I did something I haven't done in a while: I went to hear a candidate speak.
I know that I announced my public divorce from the Democrats last year, but I moved to a small town, and the next thing I knew, I was asked to become politically active. I don't know if my doorbelling days are fast re-approaching, but at least I've met a candidate who I can believe in.
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So I'd like to introduce you all to Michael A. Arcuri [2], who is running for the vacant 24th Congressional District [3] seat in New York State, currently held by a Republican who's retiring.
Arcuri has been the District Attorney for Oneida County for 13 years.
Arcuri is charismatic. Not surprising for someone who was a football All-American, went to law school, and is a black belt in Tae Kwan Do. He carries himself with grace and ease, but when he speaks, his passion takes over. And I like passion.
Here are some of the highlights from his talk. I am paraphrasing from my notes, but you can check his positions on his Web site to confirm that I'm stating them accurately.
IRAQ:
We went to war in Iraq for all the wrong reasons, and now, there is nothing more for us to accomplish there. Saddam Hussein has been removed from power and there is a new, democratically elected government. We need to bring our troops home very soon. This current government does not have a clue about when it intends to bring troops home. While Arcuri does not support immediate withdrawal, he stated that a plan to get the troops out within the year was crucial.
He was also incredibly critical of the fact that once Iraq-War veterans are returning home, they are not being treated well by the government, which is denying them benefits and not honoring the contract it has with its soldiers.
In addition, by sending National Guard troops to Iraq, we are harming ourselves as a nation. Just think what the National Guard might have been able to accomplish during Hurricane Katrina. We need to bring the National Guard home.
ECONOMICS AND FAMILY VALUES
Arcuri resents the fact that the Republicans believe they have the market cornered on the idea of family values.
Family values are the provision of health care for all. Health care is a top priority for Arcuri, and he wants a national approach to health care undertaken immediately. He considers it his top priority. While he does not have a specific plan that he favors, he states that he is willing to consider any plan that provides health care for everyone--a quality, affordable health plan. He is not an advocate for single-payer healthcare--and I have to admire him for his stand on this. He took a lot of heat in the room for being opposed to single-payer, but Arcuri refused to pander.
Another family value is raising the minimum wage. Arcuri says this is a "no-brainer." "In the past 10 years, Congress has voted itself $32K in pay raises, but has not raised the minimum wage." People who work minimum wages need to be able to feed and clothe their families. And studies show, when the minimum wage is raised, the entire economy benefits.
Arcuri also identified himself as pro-choice. When asked about New York's recent denial of the right to marry to gays, Arcuri said, "Our children will look back on this and wonder what we were thinking, just as we cannot understand why women were once denied the right to vote." He considers the ban on gay marriage to be a "ridiculous prohibition" and that government should not be in people's bedrooms. He would never support a Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
On the subject of education, Arcuri identified these issues that need attention:
1. College is becoming inaccessible because of this administration's cutting of student loans. Student loan moneys need to be restored.
2. No Child Left Behind takes away independent creativity from school districts and substitutes passing tests for attaining knowledge. NCLB is also an unfunded mandate: it needs to be funded, and re-tooled.
NAFTA was sold to us as a means of making our goods cheaper for US consumers. But, we lost the jobs because they were sent overseas.
Arcuri would like to see the implementation of fair trade as opposed to "free trade." In fair trade, for example, he pointed to the European model, where tariffs are kept on imported goods until there is wage parity. That is, when the labor costs in the importing country are equal to wages domestically, then the tariffs are removed. This way, our labor is not put at a disadvantage because it cannot compete on a wage basis. And, wages rise in the originating country.
CIVIL LIBERTIES AND THE POWER OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Arcuri sees that the past few years have brought with them a dangerous circumventing of the Constitution. For example, as a prosecutor, he has obtained warrants for wire taps, and he is insistent that the President must obey the law. That is, wiretap warrants must be obtained within 72 hours of a wiretap. The president has excused his behaviour by arguing the country is at war, and certain civil liberties must be suspended. But Arcuri argues that unlike previous examples where presidents suspended civil liberties, the current "war on terror" is indefinite, and therefore, the resulting suspension is indefinite. Which is not tolerable. The expanding power of the executive branch at the cost of the legislative branch is not acceptable, and he would insist that the president should be made to answer as to why he has done such things.
ENERGY POLICY
There is no energy policy in this country. Arcuri was deeply offended when President Bush said we were addicted to oil, as it is the president and his cronies who directly benefit by our addiction.
Oil is a finite resource and our failure to have an energy policy will have an impact on our children and grandchildren.
Some possible solutions:
Royalties for drilling on public land should be used 100 percent for research on alternative fuels.
Arcuri opposes drilling in ANWR. It's not practical; there is not enough oil there to justify destroying the environment of that area.
A better plan for tax breaks. For example, give consumers tax breaks for purchasing American-made, high fuel-efficiency cars. This would encourage American car companies to develop these cars and would encourage consumers to buy American cars and save fuel.
I know this a long diary, and I've left out some of Arcuri's positions on more local issues. But I would encourage those of you who are living in safe districts who are considering giving to candidates for more contested seats to consider making a donation to the Arcuri campaign.
Thanks for reading.
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