{news} Deshefy covered in debates

[Tim McKee]

Plainfield debate: Sullivan says Courtney too partisan
======================================================


Incumbent defends record
------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------

By ADAM BOWLESNorwich BulletinPosted Oct 16, 2008 @ 12:24 AM

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plainfield, Conn. —

On the same night of the presidential debate, the three candidates for
the 2nd Congressional District debated many of the same topics  — the
economy, health care and energy — and their potential impact on Eastern
Connecticut.

>From the start of the two-hour debate Wednesday, Republican Sean Sullivan
described incumbent Democrat Joe Courtney as a partisan politician who
voted 98 percent of the time with the Democratic leadership, avoiding
compromise needed to address problems such as the nation’s economic
crisis.

Courtney drew applause from the nearly 100 people who attended the debate
at Plainfield High School when he said he was the only member of the
Connecticut congressional delegation, and one of a minority of Democrats,
who twice voted against the federal bailout of Wall Street because it
protected the people who triggered the problem.

Sullivan drew applause when he said irresponsible homeowners who took on
mortgages they knew they couldn’t afford should not be bailed out by the
government and once when he said Plainfield parents and the state know
better how to educate their students than the federal government and its
No Child Left Behind Act.

Green Party candidate G. Scott Deshefy, a former environmental analyst in
the state Department of Environmental Protection, made several
philosophical references to what he said were successful government
policies on health care and energy in Europe and Asia. He said he would
bring a much needed scientific perspective to solving the nation’s
problems.

Sullivan said his top three priorities would be energy, defense and
transportation. He said the nation needs to tap into its own oil reserves
and invest in transportation projects as a way to add jobs. 

Courtney said he would continue to focus on veterans needs and the
defense industry. He said he was the leading Congressman nationwide to
secure money that boosted submarine production and added jobs to Electric
Boat in Groton.

Deshefy said he would cut military and drug war spending and boost
funding for education and alternative energy sources, while supporting
universal health care.

Gary Young, a Republican who favors Sullivan, said the debate was lively
and fairly clean, but
he took all comments with a “grain of salt,” because most lies and
inaccuracies don’t typically come to light until days later.

On the issues
On high diesel fuel and heating oil costs:

Deshefy: Need to consider indirect costs, such as health problems due to
pollution, and pursue alternate energy sources.

Sullivan: Send a message that the nation will “get oil out of the ground
here” to immediately improve the perception of supply and ease
speculation pressures.

Courtney: Need stronger regulation of commodities market and use
strategic reserves to boost oil supply.

On transportation needs on Interstate 395, particularly mass transit:

Deshefy: A tax of one-tenth of every dollar transacted on Wall Street
would help boost infrastructure spending.

Sullivan: Stronger leadership is needed to secure federal support for
transportation investments.

Courtney: Bush administration has been anti-rail; supports putting people
to work through investments in infrastructure.

On health care:

Deshefy: Supports single payer, universal health care.

Sullivan: Health care is a problem best addressed by individual states;
would encourage competition.

Courtney: Need to strengthen Medicare; rejects privatization of health
care because people will not know how to navigate a complicated system to
get affordable, quality health care.

On the foreclosure crisis:

Deshefy: Federal government needs to help renegotiate mortgage rates of 3
percent for homes in jeopardy of foreclosures; problem stems from culture
of borrowing beyond means.

Sullivan: Opposes bailing out homeowners who recklessly took on mortgages
they knew they couldn’t afford; opposes wholesale rewriting of mortgages
because it means banks will raise rates based on higher risk.

Courtney: Make banks responsible for deceptive practices; renegotiate
rates on the logjam of “bad paper,” or subprime mortgages that are in
default.



******************************************
Tim McKee, Manchester CT, main number cell-860-778-1304, 860-643-2282
 National Commitee member of the Green Party of the United States and is a spokesperson for the Green Party of CT.
BLOG-http://thebiggreenpicture.blogspot.com

-- 
Be Yourself @ mail.com!
Choose From 200+ Email Addresses
Get a Free Account at www.mail.com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist10.pair.net/mailman/private/ctgp-news/attachments/20081016/9c590ed8/attachment.html>