Saturday, October 27, 2018

Election Thoughts 2018: Candidates (Part 9)

This election is too important to ignore. So, I am writing a series of posts on topics to consider as you think about who to vote for in November. I am specifically staying away from Trump and social topics. This series is about serious issues and the congress members involved with them. That is the focus, congress. Topics include:

1. Religious Education
2. Capitalism
3. The Tax Bill (the part congress played in it)
4. Healthcare
5. SNAP
6. Government Assistance (Other)
7. Veteran Wave
8. Where Democrats Stand
9. Candidates
10. GOTV and Nancy 
 
I have been collecting these articles throughout the year. The part in green is a direct quote from the article in the link before or after it. I also very specifically stuck to reliable news sources. Actual fact based news sources like Politico, CBS News, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The LA Times and others.
 
 Candidates:

I’ve talked about the issues. I have talked broadly about where democrats stand. Now it is time to share what they have to say. I am in NJ so I am including my senate and house candidates of choice. I also have selected three candidates in close races from other parts of the country. Beto O’Rourke from Texas, Phil Bredesen from Tennessee, and Ann Kirkpatrick from Arizona are all trying to unseat republicans. Candidates like these could make a difference in the path the country takes going forward.

Bob Menendez:
He is my senator. I have been following his voting record and agree with it almost always. He genuinely cares about his constituents. It’s in his votes. I have voted for him in the past, a will continue to vote for him now.


https://www.menendez.senate.gov/

https://www.menendez.senate.gov/about

Education

As someone who attended public schools and relied on Pell Grants and federal loans to be the first in my family to graduate from college, I have a first-hand appreciation of the importance of public education. We need to make educational opportunity a national priority. Let’s teach our children not only how to read and write, but how to think and build a skill-set that will prepare them to thrive in the 21st century economy.

Economy and Jobs

The top issue on the minds of most Americans and New Jerseyans is the economy and jobs – plain and simply. And despite the strides we’ve made in the job market and the housing sector, the gap between the rich and poor continues to grow as the middle class gets squeezed tighter and tighter. That’s why I’m fighting for pro-growth economic policies that increase wages, empower the middle class and foster social mobility. From training programs that prepare workers for jobs in demand, to tax policies that penalize outsourcing and encourage companies to hire Americans, I believe what’s good for the middle class is good for New Jersey and the nation.

Health Care

I’ve consistently fought to help New Jerseyans afford the health care they deserve. Affordable health insurance should be a right – not a privilege for the wealthy.

Labor

Without the strength, sweat, and skills of American workers, this great nation would have no foundation upon which to build another American century. I fight to protect workers’ rights and to promote policies that strengthen and grow our middle class.

Military and Veterans

I’ve said many times that a grateful nation not only goes to a Veterans’ Day observance or marches in a Memorial Day parade, but shows its gratitude in the opportunities, services, and benefits we provide to our veterans and all men and women in uniform. The budget should never be balanced on the backs of those who serve our great nation.
 

Beto O’Rourke:

Beto is already a member of congress. Personally, I think he would be a strong presidential candidate for 2020. In the meantime, he’s trying to win Ted Cruz’s senate seat for Texas. Ted is hoping voters forget that he shut the government down to repeal the ACA in 2010. Beto cares about people having access to healthcare.


https://betofortexas.com/

https://betofortexas.com/issues/


An Economy Texans Can Trust

All workers should benefit from the economic growth they help create. Everyone has a stake in prosperity. We have to promote fair and transparent markets that allow every Texan to compete and thrive.

Education Texans Can Trust

Every Texan deserves access to a quality education that will allow them to reach their full potential. It is the surest path to individual success and for the collective success of our state and country.

Healthcare Texans Can Trust

Healthcare is a moral question that transcends politics – it is a basic human right, not a privilege. 4.3 million Texans – including over 600,000 children – can’t see a doctor, or when they do, they’re so sick they have no choice but to go to the Emergency Room where the cost will be many times more expensive and the outcome will be worse.

When a mother forgoes a routine mammogram because she is uninsured, or a father ignores chronic pain because he didn’t qualify for a subsidy to buy insurance, everyone’s healthcare costs are likely to be greater in the long-term. We want our parents and our children to be healthy and live to their full potential. This is much more likely when they have access to the healthcare they need.

Jobs Texans Can Trust

We owe it to unemployed and underemployed Texans to connect them with high value jobs by bringing those jobs to Texas.  We must ensure that every Texan benefits from the country’s economic growth and that every person who is willing to work has a chance to.

VA System Texas Veterans can Trust

Our veterans should receive the care and dignity they have earned. That begins with ensuring that every veteran can receive access to quality healthcare, timely resolutions to their disability claims and appeals, and sustainable housing.

 

Mikie Sherrill:

Mikie is a retired Navy fighter pilot and a former prosecutor. She is a strong candidate that might very well change our congressional district blue! She is one of many candidates running to fill the seat of a retiring republican.


https://www.mikiesherrill.com/

https://www.mikiesherrill.com/issues/


JOBS

New Jersey has always been a hotbed of innovation. We have more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else in the United States. We’ve gotten here with hard work and smart investments in our community, and we’re poised to lead in the years to come. But reaching our potential will require renewed dedication and forward-thinking ideas, because the truth is that our recovery from the recession has not kept pace with the rest of the country. We are losing middle-class jobs, and wages are not keeping up with our high cost of living.

In order to create more good-paying jobs and maintain the quality of life we have worked so hard for, Congress needs to start working for us. The health of our economy cannot be a partisan issue.


 
HEALTH CARE
I believe deeply that every American should have access to quality and affordable healthcare.
Leadership in Congress wanted to take our country backwards, pushing to repeal the Affordable Care Act in favor of a bill that took away coverage and increases costs for almost everyone. Under their plan, an “age tax” on Americans over 50 would have allowed insurance companies to charge them premiums that are five times higher than what others pay for health coverage.

The plan also eliminated protections for the 300,000 people in our district with pre-existing conditions. When reviewing the repeal bill, the American Medical Association concluded that “Americans with pre-existing conditions will be stuck in second-class health care coverage – if they are able to obtain coverage at all.”
In all, Congress’ repeal plan would have resulted in more than 469,000 New Jerseyans losing their coverage, including 27,000 in our district.

We can do more to bring down costs and make sure all Americans have access to affordable healthcare coverage.

TAXES

Here in New Jersey, I think we can all agree we pay a lot in taxes. But the real question is: what are we getting in return? Right now, the answer is not much. New Jersey sends $3,478 more per person to Washington in tax dollars than we get back in investment in our communities.

Instead of passing tax relief to help grow our economy and ease the tax burden on New Jersey’s middle-class families, Congress raised our taxes.

New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the country, and our residents depend on the ability to deduct our state and local taxes (SALT) from their federal tax burden. The average state and local tax deduction in our district is more than $20,000 dollars – twice the cap that Congress placed on the deduction with the tax bill. The cap on SALT amounts to a double taxation on the people of New Jersey who already send more and get less back from the federal government than any other state in the nation.

This tax bill also threatens our long-term economic growth and places an undue burden on our children by adding $1.9 trillion to our national deficit. And now, Congress wants to use the increase in the deficit they created to come after Social Security and Medicare.

Our tax system should treat people in New Jersey fairly. I am committed to real tax relief that that invests in growth, simplifies our tax code, ensures work is valued the same as wealth, maintains our revenues and protect our middle class. And mostly importantly, a tax bill that restores our full state and local tax deductions.

I will work to find a truly bipartisan tax plan that strengthens our middle class and ensures New Jersey and the 11th district get a fair return on our federal tax dollars.

EDUCATION

Access to quality education and support for our educators need to be top priorities, period. A good job comes from a good education, good employers are attracted to strong schools and a talented workforce, and every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential.

New Jersey has the second best public school system in the country. Our towns are home to great universities and community colleges like Drew University, Montclair State University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Sussex County Community College, Passaic County Community College, and Essex County College. We proudly invest in our students and teachers.

But in Washington, Congress is supporting Betsy DeVos by voting to cut funding for teacher training and public schools by $2.4 billion. These cuts threaten the quality of our schools and our communities can’t afford to raise property taxes. As the parent of four public school students, I will work to protect funding for our public schools.

Although my kids are still a few years away from filling out their college applications, like so many families in New Jersey, I’m already worrying about tuition. We need to make college more affordable so that it is within reach of any young person who’s willing to work hard for it. Students should be able to borrow from the federal government at the same rate big banks do, and we should allow students to refinance their debt when interest rates go down. We also need to make it easier for students who want to complete their courses faster, so they can save on tuition and enter the workforce more quickly.

Finally, we need to do much more to support two-year and vocational programs that lead directly to a job upon graduation. This type of training can move people from low-skilled jobs that don’t offer a future to those jobs that move families into the middle class and provide a career.

MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security and Medicare are promises to the American people. They are guarantees of a dignified and secure retirement after a lifetime of hard work. Seniors have paid into these initiatives with every paycheck, and we must honor these earned benefits. In Congress, I will make sure that Social Security and Medicare are protected.

The tax hike bill not only added $1.9 trillion to the national deficit, but Congress has made it clear they plan to cut Social Security and Medicare to deal with this manufactured crisis.

I will oppose any budget that proposes cutting Social Security and Medicare to pay for the fiscally irresponsible tax plan and I’ll also oppose all efforts to privatize Social Security and Medicare. These plans would benefit insurance companies and investment firms while cutting benefits for New Jersey seniors.

We can take meaningful steps in the near term to improve Medicare and lower costs. I support allowing Medicare to leverage its buying power to negotiate drug prices. As a veteran, I know this works for the VA, and can help bring down costs for our seniors. Congress should also examine how we can allow certain individuals older than 55 to buy into Medicare.

VETERANS

I am proud to have served in the Navy with countless Americans who served with honor and distinction. Our service members deserve access to educational opportunities, employment, first-class healthcare and rehabilitation, and should not have to travel hours to reach a VA facility.

But Washington has come up short on its promises to care for our veterans, sometimes because Congress didn’t provide enough money, and sometimes because Congress did not provide enough oversight. Regardless, Washington must do better.

I won’t stand by and let folks in Washington fail our veterans or try and dismantle the VA. I will fight to fix the VA and make sure that the 400,000 veterans in New Jersey receive the best care possible. We need to commit to improvement of the care administered by the VA, including upgrading IT systems, expanding telehealth services, and improving healthcare access for our female veterans.

In Congress, I will make sure veterans in our community have top-notch constituent services to help navigate the federal benefit systems. This includes supporting the Morristown Outpatient Clinic and the Bloomfield Vet Center, as well as the East Orange and Lyons VA Campuses.


Phil Bredesen:
Phil is running in Tennessee. From 2002 – 2010 he was a well liked Tennessee governor. He is looking to fill the seat senator Bob Corker is retiring from.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/17/politics/tennessee-senate-2018-midterms/index.html

https://www.bredesen.com/

https://www.bredesen.com/issues/

Economy

During Phil Bredesen’s time as governor, Tennessee created more than 200,000 new jobs and generated more than $34 billion in new business investment. Phil worked with U.S. and transnational carmakers to expand Tennessee’s automotive industry, including bringing to the state Nissan’s North American headquarters and Volkswagen’s only North American assembly plant. On his watch, Site Selection magazine designated Tennessee as the top state for economic development.

During Phil’s time as mayor, Nashville enjoyed record economic growth by recruiting high-quality jobs and companies such as hospital chain HCA Inc. He led the city’s efforts to recruit two professional sports teams: the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and the NHL’s Nashville Predators.

In the U.S. Senate, Phil will use his decades of experience in business and government to put forward economic solutions that help Tennessee and America prosper.

Healthcare

As governor, Phil Bredesen took control of TennCare — the once-financially troubled Medicaid expansion program — by preserving full enrollment for children and pursuing innovative disease-management initiatives. He expanded long-term care options and launched Cover Tennessee, a series of programs providing health insurance and pharmacy assistance to the uninsured.
Prior to public service, Phil worked in the health care industry. Between research trips to the public library, he drafted a business plan at his kitchen table that led to the creation of HealthAmerica Corp., a Nashville-based health care management company that eventually grew to more than 6,000 employees and traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
A constructive critic of health care reform efforts in Washington, Bredesen is the author of the book “Fresh Medicine: How to Fix Reform and Build a Sustainable Health Care System,” published by Grove Atlantic.

In the U.S. Senate, Phil will use his decades of experience in health care to push for common-sense solutions that benefit all Tennesseans and Americans.

 
Education
Under Phil’s leadership as governor, Tennessee made public education a top priority. Working with the legislature, he improved teacher pay and expanded early childhood education. He created the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation, a statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, to provide free books to children from birth to age five.

Working with teachers and local school systems, Phil and the State Board of Education raised the bar in the classroom to ensure that all students are ready for a career or college and life. On his watch, Tennessee’s academic standards went from being among the lowest in America to among the highest — earning praise from national experts who noted the Volunteer State proved that “states are capable of dramatic reform when the political leadership is committed to focusing public attention on the problem.”

Phil partnered with higher-education leaders to improve workforce development with a focus on college completion. He elevated the profile of Tennessee’s community colleges and colleges of applied technology. He strengthened the relationship between the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to give graduate students access to world-class research opportunities. He worked with the Tennessee Board of Regents to establish new facilities and programs, including a pharmacy school at East Tennessee State University.

In the U.S. Senate, Phil will use his decades of experience in K-12 and higher education to push policies that support states and strengthen America’s public schools.


Ann Kirkpatrick:
Ann Kirkpatrick is running for congress in Arizona’s second district. This is another tight and exciting race. She is a former attorney who actually already served in congress. In 2008 she served for a different Arizona district. She was re-elected to that seat twice.
 
https://www.kirkpatrickforcongress.com/
https://www.kirkpatrickforcongress.com/issues/




Our financial system is rigged against working families – too many are working harder and harder for less. As a former prosecutor, Ann is horrified that to this day no one on Wall Street has gone to jail for causing the economic collapse. Eight years later, Wall Street has not been held accountable. Ann believes we need more financial cops on the Wall Street beat who can enforce the laws with real teeth. Congress should close the revolving door between Wall Street and its regulators. Those who perpetrated a fraud on the American public deserve serious jail time.

Ann is also committed to ensuring all Americans, men and women, are guaranteed paid family leave in the workplace. As we build an economy that works for everyone, she believes families need paid time off to deal with births, deaths and illnesses that we all face. It’s simply wrong that only those with the financial means have the ability to properly deal with life’s ups and downs.


Ann believes in the promise this nation has made to our seniors – that a lifetime of hard work will lead to economic security and access to health care in retirement.

As our economy continues its long recovery after the Great Recession, more seniors than ever are counting on Social Security and Medicare. And after years of hard work, they have earned the peace of mind these programs provide.

Ann has fought to protect Arizona’s families from attempts to privatize Social Security or turn Medicare into a voucher system. She opposed the Ryan Budget and criticized its harmful priorities. Ann also joined her colleagues in the successful fight to defeat the administration’s “chained CPI” proposal, which would have cut Social Security benefits, hurting seniors, veterans and working families. She also rejects privatization proposals that are described with code words such: personal accounts, partial privatization, options to invest benefits, partial investment of benefits, and the like.

Ann will never go back on the promise of Social Security and Medicare. They are earned benefits, not entitlements. She will fight to protect these programs against privatization or efforts to end the Medicare guarantee.


Ann believes in universal health care to ensure that all Americans have insurance so that they can get high-quality, affordable health care.

Ann’s proudest vote in Congress was for the Affordable Care Act. She believes no one should have to make life-and-death medical decisions based on money. Although that vote cost her an election in 2010, she knew it was the right thing to do and will continue to fight reckless Republican efforts to repeal the ACA. The ACA has led to a large drop in Arizona’s and the country’s rate of uninsured people, allowing hundreds of thousands of Arizonans to get health insurance for the first time. It has ended abuses such as people being denied the coverage they’ve long paid for at the unfortunate time that they are diagnosed with cancer or other life-threatening diseases. The Act has also led to a huge decrease in uncompensated care by Arizona’s hospitals, which are now fiscally stronger. Our entire public health system has been strengthened, which is one reason that Arizona’s health sector has grown into the one of the strongest sectors of our economy.

As a mother whose daughter experienced complications with the birth of her son, Ann knows how devastating it can be for a family with an unexpected medical problem. The anxiety of managing serious threats to a loved one’s health is only compounded by the bills that come along with them. Thankfully, Ann’s grandson is happy and healthy, and her daughter had health insurance to support the effort to care for her newborn. But too many families still lack coverage.

Ann supports expanding the eligibility for individuals to buy into Medicare and believes it’s time for a public option, especially in counties where there is only one health insurance option available over the exchanges. Finally, she believes we must give Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices to reduce costs for our seniors.


Growing up in the White Mountains, Ann learned the value of a dollar from her father, who ran the general store. Those lessons stayed with her as she worked her way through college and law school and when she ran her own business.

But too many politicians in Washington are addicted to spending – putting new programs, pet projects and even military action overseas on the credit card with no plan to pay it off. And when the bill comes due, the American people are left with extreme choices between more debt and shutting down the government.

Governing from crisis to crisis, pushing problems off on future generations – that’s not how Ann’s father ran his store, and that’s not how we should run our country. Ann knows firsthand that the political fights in Washington are devastating to businesses here in Arizona. That’s why she believes that Congress should include “pay-for” measures in all spending bills, instead of kicking the can to the next generation.

There are hard choices to make, and Arizona deserves leaders who can face these choices, work together and find solutions – just as families and businesses do every day.


For years, Ann has kept a quote on her desk in Congress that was given to her by a veteran. It reads: “Because they have already paid the price, fight for veterans with all your might.”

Ann has a record of unfailing support for veterans’ benefits and veterans’ programs that assist with job placement, health care and education.

She has worked tirelessly to ensure that veterans get the care they have earned. Her bipartisan legislation, VA CORE, was signed into law to help reduce the VA claims backlog that has affected thousands of veterans across the nation.

Ann was the first member of Congress to bring the allegations about the devastating scheduling practices at the Phoenix VA to the Inspector General, prompting an investigation of VA facilities nationwide. In the wake of that scandal, Ann served on the bipartisan House-Senate conference committee that crafted the most significant VA reform bill in years.

The heroic sacrifices of our servicemen and women must be honored not only while they are serving in uniform but also long after they have returned home. This is a principle that Ann holds deeply — and she will continue to fight for our veterans each and every day.


Today, Arizona’s children are competing for jobs with the entire world – so they need a world-class education to prepare them for the 21st century economy.

As a mother who sent her children to Arizona’s public schools and former teacher, Ann knows we must do more to recruit, train and retain high-quality teachers in our state – particularly in rural communities. And, just as important, we must put our teachers and students in a position to succeed by properly funding classrooms, training programs and other essential needs.

Skyrocketing tuition has become a greater and greater burden on recent college graduates. This is holding back our economy and hurting the next generation of Arizonans. Ann is dedicated to reining in the cost of tuition and relieving the burden of student debt on Arizona families.

Ann is also fighting back against government policies that hurt students and their families. She supports restoring funding for Arizona’s public universities, which have seen their budgets dismantled in recent years. Ann has fought against repeated attempts to cut Pell Grants, which play an important role in making the dream of a college degree a reality for thousands of Arizonans. She also supports free community college.

A quality education is the birthright of every child, but our education system is failing our families. Our economy is changing, and so are the tools and training needed to succeed. More American’s must have access to affordable post-high school education choices, including four-year college, community college, and certificate programs, that train them for today’s jobs. Ann is committed to making the American education system the envy of the world by ensuring every child receives the education he or she deserves.


Ann’s economic approach is aimed toward a central goal: Get folks back to work in good-paying jobs.

Middle-class families in Arizona were smashed by the recession –and they struggle to keep up with the rising cost of basic living expenses, gasoline, college education, and healthcare even today.

Ann is committed to making Arizona home to a revived middle class by creating good-paying local jobs. And in order to do that, Ann wants to jumpstart the economy by supporting small businesses; keeping Arizona jobs in Arizona; fostering innovation; and making smart investments in education, infrastructure and job training.

Ann knows the importance of international trade to our economy, but she opposes so-called “free trade” deals that outsource U.S. jobs and harm American workers. And since the global economy demands an educated and evolving workforce, Ann is a fierce proponent of job training and education programs to help workers find jobs in the 21st century economy.

Our state also needs more good-paying jobs, and Ann is dedicated to creating an environment where new entrepreneurs and innovators can thrive. That means a tax code that fosters innovation, an end to unnecessary and burdensome regulations, and smart investments in education, infrastructure and job training.

Ann played a leading role in advancing key infrastructure projects across Arizona, such as the proposed Interstate 11 through Pinal and Pima counties, flood control projects in Coconino, Navajo and Pinal counties, and road improvements on the Navajo Nation. She is pushing to bring access to high-speed Internet to all corners of Arizona, which would provide an immense boost to local economies and prepare our students for the jobs of the future.

Ann knows that we need a Congresswoman who will bring home our fair share of federal tax revenues to support economic development in Southern Arizona, including the development of Tucson’s trade and logistics sector. Tucson’s access to rail, interstate highways and proximity to Mexico’s deep water ports makes it a natural location for these highly skilled, good-paying jobs.

Arizona’s natural resources are critical to our state’s economic prosperity. That’s why Ann has worked tirelessly to bring government agencies, local officials, conservationists and other stakeholders to the table to finalize the Four Forest Restoration Initiative. The initiative will protect Arizona’s treasured forests, create jobs, and help our economy for years to come.

Ann also co-sponsored the bipartisan Southeast Land Exchange and Conservation Act, which traded 2,400 acres of Forest Service land for 5,000 acres of privately held, environmentally sensitive land – and will create thousands of jobs in Arizona’s Copper Corridor. And Ann has fought back whenever bureaucrats in Washington impose burdensome regulations that would devastate our rural and tribal communities.

For Ann, working for Arizona means fighting for an economy that ensures that all of our families have a chance to work hard and build a better life for their children.


Southern Arizona is home to the A-10 Squadron, the only plane in the U.S. Military capable of providing close-air support to our troops on the ground. The A-10 protects our troops when they are in combat. That’s why Ann has long been an advocate of protecting the A-10 program and strongly supported former Rep. Ron Barber’s successful 2014 effort to save the A-10’s funding.

Ann believes we need protect the A-10 program until we develop a reliable replacement. She also supports investing in the next generation of military technology to defend our nation and ensure the safety of our troops – and that new technology should be based here in Southern Arizona at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Fort Huachuca Army Base.

Those who serve our country put themselves in harm’s way to defend us all. Ann knows we have an obligation to ensure their families have good jobs, secure housing, access to an affordable education and the health care they deserve. She will continue to fight in Congress to fulfill our obligations to those who serve and the ones who love them.
Research your own candidates. I found these candidates with a google search. Research how they vote as well. Republicans are hoping voters forget all the times they voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act while saying they will protect pre-existing conditions. They won't. They will repeal the protects you already have. Democrats have the votes to back up their claims of wanting affordable care for those pre-existing conditions. One topic of many where what is said by republicans counters their votes. Smart voters lead to better laws.
at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)