Profile: Scott Urbanowski

Name: Scott Urbanowski

Office you are Seeking: State Representative, 72nd District

Current Profession: Bartender

Age: 24

Where Do you Live: Kentwood

Marital Status and Children: Not married

Questionnaire:

Why did you choose to run for this office?

I am running for two reasons. First, Lansing needs a better balance and more diverse perspectives. We have a lot of politicians who are lawyers, CEOs, and relatives of other politicians. I offer a different perspective - that of someone who has struggled to get by during the recession. As a lawmaker, my decisions and actions will be instructed by this experience. Second, as a state and as a country, we need to get back to our progressive roots. For the past 30 years, we have followed a narrow conservative agenda - and now Michigan is paying the price with high unemployment, low wages, and a diminishing quality of life. History shows us that we do well when we work hard, ask those at the top to sacrifice, help those at the bottom, and put others before self.

What is the most pressing problem facing the State of Michigan?

Jobs. While the rest of America gained Jobs in July, Michigan lost jobs. This is in part because conservative Lansing politicians have punished seniors, parents, and the poor by taking away important tax breaks for them. Because of this, they have less money to spend, and that is hurting our economy. How can we bring jobs back? We should begin by reinstating these these tax breaks. We also need to raise the minimum wage; a higher minimum wage spurs demand, which creates jobs. Job-retraining programs will also help fill the gap between the skills people have and the needs of employers. To keep Michigan competitive in the long term, we must also invest in education at all levels, from kindergarten through college. Furthermore, Michigan's previous administration did a lot to help diversify the economy; we need to expand on that important work.

Under the current administration in Michigan there have been both more revenues (taxes), and cuts in the budget.  Do you prefer a more balanced combination of the two to continue balancing the budget or would you prefer more taxes or more cuts?

There is always more we can do to make our government more efficient. First, we need to eliminate tax breaks that special-interest lobbyists have helped to write into the tax code. These tax breaks cost us $35 billion per year - more than four times the General Fund budget for this fiscal year - but many of these tax breaks haven't done a thing to help our economy. In addition, we spend nearly $2 billion per year - about $45,000 per prisoner - on corrections. Yet many prisoners are those whose crimes were nonviolent and whose release would not pose any danger to the public. Instead of wasting money keeping nonviolent offenders locked up, we need to penalize nonviolent criminals in a way that will reduce crime and save taxpayer dollars. For the long term, we need to amend the state Constitution to allow for a graduated income tax structure, which allows those with lower incomes to pay a smaller share of their income in taxes while also asking those who are better off to contribute more.

What do you bring to this race, and potentially to the office you seek, that would make a difference for the people of Michigan?

Many lawmakers are lawyers, CEOs, and relatives of other politicians. On the other hand, I bartend for a living. And unlike most politicians, I know what it's like to struggle during a bad economy. My father, my brother, and I have had seven jobs among the three of us in the past year alone. Retirement is nowhere in sight for my father. Luxuries such as a fancy new car and a long vacation rarely cross our minds. I have seen in my own family that some of America's hardest workers are those who don't have much money. I understand what people are going through, because I have been there myself.

Given the political polarization in Lansing and Washington, D.C., is there something you would do to try and change that culture or do you believe that highly partisan politics is simply "the way it is" in today's legislative environment.

As our President has said, there is a lot more that unites us than divides us. All of us want the very best for our families; we just disagree on how to get there. Sadly, many good public servants have lost in primary elections because they were, in some people's minds, too moderate; among them are US Representative Joe Schwarz from Battle Creek, US Senator Richard Lugar from Indiana, and Kent County Commissioner Bill Hirsch. Others, such as Congressman Justin Amash - who has shunned the mere idea of compromise - were nominated precisely because they appealed to the extreme end of the political spectrum. Unlike many current politicians, our Founding Fathers knew that compromise was necessary. That is why, 225 years ago, they put country before self and adopted our Constitution. As citizens, we each need to vote - in