With the help of the Minnesota Newspaper Association, of which Sun Patriot Newspapers is a member, congressional candidates in the second district (incumbent John Kline [R] and challenger Steve Sarvi [D]) were recently asked a handful of questions regarding their stance on various issues. We selected questions that we believe our readers would have a keen interest in, such as health care, education, energy and the economy. Their responses follow. In the coming weeks, similar articles will appear for other state and local races.
John Kline (R)
Health care:
All Americans deserve access to affordable, high-quality care. Our current health care system needs to change. Ultimately, we must decide between a system that enables patients and doctors to make decisions about their care and the undesirable alternative of a government-run system that provides limited - if any - choice for individuals.
I support a health care approach that harnesses the power of the marketplace to provide Americans with more and better health insurance choices and reduce the number of Americans who have been unable to find affordable coverage.
Education:
The “No Child Left Behind” Act demonstrates the limitations of writing federal education policy that meets the needs of all students. This overly restrictive policy limits innovation in the classroom and imposes financial and administrative requirements that place a significant burden on schools and localities - without providing the resources necessary to meet the standards.
While I was not serving in Congress when the bill became law, I did my part to address the shortcomings of the legislation. As you may know, despite numerous hearings and proposed changes the bill still falls short of its goals of ensuring every child receives a high quality education.
Accordingly, I co-sponsored the “A-Plus” Act, which would provide states the option of withdrawing from federal education programs while maintaining their full share of federal funding and assuming full responsibility for the educational needs of students.
Energy:
Rapidly rising energy costs are generating corresponding increases in the price of food and other basic essentials for families across America. Our nation needs a diversified, “all of the above” energy policy, such as the American Energy Act. This bill - of which I am a proud cosponsor - would increase the supply of American-made energy - including expanding access to domestic resources in the Outer Continental Shelf and ANWR, improve conservation and efficiency, and promote new and expanding energy technologies - such as nuclear - to help lower the price at the pump and end America’s increasingly costly and dangerous dependence on foreign sources of energy.
Economy:
It is important for Congress to develop housing legislation that advances home ownership and strengthens the housing market without placing additional burdens on American taxpayers. In considering the appropriate role for Congress, we must recognize that the “crisis” in the housing market is not universal: while the number of delinquencies and foreclosures has been rising, it does not comprise the majority of Americans.
Congress has a responsibility to help those homeowners who are victims, enhance consumer protections, and provide more transparency in the housing market without rewarding reckless behavior. Additionally, Congress must address the systemic problems in the financial services and mortgage markets.
Steve Sarvi (D)
Health care:
Health care should not be a luxury. High quality, essential health care is a right we must guarantee, and American citizens should not face bankruptcy because they get sick. Unfortunately, President Bush and my opponent, Rep. John Kline, seem to be fine with the status quo, in which more than 40 million Americans see the emergency room. That’s the only place where care cannot legally be denied - and it becomes their primary source of care. Beyond the uninsured are tens of millions more people who have insurance that keeps costing more and covering less.
It is fiscally irresponsible to make timely treatment and prevention less affordable for those who most benefit from it: children and those with chronic health conditions. Every dollar spent on preventive care and early intervention is paid back many times over through fewer days missed at work or school. The old adage rings true: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Education:
Much of “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) should be left behind. I don’t have a problem with testing; I do have a problem with kids being taught only to take tests. Kids learn to the best of their ability when they have an ample supply of professional educators who are recognized for their training and talent. I support:
More local authority. The federal government should let districts have more say about the tests used to measure students’ progress so that those tests can be more helpful to teachers trying to make that progress happen.
Adequate funding. The funding for carrying out NCLB has been irresponsibly low.
Our government should reward schools for developing programs that enhance learning.
Promotion of better teaching. Schools should be places where teaching and learning thrive through appropriate teacher-to-student ratios, continuous teacher training on best practices and frequent peer review.
Better measurement of results. We should track individual student progress, not year-group progress.
Energy:
As even John McCain has said, ANWR is a refuge. It should be off-limits for drilling. There are currently 68 million acres of land under federal lease by oil and gas companies that are ripe for drilling. Let’s drill there first.
Nuclear should be part of the mix as long as we solve two key issues: waste storage and waste transport. Fortunately, since the 1970s much progress has been made on nuclear power, with Europeans using new-style reactors that are much safer than those that have been in use in the U.S. Many other forms of energy need to be explored and developed: wind, solar, and biomass among them. Oil companies earning record profits do not need government subsidies - but today they’re receiving some $18 billion of them.
This money should be reinvested in alternative energy research and development.
Economy:
It’s important for economic and family stability that as many people as possible keep their homes. We need to address both the personal and business ramifications of the boom-and-bust cycle we’re in and want to avoid in the future.
We need to provide incentives for lenders to work with owners to put people on payment plans that work for them, which may mean freezing rates at their original level or writing down debt so that people aren’t responsible for more than their houses are currently worth. These things are in lenders’ interest long-term, also. It’s equally important we institute and enforce appropriate but not reactionary regulations to prevent future irresponsible lending.
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lilu wrote on Nov 2, 2008 6:10 PM:
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