The very first indicator that Democrats are trustworthy will be when they begin the planning to cease the occupation of Iraq and to bring American troops home quickly. Without that first step, progress on no other front will be possible. Delay will be the end of the promise.

I have grave doubts whether the Democrats have the will or the integrity necessary to confront the political and economic insiders’ addiction to war and militarism so that real change can be made. Facing up to the reality of these indefensible costs is the first critical step to refocus our attention on reinvesting in America.

It will be impossible to make change without reducing our bloated commitment to the military and requiring it to be more nearly in line with nations like second place China which spends about 60 billion dollars a year on the military while the U.S. spends 500 billion. China has ten times our population but spends one-tenth of what the U.S. spends on the military. Something is wrong, very wrong with an America that indulges war above more worthy needs.

If, and only if, the Democrats are capable of getting over the first hurdle by pulling our troops out of Iraq, then, and only then, can they even hope to provide relief to average citizens in the areas of universal health care, energy/environmental policy, fair tax policy, affordable education, and good jobs through a revived sensible economy.

Finally, the Democrats and Republicans must hold George Bush and his administration accountable for crimes against humanity for attacking Iraq and its innocent citizens without provocation. In addition, the Bush Administration must be held accountable for violations of the U.S. Constitution by suspending habeas corpus, redefining torture, and spying on Americans. It is absolutely necessary for the laws passed by Congress embodying these treacherous changes as well as all changes made by the Patriot Act to be reversed. George W. Bush and many of his administration should be impeached and prosecuted as well. Accountability is a cornerstone of democracy.

Americans have spoken clearly for change. If the Democrats, and many Republicans, are ever to be believed again, then they have an obligation to deliver on their promises without wheedling. There are many of us who are prepared to hold their feet to the fire if those promises are not kept.

Two challenge Allen

By Jim Kanak
jkanak@seacoastonline.com

This year’s national Congressional elections have stirred interest across the country like no other midterm election since 1994, when Republicans swept to majorities in both houses of Congress. In this year’s election, however, the question seems to be whether Democrats will regain control, at least of the House of Representatives. Voters in southern Maine’s U.S. House District 1 can impact the composition of the House directly, as Incumbent Democrat Tom Allen faces off with two challengers, Republican Darlene Curley and Independent Dexter Kamilewicz.

The future disposition of the war in Iraq is clearly a top issue. “There’s a whole slew of books on the history of the Administration’s rush to war and failure to plan for the post-war situation,’ said Allen. “There’s been incompetent management of the occupation. We’re there. We need to negotiate a withdrawal.

“The President has been emphatic that we won’t have a withdrawal date. We should go to the Iraqis and say we’re going to be out next year, then work with them around that. Our leverage is that we’re not going to stay there.”

The Republican Curley agreed. “When I announced [my candidacy] in January, I called for a new strategy with benchmarks. The goal needs to be an independent government in Iraq that’s responsible for security by the end of this Administration.

“‘Stay the course’ and ‘cut and run’ are both unacceptable. This [war] was a failure of intelligence.”

Kamilewicz has based his campaign on opposition to the war. “The invasion was a passionate reaction to a devastating event [9-11], they’d like you to believe,” said Kamilewicz. “But that rush to judgment clouded many of the facts. I do not believe there was a basis for us to be occupying Iraq today.

“I began to look at what the real reasons might be. We went there to control a resource, not weapons of mass destruction. There was no connection to the World Trade Center or Al Qaeda.”

Kamilewicz criticized Allen for supporting funding for the war. “He’s voted to fund this war seven times, $354 billion,” he said. “He says it’s morally imperative because we have to support the troops. But the moral imperative is that we should not be killing thousands of people, including our troops.”

Allen said that was not the proper route to take. “Dexter says we should cut off funding,” he said. “I don’t believe Congress will cut off funding to our troops, nor do I believe we should. More and more people are interested in bench marks and deadlines.”

Curley said Iraq should take more responsibility. “Iraq has lots of resources,” she said. “They should be paying for all of the infrastructure.”

One of Curley’s leading issues is the need for affordable health care. “I have seen it from both sides, as a registered nurse and as a business owner,” Curley said. “Insurance must be more affordable and health care less expensive. I would convene a bipartisan group to look at a model of health care that everyone can have [access to]. There are too many patches out there, like Tom Allen’s small business plan.”

Allen highlighted his plan to provide coverage to employees of small businesses as an important initiative. “People realize the wheels are coming off of our employer based system,” he said. “It hurts the competitiveness of businesses. I have the Small Business Healthcare Plan that’s an attempt to provide them with the same plan federal employees have. That’s a significant step toward universal coverage.”

Kamilewicz said the healthcare system is the victim of the Administration’s preoccupation with military spending. “We spend $500 trillion on the military,” he said. “That tells me our priorities are upside down. We’re not investing in people and are doing it at the expense of the middle class.”

Allen agreed that the middle class had not fared well under the recent Republican Administration and congresses, but that that would change with Democratic control. “When we take over the House, you’ll see a return to a middle class agenda,” said Allen. “We’ll look at how to help people get healthcare, at reducing the cost of prescription drugs. The big multi-national corporations won’t have as much influence.”

Curley said the key to legislative success is the ability to work across party lines. “I’ve been in the minority in the state house,” she said. “I proposed 13 pieces of legislation and passed seven. You can only do that by working together.”

Kamilewicz said his campaign was all about change. “Try to find a positive vision for the country now,” he said. “The only way we’ll have one is to demand. It. This campaign is about exposing that and turning it around We can’t do that with the people who are in power. We have to change them.”

Allen said the change should involve the Republicans. “What’s happened is that the Republican Party has lost its pragmatic, fiscally conservative roots,” Allen said. “It’s much more ideological and has become much more rigid. Something’s happened to that party over the years. It’s good at elections but not so good on policies that benefit the middle class.”

Curley said she would take action if elected. “Tom said he’s been waiting 10 years to get something done,” Curley said. “That’s really sad. I can’t wait.”

This page has been printed from the following URL:
www.seacoastonline.com

Friday, November 03, 2006

BANGOR - Gov. John Baldacci topped a mock election by students from around the state with 38.9 percent of the vote, while his Republican challenger, Chandler Woodcock, garnered 27.5 percent. Independent Barbara Merrill racked up 14.2 percent, while Patricia LaMarche, Green Independent, netted 13 percent, and Phillip Morris NaPier, Tax Equality Rebellion, got 6.1 percent. While most voters never get a chance to meet the candidates on the ballot for public office, pupils from around the state who gathered at Eastern Maine Community College on Thursday night to tally results from a mock election had a chance to meet many of the gubernatorial, senatorial and congressional candidates running in this year’s election.

Some 30,000 to 40,000 youths in about 200 schools cast ballots Thursday, according to Deputy Secretary of State Doug Dunbar, the coordinator for the vote-tallying event in Bangor.

“People need to understand that this isn’t a poll or an indication of what is to come, this is a civic activity that teachers have been able to include in their curriculum,” Dunbar said. “But ultimately, the education goes on in the classroom.”

Five eighth-graders and a seventh-grader from Greenville Middle School voiced their opinion on TABOR (the Taxpayer Bill of Rights) during the celebration as part of an assignment.

“It was a contest for our class,” said Devin Ward, a seventh-grader at Greenville Middle School. “The six of us were chosen according to the top grades on our speeches.”

Candidates also made short speeches. Most of the children present were between the ages of 9 and 11.

“I was really into it. I tried not to rush when I was voting, and I tried to think of what the questions really meant,” said one fifth-grader from Hermon Middle school who helped answer the cell phones at the tabulation table. “Now I’m just hoping someone will call before the boys take over the phones.”

All of the participating schools around the state were invited to attend the celebration in Bangor and an identical one in Augusta.

The schools that attended the event in Bangor included: Glenburn Elementary, Greenville Middle/High School, Hermon Middle School, Forest Hills Consolidated School, Jonesport-Beals High School, Machias Valley Christian School, Orono Middle School, Bangor High School, and John Bapst Memorial High School.

“This is an activity that teaches about the civic functions, but students most identify with elections,” Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said. “We’re hoping that the information that the students learn here will carry over into adulthood.”

As of Thursday night the results of the mock election were:

Governor: John Baldacci, Democrat, led with 38.9 percent of the vote; Chandler Woodcock, Republican, 27.5 percent; Barbara Merrill, independent, 14.2 percent; Patricia LaMarche, Green Independent, 13.0 percent; Phillip Morris NaPier, Tax Equality Rebellion, 6.1 percent; Other, 0.4 percent.

U.S. Senator: Olympia J. Snowe, Republican, led with 70.8 percent; William H. Slavick, independent, 16.2 percent; Jean M. Hay Bright, Democrat, 12.5 percent; other, 0.5 percent.

U.S. Representative: District 1: Thomas H. Allen, Democrat, led with 53.6 percent; Darlene J. Curley, Republican, received 27.6 percent; Dexter J. Kamilewicz, independent, 18.0 percent; other, 0.8 percent.

District 2: Michael H. Michaud, Democrat, led with 67.1 percent; Laurence S. D’Amboise, Republican, received 32.4 percent; other, .5 percent.

Question 1: Citizen Initiative (Taxpayer Bill of Rights): No, 59.3 percent; Yes 40.7 percent.

Question 2: Constitutional Amendment (Petition Deadline): No 51.4 percent; Yes, 48.6 percent.

For updates on the election results or for more information, visit www.maine.gov/mockelection.

The disaster of Iraq is at the heart of the problems plaguing Maine citizens.

In spite of the overwhelming evidence of the horrible decisions by the President and his administration and the timidity and complicit behavior of the Congress, the cancer of the Iraq invasion and occupation is in the early stages of consuming America and the American middle class.

There is concern and anger among Mainers that current politicians are completely disconnected with the plight of ordinary citizens. The proof of that position is evident in the lack of progress made by Congress on critical issues creating ever mounting pressure on average citizens to bear the costs of the failures of the politicians from the White House down.

In spite of substantial evidence of fraud in leading America into an illegal, immoral, cruel pre-emptive war against Iraq with deaths of upwards of 650,000 innocents, mostly women and children, President Bush and his administration have not been called to accountability. Human fatalities of this magnitude have, in the past, caused our country to accuse other nations of crimes against humanity. The Congress stands by doing nothing.

In spite of the corruption of the U.S. Constitution by the illegal declaration of war by the President, the kidnapping and torture of people by our government, the unwarranted wiretapping of Americans by our government, the power of interpretation of the Geneva Convention being transferred to the President, and the blatant bullying of Americans by the President through the elimination of habeas corpus, the Congress stands by doing nothing.

It is past time to call to accountability all who destroy the basic tenets of American democracy by failing to live up to their sworn responsibilities to uphold the Constitution and basic human rights.

It is past time to impeach the President, to prosecute those complicit in such behavior, and to vote out those politicians who have stood by without a whimper and watched it happen.

Many citizens of Maine are hurting, and it is getting worse. Our politicians are disconnected from plight of average citizens. Coming out of this neglect are costs that promise to cripple the American middle class.

There are very clear needs that are going unmet and continue to be ignored because our politicians flush lives and money down the drain in Iraq. Is it any wonder that we ignore our own citizens when America spends over 500 billion dollars on the military (Russia is next with 65 billion and China is next with 56 billion). That is obscene and indefensible.

The war in Iraq is the greatest threat to the future of the United States because it is connected to all of the issues facing average citizens. Tom Allen says he is against the war in Iraq, but he has voted to pay for it 7 times, every time it has come up for a vote.

Here are some examples of the neglect of Mainers by the Congress.

HEALTH CARE: Tom Allen nibbles around the edges with his “small business health care plan” destined to fall very short of the real need of our citizens and Darlene Curley says that we all need “affordable health care” which sounds more like a warning rather than a solution. Universal health care is the gold standard for virtually every industrial nation in the world except America. Why do they avoid the real answer to Mainers’ health care needs?

FAIR TAXATION: The tax cuts by Bush and agreed to by the Congress gave 97% of the tax cuts to 4% of Americans who earn over $200,000 per year. How is that justified?

EDUCATION: The United States is graduating less than the average number of graduates from high school in the industrial world and is raising the cost of education for its citizens. How will Americans compete for good jobs if Congress continues to make it more attractive to invest in jobs off-shore than in America?

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT POLICY and GOOD JOBS: The United States has not had energy or environmental policies for generations. Congress is unmoved by the realities of our planet but seems more interested in protecting capital and corporations. By combining concerns about energy/environmental policy and good jobs, we can leverage out a positive future for our citizens. By reducing the bloated military budget by 50%, we can invest in America. America can convert from a wartime economy that invests in the military instead of in industries that contribute to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and producing good jobs for our citizens. We should invest in building public transportation across the nation, in turbines for wind power, alternative fuels, solar power and products that we currently have to purchase off-shore. We can, too, if only the Congress will stop sitting on its hands.

I believe that we can do better as a nation by making a change from the same old politicians doing nothing. I believe that electing an Independent to Congress from Maine is in the best interest of Mainers.

Think about it. Really, think about it.

Dexter Kamilewicz from Orr’s Island is an Independent candidate for Congress in Maine’s First District.

2) Call for immediate impeachment proceedings in the Congress for crimes against humanity, violations of the U.S. Constitution against George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales, Condoleezza Rice, and others who assisted the Bush Administration in the run up to declaring war on Iraq.

3) Immediately release all prisoners of war and close all prisoner detention centers in connection with the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

4) Require the immediate withdrawal of all mercenary personnel from Iraq.

5) Immediately cease work on all U.S. military bases, the green zone, and the U.S. “embassy complex” and prepare to destroy all such facilities in Iraq prior to the evacuation of U.S. militarypersonnel from Iraq.

6) Discontinue any training and equipping the Iraqi military except for civilian policing capacity.

7) Provide training and funds to dismantle, remove and destroy all landmines, unexploded ordinance and depleted uranium from Iraq.

8) Cancel all contracts connected with servicing the Iraqi oil industry so that the Iraqi government will control those contracts going forward.

9) Repeal the “Bremer Orders” and turn over Iraq to the elected government of Iraq within 60 days of the institution of the cease fire allowing the government of Iraq to decide what additional assistance, if any, it will require.

10) Design plans and recommendations for the Congress to establish a reparations program to reconstruct Iraq by Iraqis and to pay reparations to Iraqi citizens for losses of life and other casualties.

11) Depending upon the results of impeachment proceedings, prepare to bring to trial all who are found guilty of fraudulently misleading the Congress and the American public into invading and occupying Iraq including charges for crimes against humanity and violations of the U.S. Constitution.

12) Issue a formal proclamation from the American people apologizing for the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the United States and connected with the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS

When Dexter Kamilewicz talks about the issues of the day - health care, federal debt, taxes, Social Security - his affable personality and intellectual, philosophical takes are what you would expect to witness during an after-dinner conversation over coffee in a suburban living room.

But when Kamilewicz talks about the Iraq war, his eyes narrow, his jaw clenches, flashes of passion illuminate his face and anger resounds in his voice.

If elected, he will call for the impeachment of the president and his administration for crimes against humanity.

Independent Dexter Kamilewicz of Orr’s Island is said to be the anti-war candidate in this race but that underestimates him. He is anti-war, but he is also pro-passion: a man who is clearly frustrated by the mincing steps of both major parties and determined to stake out bold positions on the war, on health care, education, the environment, the budget.

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM

It isn’t very often that the editorial board has to choose among three highly competent, articulate and passionate candidates for elective office, but that’s our task in the race for Maine’s 1st Congressional District.

Democrat Tom Allen, Republican Darlene Curley and independent Dexter Kamilewicz each present marked strengths and few discernible weaknesses.

Kamilewicz, a businessman, entered the race because of his revulsion at the cost and casualties of the Iraq war. He supports single-payer health care, an equitable taxation structure, and an environmentally friendly energy policy.

THE TIMES RECORD (BRUNSWICK)

Dexter Kamilewicz is against the war in Iraq, and he’s been vocal about that opposition since even before he decided to run as an independent for Maine’s 1st District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“If you can pay half of a trillion (dollars) a year for war, there’s money available,” said Kamilewicz, 61. “It is past time to leave Iraq to the Iraqis and to reinvest in America and Americans.”

“I lay at their feet (The Bush Administration and the Congress) not only the deaths of our soldiers, but the deaths of Iraqis,” said Kamilewicz, who says his relationship with his son allows him a perspective on the war that many politicians don’t have.

“We must start by converting war industries into peace industries,” wrote Kamilewicz in a statement, “and by working toward a future with real jobs; by cutting taxes for the middle class and the poor and redistributing taxes more equitably; by making affordable health care available to all Americans; by making education better and more affordable and by holding politicians accountable for not acting in the interests of ordinary citizens.”

Independent Dexter Kamilewicz calls for immediate withdrawal. Emotionally, we agree with him; but practically, it would be irresponsible because U.S. actions have created the mess Iraq is in.

Kamilewicz has been harsh in his criticism of Allen, even going so far as to ask, “What is the difference between Bush and Allen?” because Allen “says one thing and does another.” Such rhetoric deafens people to what might be of value in his message and it impugns Allen’s character. It certainly wouldn’t be helpful in Congress.

We agree with Kamilewicz on several issues. This country would be well served by moving away from dependence on a war economy. Bath Iron Works would be more secure if alternatives were found to supplement Navy shipbuilding. But the reality in the near future is ensuring a two-shipyard strategy and fighting for sufficient funding, something Allen’s been doing right along. We’d like to see U.S. military funding cut, too; but Kamilewicz’s goal of 50 percent in five years would create chaos and hurt countless people in the process.

We urge Rep. Allen to take into his next term at least one item Kamilewicz supports: a Department of Peace. In the prelude to the war in Iraq, President Bush refused to meet with representatives of national peace organizations. A Department of Peace would ensure a cabinet-level counterweight to the penchant for war.

KENNEBEC JOURNAL

Kamilewicz argues that Allen is not strong enough in his opposition to the war because he has voted for several defense budgets. ‘If we are ever to stop this occupation of Iraq, Congress must have the courage to stop the funding,’ he says. ‘It’s that simple.’

He’s wrong. The issue is far from simple.

Kamilewicz entered this campaign as an independent to provide a voice and a choice for people opposed to the war in Iraq. In doing so, he added focus to the discussion and performed an important and worthwhile service. We salute his intellect and his dedication.

The full scorecard can be viewed at www.peacemajority.org/scorecard.

Dexter Kamilewicz of Orrs Island paints a bleak picture of the war in Iraq as he campaigns as an independent for Congress in Maine’s 1st District: “Our equipment is broken and our soldiers are busted,” he said.

His views are based on personal experience. His son joined the Vermont National Guard to be part of the biathlon team and to have a shot at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Instead, his son found himself in Iraq while the winter games were held in Turin, Italy.

Sgt. Ben Kamilewicz survived 11 months in Iraq that included conducting door-to-door searches and escorting convoys. One of his most harrowing events was on a convoy to secure the site of a Marine helicopter crash.

A roadside bomb destroyed the Humvee in front of Kamilewicz’s Humvee, which swerved and crashed into a tank. “Despite suffering a concussion, he had to pick up the body parts of a lieutenant who was killed,” Dexter Kamilewicz said.

While Kamilewicz keeps focused on the war, he insists he’s not a one-issue candidate. He said that the defense budget makes up half of the $1 trillion federal budget that’s left after obligations including Social Security.

“When you count that kind of money, there’s no room for health care. There’s no room for anything else,” he said.

He’d like to use that money to create something on the scale of NASA’s Apollo project focusing on reinvigorating public transportation and developing alternative fuels both to create jobs and to alleviate American dependence on foreign oil.

As for health care, he’d like to see a single-payer universal system. He said countries with single-payer systems have lower health-care costs.

The decision to run didn’t come lightly, Kamilewicz said.

“I’ve been shaken to my soul. This is not some kind of business decision. This is life…,” he said. “We need guts and I’ve got that.”

Friday, October 27, 2006

When Dexter Kamilewicz talks about the issues of the day — health care, federal debt, taxes, Social Security — his affable personality and intellectual, philosophical takes are what you would expect to witness during an after-dinner conversation over coffee in a suburban living room.

But when Kamilewicz talks about the Iraq war, his eyes narrow, his jaw clenches, flashes of passion illuminate his face and anger resounds in his voice.

It is the war — and his very personal connection to it — that has propelled Kamilewicz, 62, from being a political observer to an independent candidate for Congress in the state’s 1st District.

Kamilewicz, of Harpswell, watched his son ship off to Iraq as a member of the Vermont National Guard and return a year later with injuries — to both body and mind — that no federal agency seems to care about, he says.

A lifelong liberal Democrat, Kamilewicz (pronounced “Kam-e-lev-itch”) had faithfully supported incumbent Democrat Tom Allen every two years, even volunteering to stuff envelopes for the candidate.

But when Allen voted in favor of each of the Bush administration’s seven requests to fund the war, Kamilewicz was moved to action. He argues that though Allen said he opposes the war, it continues because it is funded.

Military veterans asked him to run, and he has become a hero to anti-war groups like Military Families Speak Out and Veterans for Peace.

He pulls no punches when talking about the war, and about its effect on his son, Ben.

At a candidates forum at the Maine Veterans Home in Augusta in early October, facing a group of American Legion and VFW members, Kamilewicz said that during the course of Ben’s tour, the Humvee he was riding in sustained several bomb explosions, leaving him with four bulging discs in his spine.

Ben has yet to be examined or diagnosed by military physicians, the candidate said, and “he has wide mood swings,” leaving the family to conclude he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It makes me mad as hell to remember the rhetoric of politicians” who sent Ben to war, Kamilewicz told the veterans.

If elected, he “will call for the impeachment of the president and his administration for crimes against humanity,” Kamilewicz said.

“The business of war is supported by your taxes,” he continued, noting that half of the federal budget — $500 billion annually — goes toward military concerns, including pension obligations to retired officers.

Kamilewicz’ Web site features a counter showing the escalating cost of the war — $334 billion, with $901 million of that Maine’s share.

The U.S. is the world’s leading exporter of weapons, he told the veterans, and its embargo against Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War resulted in an estimated 1 million civilian deaths.

Kamilewicz also charges that the U.S. is building permanent military bases in Iraq.

“It appears this was in the planning from the very start. Can we be a country that will be everybody else’s military on a pre-emptive basis?”

If elected, Kamilewicz would work for an immediate and total troop withdrawal from Iraq, a key component of his candidacy. Allen favors a drawdown in 2007, while Republican candidate Darlene Curley argues for a two-year process of removing troops, with key benchmarks.

When he’s not campaigning, Kamilewicz works out of a Portland office where he manages some 800 commercial real estate properties throughout the Northeast. Before that he owned and operated his own real estate firm.

The Northeastern University graduate also previously taught English at Oxford Hills High School and was an educational administrator in the Oxford Hills School district.

Beyond the war, Kamilewicz advocates a progressive agenda of issues. In a conversation in his Portland office, the candidate transitions from the war to the budget, criticizing the Bush administration’s tax cuts for the wealthy and deficit spending.

“The middle class is the engine that drives this country,” he said, but it is in decline. Some 97 percent of the Bush tax cuts went to just 4 percent of the population, he said, those earning $200,000 or more a year.

Kamilewicz continues to attack the Bush administration’s foreign and domestic initiatives, arguing that the country is on the wrong course.

He advocates a single-payer health insurance plan, wants to see more affordable education available to middle class families, and wants to see energy and environmental policies developed that are mutually sustainable.

“There are lots of things we can do, but we don’t have a bloody plan,” he said.

The Bangor Daily News asked all of the congressional candidates their positions on several issues handled by Congress in recent years. The date in parenthesis indicates year Congress last dealt with the issue. Their answers appear here in their entirety.

Flag-burning amendment (2006): I would have voted against this amendment. Burning the flag is an act deplored by many, yet it is a form of expression and, as such, it is protected by the First Amendment. This issue is being used as a smokescreen to tempt Americans to take their focus off more pressing and substantive issues.

Estate Tax Repeal (2006): I would have voted against repealing the estate tax. This tax is levied on the top 1% in this country and raised much needed revenue. When this issue has come up for a vote in the past, the federal budget was projected to be in surplus. With large deficits looming, and the administration pushing other tax cuts for the wealthy, this is a very bad time to repeal this tax. The first ten years of full repeal would cost nearly $1 trillion, and bad reforms would cost almost as much. Such costly changes to the estate tax would put even more pressure on the rest of the budget – and pile up more debt that will be passed on to future generations.

Minimum wage increase to $7.25 (2006): I will vote for an increase in the minimum wage. More importantly, I will work for a living wage, which is a wage that will support reasonable shelter, food and health care for a citizen because that is where the real need is.

Opening the Arctic Wildlife Refuge of oil drilling (2006): I would vote against opening the ANWR to oil drilling. Instead of putting this national treasure at risk, I will work to require the United States to be a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, which outlines goals for reversing the effects of global warming. I will work to require the United States to aggressively redirect public funds away from weapons development and manufacture to a world leadership position in the development and deployment of technologies and policies that achieve the Kyoto objectives thus resulting in a substantial positive impact on the U.S. economy.

Increased federal funding for embryonic stem cell research (2006): I would have voted for this increased funding. Some researchers regard stem cells as offering the greatest potential for the alleviation of human suffering since the development of antibiotics. Over 100 million Americans and two billion other humans worldwide suffer from diseases that may eventually be treated more effectively with stem cells or even cured. These include heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. The potential of stem cells, particularly those which are headed for disposal, to deliver a solution must not be ignored.

Medicare prescription drug coverage (2003): Instituting piecemeal solutions to healthcare-related issues is a road to nowhere. Focusing only on Medicare prescription coverage prevents the nation from dealing with the real problem, the lack of universal single-payer health care which will provide prescription drug coverage for all.

Extend $70 billion in Bush administration tax cuts (2006): I would have voted against these tax cuts. It is a sad commentary when our Congress values ordinary citizens so little that they pass huge, unneeded tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of the middle class and the poor. People making over $1,000,000 per year (two tenths of 1% of Americans) were granted tax cuts by the Congress which amounted to 54% of the total tax cuts. That tax cut gave these wealthy friends of Congress a gift of almost $20,000 per year on average. Almost all of the tax cuts (97%) were given to 4% of Americans and they have incomes higher than $200,000 per year. In the current economic recovery, American corporate profits are almost twice as high as in an average recovery while jobs, savings, the GNP and other indicators lag behind the average recovery statistics. Now who is really benefiting from our professional politicians?

Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage (2006): I would have voted against this amendment. I will work to insure that no person will be discriminated against due to sexual orientation. I will support the right of same sex marriage to be extended to all couples who desire to be married.

Adoption (2001)/renewal (2005) of the USA Patriot Act: I would have voted against the USA Patriot Act and its renewal. The Patriot Act was rushed through the Congress during a time of national heartbreak without adequate debate or consideration. It contains numerous provisions that counteract our historical assumption of a right to privacy and allows the federal government an unprecedented level of intrusion into our lives. The USA Patriot Act should be repealed and a more thoughtful approach should be considered.

Including a health exception to the late term abortion ban (2003): I would have voted for a health exception to the late term abortion ban. I support choice. I will work to ensure that a woman will continue to have the exclusive right to control what happens to her body. I believe that only a woman can determine for herself what should be done to her body, and reproductive rights are the concern of only the woman who is affected and those she wishes to consult.

Iraq War resolution (2002); funding for the war (2006);timetable for withdrawal (2006):

I would have voted against giving the President the authority to wage war.

I would have voted – and will vote – against all funding for the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

The [timetable] resolution, which was not binding, declares that “it is not in the national security interest of the United States to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment of United States armed forces from Iraq.” I would have voted against this resolution; I support an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

Immigration reform (2006):

I will work to reform immigration policy and to create a specific national immigration policy that identifies who can legally immigrate to the United States, includes clear qualifications for citizenship, and prohibits any temporary worker programs in favor of programs that offer permanent citizenship instead.

There is no carefully defined, administered and monitored immigration policy in the United States to ensure a clear path for immigrants to obtain citizenship without facing exploitation. The Congress needs to establish a clear set of laws governing immigration that specifies who may immigrate into the country and under what conditions.

The Congress also should require specific and substantial penalties for those who violate immigration laws, especially employers hiring people who do not qualify to work in this country. The current level of exploitation of immigrants, which exists due to the lack of just such laws and penalties, is immoral.