On Tuesday morning I will interview Jim Reed, US Congressional candidate for California's District One. If you have anything you'd like to ask Mr. Reed please submit your question in the comments below no later than nine o'clock, Pacific time, on Tuesday morning. Questions already on my list are below the "fleur-de-Kos."
Questions for Jim Reed
1. I happened to notice that your list of issues on your website is missing a few things. What is your position on marriage equality and the Defense of Marriage act and why do you feel that way? Do you believe LGBTQ rights are civil rights or “special privileges?” Where do you stand on marriage equality?
2. I appreciate your plan to end the cap on Social Security contributions. What is your position on federal employees having their own, separate retirement fund? Why shouldn't they have the same Social Security the rest of us have? Couldn't all that money be put to better use bolstering Social Security? What about their “golden” health package? Couldn’t that be put to better use bolstering Medicare?
3.As I’m sure you know, there is a movement afoot promoting a constitutional amendment that would repeal Citizens United. What would you like to see happen regarding Citizens United? Do you think we need a constitutional amendment to repeal it, because it doesn't seem like politicians want to part with all that cash?
4. Please keep in mind that a big chunk of your constituency is made up of educators and students as you answer this line of questioning. Schools from kindergarten to colleges are a mess due to under-funding. Class sizes are ridiculously large and teachers are losing their jobs. Students are performing poorly on standardized tests. Parents are taking their children out of public schools and putting them in charter schools where they may or may not be getting good educations. What used to be a four-year degree is now taking five or six years because students can't get the classes they need to graduate. What do you think we should do to make education a priority again after the abysmal failure of "No Child Left Behind?" Would you support a bill allowing student loan debt to be included in bankruptcy cases?
5. This is a question from Daily Kos reader, “Off the Hill,” “What steps will you take to discourage the Obama or Romney administration from using federal law enforcement to target marijuana growers in compliance with state law?” Where do you stand on commercial hemp production? Ending the "War on Drugs" would save billions of dollars and thousands of lives, particularly in Mexico. What do you think about ending the prohibition on drugs altogether and concentrating on treatment, like Portugal has done so successfully? Do you think the time has come? If not, why not?
6. What do you think we should be doing about climate change, if anything? Should we end corporate welfare for oil and coal?
7. Do you think we should send foreign aid to countries,like Pakistan and Libya where the citizens regularly hold rallys or protests against the United States? What about countries where the foreign aid never seems to make it to the people who need it?
Do you think we should continue supporting Israel at any cost in spite of human rights violations? If so, why?
8. Separation of church and state: Do you think that is what we have now? If not, how would you vote on “faith-based” laws like DOMA? Do employers have the right to choose employees’ health benefits based on the employer's own religious convictions?
9. What is your position on GMO crops? What about labeling GMO products prior to sale to consumers?
10. Where do you stand on election finance reform? Do you agree that we need to get the insane amounts of money out of politics? Do you think we should move to limited election periods and/or publicly funded elections? What about Congressional term limits?
11. Your opponent gladly accepts farm subsidies, even breaking up the family farm into individual family members’ chunks to avoid the cap. Yet his campaign called a large percentage of his constituents “ dependent on government.” Where do you stand on farm subsidies?
12. Considering that we are recovering from the recession only very slowly, and the large percentage of your constituency living below the poverty level, do you support strengthening the social safety net? Should we abandon TANF (and its five year limit) and return to AFDC? Would you be willing to take the "Foodstamp Challenge" by living for one week on only the amount of benefits that SNAP gives recipients, $46.67? What about the many job training programs that have been cut, shouldn't we restore them?
13. What is your opinion of the Occupy Movement? Do you think it's dead, or is it just resting while it grows and "jells?"
14. Private prisons are now built because the state has "guaranteed" certain high occupancy percentages. Is this really something we should be permitting as citizens?
15. Would you support single-payer healthcare?