Health Insurance/Health Care/Privatization
    We must empower our people with Universal Access to quality healthcare. I am making an unwavering commitment to develop and fund structures that will provide Universal Equitable Access to Quality Healthcare for every American. 47 Million Americans are without health insurance. This is equivalent to thirty six times the population of our State not having health insurance. This is unconscionable in the richest country in the world. Polarized debates will not save our people from the effects of this growing crisis. We Must Act Now! We need swift and substantive action.

    The immediate goal has to be to protect the 47 Million of our People that are currently living through this crisis. The requisite speed needed demands compromise and willingness to develop a flexible structure that works now while we determine what will be best for our nation in the long run. We must first take the most expeditious path to provide everyone with healthcare. This will require a blend of the single payer and market driven strategies that are currently being debated.

    We must:
    Immediately fully fund SCHIP (States Children’s’ Health Insurance Program) to make sure that every child in this country has supportive healthcare. The people of our great country can find common ground quickly on this issue. Structures already exist to implement it.

    Immediately expand and / or develop other structures to provide Universal Healthcare for our people. Allow all those who lack health insurance to join an expanded Medicare program or to receive tax credits to help them pay for private insurance, depending upon income needs and individuals’ own assessments of what will work best for them or their families. We must also support small businesses by expanding tax credits for companies who offer health insurance to their employees. Additionally, we need to make sure that reimbursement rates for all medical professionals and organizations are fair.

    Once we have provided all Americans with equitable access to quality healthcare we should then continue to explore the possibilities for healthcare in our country. We must have a vigorous and objective national dialogue that honestly looks at the healthcare systems of other countries as well as our own. The learning that will happen as a result of providing universal coverage will need to be put to work to forge an even better, more economical solution.

    As we expand our Healthcare system to include all Americans, we must also take steps to remedy serious flaws in our system, including actions to:
    Reorient our health care paradigm to one of preventative care.
    Reduce medical errors.
    Develop consistent, research based best practices to maximize the health benefit of our health care.

    We can reduce the overall costs to society and PAY FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE COVERAGE by developing a new system:
    o Redirecting the more than $100 Billion Dollars that we currently spend providing the uninsured with health care. (Institute of Medicine, Hidden Costs, Values Lost: Uninsurance in America.)
    o Focusing on preventative care which is far less costly than reactive care and could save us $26 Billion / year. (Bill Bradley, A New American Story, pg. 147)
    o Developing electronic record keeping and electronic prescribing capacities across our healthcare system is estimated to save us $125 Billion according to a Markle Foundation 2003 study.
    o Emphasizing the elimination of medical errors through intentional systemic efforts that include better management, best practices, ongoing review and improvement of practices, amnesty in reporting medical errors, transparency and electronic records could reduce the $2 trillion we spend on healthcare by 30 – 50%, according to Paul H. O’Neill, the Original Secretary of the Treasury under President Bush and previous chairman and CEO of Alcoa.
    o The more that we can embrace our national collective health as a valuable economic asset, the more we will have leverage to relieve the expensive tug of war between medical providers and medical insurers. Every dollar of salary spent fighting for or against a claim is money lost and not invested into our collective health.
    o As we transition out of Iraq we can claim a peace dividend for society and invest some of the savings into the healthcare system.
    Additionally:
    • Universal Coverage would alleviate the financial burden that the uninsured experience every time they face illness or injury.
    • Portability of policies for all in the Medicare system would allow for greater freedom in employment choices and more productivity for society.
Campaign Contributions
    It is imperative that we expand public funding to invest in Congressional Campaigns. The current system makes it very difficult for people of modest means to compete. By choosing not to support these races we limit the field of candidates. We cannot afford the status quo of this issue. Public funds would guarantee a richer dialogue and better campaigns, as the dialogue of the race would benefit a broader field. Ultimately, public funding would be a good business decision for Maine.

    Consider the Senate race that I am currently in. Congressman Allen and Senator Collins were considered unchallengeable because of the funding that they had gathered, not because of the strength of their ideas. In order to broaden the dialogue of the race I have had to make huge personal sacrifices. If I had not or if Candidate Dobson had not entered the race we would have two candidates with no one challenging them. Certainly, democracy would be well served by a richer, broader exchange of ideas.

Global Warming/Alternative Energy
    Global Warming Pollution:
    WE MUST make a national commitment to lead the world by fully engaging in developing an aggressive international climate change accord. To this end WE MUST lead by example by cutting our own carbon emissions by 80% in 2050, on pace for 10% in three years. We reorganized our economy far quicker after entering World War Two. The costs of our dependency on fossil fuels are too great to ignore any longer. We have to evolve our energy production system. If we do we will see great benefits across our society.
    I propose:

    • We must set an aggressive pace now to convert our energy grid. We cannot wait ten years to act.
    Funding:
    • Shift subsidies and tax breaks for the $ multi – billion dollar fossil fuel industry to renewable energy generation technologies that currently exist.
    • Redirect 2.5 percent of current yearly military spending, approximately $25 Billion Dollars each year for ten years to invest in clean, renewable energy.

    Action:
    We must utilize this funding to develop our Energy Self Reliance.
    • We empower individual homeowners to become more energy independent.
    o The cheapest and cleanest power is the power that we do not consume.
    o Help homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient.
    o For existing homes replace aging windows, super insulate attics, apply space age insulation panels to interior walls, and more.
    o New homes could be built to new zero energy or low energy standards.
    o Support individual homes developing their own energy generation capacity through solar, geothermal, and wind power.
    o Require all utilities to purchase all surplus electricity generated.
    o Offer a combination of tax credits, zero and low interest loans to support individual homeowners. Loans are paid back at the rate of savings on energy costs.

    • We must strengthen our communities by becoming more energy efficient by supporting the increased public building energy efficiency and the development of locally generated and consumed clean, renewable energy across the country. Using the funding mentioned above create federal zero interest loans paid back at the rate of savings for all municipalities that want to develop their power through investments in sea based hydropower, solar, wind, and geothermal resources.

    • Working with individual homeowners and our municipalities to develop clean generational capacity creates many positive results:
    o Cost effective investments. In the long term they pay for themselves, create jobs, and generate revenue.
    o Lower Energy Costs
    o Decentralize our energy grid, making energy transmission more efficient and more secure.
    o Reduce our national dependence on foreign oil and all fossil fuels Greater Energy Independence for the individual home, the Community and the Nation.
    o Lower Carbon Emissions.
    o Additionally we should:
    • Make a national commitment to not build any new coal fired electricity plants.
    o Redirect subsidies provided to coal companies to:
    • Develop clean energy technology industries in the coal belt.
    • Provide generous resources to support and reeducate re-educate workers in the coal industry.

    • Develop public / private partnerships to develop large scale tidal power and off shore wind projects. The tidal currents off Quoddy Head in Maine that President Kennedy committed to harness for electrical generation are a prime example of the capacity of this resource.

    A strong national renewable electricity standard by 2020.
    We can not wait this long to set this standard. There is not enough time for the planet. If just 4 years ago a scientist claimed that the polar ice cap would loose one half of its mass in the next three years, that scientist would have been branded as extreme or crazy, Yet, the polar ice cap did loose one half of its mass in that time. We need to move quickly. We need to mobilize to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and fund green energy technology production as if we were at war because whether we admit it or not, we are.

    Strong standards to reduce global warming emissions from cars and SUVs.
    Our automobile industry needs to be “encouraged” with strict café standards to evolve. We need to remember that we would not have safety belts, safety glass, crash zones or a host of other car requirements without federal prompting. We must develop national legislation mirroring California’s since repealed law, requiring all auto manufacturers to produce a viable plug in hybrid or zero emissions vehicle to account for 5% of their sales by 2011 and 10% by 2013. These cars already exist. Tax credits could help car buyers purchase these vehicles in large numbers.

    A national energy efficiency standard to cut down on our wasteful use of energy

    • Dramatically Expand research and development funding for renewable, clean energy sources, space age insulators, energy efficient production methods, and transportation.

    • Utilize schools, municipal buildings and community- based businesses to demonstrate the great economic potential of increased energy efficiency, local clean power generation, recycling, composting and even local agriculture.
    o Integrating these green initiatives within schools and municipal buildings will offer our students and all citizens daily examples and reminders that will lead to greater understand the potential of green efforts and technology.

    • Phase in requirements that the waste heat stream – 60 % of the energy released in burning the fossil fuels in current power plants be captured and utilized in the communities that host traditional power plants.

    • Phase out incandescent light bulbs for all non-essential applications.
    o Fund advanced LED research and development.
    o Phase in fluorescent and LED technologies.
    o Convert incandescent manufacturing.
    o Doing so will eliminate the need for 85 coal fired power plants.
National Security/Military Spending
    Having the strongest military in the world is an asset for our country. However, he looming questions are “How much is enough?” and “What ultimately will make us the most secure?”

    We spend more than all of the rest of the world combined on our military. A spiral of spending, weapons development, arms sales abroad and more spending has led to ever more sophisticated and expensive weapons systems, many of which are not suited for the two wars we are now fighting. At the same time our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq have not had adequate body armor or transport for much of the time we have been fighting in these countries. The vast majority of our manufacturing base is (as measured in dollar value) is devoted to the military.
    Military related spending now totals over $1 trillion.

    Our day-to-day front-line defense requires that we rethink the way that we invest this vast sum of money. The way that we currently advance these funds does not necessarily translate into an adequate defense for our nation. We mislead ourselves into thinking that weapons systems will make us more secure. While we build a missile shield to defend against possible future threats, we fail to inspect container ships that access our ports. Furthermore, excessive military spending will not defend us from the quagmire of problems that threaten the security of our people in their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities. Spending on weapons does not translate into adequate security for our people; nor does it secure an adequate defense. We would be more adequately protected if we invested a small percentage of this enormous sum of money to fund pro-active efforts that reinforce and defend the personal security foundations of our society: healthcare, education, and energy independence.

Transportation
    We must consider the interdependence of these decisions with all other needs of society. We need to develop a new paradigm for our transportation needs, holding the common good at the heart of transportation decisions. We must be ever mindful of the type of transportation that we are encouraging and the requisite consequences to our carbon emissions, economic development, air quality and the connected healthcare impacts, support of labor and the implications for foreign policy and our dependence on foreign oil.

    Considering all of these needs, I believe that public transportation must be a top priority. Therefore, buses, ferries and paratransit vehicles must be at the top of my list. We need to be thinking of a long term vision that requires fewer cars, easier mass mobility and transportation access to all of our labor forces, especially those that are attempting to work their way out of poverty because mass transit is a necessity for providing low income people mobility to jobs. Following this same line of thinking, the second priority would be to complete the rail to Brunswick study. Maine was once nearly completely connected by active rail lines. We should take a cue from the wisdom of our ancestors.

International Relations
    The economy –locally, nationally and globally is the largest issue of concern to all Mainers and our nation. I believe the start of this conversation would be a redefinition of both Homeland Security and “Profitability.” The war in Iraq and Global Warming are critical issues that I am addressing elsewhere in this survey.

    To really help Mainers be secure in their own homes, we need to encourage a dramatic reduction on fossil fuel dependency, build a locally stable and sustainable economy and make certain that there is quality medical care and quality education is available for everyone. The interconnection of these issues is paramount to lifting all people towards a healthier and more secure future.

    In the global economic race toward ever-increasing shareholder value we have been sacrificing our future economic, environmental and even national security in the name of increased profits. When a Maine factory is shut down and its goods contracted overseas, what is the profit? A percentage point or two on monetary outlay for anonymous investors who want the quickest return on their dollars? The factory generated a modest profit, was a good steward of the environment by adhering to our laws and a fair provider for its workers by treating them in accordance with our labor standards. The factory served both the local and the global community well. A solid product was produced for a fair price with multiple benefits for the community and controlled costs for the world. No abject exploitation of people or the environment was necessary. No child labor was used, No harvesting of resources without an eye to the future. Yet, it was “more profitable” to close the factory and stop the heartbeat of the town. Hence, when considering what global issues are critical for Mainers we must start with the global economy and the impacts of chasing profit at all costs.

    What do I propose?

    • As a society, we must commit to this truth: considering all real costs and measured over the long run, the most respectful and ethical business decisions are also the most profitable for society.
    • Calculate “profit” by including all costs and benefits for society.
    • Redefine “efficiency” to account for the ripple effects that occur as a result of “ more efficient practices.”
    • Expand and evolve our definition of “growth.”
    o Doing more with less material, reusing discarded products, using less pesticide or less fertilizer are all positive, strengthening gains for our economy and yet they are measured by in terms of negative growth because they require less consumption.

    What relationships affect Mainers most?
    • Our commercial trade agreements are critical and need to be overhauled to include fair labor and green certification requirements for all imports. We must:
    • Work to eliminate the exploitation of foreign workers and resources to bring
    • “Cheap” goods to our markets.
    • Level the playing field for US manufacturers.
    • Assist in reducing our growing trade deficit.
    • Reexamine NAFTA, WTO and all International trade Treaties. Work to include responsible environmental and fair labor standards into each.
    o If we cannot succeed in integrating such standards, we should remove ourselves from these treaties and enter into bilateral trade agreements that support green and fair labor practices.
    • We must commit to be positive global citizens through our commercial international agreements. All trade agreements should benefit all countries involved. This is both the right thing to do and the most profitable course of action for our society in the long run.
    • In an ever shrinking and more complex world, partnership, collaboration and the common support of people and the environment are commercial necessities.

    This course of action would help us to support the inalienable rights of all people, safeguard the global ecosystem upon which we depend, and create a level playing field for our economy.

    Additionally, the United States estrangement from the world community impacts Mainers by making us less secure in an ever-smaller world. We must assert collaborative international leadership:

    • Develop Foreign Policy Decisions Built Upon Honorable Principles that will create conditions for peace, prosperity, and environmental security.
    • Equity. All people are created equal. All foreign policy decisions must serve this truth.
    • Interdependence. We live in an increasingly small and complex world. All foreign policy decisions must take into account all the needs of the common good.
    • Partnership. The answers to our global problems are within us collectively. All non-emergency foreign policy decisions must be based upon sincere collaboration with all stakeholders.
    • Promise. We have the capacity to create a world in which the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness is possible for all. All foreign policy decisions must be aimed at continually diminishing needless suffering.
    • Lead the world with a disciplined commitment to engage in diplomatic, collaborative dialogue across the globe to further develop and strengthen relationships with all nations, both friends and perceived foes.
Mortgage crisis in ME/Banking and lending
    The bottom line is that we need to do everything we can to make sure hat our people are not “put out on the streets.” There are many implications for any policy decision in this matter and the best solutions is a delicate dance between supporting those who have little to begin and were preyed upon by ludicrous lending practices and allowing investors to accept the consequences of bad decisions and / or bad lending practices

    This crisis started because of a lack of federal oversight – in his comments on this crisis, former Fed Reserve Chief Alan Greenspan said that he saw this but did not believe the Federal Reserve had oversight of the Banking practices that were going on- and no one else took that responsibility. This is a key message because Oversight and accountability are a part of our constitution’s system of checks and balances and congress has abdicated this responsibility in an attempt to overzealously encourage free markets.

    Intervening at this point is a difficult manner. I would propose:
    • Expanding the assistance offered by the President.
    • A short-term moratorium on foreclosures to sort out this debacle completely is a wise move.
    • Hold banks accountable. They need to take responsibility for some of the losses; they made the bad loans to begin with.
    • The federal government will need to set up cooperation with the banking community.
    • Any situation that involves tenants and tenancy rights needs to be given highest priority for support to avoid putting people out on the street.
    • Expand federal support for the most vulnerable of our citizens.
    • The market has to be encouraged to dig itself out - it will take time but if the government interferes too much, the industry will fall into that hole (or another hole) knowing that there will always be a bailout with taxpayers bearing the burden.
    • The government could do some buyouts through the FHA or VA if they were used to back the loans but in general the government should not be in the real estate business.

Gay Marriage
    Yes I would support such federal legislation. For me this issue is overwhelmingly simple. We are “one nation conceived in liberty dedicated to the proposition that all (people) are created equal.” When this truth is violated for one of us it is violated for all of us. When necessary we must legislate protection to those that are discriminated against. This is one of those situations. We must hold true to the promise of our ideals for all people. We must support ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for all people.

Living Wages/Jobs in ME/poverty/homelessness
    In simplest terms, our government’s responsibility in providing for the welfare of our country is to look out for the well being of all of our people, both in good times and in bad, across the broad spectrum of our society. Certainly, all people will not aspire to achieve the same station in life, but our policies do not have to guarantee that they cannot. Instead our policies to deal with poverty need to guarantee opportunity is there when people fall on bad times or live in otherwise unsupported situations. Across a wide variety of situations we need to be ready to provide the tools that people need to take care of themselves. Our countrymen and women cannot pull themselves up by their own bootstraps if they do not have any boots. Currently 100 million Americans live in or on the edge of poverty.

    Certainly much good is done within the current welfare system. The problem is that the system does not have enough capacity and programs are not well orchestrated to compliment each other in the service of our citizens. Subsequently millions of our people fall through the cracks in the system: the abused child on a long waiting list for help, the teen with no home or bed to go to, the pregnant mother with no prenatal care, the mentally ill with no treatment, the elderly freezing in their homes…. They are those who consume most of their energy on their own survival. They have no opportunity to develop or use their own gifts and talents and are effectively suppressed from engaging their best with our society. People who are marginalized to a place in which they can just scrape by – or worse- are not in a position to be able to contribute much of anything to the greater good.

    We need to work together to create conditions in this country that support the economic self – reliance of our people and in doing so we will reduce the need for a safety net for our people. We must redirect federal investment to support the basic pillars upon which personal economic success and self-reliance can be built. Breaking the cycle of poverty requires strong, integrated network of support and intervention. We must change our attitude towards care instead of neglect as a beginning.

    We must:
    • Make a national commitment to reduce poverty by 50% in the next five years.
    • Make a national commitment to reduce childhood poverty by 90% in 10 years.

    To do so must develop:
    Housing Security
    • We must help the homeless and impoverished into low income housing that is energy efficient and low maintenance and getting them out of inadequate housing, providing families a way to get out of dangerous and abusive situations into safe havens.

    Healthcare Security
    • Make immediate steps to provide Universal, Equitable Access to Quality Healthcare for ALL AMERICANS.
    • We must develop a health care system that takes care of mental and physical health, a health care system that allows wellness care, dental services and nutritional health for all citizens we can begin to recover from this crisis.

    Job Security
    • Protect manufacturing jobs through fair labor and green certification requirements of all imports.
    • Create new jobs for people who need a pathway out of poverty.
    • Committing to leading a green technology national production initiative
    • An expanded Americorps job program

    Education Security
    • Universal Access to pre-school.
    • Early Literacy Intervention
    • Adult Literacy Intervention
    • Greater support for our poorest schools.
    • Service to College Program
    • Technological Literacy
    • Financial literacy education
    • Job Retraining

    Environmental Security
    • Enforce environmental law to protect all Americans, especially the poor who are often exploited by environmental abuse or neglect.)
    • Reassess food safety and make appropriate changes.
    • Chemical Safety
    • Consumer Safety

    Energy Security:
    • Fully fund Low Income Energy Assistance program (LIEAP) while also making a National Commitment to strengthen our communities by developing local clean, renewable power generation.

    As for paying for this:

    The crux of this issue is THAT WE ARE PAYING FOR THE GREAT COST OF POVERTY RIGHT NOW in the great currency of despair and potential lost. We must recognize that investing in our people is our best economic plan for a stable and sustainable economic future. The cost of the status quo is both needless and staggering. Compare the cost of imprisoning a young man for ten years vs. providing that same young man as an angry teenager with counseling… Compare the cost of providing childcare to a child of a single mother so that she can take classes to empower herself to contribute in our new economy vs. the cost of allowing her and her child to scrape by in poverty without the opportunity provided by that education… It is only when people are fed and clothed and educated, that we will move beyond our old models of the status quo and really see what we as a people, as leaders in our world, can accomplish in this new century. As long as millions of our people are out there, on their own, living from day to day with little hope for tomorrow, they will be unable to make the contributions that are within them already. Investing in our most disadvantaged people will ultimately lead to a better future for all Americans; By promoting and supporting the well-being of our people, we will diminish the need for welfare and the associated monetary costs.

    • Health care funding can be gathered from the savings reported in question one.
    • We must shift subsidy priorities from large to small –
    o From corporations that are seeing record profits to community based action programs that can work if they get a little financial help,
    o From multinational agribusinesses to food stamp and school nutrition programs that provide local healthy foods
    o From agribusiness to farm cooperatives and local suppliers of healthy food.
    • Additional assistance funding can be provided through claiming a peace dividend as we leave Iraq.

    As a nation we need to recall that these are basic human needs and they help define individual security. We are all more secure when our neighbors are secure in meeting their basic needs.

College Affordability
    We must assure equitable opportunity for quality higher education. All citizens who want to attend post –secondary educational opportunities should be able to. Not all students will seek the same level of education but our societal structures do not have to guarantee that they cannot.
    I propose:
    • Service to College Program
    o For each year that a citizen serves the country in the Peace Corp, or an expanded Americorp, the country –will pay for 2 years of Community College or State University tuition.
    o The GI Bill cost $50 Billion and returned $350 Billion to the economy. We can well afford this kind of investment!
    o All schools accepting this funding must commit to utilize educational best practices so that all learners are served well.

    • Increase funding for loan forgiveness for teachers who teach in rural and inner city areas. This will make it easier for young teachers to stay in the field and will help attract new teachers to the field.

    • Develop a national teaching corps. Fully fund State University Education for teachers who agree to serve in targeted need areas for 8 years. All applicants must go through a rigorous screening to get into program.

    • Develop a National Medical Corps. Create a grant to fund medical school for aspiring Doctors who agree to serve in targeted need areas for 8 years. All applicants must go through a rigorous screening to get into the program. This will empower aspiring citizens who might otherwise not have been able to go to medical school to serve our people where they are most needed.

    • Student loans should be funded as much as possible at zero or low interest.

    • As the economy evolves and some sectors of our economy change dramatically, opportunity for continuing education for displaced workers is essential. We have done much good in this area and need to make sure that we continue to do so.

    • Welfare requirements for recipients to work need to allow for recipients to go to school as well, as the law provides for in Maine.

AIDS Awareness
    The Millennium Development Goals as set forth in 2000 represent a blueprint that works on the global and local levels. The areas of health are connected to education, poverty, economic justice, a clean environment, fair trade, and women’s equality. With HIV/Aids we know that trends can be reversed if we invest in:
    • Education on prevention
    • Increased health awareness through preventative and wellness care
    • Reducing the suffering caused by the disease by providing medications to those most in need.

Fair Trade/Unions Rights
    Our trade agreements have degraded our standing as an international model for responsible capitalism. As a nation we set environmental and labor standards that showed some stewardship of our environmental assets and dignity for our labor force. Our trade agreements of the past two decades have allowed us to export our worst labor and environmental practices across our borders to exploit the lands and people of other nations – practices we know are wrong. Congress can no longer abdicate their role in debating trade agreements. Fast track policies pretend to help capitalism but really only promote the worst aspects of exploitation. Congress must provide leadership and oversight.

    Congress must
    • Develop fair labor and green standards for all imports.
    o Work to eliminate the exploitation of foreign workers and resources to bring “ cheap” goods to our markets.
    o Level the playing field for US manufacturers.
    o Assist in reducing our growing trade deficit.

    • Reexamine NAFTA, WTO and all International trade Treaties. Work to include responsible environmental and fair labor standards into each. If we cannot succeed in integrating such standards, we should remove ourselves from these treaties and enter into bilateral trade agreements that support green and fair labor practices.

    • We must commit to be positive global citizens through our commercial international agreements. All trade agreements should benefit all countries involved. This is both the right thing to do and the most profitable course of action for our society in the long run. In an ever shrinking and more complex world, partnership, collaboration and the common support of people and the environment are commercial necessities. This course of action would help us to support the inalienable rights of all people, safeguard the global ecosystem upon which we defend, and create a level playing field for our economy.

Iraq War/Torture
    We should never have gone to war in Iraq. We cannot and should not maintain our presence in Iraq. We have to withdraw our troops in the near future. However, we cannot simply abandon Iraq and hope that everything will turn out fine. We must honor our moral responsibility to help stabilize the country enough so that it will not fall into deeper chaos, violence and potentially genocide once we do leave. To this end:

    • We must immediately work with the international community to replace any substantial need for American Troops with a multinational force of peacekeeping troops within 12 months from the day that our next President is sworn in. A new President will have the opportunity to partner with the international community to collaborate on this issue. A multinational peacekeeping force that included Arab troops would have far more credibility with the Iraqi people than US forces currently do because we are seen as an occupying army that seeks to secure its oil supplies. 85 % of Iraqi’s reportedly want the US to leave Iraq.


    • We recognize the interdependence of a peaceful Iraq with the security of the region and the world.

    • We must make it clear in the international community that we are committed to find a way to stabilize the country within a limited time frame and use of resources.

    • We need the assistance of the international community to create conditions in Iraq in which its people and the region can build a stable and secure future.

    • We must as quickly as possible convene with the Iraqi Government an international Iraqi Peace summit to collaborate in partnership with the nations of the region and our allies around the world to help bring stability to the nation. We need to develop policies that accept and build upon the reality of Iraq's fragmentation. We cannot wish away the divisive reality on the ground to make a democracy just like our own. Through open –minded collaboration, dialogue and partnership with all stake holders in Iraq and the international community, we can develop a plan to withdraw he vast majority of American troops without leaving a power vacuum that would be filled with even more bloodshed.

Iraq War/Torture
    Absolutely. This is a simple issue for me. Torture is not in line with the pursuit of our ideals. Torture is not an effective tool to gather information. By being associated with the practice of torture we feed the motivations and recruitment efforts of our enemies and we sow the seeds of more terrorism. Instead we must sow the seeds of peace. The United States must be seen as a beacon of hope and justice for the rest of the world. This perception, when achieved once more, will be a far better defense of our people than a willingness to torture others in the name of war.

Presidential Power
    Executive power should be in line with the balance of power outlined in the constitution. National security, legislative, administrative and judicial powers are all necessary for the President. However, our founders feared an imperial presidency and sought to contain the power of the president with a strong legislative branch to keep executive power in check.

    In many recent instances, however, congress has abdicated its responsibility as an equal branch of our federal government as set forth in our Constitution. They have failed to provide basic oversight of the Executive through debate and, when needed, investigations. This failure has lead to unprecedented abuses of power by the Executive.
    • Congress has allowed the executive to wage war without a formal declaration of war and without raising adequate funds to pay for the war.
    • The use of signing privileges to allow the Executive to exempt himself, persons of his cabinet or certain interest groups from the very laws that Congress passes by hiding behind signing statements imposed by the President.

    Presidential Power must be anchored in the balance of power intended by our founders. The executive branch must work within the law and faithfully execute the laws. When either of these duties are manipulated or denied, our union suffers and the integrity of the government is diminished,

Experience that relates to youth
    I am qualified to represent the youth of Maine effectively and creatively because I have dedicated my entire professional life to helping students find and develop their amazing talents and potential. I hold a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and I have been a leader in Maine school reform for twenty years. I understand our youth because it has been my job and passion to do so for 25 years. My students have always been able to connect with me and I them. That will not change when I change hats from that of “educator” to that of “Senator.”

    As an educator I have taught, guided, coached and led thousands of students and witnessed their amazing potential and talent countless times in contexts from the Appalachian Trail to Washington DC. I know that our children hold within them all of the promise and wonder of the human race. I know that the wisdom of the ages is always present when I work with young people and that they are and will continue to be essential in helping our nation and the world in building pathways toward a sustainable future.

    I have been completely satisfied with my career as an educator because of my love for and commitment to our youth and my belief that as educators we help create the future as we help our students build foundations for the lives of their dreams. It is that same love, commitment and belief that has driven me to enter this race. I know that my own four daughters and their entire generation are “waiting for the world to change” and that they need leaders with the requisite understanding, love, commitment and beliefs to help bring about that change.

    I will represent our youth efficiently because as an educator and a father I understand how critical this time in our history is for the youth of Maine; I understand that we need to listen to our young people and bridge the gap between them and policy making in Washington. I recognize that the decisions that we are making and not making right now will affect them most of all; I understand that time is short in solving the critical issues before us and that we need assertive, decisive leadership now. My daughters and all youth do not have the time for business as usual in Washington; the status quo has been insufficient and dangerous or some time. I am running for the United States Senate because I want all of our youth to have a safe, stable and sustainable future and I have the right framework of though and qualities of character to help build that future.

Top 3 priorities
    Health Care
    Health Care has to be our number one priority as a state and a nation; no person should ever have to choose one necessity over another. Lack of equitable access to quality healthcare is at the root of many issues that Mainers. 47 Million Americans are without health insurance; this is unconscionable and must be changed.

    • A Stable and Sustainable Economy
    • The people of Maine need more economic opportunity. A full 1/3rd of our population is receiving some form of welfare. We need to give them better opportunities so that they can have the dignity of good jobs and self-sufficiency. We must strengthen our local communities and our job base by shifting our national subsidy priorities toward local, small businesses that are the lifeblood of local economies. In doing so we can support local solutions for critical problems and build the foundation of a stable and sustainable economy, especially through the support of:
    • Community based agriculture,
    • Local clean energy production to begin on our journey toward energy independence. We can use our current energy crisis as an opportunity to claim our future energy independence by working to lead efforts in supporting clean energy initiatives.
    • We can reduce the need to burn oil in Maine houses by seeding the manufacture of new insulation technology;
    • We can take existing strengths such as marine engineering and harness the energy of our 3,000 miles of coastal tides.
    • We can utilize our strong solar, wind and geothermal energy resources to become a national leader in energy independence.
    • Local industry that relies on local resources, adding value to those resources in our home economies.
    Education
    Education is the foundation for all of the growth that we need to make in order to triumph as a people in this new century. It can be a beacon for all and lift all to greater knowledge, skill and awareness. We need to empower people to develop their inherent gifts and talents so that hey can claim their birthright and meet their responsibilities as citizens in their communities. To this end we must make a national commitment to help all citizens access safe and effective educational opportunities pre-k through college.

Maine’s commercial fishing industry
    Fishing has always been part of Maine’s heritage and economy. In order for it to remain strong, we need to bring these communities together. The people who know fishing best are the people who have lived on the water for generations – Maine fisherman were self-regulated before any government stepped in. They are the primary stakeholders who need to be collaborated with in support the scientific research that is being done. There is no one solution as every type of fish harvest needs to find better answers and to that end our great research centers need to partner with the commercial fishing industry. We must recognize that we are all on the same side of this issue; we need to preserve the fisheries and we need to support our people.

    In looking to the future we must prioritize the support of smaller fishing operations that tend to be better stewards of the fisheries than larger, factory-fishing operations. We need to make sure to protect our fisheries from off shore abuse international fishermen. We need to do what we can to help support our fishing fleet when fishing days and catch hauls are increasingly limited to help stocks recover. When new regulations are mandated, such as the new regulations regarding lobstering rope, we should help smaller operations meet the inherent costs.

Reproductive Rights
    No. The federal government does not have this moral authority. This type of gag-rule is demeaning to the process of education. Beyond a moral question, this is a question of respect for the intelligence of others. Problems do not go away because we choose not to engage in a discussion that shows all options and their potential consequences.

Tax and Budget
    The Estate Tax impacted less than 1% of our population – it was truly a break for the wealthiest of the wealthy. It is estimated that the tax cut of 2001 alone, if allowed to stand for ten years would be the equivalent of the cost of a universal health care system – covering every citizen – over the same period of time. These tax cuts were supposed to stimulate the economy – but the average American family has lost $1,000 of annual income since the tax cut of 2001 went into effect. We need to allow these tax cuts to sunset when they expire.

    There are better ways to strengthen the economy. When we look at economic stimulus, we need to make sure the plan is as comprehensive as possible. If we had invested the revenue lost in these tax cuts into the foundations of or economy, including education, energy independence and the good health of our people, we would not be facing a recession right now.