The candidAtes' Voice
SENATE CANDIDATES
A General Election has been called for November 8 this year. In addition to the president, we are electing 34 senators and 435 federal representatives. In Alaska, 10 state senate seats are up for election and 40 in the House of Representatives. With this in mind, Sol de Medianoche sent federal congressional candidates four questions about what we thought were essential topics: immigration, the economy and energy, health, and education. We received replies from state senate candidates Ray Metcalfe (Democrat), Lisa Murkowski (Republican) and Margaret Stock (independent), and from congressional candidates Don Young (Republican) and Steve Lindbeck (Democrat).
Ray metcalfe |
Lisa murkowski |
margaret stock |
IMMIGRATION: According to the PEW Foundation, 29,000 Latinos in Alaska can vote: 5.4% of the state’s population. We all know our current immigration system is broken; what would you do in Congress to fix it? Do you believe that immigrants contribute to the US economy? In which ways?
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RAY METCALFE: Many of our immigration issues with our southern neighbors would not exist if the US had been a better neighbor over the past century. I support freedom of movement. When the US tightens its borders, most countries reciprocate by tightening their own borders and making everyone’s travel more difficult. I support immigration amnesty. I oppose policies that would tear families apart. I support the DREAM Act, and I support a path to citizenship. Minor misdemeanor infractions should never be used as an excuse for deportation.
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LISA MURKOWSKI: I celebrate the significant economic and cultural contributions of immigrants to our state and nation. I take great pride in Alaska’s diversity—especially the fact that Anchorage students live in homes where 97 different languages are spoken. My own children participated in Spanish language immersion programs in Anchorage public schools. Working hand in hand with faith communities, I have led the fight in Congress to pass the DREAM Act with a path to full citizenship. I believe that the 2013 immigration reform bill that passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support offers a real solution to a broken immigration system.
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MARGARET STOCK: An immigration system should bring families together and is essential to a strong American economy. Immigrants contribute to the economy as job creators and workers, bringing in essential skills (as engineers, scientists, and innovators), and pay taxes, developing cutting-edge technologies, and increasing demand for local consumer goods.As your US Senator, I will make immigration reform a priority. Such reform would:
a) Enforce our laws: I would take the lead in improving the reporting systems to keep dangerous people out of the United States and ensure that those who are supposed to leave do so. b) Create smart immigration laws: beyond enforcement, we should rationalize our immigration system by allowing entry of individuals who will help grow our economy. c) We cannot deport 11 million people: it is unrealistic; it would take a lifetime and cost billions of dollars. Due process is the bedrock of the US legal system, and an individual in a deportation proceeding is entitled to a hearing. The federal government would have to exponentially increase the number of immigration judges and immigration court facilities to handle the large number of hearings. And it would still take untold years to process all these cases. d) Many undocumented individuals, including children who know no other country, have lived in the United States for decades and have US citizen spouses and children. Most Alaskans agree that it makes sense to bring individuals out of the shadows if they have lived here for many years, are law abiding, have learned English, and pay any back taxes. |
ENERGY / ECONOMY: The price of oil may never return to the levels of the early 2000s, and we know Alaska’s economy is mainly based in the oil industry. What role can the federal government play in shaping Alaska’s economy and in helping it recover?
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RAY METCALFE: I believe the infrastructure of the entire nation, including Alaska, is long overdue for a top to bottom modernization and refurbishment. While the rest of the nation’s systems are in decay, federal law recognizes that much of Alaska’s needed infrastructure has never been built. Federal statute provides Alaska with a disproportionately large share of federal funding for transportation infrastructure. Infrastructure is the backbone of Alaska’s economy. Alaska’s long-term economy will ourish if America’s infrastructure funding is tripled until the entire nation once again has the most modern infrastructure in the world.
It is time to rethink how we should go about monetizing North Slope gas, and I believe a port in Nome is overdue for consideration. At best a pipeline completion is ten years away and by the time that it could be completed, it, as a form of transportation, is likely to be obsolete. Put a port in Nome and no pipeline is needed. To fix today’s budget, Alaska should impose a tax on the gas reserves stored on the North Slope. Any oil company that does not want to pay the tax can always relinquish its interest in the gas back to the state. Alaska’s monetization would be far more profitable if Alaska owned 100% of the production rights. Bernie Sanders has stated that retooling America’s infrastructure—and powering it with clean energy—is among his highest priorities. If elected, I will be among Bernie’s closest allies. I will work to bring low-cost, clean energy and super high-speed Internet to every doorstep in every city and every village, modernize and insulate our electrical grids from cyber attack, and expand and modernize all of Alaska’s transportation systems. |
LISA MURKOWSKI: As your senator, it’s my duty to fight for Alaska’s right to develop our resources. As a mother of two sons entering the workforce, I know the importance of ensuring we have a strong economy so that future generations can call Alaska home. That’s why I fight to open new areas to responsible oil and gas development in the NPR-A (National Petroleum Reserve-A) and ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), while also supporting the development of Alaska’s vast renewable energy potential. In the current low-price environment, I also understand the need to capitalize on Alaska’s many other economic opportunities including in shipping and the exportation of Alaska seafood and other commodities. I also know the economic importance of the military stationed in Alaska. That’s why I fought to bring the F-35s to the Interior, keep the 4-25 brigade in Alaska, and upgrade radar and missile defense at Fort Greely, all of which support local communities and bring new jobs to our state.
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MARGARET STOCK: Alaska must diversify its economy and move beyond oil to geothermal, tidal, wind, solar and biomass, helping to ensure that Alaska can be America’s energy leader. There are other steps that we can take. For instance:
a) As an independent, I will work with both Democrats and Republicans to open the limited areas of the ANWR that are needed to conduct responsible oil and gas development. I will also support the continued responsible development of NPR-A, when and if the price of oil recovers to a level that makes such development economically sensible. b) I will support funding projects to expand the energy generation options for remote communities and provide technical expertise to increase energy ef ciency in those communities. c) I will work tirelessly to fund and improve Alaska’s infrastructure. Good roads, a reliable ferry system, modern ports, a robust power grid, and broadband access throughout the state are the foundations of a modern, competitive economy. d) I will fight to protect the shing industry, a key renewable resource and major source of Alaska’s jobs by providing the resources needed to vigorously implement new laws regarding illegal, unreported and unregulated shing; continuing the exemption for small shing boats from incidental discharge regulations; and labeling genetically modified fish so that consumers know what they are buying. e) I will work hard to support this growing and sustainable industry by improving transportation infrastructure, expanding Brand USA to market the United States as an international travel destination, and improving our antiquated visitor visa system. I will also fight for increased funding for the National Parks system in Alaska so that both Alaskans and our visitors can fully enjoy these national treasures. |
HEALTH: The Federal DHHS has identified six areas in which racial and ethnic minorities, including Hispanics, experience disparate access to or need for health care: infant mortality; cancer screening and management; cardiovascular disease; diabetes; HIV/AIDS; and immunizations. What would you do in the Senate to increase minority access to health care?
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RAY METCALFE: I agree with Bernie Sanders’s position on healthcare. I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. I will vote for a publicly administered, single-payer, universal healthcare system. I will cosponsor the state-based single-payer American Health Security Act (H.R. 1200), introduced by Representative Jim McDermott, and the national Medicare for All Act (H.R. 676), introduced by Representative John Conyers.
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LISA MURKOWSKI: Every Alaskan has the right to affordable, quality healthcare. I am fully aware of the disparate rates at which minorities suffer from health problems. That is why at the national level I have worked to increase research funding for diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and other chronic illnesses that are common among minority groups. I have also worked to address the growing opioid epidemic spreading across the nation by cosponsoring the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. I continue working to support the community-based health center system that helps provide quality care to all Alaskans. I remain committed to improving the health and livelihoods of all Alaskans, which is why in 2011 I was the lead Republican cosponsor of the bipartisan minority health awareness resolution.
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MARGARET STOCK: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) advances efforts to improve healthcare and reduce disparities due to factors including race / ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, location, gender, and disability status. Along with increasing the coverage and coverage options for low- and moderate-income populations, the ACA considers the creation of the Offices of Minority Health within key Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies to coordinate disparity reduction efforts; major health coverage expansions; increased funding for community health centers; increased funding for professional and cultural competence training in healthcare, and for educational materials; strengthened data collection and research efforts; the creation of prevention and public health initiatives like a national oral health education campaign that emphasizes racial and ethnic disparities; and the permanent reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization Extension Act of 2009. The ACA also expands Medicaid, which provides needed medical services to thousands of Alaskans.
I share the goal of most Alaskans of improving the ACA, rather than repealing it and replacing it with nothing. I oppose taking away health insurance from thousands of Alaskans, and I oppose removing hundreds of millions of federal dollars from our economy. I will also make sure that other efforts of the federal government are on track to help ensure minority access to healthcare. These endeavors include the 2011 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Disparities Action Plan and the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grants, which are funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
EDUCATION: What would you do in Congress to help Alaska implement education reforms and be eligible for competitive federal grants?
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RAY METCALFE: I see education, including higher education, as a right, and I would support tuition-free higher education for all who apply. Many countries already do it and we should join them.
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LISA MURKOWSKI: I helped write and pass the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that empowers Alaskans to implement school reforms. Now Alaskans—and not federal bureaucrats—will decide what our students learn, how learning is measured, and how we hold every school accountable for each child’s success. I am now defending Alaskans’ rights to implement their own reforms so that every school is a great school for every child, regardless of their ethnicity, the language they speak at home, or their family background. I also worked to ensure that the ESSA guarantees that every school receives federal funds—instead of competing for them—so as to meet local needs and priorities for a well rounded, safe, and healthy education. I will work to ensure they receive enough funds to put their plans into action.
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MARGARET STOCK: Education is critical to our state’s success and that of each and every Alaskan. While most education is a state and local function, the federal government has an important role to play through programs like the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act, Title I assistance for schools with high numbers of children from low-income families, Head Start programs, and vocational and special education. I strongly support the strengthening of these programs, and I will work with Alaskan schools to ensure that they are eligible to receive these grants.
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