DEBBIE ON THE ISSUES:

ECONOMIC RECOVERY

As someone who sells houses in Boise, I work very hard trying to help people into or out of housing in a very difficult market. The problems I see as I meet with my clients (who are usually struggling, sometimes losing their homes) have convinced me that we must make changes in how this country is run. I believe the deregulation of big business and banking by Republicans, including Mike Simpson, has led to the current distress we are in. By deregulating the financial sector we have allowed crooks to take their profits while destroying our economy. This crisis, like so many others in our country, is rooted in greed. Loans were made that never should have been made. People signed documents they did not understand. As a real estate agent, I work very hard to try to get people out of these situations.

The stories I hear on the job make me angry. There are many people who are financially devastated by medical problems. A large proportion of us do not have health insurance. First we lose our health, then our jobs, then our insurance (if we have it in the first place), then our homes. Under our current system, we penalize the sick. We also prevent innovation because people are afraid to start businesses or leave dead-end jobs if it means losing their insurance. When people are ill they should focus on their recovery, not worry about their finances. It is time for universal healthcare for all Americans that is not connected to your place of employment.

Recently, with collapsing banks and government bailouts, the problems in the housing market have expanded to threaten the entire financial sector. Unfortunately, I have to conclude that a massive government bailout is now necessary, although it must have proper oversight by Congress and the government should be getting these bad loans at a large discount, and not a penny of taxpayer money should go toward golden parachutes for the corporate executives who destroyed their companies and our economy, but instead should be used to help the homeowners whom they hoodwinked into taking bad loans. However, without the push-button deregulators in Congress such as Mike Simpson, this would never have occurred. Mike Simpson now pays lip service to regulation, but he recently voted against a bill (which passed with a veto-proof majority) whose purpose was to ensure transparency and accountability in the oil futures market, where speculators are artificially inflating prices at the pump.

The structure of the mortgage market is one that encourages fraudulent practices. Brokers offered bad loans and sold them off to larger companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for a profit. As your representative, I would introduce legislation to ensure that brokers are responsible for foreclosures for two years after the loan is made. Since most foreclosures on these subprime loans occur in this period, this will encourage brokers and banks to make honest loans that help people instead of making a quick buck by deceiving them.

IRAQ

I don't believe that we can morally pull out of Iraq instantaneously, whatever the result of the 2008 election. If we, through our terrible handling of the war, ruin a country, then leave it in a state of anarchy, that would be reprehensible and would hurt our reputation on the world stage. That being said, we need to start preparing for withdrawal. The Republicans have no exit strategy in Iraq; they seem to be willing to keep troops there indefinitely no matter what the circumstances on the ground. We need an exit strategy, and we should be out of Iraq within the next two years.

CIVIL RIGHTS

One of the most important civil rights issues facing our country today is the question of "coercive interrogation." To me, this is a relatively simple question: Will we be a nation that tortures its prisoners, or will we be a nation that follows due process? What with the atrocities at Abu Ghraib and black sites across Europe, combined with the Bush administration's recent assertion that waterboarding, a practice which amounts to controlled drowning, has been used on detainees, it is clear that the GOP and the current president are veering in the other direction. I will do my utmost to restore America to the strong anti-torture stance that, until recently, was generally accepted by all parties.

Mike Simpson voted to allow the government to wiretap conversations and engage in intrusive investigations without a warrant, even from a secret FISA court, whose decision would remain private and therefore would not endanger national security. It is my understanding that the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution provides protection against search and seizure without a warrant. Every Idahoan and every American ought to enjoy the protections of the Constitution. It's time to send a message to Washington that our rights are not negotiable. We can and must preserve them at the same time as we provide for national security needs. Maintaining this balance is not the easy way out, but it is necessary.

Whatever one's opinion of same-sex relationships might be (and I believe that such relationships are perfectly valid), it is not our business to pass moral judgments on the victimless lifestyle choices of other individuals. It is certainly not the place of an employer to do so; sexual orientation does not affect a worker's job performance. If elected I, unlike Congressman Simpson, will support extending civil rights protections in the workplace to include those involved in same-sex relationships. It is not the place of the government or corporations to determine family values.

EDUCATION

Many in this country believe that it is time to desert the public schools, and establish a program of vouchers, in order to encourage student to bail out of the public system. I could not disagree more. Rather than deserting the public schools, we need to reform their administration. The standardized testing regimen imposed by the current administration has done nothing to help. Schools are punished for underperformance under No Child Left Behind through the withholding of necessary funds. The NCLB program, which Congressman Simpson supported, fails to account for the obvious. In order to improve education, we need to put money into failing schools, not redistribute this much-needed funding to schools which are already successful. I support the replacement of No Child Left Behind with a system that actually gauges students on an individual level, rather than judging schools as a whole, and gives money (with oversight) to failing schools rather than taking it away.

Mike Simpson has made a few good votes on this issue, but the fact is that Idaho's schools are failing and Mike Simpson is only the best of a bad lot on education.  He recently voted against No Child Left Inside, which passed and now allows more children to have an outdoor education after this critical part of education was hampered by the new strategy of teaching to the test, and has voted in the past against cutting oil subsidies to fund poor Idaho rural communities and schools.

In many rural districts in Idaho, there is a four day school week with 8 hour days. This is not an environment where young students can learn to the best of their ability. I would sponsor legislation to provide federal incentives to ensure that underfunded school districts can provide a 5 day school week.

HEALTH CARE

I believe that all Americans should have access to affordable health care; without our health, it is impossible to achieve the American Dream, no matter how hard you're willing to work.

In the status quo, there are an estimated 7 million seniors who cannot afford health care individually, but who are not eligible for Medicare coverage. Negotiated drug pricing could decrease the cost of Medicare per individual, allowing greater coverage. A vote me is a vote for necessary reform, which must be implemented if our seniors are to have the treatment they deserve.

Mike Simpson voted against the Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which required health care plans to apply similar treatment standards to patients suffering from mental illness as to patients suffering from physical illness. Simpson and his colleagues, with their quibbling over details of the bill, don't seem to recognize the urgency of the issue. Millions of Americans each year are denied coverage for mental health issues under their health care plans; to deny that these people are suffering from illness is an absurdity. Fortunately, my opponent was in the minority on this issue; the bill passed, and we've taken another step towards true parity. But it must be remembered that, if Mike Simpson had his way, nothing would have been done. I will always support mental and dental treatment parity.

Again and again, Mike Simpson thinks Idahoans should be happy with the status-quo on healthcare. If you want true leadership on health care related issues, I am your candidate. I will always hold the health of the people of Idaho above the health of the pocketbooks of the pharmaceutical lobby.

ENERGY

An energy crisis is threatening our nation and the world.  Energy prices are rising, our supply is shrinking, and the burning of fossil fuels is threatening to cause irreversible damage to our environment.  I also see that foreign oil is the major factor in our huge trade deficit and I will do all I can to bring about energy independence for America.  As your representative, I will support the development of alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and biofuels from cellulose, not food, as well as nuclear power with fuel reprocessing, which will create new jobs right here in Idaho and avoid making more long-term nuclear waste by using substances with a long half-life to generate more fuel.  Reprocessed waste is made of short half-life materials that can be more easily stored.  I also believe in the cheapest form of energy, tough energy efficiency regulations for cars and buildings, something my opponent has consistently opposed.  I support limited offshore drilling only if this comes with long-term, meaningful investments in alternative energy that will carry us into a clean and independent energy future.