the right direction," he continued. "Since they don't really know what they're doing, we end up with things like corn ethanol. That's a horrible policy that helps a few states but doesn't help the national goal toward energy independence." "Then you have losers like clean coal," Rothfuss added. Enzi pointed out that all the energy policy bills presented since the energy crisis in 1973 have been a comprehensive approach and they haven't worked. What happens, he said, is the members of the Senate, for example, oppose different parts of the bill. The upshot is there are too few supporters to give the bill the majority vote need. Enzi has introduced an eight-step plan for energy. "I prefer to do one, two or five steps at a time, as much as I can get a majority for," he said. He believes this approach demonstrates he has comprehensive knowledge of what needs to be done. "I'm willing to take baby steps if the baby steps will get me there," Enzi said. Enzi and Rothfuss disagree on a cap-and-trade system on carbon dioxide emissions. Rothfuss said if the U.S. becomes the best in controlling CO2 emissions, the nation can profit by selling credits to other countries. The system can't go into effect, he said, unless the playing field is level, meaning the nation can't be giving handouts for wind technology and taxing CO2 emissions at the same time. He also said it must be coupled with legislation to remove other barriers, which levels the playing field for next-generation coal power, coal liquefaction and other hydrocarbon technologies. Enzi said the cap-and-trade bill as proposed would amount to an increased tax on all Americans "at a time when the economy already has enough problems." He said it would hurt the U.S. economy while helping China. "If you charge a power plant in the U.S. for the CO2 it's putting out, that money gets passed on to the customers of that power company, and that's a tax," Enzi said. Enzi voted against the $700 billion bailout bill. Rothfuss said he probably would have as well because of the size of the bill -- more than 400 pages -- and the "pork" it contained, such as help for a toy arrow manufacturer. Congress, he said, must rebuild a sound regulatory structure. He claimed Enzi has worked to deregulate the financial sector during his years on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. He claimed Enzi supported a bill in 1999 that reversed the separation between banks, security firms and insurance companies. Enzi countered by pointing out he was the "expediter" of the Sarbane-Oxley Act of 2002, which regulated all corporations, including banking corporations and investment banks that weren't covered. The bill was prompted by the Enron scandal. Enzi said he put in the bill regulations that covered accountants and corporations and also legal counsel, so they have an obligation to report something bad to a company chief executive officer, or board, and if no action is taken, to the Securities and Exchange Commission. "To say that I'm against regulation would be entirely wrong," Enzi said. Even before 2005, he said he was trying to get regulation on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. "But the Democrats wouldn't let us bring it to the floor without putting in social programs on business," he said. "That's what collapsed them." "It's easy if you don't have a record to concentrate on the other person's record," Enzi added. "And I really get upset when mine is denigrated." What needs to be done now, he said, is basic reform of the mortgage market. Contact capital bureau reporter Joan Barron at (307) 632-1244 or joan.barron@trib.com
Casper Star Tribune - Enzi and Rothfuss Debate Economy, Iraq By MATT JOYCEAssociated Press Writer U.S. Senate candidates Mike Enzi and Chris Rothfuss debated subjects ranging from the economy to the Iraq war in a televised debate Sunday night. Enzi, the Republican incumbent, is seeking his third six-year term in the Senate. Rothfuss, a chemical engineer and instructor at the University of Wyoming, is the Democratic challenger. It was the first debate in a series of forums featuring congressional candidates scheduled to be broadcast by Wyoming PBS this week from its Riverton studio. Enzi said Congress helped cause the economic meltdown by requiring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to carry out social programs that encouraged people to get mortgage loans they couldn't afford. "We tried to put more oversight onto the government-sponsored entities, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and others," said Enzi, an accountant and former member of the Wyoming Legislature. "And we weren't able to do that because every time they were brought up we were asked to put more social programs on them." Enzi voted against the $700 billion economic bailout bill and said Congress needs to spend more time working to stabilize nation's economy. Rothfuss said government deregulation caused the economic crisis and investors won't have confidence in the financial markets until stricter regulations are re-enacted. Rothfuss has said he also would have voted against the economic bailout bill. "I think the bad decisions came out of the banking committee and started with this approach to deregulation," Rothfuss said, referencing Enzi's position on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Regarding the war in Iraq, Enzi said he's voted consistently to continue funding American operations there. He said he has encouraged the Iraqi government to take more initiative in battling insurgents -- a strategy that has had success in Basra, Mosul and Sadr City, he said. Enzi said he has been impressed that Iraqi people's commitment to independence. "Those people want independence, they're working toward independence, independence is working over there, and we are making progress," he said. Rothfuss said the billions of American dollars spent in Iraq have grown the U.S. national debt while putting American troops in the position of being an occupying force. He said the United States needs to develop a strategy to pull its troops out of the country. "We've lost 4,187 lives so far in Iraq and I don't know what we've gained from it," Rothfuss said. "We're an occupying force at this point. That's the reason why the violence has diminished, because we've actually achieved an occupation level." According to an Associated Press count, at least 4,188 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003.
By JOAN BARRON Chris Rothfuss spent three years in the heartland of the world of diplomacy and foreign affairs, the U.S. Department of State. The Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate recently shared some of his experiences in the agency with University of Wyoming students in Jean Garrison's international studies class. He spoke of the art of nuanced memo writing and negotiations. For example, one phrase banned by the department was "responsible development," Rothfuss said. The agency people who worked on the controversy in the European Union over genetically modified food in the 1980s and 1990s, he said, believed it was a loaded phrase. "It was a hard phrase not to use," Rothfuss said. Dressed casually in an open-neck blue shirt, brown sports coat and khakis, Rothfuss, 35, easily could have been one of the better-dressed students in the classroom. His talk touched on nanotechnology, fission, climate change and the Kyoto treaty. At the State Department, he served two years as a science and technology fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was a foreign affairs officer in his third year. The Kyoto protocol was fundamentally flawed, he said, because the department knew the U.S. Senate wouldn't endorse it"on the grounds the treaty did little about"air pollution in China and India. "Since then, there's not been progress on advancing a policy for climate change," Rothfuss said. In the U.S. Senate race, Rothfuss is a classic underdog with little money and little name recognition. His opponent is two-term"Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, who has loads of money -- about $1.5 million -- and loads of name recognition. So far, Rothfuss has collected $20,000 for his first campaign. He doesn't accept political action committee money. He travels the state in the family car. Both he and his wife, Heather, have doctorate degrees in chemical engineering. They have two sons, Connor, 4, and Zane, 2. Heather is a"research scientist at UW. Rothfuss, who is from Casper, is a UW instructor in diplomacy and negotiations and the future of nanotechnology but hasn't drawn a paycheck in the six months he has been campaigning. He is passionate about the need to have someone in the Senate with a scientific approach like his to deal with energy issues. After the mid-afternoon class, Rothfuss had some extra time. A UW Democratic student beer fest he had planned to attend in the student union was canceled. Instead, he met Nick Carter for an early dinner at a Laramie restaurant. Carter, of Gillette, is a fellow Democrat running against Republican Sen. John Barrasso. Carter was in Laramie for a candidates' forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters. They chatted about campaign travel and previous debates. Rothfuss ordered the lamb shank and a wheat beer. Carter's choice was seared tuna and a cola. Rothfuss said later in an interview that, overall, the people he has met while campaigning have been positive, even when they say they won't vote for him. There was, however, a man in an office in the city council building in Douglas, who first off asked for Rothfuss' political affiliation. "I said I'm a Democrat," Rothfuss said. "He kicked me right out." "That was quite rare. Even so, he is entitled to his opinion and his own office," he added. At a candidates' forum in Cheyenne before the primary election, Rothfuss met a man who said he knew"Mike and Diana Enzi and intended to vote for"Enzi. The Vietnam veteran approached Rothfuss 30 to 45 minutes later and said he had read the candidate's flyer and would vote for the Democrat after all. He also said he intended to call Enzi and tell him why. Rothfuss said the veteran liked his position on the Iraq war. The flyer said Rothfuss' position is "to get out of Iraq. It is time for the Iraqi people to take charge of their destiny." "If I can get in the door and talk to somebody, usually by the end it goes pretty well," Rothfuss said.
