BF2S Forums Interesting candidate for US Senate out of New York

Spending

I will promote serious budget reform measures to reduce the profligate spending in the federal government and dangerous levels of debt that have put us in economic jeopardy. Because the monumental increase in spending that we have witnessed over the past ten years has not been paid for, I will be a strong advocate of “Paygo.” If interest rates spike, our budget deficit will increase significantly, which could lead to the crash of the dollar, higher inflation, and a crisis in international trade.


National Debt

We are spending money that we do not have, and we are borrowing from countries that do not share our values. We have neither funded nor properly accounted for Social Security and Medicare to the tune of $45 trillion dollars. This has put our generation and our children and grandchildren on a dangerous course of fiscal unsustainability. I will work hard to pass legislation to implement a balanced budget amendment and Congressional term limits of 12 years for Senators and House members.

U.S. Taxpayer Congressional Credit Card Statement: Taxpayers deserve a realistic and accurate report of our national debt. As such, I created a Congressional Credit Card Statement that shows every taxpayer America's real year-end balance. View credit card statement.



Budget Reform

More and more, the budget process and the financial numbers that we get from Congress are driven by short-term political objectives. I will strive to implement a budget process that is independent of politics and that tells Americans the truth about the national debt. I will call for the use of the same accounting principles in government that are imposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission on the private sector. I will insist that the budget process account for all spending and commitments to spend, so that we stop passing hidden costs and liabilities to the next generation.



Job Creation

We need to reconnect our economy with production. Manufacturing should be supported, not pushed offshore in search of cheap labor. Research and Development, so pivotal to the growth of America, has been woefully neglected in recent years. Tax incentives should be provided to encourage more research into new technologies that are superior to the choices now before us. We must reduce red tape and government interference and allow the engine of our economy, the small business, to thrive and grow.

Our nation’s infrastructure, including bridges, railroads, ports, wastewater systems, and public buildings, is dilapidated, threatening both our safety and economic viability. Broadband service and green energy technology are not yet available throughout the country. Meanwhile, 29 million Americans are unemployed. I will help remove the government hurdles that are preventing business from expanding and creating jobs, to ensure that they are put back to work in jobs that will create a more environmentally and financially sustainable future for America and the world.



Healthcare

I believe that all Americans deserve access to quality healthcare. Too many Americans cannot afford health insurance and rely on hospital emergency rooms for their healthcare at great cost to the American taxpayer. Unfortunately, Washington is currently focused on the wrong problem. Instead of legislating coverage, Washington should deal with the real problem: the high cost of healthcare.

Government should reduce its involvement in healthcare and push the private sector to be more competitive and to promote a system that emphasizes disease prevention and wellness. I will advocate for these measures, which will bring healthcare costs down to affordable levels. I will also work to eliminate the anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies and the state-by-state monopolies that it has produced. Eliminating frivolous lawsuits through tort reform is also essential to healthcare reform.



National Security

The best weapon in response to an enemy willing to employ suicide and capable of using nuclear weapons is intelligence—enhanced through technology and human resources, not war. We must put a premium on the development of an intelligence operation, coordinated with our allies, to identify and root out terrorist organizations like al Qaeda. War should be used as a last resort. Iraq was a mistake, and our military should continue to bow out gracefully and allow Iraq to emerge under its own self rule. The war in Afghanistan is a war of choice that needs to be reconsidered in light of the immense foreign policy implications involving two of our allies, Pakistan and India.



Energy

I am committed to reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and so I support alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power, hybrid vehicles that reduce gas consumption, and the installation of bicycle paths across America. A new generation of nuclear reactors with enhanced and standardized safety standards must also be given priority.


The Environment

As a Congressman, I created (with Democrats) the Long Island Sound and Hudson River Caucuses to arrest the deterioration of these two great bodies of water and bring them back to life. While development is important for economic growth, I believe it must be balanced with the preservation of the natural assets that surround us. Preserving the environment is one of the most important legacies that we can leave the next generation.



Education

I believe that we must reinvent education to give our newest generation the tools they need to succeed in the global marketplace created by the Information Age and the rapid expansion of the Internet. We are falling behind the world. Our children and grandchildren will not be able to compete unless we first establish a level playing field by providing high quality education to children from pre-school through high school, from the inner cities to the suburbs. This will require us to rethink our funding formulas and sources and to replicate the programs of our high-performing schools across the country.



Immigration

Legal immigration has always been a hallmark of our opportunity society. It allowed my father to come from southern Italy through Ellis Island in 1929, following my mother’s family which had arrived in 1910. But today a bloated bureaucracy has meant that the wrong people are often targeted for deportation, while others remain in America illegally with jobs, driver’s licenses, tuition, and healthcare benefits. We must do a better job of enforcing current immigration laws. I believe that the burden of proof for determining who is legal should first be on employers looking to exploit cheap labor. We must also do a better job of securing our borders. Secure borders are the first step to ensuring that we can enforce our immigration laws and monitor who is coming into the country.



Veterans

There are too many instances in which veterans are not afforded the appropriate levels of physical and mental healthcare they deserve for disabilities incurred in fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. As a Vietnam-era veteran, I have supported local programs to enhance healthcare and retirement benefits for veterans, and I will support legislation to extend these programs nationally.



2nd Amendment

The Second Amendment clearly protects an individual's right to "keep and bear arms," and as such, grants law-abiding citizens the right of gun ownership.  In upholding the Second Amendment, we preserve the inalienable right to self-defense as well as protect the numerous hunting traditions so many New Yorkers enjoy.  I will always defend the Constitution and make certain that the commonsense provisions enshrined by the words of our Founding Fathers are diligently and properly upheld in the U.S. Senate.



Right to Life

I am pro-life and the only Right to Life endorsed candidate in this race. I believe that all life is precious and that abortion is an unfortunate symptom of too many unwanted pregnancies in our society. To view the letter of endorsement from the New York Right to Life Committee, please click here.

Last edited by JohnG@lt (2010-10-17 20:26:05)