30th
Citizen questions
Email from Ross Little: People are sick of negative ads. Say something nice about each other.
CP: CS has integrity and served in Iraq honorably. Good guy.
CS: CP is deeply committed to public service, and has faced up to challenges with courage.
Video question: Matthew Beck from South Portland wants something better than NAFTA and CAFTA.
CS: Free trade is important, but we need to trade with a mirror tax. Fair trade is good. Economic patriotism. Try and keep jobs here.
CP: I would have opposed the trade agreements. Standards are not properly enforced, and we feel the pain in Maine. Wal-Mart is outsourcing their work and we subsidize it.
Jim from Wiscasset on Health Care
CP: I would vote for single-payer, but I would support the Obama plan too. Expand the government plan, but also allow people to keep private plans. We pay too much for too little. Small businesses in Maine are getting hurt by costs.
CS: Single-Payer is bad. We can’t afford what we have now. Tort reform is necessary. Small business health plan legislation to allow state line crossing. Too many monopolies. Make health care deductable.
Nancy in Brunswick: Student loans are prohibitive. How can we relieve the burden.
CS: We need colleges, both 4 year, 2 year, and technical. National service corps should be created. Will strengthen the community.
CP: Serious issue for Maine. More funding for Pell grants and university systems. Reform the loan system, because of its similarities to the credit markets.
Video from Sean at Bowdoin: How would deal with a presidential request for war with Iran?
CP: I would have opposed Iraq because we didn’t ask the serious questions. Must be a last resort, not an aggressor nation.
CS: War must be last resort and we must improve diplomacy. We need a plan before war and definitly an endgame. Patreaus has done well. People are seeing the end of the war.
Email from Andrew in East Boothbay: Has Constitutional government been compromised?
CS: The document is strong, although it is compromised every year. We must continue to follow it.
CP: It is hard to be a role model when our country has had trouble following the constitution. Citizens are concerned about oversight. i would take that seriously. We must be seen as a country which respects the rule of law.
