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The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Economy,
Budget,
Energy,
Health care,
Campaign financing
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. In this time of high unemployment, what are the most important steps that should be taken to improve our nation’s economy?
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Answer from Carol L. (Shepard) Brouillet:
Reform our monetary system, transition from a war economy towards a peace economy, hold those responsible for the largest wealth transfer in human history accountable for their crimes, and get back money that was stolen. Instead of rewarding those who created the fiasco, if money had been simply distributed equitably throughout the country, there would have been no crisis, nor would so many have lost their homes and property.
Answer from Anna G. Eshoo:
In these difficult economic times, my top priorities are creating American jobs, preventing further erosion of our housing market, and spurring economic growth to ease the burden faced by millions of hard-working Americans. While our recovery is moving forward, I think we need to take a number of important steps, such as enhancing America's domestic infrastructure and economic competitiveness, strengthening local education systems, initiating important regulatory reform, and exploring innovative reforms, such as increasing the flexibility of states to use valuable unemployment insurance funds for programs that best support job-seekers.
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2. How should the federal budget deficit be addressed, now and into the future? How should budget priorities for defense and domestic programs be adjusted?
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Answer from Anna G. Eshoo:
Congress has already reduced projected deficits by more than $1 trillion through discretionary cuts for 2011 and 2012 and enacting tight spending limits for the next nine years. I support the House Democratic budget to further reduce the deficit with policies that balance spending cuts with increased revenue. It would eliminate corporate tax loopholes, frivolous subsidies to large energy and agricultural companies, and wasteful defense spending. I do not, however, support slashing programs which support our seniors, feed the hungry, or sustain America's global security and leadership. I believe it is imperative that we do not balance the budget squarely on the backs of those who are least fortunate. As such, I do not support cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or nutritional assistance programs. I'll continue to fight for smart, effective programs that serve society's least fortunate.
Answer from Carol L. (Shepard) Brouillet:
The Doctrine of Odious Debts could be applied to the debts incurred by the criminal behavior of current and past administrations which have aided and abetted one of the largest financial heists in history, robbing the many for the benefit of a few and to the great detriment of the country as a whole. We need accountability and restitution from those who have basically committed massive fraud and pocketed the loot. The war economy lines the pockets of war profiteers, depriving the country of essential services and the maintenance of vital infrastructure. Monetary reform could easily solve this problem. H.R. 2990, introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich in September 2011 would place the Federal Reserve under the Treasury Department, ending the private banks ability to create money out of thin air and enabling money to be created as a public utility to address our needs, pay for health, education, infrastructure.
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3. What are your priorities with respect to our nation’s energy policy? Should there be an emphasis on clean energy and reducing carbon emissions, and/or on reducing our dependence on foreign sources?
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Answer from Carol L. (Shepard) Brouillet:
Our dependence on fossil fuels, especially foreign oil, distorts our foreign policy and threatens the environment. We can greatly curtail our energy use by scaling down our Department of Defense, the world's largest polluter. Intercity high-speed rail and well-maintained urban and suburban light rail could substitute for the ubiquitous need for cars. Electric cars, far cheaper to fuel than their gas-powered counterparts, are odor-, noise-, exhaust-free. Agri-business requires huge, unnecessary outlays of petroleum on farm machinery and fertilizer. Proper investments in solar, wind, and new energy technologies can deliver much of our energy needs.
Hydraulic fracturing is a highly destructive technique used to extract natural gas from rock that is promoted by our national energy policy. Fracking pollutes drinking water supplies and mixes radioactive wastewater into rivers. We must place the full environmental clean-up costs back onto the corporations that created the mess, which will eliminate this dirty and destructive industry.
Our government has made expanding our offshore drilling industry a major priority. The White House actively initiated a major public relations campaign for foreign owned British Petroleum throughout the continuing Deepwater Horizon crisis, and billions of dollars of clean-up costs remain unpaid. We need to end this catastrophic industry before it destroys more oceans, coastlines, and livelihoods.
The radioactive byproducts of most of our 104 nuclear power reactors are stored on-site, including the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. All Americans are endangered by nuclear power plants, which are prone to periodic catastrophic meltdowns. The nuclear energy industry is inherently unprofitable- it requires enormous federal subsidies to develop and operate plants. We must reverse our current administrations intent to expand the nuclear energy industry, and instead close all nuclear power plants now. I authored The Invisible Nuclear War to inform the public about the nuclear energy scandal, and warn people that there is no "safe" level of radioactive contamination.
Answer from Anna G. Eshoo:
I strongly support energy policies that will create 21st century clean energy industries that are essential for our country's economic, national security, and environmental future. I was a proud supporter of The American Clean Energy and Security Act, a comprehensive approach to protect consumers, promote research and development, and deploy clean energy technologies in the U.S. The goals of this bill focus on creating green jobs, and it moves us closer to a sustainable and secure energy future. It would also save consumers hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, and cut global warming pollution 80% by 2050.
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4. What, if any, changes should be made to federal health care policies or programs?
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Answer from Anna G. Eshoo:
The historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is an extraordinary achievement for our country and I'm very proud to have been part of the effort. Our economy could not sustain the rising costs of healthcare, or the tens of millions of Americans who had fallen through the cracks and left without any insurance whatsoever.
Health reform expands coverage, increases services covered by insurance, and reigns in skyrocketing healthcare costs. The non-partisan Congressional Budget projects the law will save $210 billion over the next ten years, and more than $1 trillion over twenty years.
As research, technology and market conditions evolve, Congress must evaluate how the health care system is serving Americans. I will continue to advance research and seek ways to increase the medical workforce, including increasing the number of Graduate Medical Education slots funded by Medicare and the Children's Health Graduate Medical Education.
Answer from Carol L. (Shepard) Brouillet:
Over half of personal bankruptcies in America occur as a result of medical emergencies. Health care is a human right, not an earned privilege. We need to make Medicare coverage universal in America. All other industrialized nations have such a system- their health care costs are only a fraction of ours. Health-care is a big business, providing expensive care and insuring people. The insurance bureaucracy is not the solution: it is the problem. The pharmaceutical industry makes incredible profits, safeguards have been relaxed or eliminated, our service-persons in the armed forces are being used as guinea pigs for untested vaccines, and expensive sick care has replaced affordable preventative care. We need to end the promotion and tolerance of air pollution, environmental destruction, toxic and radioactive substance proliferation, workplace injustice, the moral trauma caused by wars of aggression, smoking, the profusion of unlabeled genetically modified foods, and more that threaten the health and well being of humans and other life on this planet.
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5. What, if any, changes should be made to federal rules on campaign financing?
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Answer from Carol L. (Shepard) Brouillet:
Money is not speech. PACs are not people. Speech by non-media corporations is not protected by the 1st Amendment. Political campaigns and political parties are dominated by money, not people. Political campaigns must be publicly funded. Television networks must grant candidates air time free of charge. PACs must be banned. A 50% tax should be levied on corporate-funded political ads, with proceeds allocated candidates and groups with contrasting views who are not receiving corporate funding.
Answer from Anna G. Eshoo:
I am extremely disappointed in the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case on campaign finance laws. I've been a vocal supporter of campaign finance reform since before I was elected to Congress. By allowing corporations unlimited access to their wallets, the Supreme Court has undermined the principle of the "will of the people" in favor of the "will of the corporation."
Throughout my political career I've worked to stem this influence and I'v consistently supported measures to limit the effects of corporate money on campaigns. I am currently a cosponsor of the Fair Elections Now Act and the "Let the People Decide" Clean Campaign Act. In the past, I've cosponsored the Independent Commission on Campaign Finance Reform Act, the American Political Reform Act, and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (known as McCain-Feingold).
I've also launched an effort to require greater political disclosure from companies who do business with the federal government. I'm proud that the Consolidated Appropriations Act, legislation that the House passed on December 23, 2011 and which the President signed into law, contains language allowing the President to move forward with an executive order requiring federal contract recipients to disclose their political campaign contributions. This measure would bring about increased transparency, clarity, and fairness in the federal contracting process. I've repeatedly called on the President to act quickly on this matter, and I hope he will do so.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
Candidates' statements are presented as
submitted. References to opponents are not permitted.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
