| Moderator Robert Ward, after having allowed the candidates opening statements, answers to questions on foreign, domestic, and energy policy, and questions posed of each other, allowed each candidate one minute each to answer each of the following questions on vairous issues submitted by the audience. At any time if one candidate mentioned another by name, that candidate would be allowed a rebuttal of thirty seconds.
Would you ever consider raising taxes and under what circumstances?
Tracey Brooks
"The thing is that raising taxes can never be completely taken off the table. Today, families are facing strong economic struggle. The first tax that I don't have a problem raising is roll back the tax break that George Bush gave to the top one percent, some argue point-zero-one percent, of our country and bring the revenues back in.
"But I think what have to be doing is reinvigorating the middle class that George Bush and his administration and the people who stood in the way of change in Washington have done everything in their power to obliterate. So, right now, the only tax I would consider is that. But I think that there's a lot we can do in our country and our nation where we look at incentivising those of us who make hard decisions so that we have money in our budget to reinvest in our companies, reinvest in our home, reinvest in our economy."
Phil Steck
"Well I think a lot of times, this question gets very confused. There's a big difference between raising taxes or imposing new act taxes and reallocating the tax burden. I'm certainly in favor of a progressive income tax that we had to start with in this country. I'm a Democrat. I believe in that principle.
"I don't believe in raising taxes. I...I believe that there's plenty of areas in our government we could reduce by ending the war, by taking a look at our tremendous number of military bases all over the world that we could do before considering raising taxes. In Albany County, we have a very very strong record on property taxes in this state. We have the fourth lowest property tax in the state. I'm very proud of my record on that issue. There were times when, due to the high cost of Meidcaid, we had tax increases. But we really have done very well in this County on that issue."
Paul Tonko
"To repeat an earlier answer, for the sake of progressivity, I think it's important to really push to the forefront of policy discussion working families. For far too long, working families have been taking it on the chin. And we think back on President Clinton's administration where there was a balanced budget and where really developed a stronger outcome as a budget. To have given away those dollars for tax cuts in a way that didn't make sense, we need now to bring them back to provide for the working families in this country, and provide for a better balance so that the structure is more progressive.
"Beyond that, we talked earlier about the Social Security dedicated fund and the balance of that account, especially as we grow into the Baby Boomer generation. We need to look at that very closely. And I also would point out that in my tenure at the State Assembly, we did a white paper on 'All Counties Are Not Created Equal' where we showed the disproportionate impact of Medicaid costs for those counties that have a disproportionate amount of the elderly or poor. I think we need reform, working with Washington, to make certain that, again, local governments, counties, and other local government are not impacted in a way that is inordinately harmful where you have many Upstate counties here that pay forty to fifty percent of their budget for Medicaid purposes, and in other regions of the state pay as little as eight, nine, ten percent. So a lot of work to be done on making it progressive."
Darius Shahinfar
"We had a tax budget structure that worked in the 1990's. I don't want to reiterate too much of what's already been said. It worked in the 1990's and we had budget surpluses that we were about to...take out the debt that we have as well as save Social Security going forward. We can do that again to restore the Bush tax cuts from...the old part of the administration.
"I think that's definitely the way we should go. I think we both touched on Social Security but...restoring the budget, fiscal sanity and restoring the tax cuts, the giveaways to the wealthiest of Americans, centered on the most of the bounty of America is the way to go."
How can help solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem?
I'm not sure why, but this question caused some in the audience to laugh.Perhaps this is because the problem will never be solved. But the candidates were a bit more optimistic and offered their solutions:
Phil Steck
"First of all, I think it's important to understand that...the lead role is just necessarily going to be played by the President who is going to control the Department of State. Congress doesn't control that but I am very very interested as I'm, if elected to Congress, as being a person who encourages people-to-people relationships between Israelis and Palestinians. But in the long run, that would lead to peace. There's a great program where, called Combatants for Peace, where ex-Israeli military get together with ex-Palestinian fighters and try work for the cause of peace. I think we need more of those in that area. We need to have understanding.
"Now when President Clinton was there, he did a tremendous job in the negotiations when they met at Kava and worked out a great proposal for peace. And a lot of it involved a lot of the settlements being maintained but in exchange, Israel was actually, and did agree under Ehud Barat as Prime Minister to give up a portion of Isreali territory that was predominantly Arab in exchange. So things can really be done. President Clinton did a great job at Kava, but unfortunately the politics of that area led to those negotiations falling apart. I'm optimistic that we can get back there in the future."
Paul Tonko
"I think that a number of things comes to mind. The fact that this nation needs to emphasize to, again, the negotiators at the table, that we see Israel as a beacon of democracy in the Mideast. That we will not tolerate negotiations with those who are terrorists or promote violence like Hamas of the Hezbollah, and make certain that whatever decisions are made by Israel, in terms of her negotiating peace, or moving forward to settle this, we recognize that that is their choice.
"We cannot, I think, exert our undue influence in the Mideast, but support outcomes that are peaceful in design and are driven by those countries in the Mideast and acknowledging up-front that we will not support those that promote terrorism or violence."
Darius Shahinfar
"I think the fundamental problem that we face in America in dealing with the Israel-Palestine question is that we've lost our moral authority to be an honest broker of peace over there. We are now known as the nation of wiretapping and waterboarding and we don't carry the moral legitimacy to bring the parties to the table strongly enough to allow them to solve the issue themselves.
"Hopefully the solution to Israel-Palestinian conflict really comes from the Israeli and Palestinian people. And hopefully they will soon grow weary of the conflict and take a look at, say, Ireland for example, to see how their economy flourished after they stopped fighting each other. We need to increase the contact between Israelis and Palestinians and do anything we can to foster that, but hope that they can come to that conclusion themselves. But we need to be an active, engaged participant in the peace process. It is imperative for us as a nation; it's imperative we find the means for peace that way."
Tracey Brooks
"Very important that we protect and ensure that we have a free, democratic Israel. And in doing so, we need to ensure that there's conversation, discussion, and progress in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We also have to make sure that those discussions are being held with people in Palestine, leaders in Palestine who recognize Israel's right to exist, to be a free state and to stay democratic. So, the United States need to continue to support and stand behind Israel in that fashion.
"This is a 60-year-old country. They're struggling with issues that our 235-year-old country is still struggling with regard to treating people fairly. With recognition of people of different backgrounds. We've been working on this for a very long time. I agree with Darius. I agree with everyone on the panel. The United States has truly lost its standing in the world community. We have to reestablish it. We have to support Israel."
What role should the federal government, compared to those in the state and local school districts, in raising educational standards?
Paul Tonko
"I do think that it's important for, and I saw this with energy policy that was developed by the federal government, is that we make certain we do not dumb down the desire to have a reliable system in this state. I think there needs to be an overall standard that is establish, but not precluding of having the kind of outcome that I thin is very critical to growing the future for business, for the workplace, and for the future for our children by having standards that we perhaps want to maintain at a higher level.
"I think that the feds can assist by providing more assistance for those faces. They have a mandate and I use that word with great respect because I believe in assisting children who have inordinate difficulties. The special ed mandate has not followed the inflationary growth. But folks, just about the biggest wedge of any school budget across the map of the 21st is that growing impact of special ed. We need the feds to partner up more strongly there and then give us the flexibility to do creative and innovative and higher level programs beyond that core curriculum. They need to help with the special ed."
Darius Shahinfar
"The federal government can and should have a role in setting standards nationwide. The differences in our school districts from state to state, county to county, and town to town are far too dramatic for us to be able to compete effectively in a global economy. The country, the United States is falling further and further behind in the education of our students and we need to have that step in that direction in the upper levels, the federal government raise these standards.
As far as No Child Left Behind goes, well, there's a lot of kids that have been left behind. That needs to be dramatically reformed. We should keep the provisions in it that provide for accountability for schools, but the standard for accountability are going to be very difficult to work with and will have a dramatic affect on our property taxes, again. Because forcing our school administrators to attract a whole bunch of conditia of progress, for lack of a better term. And they're very expensive for our schools and our school tax payers."
Tracey Brooks
"The role of the federal government also has to be to assist in the funding of our schools. So we couldn't get it in No Child Left Behind. We completely unfunded it, put it back onto the states who passed it on to the counties, who passed it on to each one of us.
"We're part of the global community now, a global economy. We are...failing and falling far behind the rest of the world in our education process in educating math, science, and technology. Let me quick speakly...blah! I want to quickly speak about our Tech Valley High School. Project-based learning. Learning that we're looking at as the innovation for the next generation. In New York State we have the only project-based high school in the country, in the northeast of the country. There'll be thirty-six schools like it in the country. Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation helped put them together. They came and looked at our school and they said we did it better. So the better that we have the flexibility to fund alternative education, but they also need to be able to fund and ensure that our children have a big mind of education."
Phil Steck
"Well, I have a, you know, this is an area where I disagree with my other candidates. I think the philosophy behind No Child Left Behind is wrong. We don't need to impose further federal bureaucracy on our schools. Coming from a family of teachers, my father and my mother, my wife, there's way too much paperwork and bureaucracy in the schools already. And one of the things that encourages innovation in our federal system is having innovative programs in all different states across the nation. There is no need to get the federal government involved as a policeman of education. I don't think that's the correct way to go. There's already enough bureaucracy interfering with our schools.
"I think we need to get...reduce the bureaucracy, put an emphasis on classroom instruction, and make sure that the funding goes to funding education and not to bureaucracy."
If he's elected President, Senator Obama will have a leading role in shaping the Congressional agenda. What would you characterize your political philosophy as compared to your party's Presidential candidate and are there any important issues where you would expect to disagree with a President Obama?
Darius Shahinfar
"I'd say my philosophy, my political philosophy, is very similar to his. I consider myself progressive. I consider myself somewhat liberal. I believe a lot of the talk of hope he's been talking about, such as reducing, rolling back the tax cuts, the policy in Iraq, for example, his policy in the Middle East. I agree with most of what he's put forth there.
"One place where I might have an issue is he talked about a sixteen month timeline for Iraq. I'm not sure we're getting our troops out of Iraq, we're getting our nation out of Iraq. That may be a little bit long at this point. I can't say for sure yet. We'll know more in the next four months as he takes over the office.
"But I think generally speaking...I'm an Obama-head." This also got a laugh from the audience.
Tracey Brooks
"I would say for the most part I fall right in line with Senator Obama as a leader and I'm supportive of him. On health care is a place that I think that we differ. I think single-payer is something that we need to pushing for much more quickly, making sure that every person has health insurance that is as good as the Congress gets, making sure we're streamlining that so it's affordable more quickly. I think Senator Obama does not...from what we've seen so far, his plan does not cover every single American. I believe we need to. I'm a little bit concerned about Iraq, but I think Iraq is a moving piece right now of the puzzle.
:"What I will commit to you right now is that I will be a checks and balances on President Obama. And I won't, would not just advocate because of our like party affiliation. But the legislative branch is there to check the executive branch and I will commit to you that I will be a check to Senator Obama."
Phil Steck
"Well, philosophically I'm generally in agreement with soon-to-be President Obama. One of the things I really liked about Obama's approach on foreign policies during the primaries, he spoke about talking with foreign countries that we might not agree with, such as Cuba and Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. I believe very strongly that that is absolutely the correct approach. Mr. Chavez, for example, is the elected head of state of his nation, democratically elected many times and there's no way and American shouldn't be talking to him.
"On health care, neither Hillary Clinton nor Senator Obama favored single-payer plan, which I am in favor, and in fact I spoke out, unlike other candidates, I spoke out for single-payer from the first day of this candidacy and I disagreed with both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on it."
Paul Tonko
"I think one of the opportunities than an executive has, either a Governor or President, is to utilize the bully pulpit to set a tone in government. I'm convinced that the American public will come in to agreement if we map out for them the sense of vision that we have for this nation. I think that's gift of candidate Obama. I believe that, y'know, it goes beyond just blue states and red states. There's so many factions in our society. We're growing more pluralistic. And I'm hopeful that his administration will bring this coming together, if you will, where there's mutual respect, and there's opportunities for us to come together as a nation.
"The issues that we talked about, the single-payer plan, the quickness of withdrawl of troops from the Mideast; those are issues that obviously are different. And again, as newly entering an administration I think that there should be that period of time where we get to know each other better and have it verbalized and rationalized what their thinking is so that we don't run head on into a logjam in our government because we need to get things done. For far too long we have language with polarization, with differences and nothing gets accomplished. We have to build a consensus."
Are you ready to be honest to people and accountable to them? What makes you different in the sense that I might trust what you say?
Tracey Brooks
"Yes. I always have been. I didn't get to part of Darius's pledge that talks about putting my schedule of people who have asked me for earmarks up on the internet. I believe in that one hundred percent. I'm representing you, and you should know what I'm doing and who I'm meeting with. You get to see who contributes to my campaign. You should get to see who speaks to me and help me make decisions and...form and opinion.
"And I should also be talking to you about what I'm learning in Washington. You can trust me. We've been in this together before. We've worked hard in campaigns before. You know my work ethic. You know how hard I've worked. I've been working in your communities since 2002. I've been working in our Capital Region, making sure that our families and our communities have what they need. You can trust because I have worked our district. I have delivered on behalf of our and I'll continue to be your biggest advocate, your strongest lobbyist down in Washington."
Phil Steck
"Well, I have a very unusual background compared to the other candidates. First of all, as a civil rights and labor attorney representing individuals, I have a record of standing up under very very difficult circumstances to help individuals get justice. My commitment in that area is well known. As a party leader in our county, I fought very hard for change in the Albany County Democratic Committee so that one man would not, the Mayor of the City of Albany, would not be controlling everything that went on in the Democratic party in this county. And that involved working in coalitions with others who could depend on my word., and that when I gave my word, my word was good.
"In the Albany County Legislature, for example, I sponsored a resolution on the nursing home that I thought would have really improved our nursing home in Albany County. It was opposed by both the Majority Leader and the County Executive. I took on the struggle and it failed in a tie vote. Now they're bringing it back. And finally, as Chairman of the Colonie Democratic Committee, as a constant worker for change in our town, my word, again, was known as good, and that my work ethic was tireless and unrelenting until we actually achieved the goal that we set out."
Paul Tonko
"I think the issue of trust is one that is a record, for me. One that I can point to. Prior to my service in the State Legislature, I served as a County Legislator. And four times over, people indicated that they trusted me by returning me to office after a track record that we developed together. For the Assembly, there were thirteen opportunities to choose to return me to office, elect me and then return me to office, and they did so. And so I'm proud of the fact that not only was it that vote, which is very public, our record is very public, but it was the partnership. There were talks that if there were three people on the street corner, one of them is Paul Tonko.
"Well, the omnipresence isn't what I wanna tell here. I wanna talk about the partnership. The feel-good that we can have with government representing us and interacting. The trust that came with families who were hard hit by mental illness or mental health disorders, when for eight years we battled. They trusted that we would get it done. We did. For the many that were impacted by dairy default when I first came into the Assembly, we fought for farmers down a shorter time frame for process of bills to be paid. We got it done. They trusted. And I served with moral distinction. I'm proud of that record. And it's the constituency with which I had the pleasure to interact that helped devise the solutions and to work together, and the mutual trust was there."
Darius Shahinfar
"I've spent most of my career in public service. And I know that leadership means putting your money where you mouth is. It means walking the walk and not just talking the talk. I agree that the Ethics and Good Government Contract I've asked my friends up here to sign. It commits me to not taking lobbyist money, to not take any gifts, meals, and everything else. Commits me to putting my schedule up online. Commits me to making your interests my interests.
"That's the way that you know that my word is good. I've also pledged not to take Congressional health care until everybody in America has health care. I've also pledged not to take a Congressional pay raise. These are the things that I think leaders need to do to make their word known to you. To know you can trust us. As I said, I've spent most of my career in public service, most recently in Congresswoman Gillibrand's office. There is where we made people's problems our problems. People came to us with problems with the VA, the Army Corps of Engineers, with Social Security, and we approached a...and to make their problems our problems. That's the kind of service that we delivered. That's the kind of service that she gets credit for, as she well should. I think she's doing a terrific job. But it's the kind of service that I can deliver to you."
In 1973, Title IX changed public policy to help women. In 1992, we had the Year of the Woman. In 2008, people are talking about change. How will you change public policy to continue to help women in the 21st Congressional District?
Phil Steck
"Well, actually, I have a very long record as a civil rights lawyer in representing women in cases of discrimination, whether under Title VII as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, whether in cases under the Civil Rights Act of 1871. I've represented women in Fair Labor Standards Act cases, cases under the Family Medical Leave Act. One case I can think of is where a young woman was fired from her job because she took time off for her ill daughter. I've represented who's pension was taken from her by an employer who invested it in high speculative securities.
"So, if you go down the list of every Federal law that exists for the benefit of women, I've been involved. I would continue to engage and as a Congressman work for the strengthening and improvement of both laws to protect women in the workplace and their civil rights completely. I also would indicate that I am 110% pro-choice."
Paul Tonko
"I think that, obviously, pay equity, where equal pay is offered for equal work done, recognized by those in the labor movement who are having worked on that agenda. Working on health care issues that affect women. Working for search dollars for Alzheimer's that impacts our senior population, oftentimes a greater proportion of being women. Working for family leave, making certain there are opportunities for the families that have the flexibility to respond to the issues that help address the needs of their loved ones.
"There are number of issues for which I am recognized for having done work in our House. Having worked with access to clinics. Having for worked for a grant that we offered to the Center for the Disabled that enabled women with disabilities to go through the principal examination. Because of some of their extraordinary needs, we were sponsoring that with a full appropriation in the Assembly. And again, a track record of always being there for choice and for the budget negotiations having that outcome."
Darius Shahinfar
"Door-to-door a couple weeks ago, I talked to a young mother about her struggles and, quite frankly, the struggles of all young mothers and their families. We came to the conclusion that what we need to do at the Federal level was pass a law to make forty-eight hours in a day."
The audience laughed heartily at this, and Darius thanked them for this.
"Because obviously, we can't do that. But that really is...it's a force for even for mothers that needs to happen at the federal level. Pay equity is one part of that. Extending paid medical leave for pregnancy is another. When I was working for the County, we didn't have paid medical leave. We had our first child, I used up all my vacation and sick time to stay home with the baby. That could happen to anyone I think. I think we give our mothers support at the federal level, support better schools I think is another way to support women, but they, especially when caring for their children."
Tracey Brooks
"Being a member of Congress. That's the first thing that I can do. Only 17% of our legislative branch of government is women. So the first thing that I can do, and I need your help in doing, is to be a member of Congress. To be a female voice that talks about our issues also, besides the issues of our community. I will never trade away a choice vote. Ever. Right now we're looking at a President who just passed a rule, this week, to spread the definition, expand the definition, of abortion to include birth control. Choice is under attack. Women...our economy and their bodies and their planning is under attack. I would never trade those votes away.
"Most definitely pay equity. It's $400,000 over the course of somebody's career that a woman's not making compared to a man in an equal position as her. Those generally tend to be our single mothers. I will ensure for you that I refuse to grab on to a family medical leave. But the best thing I can do for you to help strengthen the women's position in the United States is to be a member of Congress."
The Olympics over the past couple of weeks have shown a spotlight on China's intention to become a major international player economically and more influential force politically. Several observers predict that in a couple of decades, China will replace the United States as the most powerful economic, political, and military force in the world. What, if any, ramifications can you see for the 21st Congressional District from the rising role of China?
Paul Tonko
"I think I would focus on NAFTA and the reforms that are essential for NAFTA. We cannot ask our American industries to perform on a playing field that is certainly not level. We have a different environmental standards, different work standards, different childhood labor laws. The NAFTA issue that promoted free trade rather than fair trade I think has set back American industry and indeed the offshoring of several American jobs. We need to come to the table and negotiate, again in local strategy, the fairness that will enable us to be able to have that fair trade rather than free trade that has been consequential for our American businesses and American jobs.
"Furthermore, again to education, as we prepare our children. I drafted legislation in the Assembly that will allow for language studies in a K through five setting. Where most language teachers it's the best point to reach our students. We need to break into the equation. Those most commonly used languages that are going to allow our children as future workers to compete globally. So we strengthen our human infrastructure and we make fair, competitive deals, so that we can go forward with the best opportunities for America."
Darius Shahinfar
"China is going to be the biggest challenge for America not just in the next ten or twenty years but in the next thirty, forty, or fifty years. Because by about 2050 I think is when people are saying in Washington that the economy of China will be about the size of ours. We cannot have input in China if we keep borrowing money from them. This is why we need to reform the bugdetary and tax policy in Washington. China is already our greatest creditor nation and we need to develop our economy back home so that we can take advantage of China rather than China take advantage of the export and imports because we don't have our manufacturing base here anymore.
"This goes back to energy and green collar jobs in developing our energy technology here at home so we can start building in China. Because China can't keep using up all the oil and coal that it's using right now, it's going to have to green sometime in the future. And if we don't get there first, although it sounds like the 1950s and 60s arms race, but if we don't get there first on this green technology, China will. And I also think we need to rethink most favored nation status for China with regards to our foreign trade policy."
Tracey Brooks
"I knew Darius would get my answer when I saw that he would speak before me. That truly is my response as well. It's very difficult for the United States to really bear any kind of...of influence over China when right now they hold the number one and the largest amount of our debt. And they are buying it up every day. How are we going to pressure influence on China when there are bankers call in our note at any point. And I know most of us can't do that. That bank alone might want to.
"I...the other thing we need to look at is China has no standard in environmental or labor standards whatsoever with their manufacturing. When we watch the Olympics, are you looking around Beijing at the smog? Y'know, that's not there because of moisture in the air. That's the pollution from their energy source. And so the United States needs to re-establish itself in the world community as we've heard said time and time again. But we truly do need to do that. Because until we re-establish in the world community as a good global citizen, until we're able to restructure our taxes and economy back here at home, we won't be able to take on China as they continue to grow."
Phil Steck
"Well I feel we've obviously come to the point where many of the problems we are talking about are global, and China affects us in every way. Global Warming is not a hoax. It's a real problem that we need to address in getting China to curtail its pollution is a very important part of that. The United States under George Bush has rejected the Kyoto Protocol, and we can't lecture other nations if we're not willing to participate in the international arena in a proper way and enter into appropriate treaties to show our commitment to addressing any of these problems.
"I'm not a big believer in so-called free trade. Free trade is not free. I don't think it's advantageous to us to import all kinds of cheap goods from China which are of dubious quality in many instances as we've found. I think that one of the problems with that approach is that people who don't have jobs can't buy inexpensive products manufactured in China. So I think on those two issues I would deal very forcefully with China."
With four rounds of questions and one round of candidate-to-candidate inquiries answered, the four major contendors to replace reitirig Representative Mike McNulty made their closing statements. |
