QUESTIONS and CONCERNS

Is there a moral imperative that mandates that the U. S. health care system should be reformed? If so, what can be done? 

 Is the U.S. ready for a single payer health insurance system? If not, why not? If so, how could it be achieved? Is Medicare an existing example of one that works?

If health care reforms are made, what would be your first priority in the allocation of funds? Is it possible to fund health care for the currently uninsured without taking the money from existing service providers (community hospitals etc.) that already provide some care for the poor?

 If we believe in the equal worth of all people, what policies should we adopt now, to ensure the future well-being of our children, grandchildren, and the offspring of others? 

Some say that the stockpiles of Cold War nuclear weapons in Russia threaten the human race. They say that Congress’s Nunn-Lugar  law passed to deal with them is under-funded. Is this a serious threat? If so, how would you deal with it?

Carbon tax: where do you stand on raising the tax on gasoline  as a means of reducing global warming? What would you advocate doing with added revenue that might come from those hypothetical taxes (highway repair? Alternative energy research?)?

Should manufacturers of products such as computers and carpets bear the cost of waste removal if their products are not biodegradable after use?

Sometimes the citizens accept politics as playing a justifiable role in science, as when the government targets money for research in a certain area (the search for a bird flu vaccine). When is political intrusion into science not justifiable?

Some commentators complain that lobbyists often write legislation, and that existing limits on lobbyist gifts and trips hardly make a dent. They say that the minority party is excluded from “Conference” meetings (joint House/Senate meetings on a topic of interest to both). In the end, the charge is that money goes into Congress and legislation comes out, without the people’s interests being the first concern. How would you define “ Effective Congressional Reform”?

QUESTIONS and CONCERNS

George Bush has claimed that “Presidential intent” or interpretation of a law, trumps Congress’s intent in passing the law (as in the 1976 law prohibiting domestic spying without a warrant). Some have said that Mr. Bush is treating himself as “above the law.”  What do you think Congress should do in order to reassert itself as a co-equal part of our federal government? 

Do you believe that a substantial portion of health care dollars should be devoted to prevention (flu shots, health screening, etc.)?

What ethical principles are violated when political decisions on major national issues are made in secret?