Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with Dave Funk at the new Smokey Row in Des Moines. Dave is one of the GOP candidates for Iowa’s Third Congressional District seat held by Congressman Leonard Boswell. Below is his bio shamelessly stolen from his website:
Known as Captain Dave by many, his aviation and air-show career spanned over thirty one years. This includes having flown over one hundred different types of airplanes and helicopters. Dave served nearly ten years as an attack helicopter pilot for the Iowa Army National Guard and most recently, as an International Captain on the Boeing 757 for Northwest Airlines. His flying career ended prematurely due to a work related neck injury.
Dave currently works as a consultant with Laird & Associates an Aviation Security and Operations consulting firm and he is also the current President of the Iowa Chapter of Safari Club International, the world’s leading Hunters Rights and Conservation group. Dave recently served as Co-chair of Iowa Sportsmen for McCain-Palin and has been active in conservative political circles for most of his adult life.
Dave and his wife Sheila, a counselor at the DMACC Ankeny Campus, and their family live on a small acreage outside of Runnells, Iowa. He volunteers as a Reserve Police Officer with the Pleasant Hill Police Department.
After I finished recording he and I talked for a few more minutes, and I realized that I neglected to ask him some important questions like…
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His stance on a Federal Marriage Amendment (I had the question written down, but had glanced over it). He is in favor of the amendment and is a supporter of traditional marriage being between one man and one woman.
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Earmarks (duh, well it’s only my third interview, give me a break): He is against earmarks, and wants to eliminate them with the exception of declared Federal emergencies, but to have guidelines in place as to how that is done and that it is done fairly. He fully supports federal transportation dollars that impact interstate commerce, mentioning that the interstate highway system was a federal project specifically designed by Dwight Eisenhower for national defense. He says that it needs to be a planned and transparent part of the budgeting process, and last minute additions need to be avoided.
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He was told by Republican Congressional leadership that he would likely serve with the House Transportation committee if elected (which would be a no brainer).
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He’s also a huge Sarah Palin fan (had a chance to meet her in his role as the Iowa Sportsmen for McCain-Palin chair), and thinks 2012 is hers to lose.