Thank you Mr. Modu:
(Intro) I'm son of an iron miner, born and raised in Chisholm, Minnesota. I got my start in business delivering papers in elementary school. I had the good fortune to have Nobel laureate George Stigler as my thesis adviser at the University of Chicago. I brought a troubled company, 3M, back to prosperity by refocusing it on its legacy of innovation and excellence.
Despite my lack of political experience compared to the other gentleman on this stage, I have a record of public service. I was an Eagle Scout as a young man and spent two rewarding years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania before getting my M.B.A. As an adult, I've been active in my church and in scouting.
Perhaps the most potent reason I can give for people to vote for me is that I can afford to be courageous politically in ways that career politicans cannot. I've had a full and satisfying life in business, so I'm not seeking the Presidency to mark the final box on a career checklist, nor do I need to worry about saying something that might keep me from going back to my old job. The voters need not worry that I'm saying something because I think they want to hear it rather than because I believe it. That worry is something the voters will always have with those who have spent their career in politics.
(Q1) No. The problem with campaign finance is not that there is too much money. The problem is that there are too many ways for people who want to hide what they are spending to do so and too few for those who wish to be honest about such things. We need to eliminate the provisions that allow political spending to be hidden through the use of 501(c)(3)'s and 527's while at the same time allow as much political spending and contributions as people want to make, so long as they make timely and honest disclosures so that people can judge for themselves where the money come from. When Coke and Pepsi spend more money on advertising each quarter on something as inconsequential as soft drinks than all of us here on stage will be spending this year to convince people to vote for us; when an average campaign for Congress spends less than is spent for a 30 second Super Bowl ad, I just don't see where people can honestly say that political spending is too high. The problem isn't the amount of spending, it's the secrecy and skulduggery that accompanies it under the current process that harms our democracy.
(Q2) The District of Columbia is not and never should become a State. As such, I am opposed to the District electing Senators of its own. However, in the House of Representatives, I would not be opposed to a constitutional amendment that would allow the citizens of the District to elect a Representatives instead of the non-voting Delegate they now elect. I would also be willing to entertain proposals that would allow the District to participate in elections to the House and Senate as if it were a part of Maryland, either by a constitutional amendment or by retroceding residential portions of the District back to Maryland, as was done for Arlington before the Civil War.
(Q3) Both Burundi and Rwanda have been unfortunate examples of what racial hatred and intolerance can bring. Their misfortune has been compounded by the Congolese Civil Wars. Any lasting solution for peace in the African Great Lakes depends foremost upon a lasting peace for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While we can provide assistance and conditions that will enable economic conditions to improve once peace returns, and hopefully encourage them to make that peace, how long it will take the region to come to the consensus that peace is better than war is something that they will have to determine themselves.
(Q4) That's two questions, Mr. Modu.
| (Q4a) | I don't believe that it should be the Federal government's role to provide health care in general. However, that does not mean that there are not steps that cannot be taken to alleviate the burdens placed on the uninsured. One of the harshest burdens is caused by the current differential price structure that can cause the cost for some medical procedures charged to the uninsured to be double, triple or even more than that of what an insurance company pays for the same service. Legislation that limits that differential, so that insurance companies don't make their profits by forcing the uninsured into bankruptcy would be a reasonable use of Federal authority. |
| (Q4b) | As for prescription drugs, the main problem that the Federal government can address is that the current system encourages the drug companies to fund their research and development costs on the backs of the American consumer. We need to make this issue a point to be resolved in future trade talks with developed countries that can afford to pay for a share of the R&D costs, but have national health care systems that refuse to so pay, counting on others to pay for the research that benefits them as well. |
(Q5) All that fences will do is redirect the flow of smuggled people and goods to other avenues, since the root causes will remain. Still, to the extent that they do redirect that flow away from areas ill-suited to handle the effects of being smuggling routes they serve a useful purpose.
(Question from Mr. Modu) In one of your campaign speeches, you spent some time discussing ethanol and biodiesel. Explain how the production (not the consumption) of these fuel sources impact our environment, and what policy measures would you put in place to protect the environment from the increased demands we would place on the Earth in order to produce enough renewable fuels to replace petroleum.Those impacts are why I feel biofuels will be only a short term bridge to help see us past the era of the internal combustion engine. While there are potential breakthroughs that should allow us to generate more biofuel per acre planted, we simply do not have enough arable land to engage in a total replacement of petroleum at our current level of consumption. We can reduce the environmental demands caused by their production by shifting from the use of fossil fuels to the use of electricity generated from non fossil-fuel sources to provide the energy used in the production of fertilizers and other agrichemicals; a shift that would reduce the environmental impact of all agriculture, not just the portion that produces biofuels.
Question from Senator Wixted Do you believe that your lack of experience in the political arena will hurt you as President? Do you believe that your lack of experience in Washington will make it harder for you to either deal with the Congress or to move your agenda through the vast confines of the political process?A President has many jobs, of which Legislator-in-Chief is but one. His main task is as Executive-in-Chief, to run the departments smoothly and efficiently, and to propose policy changes to the Congress. If he can't do that, then all political adroitness gains him, is the ability to implement bad policy with a minimum of review. However, except for scale, dealing with Congress will not be that dissimilar to my experiences dealing with 3M's Board of Directors this past decade. Still, it is an area that will require me to have competent advice, just as any other President needs. I expect to choose a running mate with Congressional experience as well as others who have worked on the Hill to help me work with Congress to move my agenda through that body.
Question to Governor Cereal: You've indicated while campaigning that you are opposed to the anti-terrorist wiretapping program, but haven't made clear the nature of your opposition. Is it a total opposition to the use of warrantless wiretaps no matter the circumstances or an approach such as mine that balances the needs to combat terrorism and to protect civil liberties by calling for Congressional authorization and external oversight of such surveillance instead of a unilateral grab for power on the part of the executive?
