Thursday, April 17, 2014

WERC candidate forum preview

While the candidates will not be told any questions in advance, the below have been outlined as possible subjects of inquiry:

-Immigration
           
? Amnesty/Path to citizenship?
? enforcement of existing laws?
? Fast and Furious?
? Do we need a fence?

-Healthcare
            ? cost of healthcare in Alabama?
? What can be done about people who have lost their insurance due to the ACA?
            ?Is it too late to defund or otherwise reverse Obamacare?  
            ? If Obamacare is the wrong thing, what should we do?

-The Economy/Taxes
            ? Growing Jobs in Alabama?
            ? High school and college students are graduating without a job to go to?
            ? Fair tax/Flat Tax?
            ? How do we address spending and the national debt?
? How can we draw more business to Alabama, especially to the Birmingham area?
            ? do we need to improve our infrastructure in this state?

-Education
            ? how do we make it easier for small business?
            ? the sky rocking cost of a college education?

-World affairs/Military
? What should America do in Russia? (Assuming the Ukraine is still in the news)?
            ? What can we do to relive our dependence of Middle Eastern Oil?
            ? cutting funding for our military

-Congressional Leadership
            ? What do you think Sponsor’s legacy will be? 
            ? Will you support the initiatives that he has championed in the past?
? (Assuming Republicans are again in the majority in the house) who would you support as speaker? 
? How important is working across the aisle?

- Energy/environment
? What should be done about our dependence on energy produced in other countries?
? what can be done to prevent another oil spill along the lines of what happened in 2010 with the deep water Horizon oil spill?


-Social issues
            ? Legalization of medicinal marijuana/Carly’s law.
            ? Abortion?
            ? Same sex unions?


Preview of my answers:

I plan to use my opening statement time to say this:
Congress basically has stopped functioning, and there is no indication when it will resume functioning for the American people. Subjects that will be inquired about today are academic for now, and they should not distract from the priority goal of getting Congress to regain functioning for the American people. I have a plan for accomplishing that, and the other candidates have no suggestions and do not even deign to comment on my contention that Congress has stopped functioning.
Putting that aside, I understand that today's topics are likely to include immigration, energy policy, education, healthcare, the economy, taxes, jobs, the national debt, and national defense and security. I believe that most Americans have the same or very similar desires about these matters, but that the political class in Washington, for its own purposes, seeks to polarize the electorate and that results in impeding average Republicans and average Democrats, as well as average independents, from arriving at compromises where there are disagreements as to particulars. I do not have any pre-set ideas on the various topics that will be inquired about. In casting votes on any of these subjects, I would be guided by the wishes of the residents in the 6th Congressional district.

No comments:

Post a Comment