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For the 20th Congressional District election there are five candidates: Jimmy Panetta – DEM; Casey Lucius – REP; Joe Williams – P&F; Jack Digby – None; Barbara Honegger – None. Four, Panetta, Lucius, Digby and Williams, were sent our questions and Panetta, Lucius and Digby responded. Williams referred us to his party’s platform for his response. We were not able to contact the fifth candidate, Honegger. Here are our questions and the responses from Panetta, Lucius and Digby.
Q1 – Government Regulations ranging from the environment, to healthcare, to taxation, to business, etc. seem to grow more complex and far-ranging on an almost daily basis. Can and should Congress actively oversee the power of the regulators in the administrative branch in order to reduce the negative effects of over-regulation?
Congress has a role in oversight. But rather than interfering with the process to push a partisan agenda, Congress should work to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of regulators. All too often, this partisanship in Washington has interfered with balanced oversight. I believe that Congressional oversight should focus on making the regulatory process work for all Americans.
Lucius: Yes, it is Congress’ duty to not only pass productive legislation, but to ensure that regulators implement these policies efficiently and effectively. We face over-regulation in the affairs of businesses large and small; one important example of this is water. Our Congressional representatives over the last forty years have failed to break through the regulatory hurdles preventing environmentally responsible channel maintenance or get us the federal dollars for improved water infrastructure.
The permit process gets tied up in local, state and federal authorities with the US Army Corps and the EPA being the prime federal players. We should have a streamlined permit process triggered by extreme drought conditions. I will demand cost/benefit accountability on regulations impacting our businesses.
Digby: Our founding fathers created a system of checks and balances, which insures equality and prosperity. Members of Congress profit from the complexity of the divided democracy. This great nation was created by “We The People,” not a government or a corporation. It is the duty of the activist and patriot as well as Congress to oversee executive regulation.
Q2 — The National Debt is growing by trillions of dollars each year. Is the idea of a national debt that should be repaid no longer a viable economic concept for running our government?
This cycle of deferring problems and adding to the debt has gone on for decades and our district’s Congressional representatives have followed along. I will not. The first step is to get control of federal spending and reduce our annual budget deficit. Second, we need a growing economy through reduced regulatory burdens, and the third, we need meaningful reform of our entitlement system.
These are big picture solutions but we need to start with a representative who takes on the tough issues straight up without waffling or deferring. We need sensible and practical bipartisan solutions.
Digby: I believe in fiscal responsibility. In my time at Harvard University I had the chance to learn from Dean Lawrence Summers, former Secretary of Treasury. I will try to follow his example and balance our budget while paying down the deficit. I know this can be done while continuing to fund social and infrastructure projects.
Panetta: Our growing national debt is a serious threat to the stability of our economy. What is needed in Washington is agreement on a long-term budget that lowers the deficit, invests in our future, and reforms our tax system while sustaining programs vital to the health and security of our most vulnerable citizens.
Because of the failure to agree on fiscal issues, our economy has become overly dependent on the decisions of the Federal Reserve. Congress must assume its responsibility to discipline the federal budget and provide sufficient resources to protect our domestic and national security.
Q3 — Federal Entitlements now include retirement, education, healthcare, housing, job training and food. Which other areas of entitlement should the federal government consider providing or increasing for its citizens?
Digby: I have a plan to help all Americans increase their retirement entitlements. Most Americans have not adequately prepared for retirement and government must intervene to prevent a growing epidemic of elderly poverty. My voluntary plan will provide a separate opportunity for retirement savings while increasing the savings rate at the same time, giving us more security and expansion of our nations gross domestic product.
As the only industrialized nation in the world not to guarantee its citizens some basic amount of healthcare it is with increasing difficulty that we can stay at our position as the best nation. I will combine the best ideas from democrats and republicans as well as other national governments to put a single payer health care program into effect, which would phase out The Affordable Care act. I support permanent funding and protection of Planned Parenthood at the federal level.
Panetta: The hallmark of a civilized society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. Some people call them entitlements; I think of these programs as investments in the American people.
The Affordable Care Act has made unprecedented strides toward providing all Americans with access to quality health care. Expanding Medicaid and CHIP coverage takes care of our most at-risk populations, especially children. SNAP (or food stamps) is another critically underfunded entitlement program. It is both a tragedy and an embarrassment that so many American go hungry – including more than 45 million who receive benefits through SNAP. We must do better. Restoring full funding to these programs is the first step.
Strengthening Medicare and Social Security are also priorities, so our seniors can have a healthy and secure retirement. Finally, we need to put more resources into improving benefits for veterans. Our 20 million living veterans all deserve better.
Lucius: I will work with others in Congress on a bipartisan basis to find fair solutions that protect those who are relying on federal programs like Social Security and Medicare as well as provide stability to those programs for future generations. Many entitlement programs can benefit from more focus on addressing underlying needs like education and mental health care that will drive down the need for federal support that may later become entitlements.
We can also create better federal policies that empower states and municipalities to meet affordable housing and job-training needs. A lot has to do with removing regulatory burdens on our local agencies and local businesses as they try to meet the needs of their communities. I will work with local governments to reach solutions that are sustainable long-term.
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To see the candidate’s ballot statements and other election information visit: VotesCount.com