In an effort to be responsive to citizens, I am seeking good questions and trying my best to answer them. We also welcome your comments on any of the questions and answers.
Question on two hot international issues from Hafsa ….. I think that the issues in and around Gaza and Crimea reflect the two major political global issues that we face now, ones that the world has confronted for time immemorial. First the world is ensnarled in a multitude of disputes among tribes, nationalities, and warring factions. READ MORE
Question on eradicating poverty from Dan ….. VIDEO ANSWER
Question on improving the Affordable Care Act from Sue ….. VIDEO ANSWER
Questions on the environment from Brian ….. Environmental protection means economic change. The people who oppose environmental safeguards do not prefer and ugly or endangered environment; they just prefer to protect their own economic gain over the general good. So three things that I’d like to work on in Congress over the next two years are: READ MORE
Questions on immigration from Sue and Bill ….. VIDEO ANSWER
Question on decriminalization of marijuana by Stacy ….. VIDEO ANSWER
Question on thoughts about Hobby Lobby decision by Sherrie ….. VIDEO ANSWER
Question on money in politics by Molly ….. Molly, I think that you’ve really zeroed in on the many insidious ways in which money corrupts politics. As you say, there is no gain when we work to remove a “moneyed interest” representative from office and replace him or her with someone else who has deeply entrenched financial support. READ MORE
Question on my number one legislative priority by Andy….. VIDEO ANSWER
Question on Revolving Door in Washington by Donna ….. In some cases former members of Congress have to wait a year to before they can actively lobby. Actually, Larry Rhoden, a Republican running for the Senate from South Dakota, has proposed a permanent ban READ MORE
Question on Making Congress more effective by Bob ….. Reduce the influence of money in politics. Since both legislation and court rulings on controlling the amount of money in politics are in a stall, the best we can do is to look for candidates who voluntarily limit the amount of money that they raise and spend. READ MORE
Question on Basic Income Guarantee by Kevin ….. Regarding your question about a Basic Income Guarantee, I am definitely in favor of it. I think that we need to do whatever it takes to eliminate poverty in this country, and the most straightforward way to do so is through direct cash payments. READ MORE
7 thoughts on “Citizen Q&A”
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I’m concerned about the “revolving door” between government and private industry. For example, elected officials often leave office and take lucrative jobs in industries for which they crafted favorable legislation while in office, or Obama administration staffers leave their appointments to take well paying jobs on Wall Street. It often works the other way around, as in the case of WellPoint health insurance executive Elizabeth Fowler who left her well paying job to be a staffer for Sen. Max Baucus (at the time one of the health care sectors most heavily backed lawmakers) in order to write the Affordable Care Act. She is now back in the private sector as a lobbyist for Johnson & Johnson. Do you think there is anything we can do about the revolving door and the corruption it brings to government?
Donna, this is such a good question. In some cases former members of Congress have to wait a year to before they can actively lobby. Actually, Larry Rhoden, a Republican running for the Senate from South Dakota, has proposed a permanent ban on lobbying by former members of Congress. This is terrific because (a) it would directly affect the issue about which you write, and (b) it is a really positive step towards addressing the situation in a bi-partisan way.
Since it is not very likely that Congress will pass the necessary legislation, it is important for non-partisan non-profit organizations to track legislators and former legislators who are going through the revolving door. That becomes effective if voters utilize this information and loudly say that they will not vote for anyone coming or going through the revolving door.
Arthur, I’m happy to hear that you support a single payer healthcare system. I believe healthcare is a basic human right and that such a system would allow healthcare to be delivered efficiently and effectively. However, there has been a lot of misinformation and fear-mongering, even with Obamacare which used to basically be a GOP plan. How are we going to make single payer a reality?
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