Bee and Giffords differ on education, immigration, health care

The Green Valley News has asked the two candidates for U.S. Congress in District 8 to discuss important issues facing the district and summaries of their responses follow. Survey responses from candidates for other offices will be published in upcoming editions.

State Senate President Tim Bee, Republican

ON THE ECONOMY AND RECENT FINANCIAL BAILOUTS: Federal intervention may at times be necessary; however, unintended consequences may do more harm than good. Inaction from Congress must not occur in the future. Economists and politicians warned of the looming problems and Washington looked away until those problems escalated into a full blown crisis.

Main Street should not shoulder the burden of poor decision-making from Wall Street. A better avenue to stabilize the credit markets would have Wall Street buying risk-based insurance from the federal government to insure their problematic mortgage-backed securities. The current legislation may not do everything promised and the economy may struggle. If Congress is asked to take more action, I would urge them to consider remedies based on our free market system and limited government.

ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND” MANDATE ON EDUCATION: As the son of a teacher, I know the importance of education. In the Arizona State Senate, I placed education as a top priority of a responsible government. If we do not have a strong educational system, the entire community falters, economically and socially. If America is to successfully compete in the global economy, we must provide the children with skills that will allow them to flourish.

I’ve been a staunch opponent of NCLB. Decisions about our children’s futures must be made at the local level by school boards and parents. Schools throughout the country have different challenges and opportunities that bureaucrats only worsen.

ON ENERGY: The American economy runs on energy. Each year, $700 billion leave our economy to purchase energy from foreign nations. In troubling economic times, that $700 billion should stay in the American economy, providing a much needed boost and American jobs.

I support an aggressive and balanced energy plan, promoting exploration and development of American energy resources, including access to oil, gas and coal, as well as development of renewable energy like solar, hydrogen, wind, nuclear, and biofuels. Conservation and changes in habits should also be incentivized.

I support extending solar tax credits for 10 years allowing companies to plan for the future, rather than stifle them.

We also must modernize our infrastructure (the grid) to improve efficiency and increase the supply of electricity to meet growing demand. I support investments in research and development of the next generation of energy.

HEALTH CARE: How would you help serve the uninsured?

Health care coverage needs to be more accessible and affordable, and available to all. While I do believe everyone should have access to the finest health care, I do not support a government funded and controlled health care system. Allowing small businesses and individuals to group together through associations will strengthen their buying power, allowing them to negotiate for lower insurance premiums and better coverage. We need to look at ways to make health care more portable, and to incentivize its purchase by individuals as well as employers.

ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: Border security begins at the border. The U.S. Border Patrol must be provided with the tools and technology they need to keep our nation secure.

The cost of illegal immigration on the Arizona economy is staggering. The burden of our health care, education and prison systems is estimated to be over $1 billion dollars a year and is placed on the backs of the Arizona taxpayer. There are other costs that are high as well, the deaths in the desert, human smuggling and drug trafficking place a burden on our communities.

As President and Majority Leader, I helped Arizona lead the nation in combating illegal immigration. I was an effective legislator in getting solutions that secure our border signed into law. I can and will do the same in Congress. I will take this effectiveness to Washington to end the stalemate and reach a solution that secures the border at the border and prohibits “amnesty.”

Those who enter this country illegally should not be rewarded with citizenship. Citizenship in this country must be granted only to those who go through the legal process to become a citizen.

We must develop a realistic guest worker program that allows companies to secure the seasonal workers they need in a regulated and efficient manner. The visa program needs to be revamped to meet the changes in our economy and demands for workers, skilled and unskilled. The program needs to be a streamlined, perhaps even privatized, to get prescreened, healthy, safe, legally documented workers into the country.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat

ON THE ECONOMY AND RECENT FINANCIAL BAILOUTS: Unfortunately, the bailout of AIG was necessary to stave off further financial turmoil that impacts retirement accounts, jobs, and bank accounts. Greedy corporate executives who created this crisis must be penalized, but allowing the nation’s credit industry to collapse would be negligent.

The Sept. 29th legislation was rushed and did not do enough for taxpayers. On Oct. 3rd, I voted for an alternative bill that, while far from perfect, was a better bill because it helps taxpayers — not just Wall Street. It was necessary to prevent additional harm to our economy.

The final bill gives the government a stake in the companies that get assistance by acquiring warrants to buy stock. Like regular investors, the government will be able to sell those holdings when economic conditions improve, which means that taxpayers may get much of their original investment back.

Congress must also impose a fee on the financial services industry if, after five years, taxpayers have not been paid back through market improvements.

The Federal Housing Authority has been given the authority to help responsible homeowners refinance mortgages; this is appropriate because massive foreclosures threaten entire communities.

ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND” MANDATE ON EDUCATION: Congress should only reauthorize No Child Left Behind (NCLB) if it is reformed. Hundreds of citizens in Southern Arizona have attended my education summits and teachers have told me about the constant pressure to “teach to the test.”

Arizona’s schools continue to be among the lowest-ranking in the nation. It is critical that we raise student performance, but these goals will only be realized if the benchmarks and accountability process are meaningful and practical. NCLB is drastically under-funded and schools are being asked to meet many new requirements without the support they need to be successful.

In order to compete in a global economy, our school children must be proficient in computer technology and critical thinking. Math and science studies are more important than ever.

ON ENERGY: Extending solar tax credits has the potential to increase investments in the U.S. solar industry by $232 billion between 2009 and 2016 and create approximately 440,000 jobs — 15,000 right here in Arizona.

Additionally, the extension of these credits could drive 19,000 megawatts of additional solar power installations by the end of 2016.

I have been working tirelessly during my first term in Congress to extend solar tax credits. I am thrilled to report that on Oct. 3rd, Congress successfully extended the solar tax credit for eight years and the President signed it into law. This is a huge victory for Southern Arizona.

HEALTH CARE: How would you help serve the uninsured?

We should expand the Kids Care program to cover the uninsured children in poor and working class families in Arizona. We should also allow people over 50 to buy into Medicare and ensure that doctors’ reimbursements allow them to continue to provide care to our citizens.

I appreciate many of the principles and ideas that have been included in Senator Obama’s health plan. I support his efforts to help small businesses provide affordable health insurance to their employees through a new tax credit. I am also an advocate for lower drug costs by allowing the importation of safe medicines from other developed countries and taking on drug companies that block generic medicines from the market.

ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: It is a false choice to consider a checkpoint as a singular alternative to securing the border. The Tucson Sector remains the most porous part of the U.S.-Mexico border as illegal immigrants, drugs and guns flood into America through our communities. Maximizing security efforts directly on the border must be the Border Patrol’s primary focus but all options to address these issues should be on the table.

I have organized dozens of community meetings with the Border Patrol to discuss a stationary checkpoint on I-19. Senators Kyl and McCain and six other key members of Congress requested a GAO study of this temporary checkpoint and to evaluate other checkpoints along the U.S. - Mexico border. Together, we will continue to hold the Border Patrol accountable and ensure that all operations in Southern Arizona are effective. Ultimately, being secure requires a viable guest worker program, as part of comprehensive immigration reform; passing such legislation remains my top priority in Congress.

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.

pfranchine@sahuaritasun.com | 547-9738