Election Questions that Candidates Never AnswerÂ
The YouTube video questions from the audience is a fun idea and gives the suggestion that we may see candidates answering questions that don't otherwise get asked. But why I still have a feeling that the real big issue questions will never get close to the candidates. Here are the tough political questions that I'd like to see discussed.
What would you do to fight poverty? I saw how little Clinton accomplished, even with control of Congress, because not enough Congressmen agreed with him, so what would you do to fight poverty that has a realistic chance of succeeding? I give credit to John Edwards for talking about this from even the first time he ran for President, though I'd like to hear him give a pragmatic assessment of what he could accomplish.
Considering way to protect the environment, what would you completely outlaw in society or make very difficult? And don't give me the generic "fight pollution" or "raise gas mileage" platitudes that no one will disagree with but really don't mean anything. What specific laws and projects would you endorse?
How can we extend Privilege across classes? The Republican Party (obviously) doesn't like this question and dodges it by accusing the questioner of wanting to start a class war. The Democratic Party doesn't like it because by addressing it too aggressively, they alienate their big spending supporters. Oh yeah, and there's the problem that Congressmen are in the Privileged Class (wouldn't Kennedy be near the top of that list) and don't particularly want to open up membership.Again, credit goes to John Edwards for being the candidate who's embraced this topic.
I'm tired of politicians who pander to Christians but act immorally and vote unethically. How do I see your Faith in action? I always said that Tom DeLay knew how to vote on issues that his Christian constituency cared most about, but it always felt like he was pandering to Christians. It was as if he felt that Christianity was a gimmick to be used to get election and that he didn't seem very Christ-like. I get the same feelings from George W Bush.
What is your philosophy in balancing the Gay Agenda with the Christian Agenda? Sure, there's a middle ground, but if you take it, you'll offend the extreme and outspoken Gay spokespeople (I can't claim to know if you'll offend non-outspoken Gays) as well as an enormous chunk of Christians. So what protection would you propose to give to Gays without violating Christians' (and Muslims' and Jews' and Hindus') religious rights? If gays are given all of the secular advantages that married couples are given through some type of civil union, then what additional benefits are left for them if they are "married," which has a religious definition? Or is it just to be able to use the terminology "married" and rub Christians' noses in the fact that secular society is now more powerful and can redefine religious terms and ceremonies without the consent of those religions?
The generation that lived through the Depression and World War II has been called The Greatest Generation. What steps would you take, if you could, to prevent the Baby Boomers from being called The Worst Generation? We're looking at a $51 Trillion unfunded future obligation, from Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, to their descendants. The Baby Boomers are heading for being the first generation that didn't leave a more prosperous lifestyle for their descendants. The government's fiscal gap is currently at $45 Trillion (though Bush had that section of the budget erased abefore it was published and Clinton also censored generational accounting to hide the deficit), and the Federal Reserve estimates the nations net worth at $40, so the US is already, technically, bankrupt -- until it starts printing lots more money, which Bernanke has publicly supported. But what good politician wants to talk about money problems when he can defer it to some time after he's out of office?
Regardless of how we got into Iraq, what specific milestones need to be achieved in order for us to get out without making things worse? What can you do to assist in those milestones being achieved? Don't give me "get out now" speech without convincing me that it won't make things worse for Iraqis.
How would you promote responsibility towards unwanted babies? It seems that by the time the mother is pregnant, most decisions for the baby are bad. If you let the mother decide that she just doesn't want the baby and to have an abortion, then you've killed the baby. If you force the baby to be born into a home where he isn't wanted or loved, it's kind of a living death. Is there any way out of the dilemma? Is sex education your answer, condoms, laws, public shame, orphanages? Can adoption really absorb all of the unwanted babies? Do you agree with Obama, who protected Illinois hospitals' rights to kill babies after they had been born alive?
Who do you see as the "weak" in our society, and how would you try to protect them? Do you buy in to the philosophy that a society is measured by how it treats the weakest segments of that society? In the Old Testament, the measuring stick was always how Israel protected widows, children, and foreigners. So what segments in our society need the most protection, and what would you do to protect them? Senior Citizens? Unborn children? Born children? Gays? Blacks? Illegal immigrants? Legal immigrants? Working poor?
What would you consider fundamental rights, and what would you consider privileges of a wealthy and/or just society? I'm amazed at the interviews that I hear people give where they claim all kinds of outrageous "rights." So what's your list of indisputable "rights" that everyone deserves?
Lay out responsibility for health care and insurance; who has responsibility for providing a certain amount, and what is that amount? What assumptions have to turn out well for your plan to have adequate funding? Are we obliged to provide insurance on anything, no matter what? Do you prefer the California and Massachusetts plans that have a high deductible, but cover catastrophic illnesses, or the Tennessee "minimedical" plan that would guarantee low premiums, like $50/month, but only cover up to $25,000/year.
How to promote the trade school as a meaningful alternative to college? We have lots of dropouts because it seems that too much of High School is for preparing people for college instead of preparing them for life, and they don't see that as a viable plan for their life. Despite the Hollywood message, you don't have to be a high-powered attourney or doctor or agent to be successful and happy. And there are lots of these technical jobs that can't be outsourced -- can you imagine a Call Center in China fixing your plumbing?
Regarding some of the tension points in our society, how would you like to influence these topics? Where would you expect to be successful? What would success look like?
Immigration / outsourcing / border control
Conflicts between secular society determined to avoid any influence by religion vs. Christians who are commanded to be an influence on society.
The status of the unborn (abortion, cloning, genetic screening, stem cell harvesting).
Red/Blue polarization on the role of Government. Is there a role for faith in government as commanded (to protect the weak as listed above), or should government only be focused on secular issues (such as taxes, foreign policy, and defense). And by this yardstick, is our government currently involved more on the religious or secular side?
