Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee is a Baptist minister and candidate for the 2008 presidential election. He believes in Creationism and was the governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was born in 1955 in Hope, Arkansas.
Record as Governor
As Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee cut and raised taxes. For example, during his ten years in office, the Arkansas legislature enacted increases in tobacco, sales, and fuels taxes; however he also signed into legislation tax cuts over 90 times during that period. Recently he signed the Presidential Taxpayer Protection Pledge to Americans for Tax Reform.
In 2005 Time Magazine declared him one of "America's 5 Best Governors". [1]
Political Beliefs
Taxes: He has criticized President George W. Bush's tax cuts as being too oriented towards the wealthy, although the Congressional Budget Office released a report in 2004, that claimed the opposite. As governor, he signed the first broad-based tax-cut in state history and cut taxes over ninety times.
Spending: During his tenure, state spending rose 65.3% between 1996 and 2004, which was 3 times the rate of inflation. This has led to strong critcism from conservative groups like the Club for Growth. However, when he left office there was a surplus of over $800 million. [2].
Abortion: According to National Review, as Governor of Arkansas, Huckabee signed a bill requiring parental consent for abortion, and mandating notification by abortion providers to prospective parents that the unborn baby may feel pain.2 He also signed the Fetal Protection Act. He is generally known to be strongly pro-life.
Second Amendment Rights: As governor, he signed bills blocking frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and removing restrictions on concealed handgun permit holders. He became the first governor in the nation to have a concealed handgun license.[3]
Personal
Huckabee lost 110 pounds while governor of Arkansas and documented his weight loss and set out a 12-step plan for weight loss in his book Quit Digging Your Grave With a Knife and Fork. [4] He has also made childhood obesity a major platform issue. He attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Fort Worth Texas, before becoming a Baptist pastor for twelve years in Arkansas.
The 51-year-old former governor and his wife live in Little Rock and have three grown children. Huckabee enjoys playing in his rock-n-roll band, Capitol Offense, which has played at the House of Blues in New Orleans, the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, Colorado and for two presidential inauguration balls.
Quotes
- "We've had a congress that's spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop."
- "…my faith is my life. It defines me. I see no separation between my faith from my personal and professional lives."
References
2: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NmNjMmI1ODhjNGVlZWFmNTlmMGNiZTVjYTg1NTUzMTk=