Brain fried, 9th District congressional debate looms

A migrant workforce is vital to the economy of Gainesville and its surrounding areas. Would you be willing to sign on to legislation such as the Barn Act by Rep. Jack Kingston that streamlines the process for obtaining guest workers and removing some of the red tape involved in the process? If not, what is the solution for labor shortages?

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Those of us who don’t live in Hall County are concerned that so much state and now federal power could be centered there. What assurances do you have to the folks in the hinterlands that you will represent our concerns and not just focus on those of Governor Deal and the needs of Hall County?

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Here are questions we at Voices for georgia’s Children have developed for exactly such an opportunity. (You can see our reasoning and also review our congressional candidate questions at this link: http://georgiavoices.org/questions-for-state-house-senate-candidates

Questions for State House & Senate Candidates
By Admin on June 8, 2012
Early Childhood/Education
Georgia consistently has a waiting list for the Lottery funded Georgia Pre-K Program. What can the State do to ensure that families who want their children to participate in Georgia Pre-K are able to do so?
If Georgia Lottery revenues continue to lag, what are your recommendations regarding the use of those funds?
What should government’s role be, if any, in supporting the healthy development and learning needs of children from birth through age three?
It is widely accepted that parent involvement in parent conferences, school volunteerism, parent teacher organizations, etc. can strengthen a child’s engagement in academics and the likelihood he/she will stay in school. That said, are there policies the State can employ to encourage or facilitate such parental engagement?
Georgia’s high school graduation rate is a mere 67.4 percent. What, if anything, can the State do in terms of wrap-around services to improve the graduation rate?
Georgia students can drop out of school today at age 16, yet at that age, they cannot vote, drink alcohol, or enlist in the military. Should the drop out age be raised?
Child Health
What role, if any, should the State play in ensuring quality healthcare for children and youth of all incomes?
Georgia ranks second from the bottom in childhood obesity, endangering our children with lifelong chronic disease. What, if anything, can state policy do to address this dilemma?
Unlike other states, school-based health centers are currently not eligible for Medicaid reimbursement in Georgia. Would you support measures to reverse that policy, making such centers eligible? Why or why not?
Researchers, providers, and health plans report that 12-month continuous Medicaid eligibility for children can promote more reliable access to preventive, primary, and other needed health care services for children, which, in turn, can result in better health outcomes. Would you support legislation enabling Georgia, which currently has six-month eligibility, to institute such a policy? Why or why not?
According to the American Cancer Society, each day, more than 1,100 children under 18 become regular, daily smokers. About one third of these children will die prematurely from a smoking-related disease. Would you support a $1 increase in the tobacco tax to discourage teen smoking? Why or why not?
Court-Involved Youth
According to the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, nearly 75 percent of children in Georgia’s juvenile jails are non-violent offenders. What, if anything, should the State do to effectively help or rehabilitate these children?
Students that have dropped out of high school are three times more likely to be incarcerated than their in-school peers. What can the State do, if anything, to reduce the flow of students into the “school to prison pipeline”?
Poverty
One in four of Georgia’s children live in poverty. Should the State play a role in breaking the cycle of poverty for these families? Why or why not?
Federal childcare subsidy dollars for grandparents raising grandchildren, mothers going to school, and low income working mothers are at an all-time low, leaving caregivers with few alternatives for their children’s safety. What, if anything, can the State do to address this problem?
Miscellaneous
As a result of the Recession, counties have struggled with reduced revenues and increased health and social service needs of their populations. What, if anything, can the State do to better support health and social services offered by the counties?

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Will you pledge to represent the best interests of all of your constituents, and not just the largest contributors, and focus on the job you are elected to do, instead of furthering your own business interests?

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Will you be able to divorce yourself from your personal bias toward persons who believe differently than you and/or who are in a different income bracket than your own?

Can you put aside your allegiance to those who financed and supported your campaign and make the transition from candidate to statesperson in votes that require your consideration of all Americans rather than ‘The rich, the wise and the well born?’ (Thanks to A. Hamilton)

Will you service be remembered like that of Richard B. Russell, Ed Jenkins, Zell Miller and others who have gathered esteem for the generations or will your service be tainted by your yet undisclosed past transgressions and catering to factions?

What is your employment history for the past ten years? Have you held a full time job, if so, in what capacity?

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Some folks can’t follow directions, “not a long list of questions,” but they are pretty good. Do you contend that President Obama has not submitted a budget, that also outlines his desired policy? If so,would you vote to impeach him for violating the law that requires the President to submit one every year?”

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@ double:

Seriously? These are not candidates for the General Assembly.

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What fiscal policies will you promote to increase consumer spending?

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following henry’s question regarding christian nation, do you understand europeans were not the first here. thus, how would you feel if your were decendants of american indians and do you stand against bachmann and westmoreland’s wingnuttery?

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Here are the Congressional forum questions we asked in Augusta on Monday (Sorry about sending the state ones earlier!):

1. While America has been the international leader in education, we now have to compete in a world economy where other countries have dramatically improved their education systems and, on some measures, exceeded America’s performance. The Federal Government has supported students for years with Pell Grants and low interest education loans. Have these programs been successful and what else can the Federal Government do, if anything, to ensure America is a world leader in educating its next generation?
2. The failure of Congress in the last year or two to reauthorize No Child Left Behind has moved the U.S. Department of Education to permit states to apply for waivers. What are your thoughts on No Child Left Behind reauthorization and, while we’re at it, the allowance DOE has made for state waivers?
3. Common Core Standards, which are curriculum driven public school standards, were created by a group of states. They now have been adopted in 46 states, including Georgia. The next step is to create tests related to the Standards. Should the Federal Government require the standards and the tests to be adopted by a state in order to receive federal funds? Why or why not?

4. According to a number of sources, fewer than half of poor children are ready for school at age five, compared to 75 percent of children from families with moderate and high income. Children with higher levels of school readiness at age five are generally more successful in grade school, are less likely to drop out of high school, and earn more as adults, even after adjusting for differences in family background. What is the federal government’s role, if any, in closing the “readiness gap” that appears before kids start school and accounts for so much of student underachievement and school failure?
5. The United States Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention estimates that there are nearly eighty thousand youth incarcerated in the United States. Juvenile offenders often end up in prison as adults. What, if anything, can the Federal Government do to stem the flow of young people into a life of crime?
6. Each year in the United States, there are approximately 2 million reported cases of child abuse and about 400,000 children in foster care. The Federal Government provides nearly half of all funding states use for child-abuse prevention and treatment, including foster care and subsidized adoptions. Please comment on this use of federal dollars and what role you see, if any, for Congress in terms of these children.

7. Federal funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families allows states to support a variety of services that help families become economically self-sufficient. But TANF funds are often on the federal chopping block. In fact, loss of TANF dollars caused closure and consolidation of multiple teen health centers across Georgia and endangered a program that screens all newborns for developmental disabilities. What priorities would you set around federal funding for TANF?
8. Almost a third (Thirty-one percent) of Georgia’s children receive health coverage through Medicaid or the Child Health Insurance Program, known in our state as PeachCare for Kids. While an estimated 10% of Georgia’s children still remain uninsured, the rate of child health coverage has increased as a result of these programs. What role, if any, should the federal government play in ensuring quality healthcare for children and youth of all incomes?
9. There are approximately 1.8 million Georgia citizens currently using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – also known as food stamps or “SNAP.” This total includes more than 800,000 children, who, because they are eligible for SNAP, also qualify for the federal Free and Reduced School Lunch Program. The Farm Bill reauthorization, which allocates funding for SNAP, is now working its way through Congress and could result in significant cuts to the SNAP portion of the budget. What is your position on this Bill as it pertains to SNAP?

10. Georgia ranks second from the bottom in childhood obesity, endangering our children with lifelong chronic disease, and potentially affecting healthcare costs and the health of the workforce of the United States in years to come. What, if anything, can Congress do to address this dilemma?
11. Cuts to federal domestic spending often trickle down to reduce state spending on childcare subsidies for grandparents raising grandchildren, mothers going to school, and low-income working mothers, leaving caregivers with few alternatives for their children’s safety. Should the federal government have a role in childcare for these populations or for the larger workforce? Why or why not?
12. We have touched on this already, with some of the federal discretionary spending topics, but because one in four of Georgia’s children live in poverty, what role, if any does the Federal Government have in breaking the cycle of poverty for these families?
13. Much discussion has been in the air recently regarding immigration and what policies should be in place for undocumented children who were brought into the country by their parents, but who have grown up here and now live in danger of deportation. What are your thoughts on policies with regards to these children and young adults?

14. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, approximately 34 percent of children in the U.S. live in single parent households. How should the Federal Government respond, if at all, to the growth of single parenting and its implications for children’s nurturing and development?

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What is your position on Simpson-Bowles and Domenici-Rivlin? If not, what is a starting point in your opinion for a long term budget compromise?

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Since it is an election year and there is little chance of tax and spending compromise, do you expect a lame duck Congress to postpone the scheduled across the board increase in tax rates and simultaneous sequestration of military funding (among other things) beginning in 2013?

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What can Congress to ensure that North Georgia has a sustainable supply of water resources? Would you support alternatives to reservoirs, which are expensive and force people off of their land?

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Since September 11, 2001, the federal govt has instituted various policies and practices that have infringed on the civil and constitutional rights of people to be free from government intrusion: warrantless wiretaps, domestic spying, extra-judicial killings of Americans, now drones being approved for domestic use, etc. Every time one of the poorly named provisions of the “USA PATRIOT Act” is up for reauthorization, its opponents are labled as weak on terrorism and defense, when in fact, they are the only ones standing up for the promise of the Constitution.

Unfortunately, Pres. Obama has doubled down on this most unPatriot law that was passed by a vote of 99-1 misguided senators. Do you support its reauthorization? Or will you defend the Constitution? In the same vein, do you blieve that any Americans should be exempt from the protections of the Constitution? If yes, who and why?

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