poverty – Advance the Dialog

For the second Presidential Debate, which will be in a Town Hall format, half the Questions will come from the public. You can still get yours in by submitting them to this site. I’ve included mine below. Some are from my previous blog since they were not asked in the first debate.

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Environment

Background: Renewable energies have become more cost effective than fossil fuels in price per mega-watt hour, with wind & solar thin film at $55 & $43/MWH, vs. gas & coal at $65 & $108/MWH, respectively.
Question: How much will you invest in renewables, and how many new jobs would that create?

Background: Many politicians, Democrat and Republican alike, publicly support taxing carbon as a way to incentivize fossil fuel industries to cut carbon emissions.
Question: Do you favor a tax on carbon, and if not, how would you fight climate change?

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Immigration

Background: Immigrants are twice as likely as US-born to become entrepreneurs, and half as likely to become incarcerated. They pay more into Medicare, Social Security and taxes than they receive in benefits.
Question: Do you support a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants and what is it?

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Healthcare

Question: What is needed to stem the costs of healthcare, while still covering everyone?

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Economy / Jobs / Inequality

Background: Historically, healthy GDP growth was at least 3%. In the last several years, it has been stalled at less than 2%. The projections for this year are 1.6% (IMF) and 1.8% (Federal Reserve).
Question: How would you increase GDP growth, and what data or studies support your ideas?

Background: Small businesses comprise 39% of GNP, 52% of all U.S. sales, and employ 54 million people (57.3% of private workforce).
Question: How would you foster small business growth, and what data supports your ideas?

Background: The Earned Income Credit supplements low income worker’s wages, but the Guaranteed Minimum Income covers the unemployed well as low income employed, and is actually backed by many Republicans.
Question: Do you favor the Earned Income Credit, or a Minimum Income to help the poor?

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Education

Background: The quality of education is critical to a nation’s economic health and standing in the world.
Question: If investing in the future is important, what would you do to improve education?

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Terrorism

Background: Terrorists have been known to use US aggression against them as a recruitment tool for other terrorists.
Question: How will you effectively fight terrorism without fueling further recruitment?

Background: Wars have proven too costly to fight, but we have other options to draw on for our security: partnering with allies, intelligence gathering, foreign weapons sales and foreign military training.
Question: How would you fight terrorism, while minimizing spending and lives lost?

What are your Questions?

First Presidential Debate: Ask The Questions (and Get The Answers)!

The topics chosen for tonight’s first Presidential Debate include: America’s Direction, Achieving Prosperity, and Securing America. Here are some of the Questions I want to see Asked.

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America’s Direction This is one of those non-specific categories tailored for generic, boiler plate answers. I’m not crazy about the topic, but here goes…

ATQ: In order of priority, what are the 3 biggest problems negatively impacting the direction America is currently taking and, briefly, what would you do to change direction for each?

ATQ: If “investing in the future” is key to setting and maintaining a positive direction for America, how important is education, and what would you do to improve it?

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Achieving Prosperity
ATQ: Historically, healthy GDP growth was at least 3%. In the last several years, it has been stalled at less than 2%, with projections for the future showing this continuing. What is the best way to increase GDP growth, and what economic data can you cite as the basis supporting your proposal?

ATQ: Small businesses are responsible for 39% of GNP, comprise 52% of all U.S. sales, and employ 54 million, or 57% of the private workforce. Given these statistics, what is the best way to foster small business growth, and what data can you cite to back that up?

ATQ: Do you favor the Earned Income Credit, which helps low income workers, or a Guaranteed Minimum Income that covers the unemployed as well as low income employed, and which Glen Hubbard and other Republicans support?

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Securing America
ATQ: Given that fighting wars has proven too costly, what strategy would you employ to effectively fight terrorism that would minimize deficit increases as well as lives lost?

ATQ: What emphasis in importance do you give each of the following categories for fighting terrorism: military buildup, partnering with allies, intelligence, foreign weapons sales and foreign military training? How, and in what areas of the world, would you allocate resources to them? (Admin note: I know this is a mouthful, but I want a full breakdown.)

ATQ to Trump: You have proposed reinstituting water boarding to deter terrorism. Since terrorists are willing to die for their cause, and use U.S. acts against them as a recruitment tool, would water boarding deter terrorism, or actually encourage more of it?

ATQ to Trump: Given that terrorism has become globally fragmented, with most attacks being unsponsored, homegrown ones by individuals, how effective would banning all Muslims from countries with previous links to terrorism be, as you have proposed?

ATQ to Clinton: You are in favor of arming the Syrian rebels. How would you avoid another ‘Libya’ of unintended consequences, with chaos ensuing, in the event Syrian President al-Assad is deposed?

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What are some of your Ask The Questions?