comparing the candidates

and

1. In light of escalating home foreclosures, a credit crunch and a possible recession, what role, if any, should the federal government play in strengthening the nation's economy?
   
   
2. Cynthia McKinney: Now that the Federal Reserve has become the lender of last resort, this means that the people are becoming the owners of the primary instruments of U.S. capital and finance. This means that we the people should have a say in how these instruments are to be used and what their priorities ought to be.

   Here are a few things that we can do to address this crisis:

   1. enactment of a foreclosure moratorium now before the next phase of ARM interest rate increases take effect;

   2. elimination of all ARM mortgages and their renegotiation into 30- or 40-year loans;

   3. establishment of new mortgage lending practices to end predatory and discriminatory practices;

   4. establishment of criteria and construction goals for affordable housing;

   5. redefinition of credit and regulation of the credit industry so that discriminatory practices are completely eliminated;

   6. full funding for initiatives that eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in home ownership;

   7. recognition of shelter as a right according to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights to which the U.S. is a signatory so that no one sleeps on U.S. streets;

   8. full funding of a fund designed to cushion the job loss and provide for retraining of those at the bottom of the income scale as the economy transitions;

   9. close all tax loopholes and repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners;

   10. fairly tax corporations, denying federal subsidies to those who relocate jobs overseas, repeal NAFTA.
   
   

   Ralph Nader: Nader/Gonzalez has a 10-point plan to cool off the financial markets meltdown:
1. No bailouts without conditions and reciprocity in the form of stock warrants.
2. No more lobbying for any company that is bailed out.
3. No golden parachutes and get out of jail free cards for guilty executives.
4. No bailouts without public hearings.
5. Reduce the moral hazard in U.S. mortgage markets by introducing covered bonds for the majority of mortgage products as they do in Western Europe. That gives institutions that finance mortgages an incentive to be prudent, because they cannot just unload them and wipe their hands clean of the liability, but are instead on the hook if the homeowner defaults.
6. Maintain neighborhood stability and housing security by passing a law with a sunset clause allowing below median-value homeowners facing foreclosure the right to rent-to-own their homes at fair market value rates.
7. Avoid future housing bubbles by removing implicit government guarantees for new mortgages that exceed thresholds of greater than 15-20 times the annual fair market rent value of the home.
8. Make the Federal Reserve a Cabinet Position, so it is accountable to Congress, as well as making sure all Federal Reserve Bank presidents are appointed by the President and answerable to congress.
9. Reduce conflicts of interest by taking away power for auditor and rating agency selection from companies and placing it in the hands of the SEC to be administered on random assignment.
10. Implement a securities speculation tax, starting with derivatives to deter casino-style capitalism.
    
    
3. How do you see the role America plays in the middle east changing during the next two years? How do you see it changing further in the future?
   
   
   Cynthia McKinney: Our role will only change once our approach changes. Every day the US tries to meddle in the middle east is a day that things get worse. The first thing to do is remove all American military bases from the area. Any financial aid we offer to the area should be promulgated on the basis of need and creativity, in other words funding programs that truly change the lives of the poor, and help economies by healing ecosystems. Policy focused on Israel and Palestine should be directed towards nonviolence. Nonviolence by American personnel, nonviolence in our trade with and aid to the area. When we stop funding wars and warriors we shall be able to have a much more constructive communication with the people of the middle east.
   
   

   Ralph Nader: Nader/Gonzalez would reverse the current policy in the Middle East. The current political strategy of pre-emptive war in the Middle East is a disaster for both the American people and the people of the Middle East. It has bloated the already wasteful military budget and has cost at present over 4,000 American lives, nearly 100,000 American injuries, and over a million Iraqi civilian lives, plus the destruction of their country.

   Nader/Gonzalez propose a rapid withdrawal of troops from Iraq. A target of withdrawing troops in six months will be set. Fifty-eight percent of Americans want troops withdrawn from Iraq and a January 2006 poll shows that 72 percent of American soldiers in the field in Iraq wanted the U.S. out of Iraq within six to twelve months.

   The war is costing taxpayers nearly $4,600 every second -- and that doesn't include the long-term reconstruction costs. Nader/Gonzalez proposes that a rapid negotiated withdrawal from Iraq, with UN sponsored elections, is the first step toward delivering peace to Middle East.

   On Israel/Palestine, a recent Haaretz poll showed that 64 percent of Israeli people want negotiations for peace between Israel and Hamas, while only 28% oppose it.

   The Israeli people want peace. The Palestinian people want peace. And of course, the majority of the American Jewish community want peace.

   Nader/Gonzalez will continue to speak out about this humanitarian crisis and side with the strong and courageous Israeli/Palestinian peace movements who are working for a peaceful two-state solution.
   
   
4. What are your strategies to address the dual challenges of rising costs and decreasing access to quality healthcare?
   
   
   Cynthia McKinney: I support a universal, single-payer "Medicare for all" health-care system in the United States. Even though we spend more than twice as much per capita on health care than most industrialized nations, we are 37th in the world in health care, 18,000 Americans die every year from lack of access to health care, and about half of all bankruptcies are partly due to medical costs. The only thing that will get us out of this high priced mess we call the health care industry is a truly national single payer system without insurance company interference in its operations. In addition to lining the pockets of insurance companies, all levels of government in the US use the health care system as a tool of economic development in the community. There is a fundamental contradiction between using health care as a vehicle for economic growth and providing health care for all. A single payer system will lead to dramatic improvements in community health, saving even more money in the long term.
   
   

   Ralph Nader: We need a private delivery, free choice of hospital and doctor, public health insurance system. The United States spends $7,129 per capita on health care—more than twice as much per capita as the rest of the industrialized world. And yet, the United States performs poorly in comparison on major health indicators such as life expectancy and infant mortality.

   While other industrialized nations provide comprehensive coverage to their entire populations, the United States leaves 47 million completely uninsured and tens of millions more inadequately covered. An Institute of Medicine report states 18,000 Americans die each year because they cannot afford health care, and inability to pay for medical bills is the leading cause of bankruptcies – they currently contribute to about half the bankruptcies in the United States.

   In our current system, there are thousands of different payers of health care fees. This system is a bureaucratic nightmare, wasting $350 billion—close to a third of all health care spending on things that have nothing to do with care—overhead, underwriting, billing, sales and marketing departments, huge profits and exorbitant executive pay.

   In addition, there is over $200 billion in computerized billing fraud and abuse. A single payer system would save that $350 billion and apply those savings to comprehensively cover everyone without paying more than we already do.
   
   
5. How do you propose to keep Americans safe both at home and abroad?
   
   
   Cynthia McKinney: The best way for the U.S. to become a safe place is to practice nonviolence. I support a peaceful foreign policy based on human rights. This includes complete withdrawal of U.S. forces and bases worldwide; an end to U.S. military intervention, and an end to U.S. military sales, on the basis of Green values and principles. To stop practicing empire and military occupation, to stop selling weapons, building nukes, studying war and turning much of our economy towards it. When we stop acting the bully and occupying other people’s countries or demanding that their economy allow Coca Cola or United Fruit to dictate the rules, and using the marines to back that up, then people will quit wishing us harm. We can only feel safe if our neighbors feel safe.
   
   

   Ralph Nader: The best way to keep Americans safe at home and abroad is to work on repairing our tarnished international image. We would do this by halting our unilateral, interventionist actions, and working with the global community toward common goals on things like climate change, instead of being adversarial. In doing so, we could reduce our military budget and increase our humanitarian spending. Work to decrease worldwide poverty with fair trade, not free trade. People who are happy, healthy, and secure are less likely to take up arms against other nations. People who feel as if they are treated justly are unlikely to harm others. Further, if we increase international beneficial affairs, other nations will not be rooting for our downfall. We need to realize that we all share one world. We’re in this together.
   
   
6. Americans are concerned about rising energy prices, dependence on foreign energy and the potential damage of fossil fuels. How would you prioritize those concerns and what, if any, are your strategies to address them?
   
   
   Cynthia McKinney: I am calling for a "New Deal"-scale program for sustainable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transportation, to eliminate our dependency on fossil fuels and combat global warming. My policy is to "leave the oil in the soil", with the goal to be carbon-free and nuclear-free. This is not only necessary for life on the planet; it is also essential for economic recovery and health. The promotion of solar, wind, biomass and geothermal energy will create hundreds of thousands of new manufacturing, construction and service jobs, sited in under-served communities. U.S. policy in the area of energy/foreign relations has been focused on maintaining access to oil for U.S. consumers, but even more access for U.S. mega corporations who drill for it. We must stop the use of military force to control oil markets and supplies, and direct our focus towards clean fuels and relocalized economies that take much better care of their communities.
   
   

   Ralph Nader: We urge a new clean energy policy that no longer subsidizes entrenched oil, nuclear, electric and coal mining interests -- an energy policy that is efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly. We need to invest in a diversified energy policy including renewable energy like wind and other forms of solar power, more efficient automobiles, homes and businesses one that breaks our addiction to oil, coal and atomic power. A new clean energy paradigm means more jobs, more efficiency, greater security, environmental protection and increased health.

   Ralph Nader praises the Apollo Alliance's "Ten-Point Plan for Good Jobs and Energy Independence," an overdue agenda for the country's energy future, as a welcome contrast to the shortsighted policies of the Bush Administration. By increasing the diversity of the United States' energy portfolio, aggressively investing in the industries of tomorrow, facilitating the construction and retrofitting of high performance buildings, and working in cooperation with public servants at the state and local level to rehabilitate our urban infrastructures, the Apollo Project promises to revitalize the engine of the American economy. As the Alliance illustrates in its report, New Energy for America, the Apollo Project's design articulates a new paradigm for setting America's energy woes aright and serves up an authoritative refutation to the irresponsible policies of the entrenched fossil fuel and nuclear energy lobbies.
   
   
7. Is America's educational system working? If not, what should the federal government do to improve it?
   
   
   Cynthia McKinney: By eliminating tax cuts for the wealthy and obscene spending on militarism, war and prisons, we can afford to invest in quality education for all. I would use this money to decrease class sizes, modernize schools, and bridge the digital divide. I do not support using vouchers for parochial or private schools, but I do support federal funding for charter schools, if they are accountable to the public. I would maintain Title IX so that girls and women have equal access to participation in sports. I support free higher education for all, so no student leaves college saddled with tens of thousands of dollars of debt.
   
   

   Ralph Nader: Education is primarily the responsibility of state and local governments. The federal government has a critical supporting role to play in ensuring that all children -- irrespective of the income of their parents, or their race -- are provided with rich learning environments, equal educational opportunities, and upgraded and repaired school buildings.

   The government has an important role to play in keeping undermining influences out of the public schools -- among them, commercialism and private school voucher programs. The federal government must not impose an overemphasis on high-stakes standardized tests. Such testing has a negative impact on student learning, curriculum, and teaching, by resulting in excessive time devoted to narrow test participation, de-enrichment of the curriculum, false accountability, equity and cultural bias, and excessive use of financial resources for testing, among other problems. Federal law should be transformed to one that supports teachers and students -- from one that relies primarily on standardized tests and punishment. The government should encourage schools to infuse their curriculum with civic experiences that teaches students both how to connect classroom learning to the outside world and how to practice democracy.

   Empower students with the knowledge and tools needed to become a major reservoir of future democracy. Help people to grow up civic instead of corporate.
   
   
8. Some economists say a growing national debt and massive looming financial commitments to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are leading us toward a fiscal crisis. Do you agree there is a crisis and, if so, what will you do to assure greater fiscal responsibility?
   
   
   Cynthia McKinney: The recent bailout proposal has shown that our elected officials have no problems locating money when they determine something is a priority. We have the opportunity to head off a crisis but we must take action now, I support closing all tax loopholes and repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners. I also support single-payer universal health care that would save on administrative costs that currently amount to over 30% of health care costs, and by negotiating the price of prescription medications.
   
   

   Ralph Nader: The United States needs a redirected federal budget that adequately funds crucial priorities like infrastructure, transit and other public works, schools, clinics, libraries, forests, parks, sustainable energy and pollution controls. The budget should move away from the deeply documented and criticized (by the US General Accounting Office, retired Admirals and Generals and others) wasteful, redundant "military industrial complex" as President Eisenhower called it, as well as corporate welfare and tax cuts for the wealthy that expand the divide between the luxuries of the rich and the necessities of the poor and middle class.

   Half of the operating costs of the U.S. federal budget is spent on the military. The federal budget should move away from the wasteful, redundant "military industrial complex." Wasteful spending on expensive military equipment and post World War II deployments that we do not need makes the U.S. less secure in many other neglected ways.

9. Do you believe the federal government has a role in protecting the environment? If so, what are your policy priorities?
   
   
   Cynthia McKinney: I believe the federal government has an important role in this respect. The first priority has to be to free the EPA and other government agencies from corporate influence so that they can do their jobs. Key areas that need more work include global warming, clean water, clean air, forest protection, soil erosion, and toxic chemicals in the environment. We need air, land, water, climate, production and consumption policies that reflect the real limits within which we must live. We need an entirely new paradigm that encourages us to produce green, local, and fairly. Most importantly, we need true, representative government that serves the needs of the people over that of corporations so that these policies can become law.
   
   

   Ralph Nader: The epidemic of silent environmental violence continues. Whether it is the 65,000 Americans who die every year from air pollution, or the 80,000 estimated annual fatalities from hospital malpractice, or the 100,000 Americans whose demise comes from occupational toxic exposures, or the cruel environmental racism where the poor and their often asthmatic children live in pollution sinks located near toxic hot spots (that are never situated in shrubbered suburbs), preventable, harmful, situations abound.

   Now, as the evidence of global warming mounts, it is evident that we threaten the global environment with tremendous economic threats facing humanity, including bankrupting the reinsurance industry, the spread of infectious tropical diseases, massive ecological disruption and increased severe and unpredictable weather, all of which will significantly impact commerce, agriculture, and communities across America. Toxic standards need to be strengthened. Currently toxic standards are designed for adults, not for more vulnerable children. This should be reversed. We need to make environmental protection a priority for our energy, trade, industrial, agricultural, transportation, development, and land use policies. Indeed, protecting the environment must be weaved throughout our governance.
   
   
10. How do you propose to reform our immigration policy in Washington?
    
    
    Cynthia McKinney: Some of the immigration policies I support:

    --Support immigration policies that promote fairness, non-discrimination and family reunification

    --Tear down the U.S.-Mexican border wall, to stop funneling immigrants through hostile terrain

    --Renegotiate international trade agreements such as CAFTA and NAFTA and the WTO; the policies of the IMF, World Bank and other international banking institutions

    --Cover immigrant workers by state and federal wage, tax and labor laws as well as worker's compensation, disability and unemployment insurance benefits

    --Provide medical care, education, housing and other services
    
    

    Ralph Nader: Illegal immigration is not caused by attraction of higher wages alone- otherwise much of India and China would have emptied into the United States. It is primarily caused by the inability of people to continue to live decently in their home countries. Were there a living wage, then many of the 15 million unemployed, underemployed, and those who have given up looking for employment would be willing to take the jobs that are now often only taken by immigrants. There are two ways to deal with these issues. First, raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour.

    Second, enforce existing laws against employers. It is hard to blame desperately poor people who want to feed their families and are willing to work hard to do so. Enforcement is nearly non-existent – it has become a conscious policy to ignore both the labor and immigration laws by successive Republican and Democratic Administrations, including not enforcing laws against cruel sweatshops in the United States. Such is the power of employers. Immigrant workers, even if undocumented, should be given the fair-labor standards, rights, and protections of American workers. Amnesty, however, is a very difficult issue because it gives encouragement to cross the border illegally. How do we then prevent the next wave and the next? We should, however, give workers and children equal rights – they are working, having their taxes withheld, and performing a valuable service for their employers and customers - although here illegally. No humane alternatives exist, only exploitation, poverty, and disease.
    
    
11. Do you believe abortion should be limited? If so, to what degree?
    
    
    Cynthia McKinney: I support full reproductive rights for women -- for legal rights and safe access to comprehensive prenatal and postnatal/infant care; family planning services and contraception, including "morning after" medication; and abortion

    Ralph Nader: Reproductive rights are issues of life and death for women, not mere matters of choice. We support the NOW platform: access to safe and legal abortion, to effective birth control, to reproductive health and education. We oppose attempts to restrict these rights through legislation, regulation (like the gag rule) or Constitutional amendment. We support the right of women to have children, including appropriate pre-natal care and quality child care. We oppose government efforts to limit or discourage childbearing, such as family caps and involuntary sterilization. Women, like all citizens, have the right to control their own bodies and futures.

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