This is not a time for cheap shots, trick questions that might have come from the mind of an Ann Coulter or a even of a nice guy like James Carville. These should be serious questions that I would want to see any Green Party candidate answering so that I know, when I vote, that they will be representing me.
I will start this off with three question of my own. They represent several of the top concerns from a recent poll of likely voters. I would really like to have them all but I am limiting myself to only 3 for now. I have already solicited some questions from a few others and had a response from a 2004 Green Party candidate, Lorna Salzman. So, I will also list her's here.
After that, I hope that you all will use the comment capability on this blog to register your own.
My Questions:
- There is no longer any doubt that the world is warming and the we are the cause. As Pogo said, We have met the enemy and they is us. As President, what steps would you take, what changes would you make in energy policy to reduce our contributions to Global Warming.
- Immigration, trade policies and agricultural are all linked together. Changing one affect the others. Is there a way to achieve a satisfactory solution to all three? If so, what is it?
- The effect of the Iraq war and the way that the current administration has pursued it's reckless war on terror, has lost America the moral standing that it once had. How would you restore this country's soul?
Lorna Salzman's questions:
- Will you work for a universal single payer health care system?
- Will you work for a carbon tax on fossil fuels?
- Will you work for a revival and expansion of a government-run, national passenger rail system, including a high-speed passenger rail line on the east coast?
9 comments:
As a grass roots activist, I've long believed that green campaigns get a lot of mileage out of things like buttons, T shirts, and bumper stickers. My question for all of the candidates is going to be: "What slogan will you be putting out there to sumarise your message?"
Additional Questions received by email: I received the following questions from Linda Pierra-Avila (Los Angeles).
1. Please share your economic platform: specifically, what steps would you take to enact a living wage for all, ensure less regressive taxation, and alleviate
poverty?
2. How would you address the problems that still face New Orleans, post Katrina? What steps would you enact to better equip communities to handle disasters?
3. What electoral reforms would you advocate as president; how would you promote ranked choice voting and proportional representation? What safeguards would you put in place to make sure no future elections are stolen as was the case in Ohio in 2004 and Florida in 2000?
The following questions came from Ian Wilder.
1. What is the most important issue issue facing the next president?
2. What is you position on Iraq? Do you believe in a just war?
3. What is your position on global warming?
4. Do you believe in a woman's right to chose? What steps have you taken to protect it? What steps would you take?
1. Will you put the solar panels back on the White House? If not, why not?
2. Will your administration let its scientists speak freely? Will it take their advice?
3. Will your administration use its purchasing power to guide technology in directions that serve the public interest? What would it buy better than previous administrations? (The GSA and the Postal Service alone could buy enough electric cars and light trucks, for example, to create a viable mass market for those.)
Another set of questions has been emailed to me, this time from Jill Bussiere (GP WI).
I would ask these 2 questions - and, in fact, they are the questions on our questionnaire that we sent to all the candidates.
What are your main goals for your presidential campaign on the Green Party ticket?
Why should Greens should choose you as their #1 choice for Green presidential candidate?
The disparity between the rich and the poor is increasing in this country and around the world. America's middle class is rapidly eroding due to the economic policies of our nation. What will you do to address this issue?
With the Lakota's seceding from the U.S. what would you do as President in regard to their reinstating their country?
What electoral reform would you like to see happen?
What is your vision for energy alternatives.
Frank Jeffers, CoChair EcoAction Committee, Green Party US, has forwarded the following questions to the debate committee.
1)
If already existing houses were made more energy efficient to reduce electricity consumption it would have many benefits. These include increasing the true value of the house, not the speculative value. The true property value of a community would increase. The net worth of the owners would increase. The size of the estate they could pass on to the next generation would increase. Their effective income would increase. Jobs in the community would increase to get the work done, circulating money within the community.
The consumption of coal in powerplants would decrease. This would decrease coal combustion wastes which are carcinogenic. This would decrease air pollution, that keeps kids from learning. This would decrease carbon dioxide production, helping the global warming problem. This would decrease mountaintop removal to mine coal.
The problem is how to finance the upfront cost of making existing houses more energy efficient.
What would you suggest to get this job done?
2)
It's been known for generations that many parts of the United States could collect enough solar energy to power the whole country, but practical considerations have prevented this happening. New developments have moved solar and other intermittent alternative energy sources closer to being useful.
These include 'flow batteries' and NAS batteries that can be used for large scale electricity storage from intermittent sources. These storage systems allow conditioning of the power so it can be used without creating huge disruptions to the power grid. In addition, new printed photovoltaic cells and advanced windmills have reduced costs dramatically.
As President, what will you do to harness domestic wind and solar energy?
3)
Many people are forced by financial circumstances to drive old, poorly running, and inefficient vehicles because they can't afford anything else. These vehicles create air pollution and use a lot of gasoline and have high repair costs to keep them running.
Would you favor a program of buying up these vehicles in return for a voucher to be applied to a new vehicle as long as it got over 40 miles per gallon? The purchased old vehicles would have to be licensed, insured, and driveable by the owner to the point of exchange.
Post a Comment