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Aaron Kaufer seeks second term representing 120th District

Democrat Robert McDonald is challenging Republican Aaron Kaufer for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 120th District.McDonald said that Kaufer, who took his seat in 2014, is in &#8220;a bit over his head&#8221; when it comes to state government.For example, McDonald said eliminating property taxes, strongly supported by Kaufer, is a laudable idea, but in reality it will never happen in the current legislative environment.&#8220;I would vote for elimination of property taxes, but I&#8217;m going to tell you this straight,&#8221; McDonald said. &#8220;The Speaker of the House has said that would happen only over his dead body. We need to search for other sources of revenue.&#8221;If elected, McDonald said he would impose a severance tax on companies extracting natural gas, close the Delaware loophole which provides opportunity for businesses to incorporate in Delaware and avoid paying taxes to Pennsylvania, and work to reform the criminal justice system.One way of making that reform to the criminal justice system, McDonald believes, is to decriminalize marijuana.&#8220;Every year, we spend hundreds of millions on putting about 23,500 people in jail for cannabis,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Almost a hundred thousand people every four years for what might be most harshly described as a youthful indiscretion and, as others see it, as not a problem at all.&#8221;McDonald said, although these means of increasing state revenue would not eliminate property taxes, he believes they would significantly reduce them and the burden they put on property owners, many of whom are elderly.High property taxes, he said, have pitted homeowners against school districts.&#8220;Over the last five or six years, we have reduced the state participation (in funding school districts) from 50 percent to 32 percent,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We should work to increase the contribution of the state toward education, or at least not allow it to go still lower.&#8221;McDonald believes the state should increase its funding of higher education and reduce funds directed toward housing criminals.&#8220;What is the priority of a state budget that spends $2.61 billion on prisons and only $1.69 million on colleges?&#8221; he said. &#8220;Only 56 percent of Pennsylvanians have more than a high school degree and we rank 41st out of 50 states in that area,&#8221; he said.McDonald said he would address the issue of opioid use and abuse with the understanding that opioid addiction is a disease.Although, he fundamentally agrees with Kaufer&#8217;s commitment to assisting those with addictions in recovery rather than incarceration, he said Kaufer misses an important point.&#8220;Addiction is a brain disease. We should be treating it as a medical condition and not a moral failing. We shouldn&#8217;t be attacking doctors for prescribing pain relief,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Addiction treatment can work, but we need to do more, addressing not only the disease, but the causes of the disease such as childhood trauma, early use of drugs and genetic predisposition.&#8221;For example, McDonald said, providing programs for young people would make it less likely they would use drugs early and become addicted.McDonald believes there is a place for online gambling in the state, but the issue has not yet been thoroughly vetted.&#8220;There may be a place for online gambling,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But residents and legislators need to have a thorough understanding of the issue; it shouldn&#8217;t just be &#8216;snuck in&#8217; to law.&#8221;McDonald, who owned a family news stand in Nanticoke for almost 30 years, was president of the city&#8217;s Chamber of Commerce and part of the Comprehensive Economic Development Study for Northeastern Pennsylvania.He said he would employ sound economic principles should he be elected.&#8220;You can never save your way to prosperity,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Only through investment in the state&#8217;s infrastructure and educational system will we grow.&#8221;To learn more about key Election Day races and issues, visit the <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/tag/Election2016" target="_blank">Times Leader election page</a>.<ol><li> </del></li></ol>ight of the citizens of Pennsylvania to vote. </del><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Geri Gibbonsggibbons@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>ROBERT McDONALDPolitical party: DemocratIncumbent: NoAge: 59Hometown: KingstonFamily: Wife, Susan; three children, two grandchildren</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</shirttailMeta></div>

Democrat Robert McDonald hopes to take back 120th District seat