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215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 310, Lincoln, NE 68508-1813; 402-477-7517; nebrcc@neb.rr.com
Focus on public policy from a Gospel mandate, from the Catholic Church's moral and social teaching and from Her concern for the common good.
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General Election: November 7, 2006 Check the Candidates’ Past Views on IssuesNebraska's 2006 General Election will take place on Tuesday, November 7. On that day, voters throughout the Cornhusker State will determine their representation in numerous public offices. This special election feature is published as a means of promoting faithful citizenship and political responsibility among Catholic Nebraskans. It provides readers with an opportunity to become better informed about positions and views of numerous candidates whose names will be on the voter ballot. Neither the Nebraska Catholic Conference, nor any of the dioceses, endorses or opposes any candidate for public office. Rather, they cooperatively facilitate this source of information. All candidates for the United States Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives were mailed an identical questionnaire. A separate, state-based questionnaire was used for the candidates for Governor and the Nebraska Legislature; it too was identical for all candidates in that category. All candidates for the same office were contacted in the same manner and advised of the same opportunity to respond. All candidates were given the same deadline for responding, several weeks after the questionnaires were mailed. Reminders were mailed approximately three weeks, two weeks and one week prior to the deadline. The cover letter that accompanied each questionnaire advised the candidate of the opportunity to make comments on every question. With few exceptions comments appear just as submitted. In a few instances, some editing was necessary in order to meet a word limit stated in the cover letter. All of the original responses are on file at the Nebraska Catholic Conference office, 215 Centennial Mall South, in Lincoln. This website is updated to include any late responses. Consistently, the Catholic Bishops of the United States have emphasized that while the Catholic community is quite diverse, representing different political affiliations and perspectives; all members of that community are called to make sure that political life serves the common good. This call to political responsibility is neither partisan nor sectarian, but a call to reinvigorate the democratic process. It is the sincerest hope of the Nebraska Catholic Conference that Catholic Nebraskans will avail themselves of the information provided by this special feature. Only a little time is required to do three important things: first, study the full text of each question; second, review the responses to those questions as part of becoming an informed voter; third, be sure to vote on Tuesday, November 7. Questionnaire for Candidates
United States Senate & U.S. House of Representatives Full Text of Questions AbortionWhat is your position on amending the United States Constitution to protect the right to life of all prenatal human beings (Human Life Amendment)? What is your position on using federal funds for abortion? Agriculture/Rural Development What is your position on tightening current provisions in order to set real payment limitations as a means of targeting income support to small- and moderate-sized, family-owned-and-operated farms and of saving money to reinvest in rural development and entrepreneurship? Arms Control/Disarmament As a member of the U. S. Congress, what policy actions would you advocate/support to control the global proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, biological, chemical) and to diminish threat of nuclear war? Cloning What is your position on enacting a ban on cloning processes that create human embryos for any purpose? Death PenaltyWhat is your position on abolishing the (federal) death penalty and replacing it with imprisonment for life without possibility of parole? Economic Assistance for Families What is your position on providing federal tax relief to low-income, working families to sustain them above the poverty line? (e.g., refundable child tax credit and/or earned income tax credit) EducationWhat is your position on providing federal financial support, through education-expense tax credits, vouchers, or tax credits for donations toward K-12 scholarships, to enhance the ability of families to choose any K-12 school—public, private or religiously-oriented—they deem best-suited for the education of their children? What is your position on ensuring as a matter of legislation that otherwise eligible students and teachers from private and religiously affiliated schools are able to receive the educational benefits and services provided under federal K-12 education programs (e.g., NCLB/ESEA, IDEA) on a basis equitable in relation to what eligible public-school students and teachers receive under such programs? Embryo ResearchWhat is your position on providing federal funds for research that involves the destruction of live human embryos in order to obtain their stem cells for experimentation (embryonic stem cell research)? Foreign PolicyIn your view, what principles should guide U.S. foreign policy in order to advance the cause of lasting peace in the Middle East? Health CareIn your view, what public-policy initiatives or alternatives, if any, should replace or modify the current mixed-financing system of health care coverage, in order to secure access to affordable, quality health care for all persons in the U.S.? Hunger What is your position on protecting anti-hunger programs (e.g., school lunch, WIC, food stamps, and nutrition programs for senior citizens) from budget cuts? Immigration ReformWhat is your position on instituting an earned-legalization program that would enable undocumented immigrants already in this country to earn permanent residency and eventual citizenship by demonstrating over a specified period of time (e.g., six years) gainful employment, sound moral character, language proficiency and the payment of income-related taxes? What is your position on immigration reform as it relates to family unification? MarriageWhat is your position on amending the U.S. Constitution to provide a national definition of marriage as only the union of a man and a woman? Minimum Wage What is your position on raising the federal minimum wage from its current level of $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour incrementally over two or three years? Religious Liberty What is your position on exempting faith-based providers of social services and health care from secular laws that would otherwise require them to conduct or engage in activities contrary to tenets of their religious faith? Personal Priorities What three public-policy issues would you most like to address as a member of the 110th Congress?
Governor & State Legislature Candidates - Full Text of Questions Abortion If Roe v. Wade were overturned and states could once again prohibit abortion, in your view, to what extent should abortion be prohibited in Nebraska? Do you support or oppose the use of public funds for abortion (e.g., paying for abortion, promoting abortion, facilitating access to abortion, subsidizing organizations that provide or refer for abortion)? Agriculture/Rural LifeWhat public-policy changes and/or initiatives should be pursued, if any, to bring about greater economic development in Nebraska’s rural communities that depend on agricultural production? Cloning What is your position on enacting a ban on cloning processes that create human embryos for any purpose? Criminal Justice/Corrections Regarding the problem of overcrowding in Nebraska’s state-operated correctional facilities, what is your position on placing greater public-policy emphasis on community-based corrections, including substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation, work-release, educational opportunities and greater use and coordination of probation and parole rather than incarceration for non-violent offenders? Death PenaltyDo you support or oppose repealing the death penalty and replacing it, as the maximum sentence for first-degree murder, with a mandatory sentence of imprisonment for life without parole, subject only to the constitutional power of the Board of Pardons (Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State) to commute sentences, and with order of mandatory restitution whenever feasible? EducationWhat is your position on providing state financial support, by means of education-expense tax credits, vouchers, and/or tax credits for individual and corporate donations to K-12 scholarship programs, to assist the ability of families to choose any elementary and/or secondary school—public, private or religiously-affiliated—they deem best for their children? In your view, what public-policy reforms and/or initiatives, if any, are most needed in Nebraska to promote an even more effective elementary/secondary education system? Embryo ResearchWhat is your position on enacting a ban on biomedical research that relies upon the destruction of live human embryos in order to obtain their stem cells? Euthanasia/Assisted SuicideDo you support or oppose changing Nebraska law to make it legal for physicians to administer lethal injections or give/provide lethal drugs to terminally ill patients who request that their death be caused in this manner? Health CareWhat concerns do you have, if any, about the public-policy emphasis on community-based services as the foremost means for implementing Nebraska’s behavioral health system, pursuant to the Behavioral Health Services Act (LB1083, 2004)? Regarding efforts to reform Nebraska’s medical-assistance program (the state component of Medicaid) for low-income families with children, impoverished seniors and persons with disabilities, what is your position on a fundamental policy change from the current “defined benefits” program, in which eligibility and benefits are fixed—an eligible person is entitled to all medically necessary services—but costs are variable, to a “defined contributions” model, pursuant to which eligibility and costs are fixed, but benefits are variable, such that the State allocates a risk-adjusted (e.g., age, health status, health care spending history) sum of funding for each eligible participant, for use in purchasing a health insurance policy selected from among several plans? Immigrant PolicyDo you support or oppose ensuring, by means of legislation, that (newly arrived) immigrants, who are employed, paying taxes and residing in Nebraska, have access to basic public benefits, e.g., in-state tuition for higher education, Medicaid coverage for low-income pregnant women, driving privileges (licensing or permits) and compensation for work-related injuries, regardless of their immigration status? Marriage/Family LifeIn your view, what public-policy changes and/or initiatives should be pursued, if any, to address the high social and public costs of failed marriages and the State’s interest in promoting stable marriages, especially for the sake of children? Minimum Wage Nebraska’s current state minimum wage of $5.15 per hour has not changed since 1997; what is your position on increasing the minimum wage (in order to improve its purchasing power in relation to the cost of living)? Tax PolicyDo you support or oppose preserving tax-exempt status for property owned by religious, educational and charitable organizations and used predominantly for religious, educational and/or charitable purposes? Welfare PolicyDo you support or oppose the “family cap” welfare policy, which excludes from additional cash assistance any child born to a mother who is already receiving aid for dependent children? Personal Priorities What three public policy issues would you most like to pursue during the upcoming 100th Nebraska Legislature?
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