4th Congressional District candidates
On the issues:
Budget priorities
(Fourth of a series)

July 30 -- Question: What would your top budget priorities be if you were elected to Congress?

Democrats

Tim Carpenter:  A. Fully Fund Health Care for the People, Not Special Interests’ Profits – I support a universal healthcare program and would examine all possible avenues to make this happen. Until that can occur, we need to fix the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill as soon as possible, which is a complete sham. Many seniors will not receive any prescription drug coverage because of the “doughnut effect” and will actually threaten the current private coverage many retirees have with their insurance companies; this will make our current, inadequate health care system even worse. I would also act right away to allow for the importation of prescription drugs from Canada and I would support legislation that would outlaw prescription drug television commercials.

B. Support Education – I support a strong public education system. I believe this is essential to maintaining our democracy and allowing people to achieve their full potential. I will support fully funding “No Child Left Behind” if it is the program we have in place. When it was proposed, many Democrats like Sen. Kennedy who lead the fight to pass the bill, worked with the Republicans in Congress to try to increase funding for education with the hope that despite some of its drawbacks, “No Child Left Behind” on a whole would improve education for all children in our country. Since it has been passed, however, it appears as though it may have been a veiled attempted to undermine our public school system by underfunding the program and pushing towards more privatization through voucher programs. Although I support funding all federal mandates, especially in education where federal funds have often not followed the mandated programs – even in times of financial crisis, I would work to find a better solution.

C. Support Job Creation and Retention – I believe that our current trade treaties are not based on fair trade standards and do not provide adequate environmental safeguards. I would work to reform these treaties to protect American jobs and focus on improving environmental standards all over the world. For the twenty years that I have been in the WI State Legislature, I have at 98% lifetime “votes right” record with the AFL-CIO. I will support the increase of the minimum wage.

Matt Flynn: Bringing good jobs with good benefits to the people of the 4th Congressional District. I also want to lower the cost of health care and insure universal coverage. The issues of bringing good jobs and lowering the cost of health care are inter-related. Many businesses can no longer afford to add new employees because of the rising cost of health care, and many employees are paying more in their co-pays than whatever raises they get. I would author and fight for changes in tax policy, and expenditure policy to accomplish these objectives.

Gwen Moore: Our federal budget is a reflection of our government’s principles and values. The most recent Bush budget is a testament to his Administration’s allegiance to big business and the wealthy few at the expense of hard working Americans. As a member of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, I have worked for six years on the state budget and I know what it means to set priorities. Mine have been education, health care and protecting programs that make Wisconsin families’ lives better. In Congress, my first fiscal priority will be the working Americans who are struggling to make ends meet and my positions and votes on budgetary matters will reflect that. I will support responsible budget decisions that use our tax dollars to create jobs, train American workers, provide quality education to all of our children and access to affordable health care for all Americans.

Independents

Tim Johnson: My first concern is a balanced budget. We should not be funding programs today with our children and grandchildren’s money. We can no longer afford to spend money on such pork projects as the recent rain forests in Iowa, statues in Alabama, and unneeded bridges in Alaska. After that, my first priority would be to combine resources and create a federal health care program integrating the monies spent by medicaid, medicare, state and local governments, and charitable organizations to cover those who are in the greatest need. Once such a broad foundational program is operational, there will be a model in place that will help facilitate debate on an Americanized National Health Care System. Secondary priorities would be mass transportation initiatives, alternative fuel research, fully equipping our troops and agencies to combat terrorism, and working with the EPA to obtain federal dollars to address Milwaukee’s sewer problems.

Gerald H. Boyle: There is entirely too much red-tape in the federal government. I think a complete overhaul of the bureaucracy is necessary. Additionally, I would vote to make permanent President Bush's tax cuts. Third, I would work to develop a private based national health care plan that would be insured by the federal government but relied on private initiatives so as to not increase the tax burden on the public.

Corey Hoze: did not respond.