Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

Over the past 60 years Israel has had the best relations with the United States of any country in the Middle East.   This is often explained as due to Israel being the strongest democracy in the Middle East.  And it is worth noting that relations remained good regardless of which political party may be in power at any particular time in either country.  Relations between the U.S. and the new Palestinian state have been rocky.  And the recent fractionalization within the Palestinian leadership has not helped smooth the path toward establishing a stable diplomatic relationship.  Frankly, I am skeptical of the Bush/Cheney administration’s interest in restarting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process so late in their term.  Indeed, diplomatic observers in the Middle East do not believe Secretary Rice has done adequate groundwork to effectuate meaningful peace talks and wonder if President Bush is going to be trying to repair his image/legacy at the cost of the participants in any proposed peace talks.  Having been to the Israel I am struck by the multiplicity of players with a stake in the peace process.  Within the Israeli government there are multiple parties with elected members in the Knesset each with a differing view on the peace process.  There are multiple religions which claim some of their holiest sites in the area and some of these have religious leaders who oppose any peace accord whatsoever.  And the neighboring nations, two of whom have already struck peace agreements with Israel, each have their own concerns and roles to play in achieving a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinian state.   In truth, the largest role to be played in protracted diplomacy of this sort belongs to the executive branch and the U.S. State Department.  Sadly, the state department has been subjugated to a reduced role under the Department of Defense and the White House has continually viewed complicated matters and convoluted relations within the Middle East in simplistic black or white terms.  Given the protracted negotiations that are going to have to take place upon a extensively prepared negotiating framework, I do not believe the current administration is in the posture of  effectuating a meaningful peace accord as a “good faith partner” with the multiple players cited above.  As much as we may all hate to wait, I sincerely believe that only with the swearing-in of a Democratic administration in January, 2009 will any real, meaningful solutions begin to be put into play to not only resolve the Israeli/Palestinian troubles but address the problems in the entire region.

Jared Polis

The United States has great leverage with Israel, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, due to our foreign aid programs and leadership role in international affairs (although that role has been greatly diminished in the Bush Administration).  As a result, we have a great opportunity to use this leverage to help achieve a just, fair, and lasting peace in the Middle East.

America should use our leverage with Israel to encourage it to actively pursue the peace process, respect the human rights of citizen and non-citizen Arabs within its borders, and promote stability among the Palestinian people, eventually leading to an independent Palestine.

America should use our leverage with Palestinians to encourage them to renounce terrorism, reduce corruption, promote economic development and establish the rule of law within its territories.

America should use our leverage with Egypt to encourage them to play a responsible regional leadership role to promote the peace process and protect human rights within its own borders.

Another important thing we can do to promote peace in the Middle East is to reduce our dependency on oil.  Please see my attached plan to reduce global carbon emissions by focusing on reducing consumption and sustainable alternatives to oil.

Will Shafroth

While the U.S. will continue to play an important role in peace negotiations in the Middle East, I support the engagement of many other countries in the peace process. This is but one of many reasons the United States must be focused on restoring our role and reputation in the world. In the end, though, peace can only be resolved during face to face negotiations between the parties. It is truly a stunning failure that the Bush administration has refused to engage in the peace process until only recently. This is a topic of vital importance to not only the Middle East, but the entire world. In Congress, I will consistently push for peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. It is in the United States’ best interests to support a permanent resolution of this core conflict in the Middle East.

Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

Although the President recently vetoed the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program for the States (SCHIP), I note with interest that a revised SCHIP is being written that is garnering more Republican support than the previous bill.  Let us hope that with more bi-partisan support such as is currently being gathered, we will end up with a new SCHIP bill the President dare not veto.  Here in Colorado there is currently a health study group called the “208 Commission” which has been meeting and holding hearings around the state.  The 208 Commission is charged by the Colorado General Assembly with issuing a report when the state legislature convenes next year recommending the best course for the state government to take in dealing with underinsured and uninsured Coloradans.  I attended the public session of the commission held in Boulder and can report that the people speaking before the commission are primarily inclined toward a single-payer system.  In the area of health insurance, as in so many other important concerns facing Americans today, the states are taking the lead in finding solutions rather than the Bush/Cheney administration.  I look forward with immense interest in reading the 208 Commission’s draft report and just like renewable energy; Colorado will lead the way charting its own course.  At the federal level, however, we have heard several times from President Bush of his animosity toward any real reform of health care that makes it affordable and accessible to all Americans.  Senior citizens cannot keep up with the ever-rising prescription drug prices.  And working families are taking on second jobs to keep up with health insurance premiums that are going up much faster than the cost of living.  I support a single payer system because this is the only way I see that we can get everyone insured and, at the same time, have every American household save money on their health care costs.  Again, this is a situation where I believe we are going to have to have a Democrat take over the White House before a national re-engineering of the health care delivery system is undertaken in a meaningful way.  I am more than hopeful that this will take place as almost every Democratic presidential candidate has put forth thoughtful health care reform proposals.

Jared Polis

The first question stands on its own and I agree with the sentiments expressed. I believe we can achieve an SCHIP program as described if Democrats in Washington stand up for the values of the voters that elected them.

If elected, I pledge not to accept the gold-plated health insurance program that is offered to members of Congress until all of my constituents are covered through single-payer, universal health care.  I have no desire to grandstand with this pledge, but rather see it as a matter of personal integrity, so you won’t see me mentioning it unless specifically asked.  I will also not participate in the Congressional Pension plan, which allows members to become fully vested after only five years of service.  I stand against the culture of privilege that infects elected leaders in both parties in DC.

I will proudly add my name as a co-sponsor to HR676, which provides the best framework among the current healthcare reform bills.

I believe that we can have greater efficiency gains around a single-payer system at the national level, but if the federal government fails to act then Colorado can institute a single-payer system on its own.  If the federal government fails to deliver, it would also be helpful for Colorado to have discussions with other states to enter inter-state single-payer compacts to generate some of the savings that additional scale promises.

Will Shafroth

For decades now, politicians have addressed health care as an issue important to their campaigns, but less so as an issue vital to our country – focusing too often on the next election, rather than the next generation.

To properly address the nation’s health issues, we need to finally start taking a serious look at long term health outcomes. Just as most Washington politicians tend to focus on the health care crisis once an election is looming, the current healthcare system focuses almost entirely on treating people once they have a health problem. While important, it is equally critical to focus on early prevention and wellness. We should reward doctors and hospitals more for keeping people healthy to give them greater incentive to do so.

Every American should have access to quality, affordable healthcare. Currently more than 47 million Americans are without health coverage, including nearly 9 million children. In Colorado alone, there are more than 770,000 people without health insurance, including 170,000 children. Meanwhile, health care costs are skyrocketing. Solving the health care crisis means providing everyone access to health care. We need to move immediately to get more people covered through our existing health care system. There are things that could be done in this Congress, with this President, to cover more people. We should not wait until tomorrow to accomplish things we can do today.

Some specific steps to advance these goals are expanding Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to ensure that all children and seniors are covered. In Colorado, there are 55,000 children covered by SCHIP. We need to make certain that all 170,000 uninsured children have adequate access to SCHIP. In addition, we need safe and affordable prescription drugs. If we also increase Medicare reimbursements for doctors, Medicare patients will have more choices for their treatment.

Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

The lack of initiative from the U.S. government on the issue of global warming can be laid directly at the feet of the Bush/Cheney administration.  From President Bush’s refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol to the alterations of government scientific reports and studies ordered by political operatives of the White House, this administration has steadfastly refused to recognize global warming and killed most every effort to address it.   Again, Colorado is leading the way in this area.  The Colorado General Assembly raised the percentage of renewable/alternative energy that must be supplied by energy companies from 10% to 20%.  Further, recognizing that Colorado is uniquely situated to generate significant energy from wind and solar but in parts of the state that do not have transmission lines, I wrote a bill that was passed by my legislative colleagues to help build power transmission lines to these remote wind and solar power sites.  The creation of more alternative/renewable power is good economic development that will create new jobs that last over time.  Already the power companies are reporting customer demand for “green energy” far outstripping their projections even with customers paying a higher price to obtain it.  Up to this time, our nation’s addiction to fossil fuels has served us poorly from both an energy independence viewpoint and a national security viewpoint.  For our nation’s security we need to develop a basket of different energy sources so we never become so dependent on one kind of energy source again.  This includes a recognition that we need to reorient the power supply grid to accommodate decentralized power sources such as generation from photo-voltaics on rooftops of warehouses and other localized power generators. 

I also carried the Clean Energy Fund bill to enable new technologies, from small entrepreneurs, to come to market.  Most importantly, I carried the demand side management bill to economically encourage consumers to upgrade to energy efficient appliances, thereby delaying the need for new coal fired plants. 

Jared Polis

Please see my global carbon emission reduction policy at http://www.polisforcongress.com/assets/ 2007/9/21/Policy-GlobalWarming.pdf.

Please have the young person contact me at jared@jaredpolis.com or my cell phone 303-929-6971 to discuss how I can specifically help them make their idea a reality. I have great experience bringing ideas into reality such as the schools that I have started to serve new immigrants and homeless youth.  I have also been involved with reforming our School Land Trust to better fund our public schools and provide lasting environmental protections.  Please email me or call me.

Will Shafroth

Global warming is the great challenge of our time. It is our moral responsibility, as a nation, to act quickly and decisively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – and avert a crisis future generations cannot reverse. Designing a new, clean energy economy will reduce the greenhouse gases that are responsible for global warming. Developing clean energy alternatives will also reduce our dependence on foreign oil and strengthen our economy. This will make our nation more secure and will ensure that our energy policy aligns with our foreign policy.

I believe in leaving our planet in as good or better shape for our children than when I grew up. As Americans, that’s a promise we’ve always made to the next generation; it’s unfathomable to consider turning our backs on it now. I will take this principle to Congress and fight hard to protect our children’s and the world’s children’s future.

To halt global warming, I will promote legislation in Congress that will:

1. Establish a cap-and-trade system with benchmarks, including (1) stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. within two years of enactment, (2) reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2020, and (3) reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2050.1 [1 These reductions are from 2005 levels. If a 1990 baseline is used the percentages are approximately 30% by 2020 and 88% by 2050.]
2. Require carbon emitters to pay for carbon permits.
3. Institute a carbon emissions fee to supplement a cap-and-trade system to cover areas a cap-and-trade program will miss.
4. Reinvest in America: A cap-and-trade system would generate hundreds of billions of dollars. This money should go to at least tripling our investment in research and development for renewable energy and minimizing the impacts of the program on low income families.

To realize a clean energy economy, I will work to enact laws that will:

1. Implement a national renewable portfolio standard requiring at least 20% of electricity production to come from renewable resources by 2015 and 30% by 2020.
2. Create a uniform national net-metering policy that will allow individuals to generate solar or wind energy and sell excess electricity back to the utility.
3. Create incentives that favor the construction of green buildings as well as retrofitting old buildings with more efficient technology.
4. Provide a tax credit to small businesses to help them make efficiency upgrades.

To reduce emissions in the transportation sector, I will work for legislation that will:

1. Starting in 2010, increase CAFE standards on all new vehicles by 3 mpg per year for at least 10 years. By 2020, this would raise standards to 57.5 mpg on cars and 50.7 mpg on light trucks.
2. Create a carbon standard for transportation fuels with a goal of reducing emissions 10% by 2015 and 20% by 2020.
3. Establish a “gross polluter” buy-back program to help get the oldest and most polluting vehicles off the road.

You can download my full plan here: http://www.shafrothforcongress.com/ media/pdfs/GWFull.pdf

Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

Our U.S. government has sunk deeper and faster into debt than any time before in history due to the Bush administration’s unbridled spending on the military, particularly in Iraq.  And the saddest part of this is that even with all this spending the Bush/Cheney has not set adequate money aside to take care of our veterans when they get home from the combat theaters.  This is unconscionable.  Even though it is clear that we have entered an era when our biggest threat comes from asymmetrical warfare, parts of the Pentagon have apparently not gotten the message.  The Army’s insistence on nearly quadrupling the size of tank warfare training grounds in the Pinon Canyon area of southeastern Colorado is another example of Defense Department being out of touch with the reality of current warfare and current budget constraints.  I have opposed Pinon Canyon expansion from the beginning and led the passage of an anti-expansion resolution by the Colorado General Assembly with near unanimous approval.  The biggest thing we can do to start to get the military budget under control is to get our troops out of Iraq immediately.  Speaker Pelosi has recently pointed out that with what we spend in Iraq in 40 days we could fund coverage of 10 million additional children under the SCHIP program for a whole year.  But the Republicans in the U.S. Congress in conjunction with President Bush have stymied every attempt by the Democratic leadership to curtail our involvement in Iraq or constrain military spending.  The proliferation of a nuclear threat, or “weapons of mass destruction” as the Bush administration likes to call them, has been a main theme behind the invasion of Iraq and the saber rattling toward Iran and North Korea.  The Bush/Cheney administration has departed from the well-established processes of international cooperation for stopping nuclear proliferation and adopted a confrontational style of cowboy diplomacy instead.  At the risk of sounding repetitive, it is hard for me to see this changing without changing the inhabitants of the White House to a Democratic President and Vice President.

Jared Polis

My plan calls for a reduction in military expenditures of 15% over three years and a reinvestment of the savings in social programs including public education, financial aid for college, healthcare, preschool, childcare and social services.  This can be done while continuing to have the strongest armed forces in the world. Currently, the United States spends more on our military than the rest of the world combined.

I grew up attending nuclear disarmament rallies with my parents in the 1980s and strongly support the reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons globally, and believe that America should play a leadership role in making this happen.

Will Shafroth

More than half of our nation’s discretionary budget every year goes to national defense—while only 6% goes towards health care. We spend over $500 billion on defense each year—as much as all the other nations in the world combined. When you add the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the number becomes over $650 billion per year. To me, it is unconscionable that there are nearly 9 million children without health insurance while we are paying millions to mercenaries in Iraq. I would support shifting money from the DoD to other areas, such as education and health care. Clearly, the quickest way to reduce defense spending is to bring our troops home from Iraq as soon as possible. We need to better engage our partners in the world community on international security issues and not take a “go it alone” approach to foreign policy. In addition, we can reduce spending on massive weapons systems that do not make our families any safer in a world where terrorism is our biggest threat. Finally, we need to eliminate the massive waste from the Pentagon budget. The Pentagon currently wastes about 5% of its budget—approximately $22 billion.

At a time when our nation is increasing our debt by million dollars of additional debt per minute, it is astounding to realize that, according to Congress' Joint Economic Committee "almost 10 percent of total federal government interest payments in 2008 will consist of payments on the Iraq debt accumulated so far."

As for Pinon Canyon, I believe that no more funding should be approved for either the study of the project or the acquisition of lands to expand the Pinon Canyon Site and that we need to save that great part of the state of Colorado for ranching, wildlife, and our cultural heritage. I have worked for 14 years on conserving more than 300,000 acres of Colorado’s precious open spaces, including thousands of acres of lands inside of the Pinon Canyon area. We need to keep that beautiful and unique landscape as it is.

Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

The crises in our voting systems that confronts us today far outweighs any laudable goal to implement new voting procedures.  The state of Colorado currently does not have certified voting systems anywhere in the state.  Allow me to refer you to the stories on this situation that appeared in Friday’s (10-9-07) and Saturday’s (10-10-07) editions of the Rocky Mountain News (both articles appeared on Page 4).  Colorado is presently behind the federally imposed deadline to come up with voting systems that comply with current U.S. law.  The county clerks across Colorado are making yeomen efforts to come up with solutions that can be certified by the Colorado Secretary of State and comply with U.S. law. Voting is only half the problem.  Registration and access to polling places must be addressed, too.  This is why I voted against the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) when it came before the Colorado General Assembly—because I thought it hurt access to voting.

Jared Polis

Yes.  Instant run-off voting is inherently more democratic and leads to an outcome that better represents the will of the voters.

Will Shafroth

There are several problems with our voting systems around the state and across the nation. I am open to any and all new ideas that will ensure that as few people as possible are disenfranchised. In particular, voter-verified paper ballots are essential to ensuring the fairness of our elections. As for instant run-off voting, it is clearly one fair way of conducting some elections, although not the only way. I would keep an open mind to supporting this at various levels of government.

Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

For the last two election cycles political operatives within the Republican Party have been trying to develop anti-illegal immigrant proposals into one of their infamous “wedge issues” to pry independents and conservative Democrats into voting for their candidates.  They need such a wedge issue to divert voters’ attention away from the rest of their unpopular agenda led by the war in Iraq.  In January of 2006 the group Defend Colorado Now proposed a state-wide initiative that would have denied all non-emergency public services to illegal immigrants including children.  Essentially, the initiative would have resulted in everybody in Colorado having to carry proof of citizenship with them in order to use the public library, for example.  In June, 2006 the state supreme court barred the proposed initiative from the ballot because it violated the single subject requirement.  At that point Governor Owens called a special session with the stated intention of having the Colorado General Assembly put into law all the provisions of the failed initiative.  When I met with Governor Owens about the special session I told him the Senate Democrats would not go along with him.  In my view, what we did was come up with some practical solutions to illegal immigration.  For instance, just before the special session we passed Senator Groff’s “Coyote Bill” which added a special unit to the state patrol to intercept traffickers in migrant labor who often transport their victims in unsafe, overcrowded vans and airless trucks.  During the special session, we added a requirement for the Department of Labor to audit work sites to deal with unscrupulous employers who actively solicit undocumented workers in order to exploit them.  Similarly, we added new sanctions for companies who do business with the state government that we find are consciously trying to lower their labor costs by exploiting undocumented workers.  And we put in an absolute prohibition against denying public services to children regardless of their citizenship.  In the end, we turned the discussion from an intention to punish undocumented workers to efforts to go after those who try to take advantage of undocumented workers or exploit them.  In my view, it is human nature for people to travel to wherever gainful work can be found regardless of national boundaries.  So it makes more sense to create a program of earned citizenship for those undocumented workers who have been living and building the American economy over many years, if they so choose.  Those would be my two points of focus if elected to the U.S. Congress—fighting those who exploit undocumented workers and helping to develop a program of earned citizenship for longtime residents who are undocumented.

Jared Polis

My great-grandparents were immigrants and my grandparents grew up with English as their second language. This nation continues to offer opportunity and hope to immigrants from many nations, and we in turn renew our and increase our diversity through immigration.

I was a strong opponent of HB 1023, sponsored by Senator Fitz-Gerald. This bill cut many of our undocumented immigrants off from essential health care services and higher education, as well as contributed to an atmosphere of hate and discrimination with severe negative ramifications for American citizens of Latino heritage.

I speak out frequently in favor of immigrant rights and closed our offices, wore white, and attended the immigrant rights protests in 2006.

I have founded several public charter schools to serve new immigrants ages 16-21 and give them a chance to become literate in English and graduate high school. Please see our introductory video at: www.newamericaschool.org/video/ promo_video.asp

Please see also my op-ed columns and testimony before the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Education and Workforce in support of the DREAM Act, which would allow undocumented children who graduate from high school and go to college or serve in the military a path to citizenship, at www.jaredpolis.com/html_articles/ 20060201_DenverCatholicRegister.htm
and www.jaredpolis.com/html_articles/ 20060901_DreamActTestimony.htm

At the federal level, I support:

1. Increases in the number of visas and green cards
2. A pathway to citizenship for immigrants who have lived in this country, stayed out of trouble and have demonstrated that they are employees.
3. An open and honest discussion with the nations of origin, such as Mexico and other central American countries , and a renewed American commitment and interest in combating global poverty through investments in microcredit and other proven models of sustainable development
4. An end to anti-immigrant rhetoric and laws. Before the welcomed announcement by Tom Tancredo that he is retiring, I used to say that I look forward to going toe-to-toe with him on this issue. One disagreement I had with him in my capacity as Vice-Chairman of the State Board of Education can be found at

http://www.progressnowaction.org/
press /34/does-gov-owens-
support-rep-tancredos- anti-immigrationanti-bush-policy

Will Shafroth

I support a guest worker program with sufficient numbers of workers allowed limits so that the agriculture, recreation & tourism, high tech and other businesses get the workers they need. I also support a path to citizenship that will help bring millions of undocumented workers out of the shadows of society. I support strengthening border security so that immigrants can enter our country through safe and legal routes. That said, a giant fence between the United States and Mexico is not the answer. We also must create and enforce stronger penalties for employer violations. Finally, we should do what we can to enhance Mexico’s economy to give their citizens a better life.

Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

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Jared Polis

I support Net Neutrality to keep the internet free and open to all voices, and I support increased federal oversight over the concentration of media ownership.

Will Shafroth

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Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

Through two reporting periods thus far, my campaign is in full compliance with all the rules and regulations of the Federal Campaign Commission.

I accept PAC contributions.  PAC contributions often represent donations from thousands of individuals who pool small donations that need a voice in the political process.  Is a teacher or fireman’s small contribution to a PAC more suspect than a CEO’s personal contribution to a campaign?

Jared Polis

I come closer to honoring this request than my opponents, but cannot agree completely. I am not accepting any money from political action committees. I am, however, accepting donations from individuals regardless of where they live.

I support public finance for federal campaigns including free air time to candidates as a condition of granting federal broadcast licenses.

Will Shafroth

No. Until we reform how political campaigns are financed, I am willing to accept and have already accepted money from people outside of Colorado. I am aware of several campaign finance reform measures and would be willing to consider changes that could realistically limit contributions. Please email my campaign with your ideas.

Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

The legal status of corporations that exist today is the result of law that was established by judicial decision.  Accordingly, the only way it may change is if a court overturns the precedent.  We have been through eight years of Republican judicial appointments that are odious to me on a number of fronts which will be corrected only if we succeed in electing a Democratic president.   The current Bush/Cheney administration has taken privatization to an extent never dreamed of before the war in Iraq.  It is an abuse that has to be stopped.  I would support any and all legislation in the U.S. Congress that limits or ends the kind of privatization that Bush/Cheney has promoted during their two terms in office.

Jared Polis

I believe that the Bill of Rights applies to living, breathing, mortal human beings and not to the construct of the corporation. Corporations are an organizational form that we have created to produce wealth, but we are their masters, they are not ours. We should have a thoughtful dialog about what rights and responsibilities best befit Corporations in this context.

Will Shafroth

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Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

Perhaps it is a vainglorious hope but I would hope that the next class of incoming freshmen Democrats would provide buttressing for the effort to undo the damaging and, in some cases, unconstitutional policies of the current administration.  For myself, I will be co-sponsoring and voting for measures to stop the war in Iraq and bring our troops home immediately.

I had hoped that Congress would have been more forceful in preventing the Bush administration’s constitutional over-reach, especially in the areas of signing statements, and incursions on civil liberties and hijacking the constitutional protections of three separate but equal branches of government.

They have allowed these precedents to be set.

Jared Polis

Too many Democrats in Congress have rolled over to the Bush administration on issue after issue. If you’ve had enough of spineless Washington DC Democrats, send me to Washington to represent a new progressive approach.

Please see my pieces on FISA at: http://www.dailykos.com/story/ 2007/10/11/19517/109

An inclusive ENDA at:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007 /10/29/18145/661

and my exclusion from an elite Democratic establishment training event:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/ 2007/10/23/1834/2291

I'm comfortable running against the way Democrats in DC have been operating. Whether it's making it harder for working families to emerge from bankruptcy, ending the war in Iraq, leaving gender identity out of ENDA, or letting telcos off the hook for illegal surveillance, the Democratic establishment risks increasingly estranging itself from where our voters are, and more importantly where our values are.

You would never know that Democrats held strong values if you look at what comes out of the insular DC insiders. We are the party of values; let's start living them.

Will Shafroth

I think that most Democratic members of Congress have stood up to President Bush and the Republicans in Congress. However, because the balance of power in both the House and the Senate is so close -- there are 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and 2 Independents in the Senate (where you often need 60 votes to get anything done), and because there is a Republican president, it has been difficult for democrats to get their agenda passed. When in Congress, I will fight for progressive Democratic values and priorities outlined in this questionnaire as well as find ways to work with other members of congress, no matter their party affiliation and ideology, to get things done. My track record in conservation and education has been all about finding the common ground to achieve results. I will bring that commitment to my work as the 2nd CD’s congressman.

Answers

Joan Fitz-Gerald

Over the years, I have had a number or discussions with Democratic members of our congressional delegation about their committee assignments and how they ended up on a particular committee.  Incoming congressmen have very little choice in the matter of committee assignments.  Their experiences remind me of the lyric from the Rolling Stones song, “You can’t always get what you want but if you try, sometimes you get what you need.”  With energy and transportation issues of great concern in the 2nd CD, either of these committees would be a great assignment.

Partisanship within the U.S. Congress is a relative matter.  In the Colorado General Assembly I have found, depending on the issue, great bi-partisanship.  My work on brokering a deal with Gov. Owens on Referendum C that included nine Republican senate co-sponsors is evidence that it can be done.  Within the context of the U.S. Congress, I believe a number of Republican members are being partisan out of loyalty (or fear) of the Bush/Cheney White House and its political staff.  If you take Bush/Cheney out of the equation, I believe Republican members of the house will be more willing to deal on issues that they have been uncooperative about up until now.

Jared Polis

I would seek to serve on the Education and Labor Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. I believe that those are the committees best suited to my experiences in education and as a high-tech entrepreneur. I also have interest in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House Committee on Financial Services, House Committee on Natural Resources, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and House Committee on Small Business. In fact, I wish I could be on every committee!

My approach to partisanship is that we can disagree without being disagreeable. Without sacrificing a single progressive principle, I believe in establishing warm personal relationships with the less enlightened so that we can cooperate to reach common goals and hopefully bring them along in their own process of seeing the world in a more progressive way.

Will Shafroth

I am interested in serving on the House Resources, Science and Technology, and Energy & Commerce committees—and potentially on the Education Committee, especially during the reauthorization of Bush’s deeply-flawed “No Child Left Behind” law.

I agree that the level of divisiveness and partisanship has gotten in the way of getting things done in Washington. I will bring my history of working together with divergent interests in both conservation and education to accomplish real tangible results. It takes a real, long term commitment to working with people, developing relationships with fellow members, and listening to their thoughts and ideas. Developing strong relationships between members of both parties in Congress will serve as a basis for addressing big, tough issues that face our nations. I strongly supported the work that David Skaggs did to bring members of congress and their families together so that those personal bonds could help to provide the basis of understanding and compassion that is so lacking in much of the dialogue in Washington today. Most of all, a new era of cooperation will require politicians to stop thinking merely of the next election, and start focusing instead on what is best for future generations.

Joan Fitz-Gerald

In general, I am the candidate who is for immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.  I will proudly vote to cut all funding for the war in Iraq and bring the troops home immediately.  I have always voted against vouchers and to strengthen public education. 

We will be asked to decide on many issues in Congress.  I am proud of my record and believe it demonstrates my political values.   I have been endorsed by many progressive organizations such as the 21st Century Dems, the Feminist Majority, Emily’s List, labor unions and recommended by CEA to the NEA for endorsement.

Jared Polis

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Will Shafroth

There are a number of ways I bring a unique perspective to this campaign, and to the work of serving in Congress.

First, I bring a long-term view to all of the work that I have done since 1980 – whether in environment or education. That long-term perspective is sorely missing in Washington—a place where many tend to focus on the next election and not the next generation. Having three teen-aged children brings this long-term view into focus for me as I am very concerned that the future that they are going to inherit is not nearly as good as what I found when I was entering the workforce. Whether it be our nation’s reputation and place in the world, education, health care, the financial health of the country, or global warming, we must start bring both a strong sense of urgency to addressing these issues and a long term perspective on addressing them.

Second, I have worked for 27 years in the public sector on energy, natural resources, environmental and conservation issues. That depth of background and the relationships I have throughout the country on these issues will allow me to hit the ground running on a whole host of critical policy challenges facing our nation, especially global warming. So, like Mark Udall, David Skaggs, and Tim Wirth, I won’t just be a good vote on these issue, I will be a champion for them – fighting every day to make a difference and continue the 2nd CD’s great leadership in the country on the environment and renewable energy.

Third, I bring a strong commitment to--and 27-year track record of—working with a broad diversity of interests to achieve tangible results. In my background in conservation, I’ve had to bring ranchers, farmers, environmentalists, business people and government officials around the same table—and by finding common ground between them, I’ve played a key part in protecting more than 300,000 acres of land in Colorado for future generations to enjoy. This same approach has worked very well in my work in education where fellow parents – Republicans and Democrats – are committed to the same thing – getting a great education for their children. What’s important is keeping your eye on the goal and not letting unrelated differences get in the way of achieving the goal.

Finally, I bring a deep commitment to this state and a personal understanding of what it takes to run a small business and raise a family. I am a 4th generation Coloradan and have been involved in public service my whole life. My family has been committed to the betterment of this state since the 1880s and I first started my public service work on my father’s campaign for Congress in 1962.

I have directed nonprofit organizations and Great Outdoors Colorado, so I appreciate what it takes to make payroll, balance a budget, deal with personnel issues, and be accountable in achieving goals.

As a husband and father of three children, I deal with the realities of life – a mortgage payment, impending college tuitions, and the inevitable challenges that three teenagers bring. I think where I am in life – where many people in the 2nd CD are or have been – will keep me grounded as a member of Congress and enable me to better represent all of the people in the District.

I love this great state. I am an avid outdoorsman – I love to hike with my family, ride my bike on the roads and trails in the area, fish for trout in our beautiful streams and rivers, and ski – both downhill and cross country – throughout the mountains of Colorado. I have worked my whole adult life to preserve these amenities that make it such a great place to live. I will do the same in Congress.