“Our State government is on the wrong track,” said Rubin, “blocking fundamental progress on the issues most important to Kansans. Whether it is an ever-expanding government bureaucracy, runaway spending, soaring taxes, or disregard for the rule of law and respect for life, our current course is outside the mainstream of Kansas values. This must change. I can and will do better in Topeka.”

Mr. Rubin, an attorney and retired judge, has lived most of his life in Johnson County. He has been married for 35 years to his wife Roberta. They have two adult daughters and one granddaughter. With a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Boston College and a Juris Doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis, Mr. Rubin brings to his race for the State legislature a distinguished career in public service, beginning with a three year active duty tour and six year reserve tour in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. After his military service, Mr. Rubin worked first as an attorney-advisor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and then as a senior labor law litigator for the Federal Labor Relations Authority, as an Assistant Regional Counsel at the Federal Bureau of Prisons and then as a senior litigator for the FDIC.

In 1989, Mr. Rubin was selected as the FDIC Regional Counsel in Atlanta, with responsibility for overall Federal legal supervision of all FDIC-insured banks in the southeastern United States. He served in that capacity until he was appointed by the HHS Secretary in 1994 as a U.S. Administrative Law Judge in the Social Security Administration. He retired from the bench in 2004.

Judge Rubin’s experience makes him very knowledgeable about law and government. He listed some specific examples where he would advocate for reform.

Regarding fiscal restraint, he described the need for institutional reform in the State’s approach to spending. “I will push for zero-based budgeting,” he said. “The question should always be how much a necessary State agency or program requires to serve the people, not how much more of the taxpayers’ money do they get to spend than the year before. We must start with an honest top-to-bottom audit of all State spending. From there we can define our priorities and begin driving down the road of fiscal responsibility and government efficiency.”

He also cited the State’s dismal record on taxes as an area that must be addressed. “Uncontrolled spending and soaring taxes to feed it go hand in hand,” he said. “Whether it is income, property, gasoline, sales or corporate taxes, our government must stop looking to the taxpayer as a bottomless source of revenue. Our State and local tax burden is ranked 15th highest nationally, which ends up driving away business and is a built-in disincentive for people to move to Kansas.”

Judge Rubin, who is pro-life, believes our State’s abortion laws must be observed and strengthened. “The 2007 passage of Alexa’s Law reflected a basic understanding which we all know is true – that an unborn child is indeed a human being whose life is deserving of protection. Our State has laws safeguarding life in the latter stages of development, and those laws need to be enforced. Additional legislation to protect expecting mothers, especially minors, from unwarranted interference, misinformation or coercion regarding their pregnancies should also be enacted.”

The principle of the rule of law is also key to Mr. Rubin’s position on illegal immigration. He believes in eliminating incentives which serve as magnets to make our state more attractive to illegal immigrants, in particular in-state tuition and other non-emergency welfare or medical benefits. “No one who breaks the laws of the United States or Kansas to get here should be rewarded for doing so. Otherwise, we will only continue to encourage illegal immigration, which is both unfair to those waiting in line to immigrate here legally and a threat to our national security. I will fight to repeal the law granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants and will work to ensure that businesses are not knowingly employing them in Kansas, while supporting a strictly monitored legal guest worker program.”

Judge Rubin believes the 18th District’s current representative has liberal views which don’t reflect the values of the community or her constituents. “The incumbent’s voting record is not moderate by any measure – it is well to the left on both economic and social policy,” Rubin noted. He is confident his message of reform will resonate with District residents.

“The people of District 18 deserve a principled leader who shares their values and has the experience to be an effective advocate for reform in Topeka. I believe I am that leader.”