Reed said domestic oil sources would help in the meantime while alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power are developed into a more viable means of energy. Reed also urged energy conservation, but said that should come from individual responsibility, not from a government mandate.
In contrast, Harkin argued drilling on the intercontinental shelf is expensive and would do little to immediately bring down oil prices. Instead, he argued for developing technologies such as an electric-powered car and cellulosic ethanol in addition to developing wind and solar energy. “We need an energy program that doesn’t just chase the last barrel of oil,” Harkin said.
Reed was confronted by crowd member Robert D. Williams, a 79-year-old Democrat from Indianola, who said poor people were left with nothing before Social Security was created. “The Social Security system, the only way it’s going to be solvent, is that we have none of this talk about or action about people opting out and taking their money and doing something else,“ Williams said.
Harkin also expressed opposition to the idea. ”If privatization is so good, why didn’t it work for all those years before we had Social Security?“ Harkin said. ”The reason we have Social Security was because the private sector wouldn’t do this, couldn’t do it.“
A: I am very pro-life.
Q: And what does very pro-life mean?
A: I do not agree with abortion.
Q: Under any circumstances?
A: Under any circumstances, life is a gift from God under any circumstances it’s granted.
Q: What are your views on gay marriage?
A: Marriage is between one man and one woman only. It is a license by the state to recognize the unity of a family.
Q: And should the Constitution of the state of Iowa say that?
A: Yes.
Q: How would you go about making that happen?
A: In the state of Iowa I wouldn’t because that would be a state issue and I’m a federal campaign candidate.
A: The stump message is that Washington is broken. It can’t be fixed by sending the same man back with his out of control spending, his socialized plans for America. This is the freest, greatest country God has ever put on the face of the Earth and it was made that way by people coming across the ocean from Europe to settle a new country, to be entrepreneurs, to be free. We don’t need policies and plans that take us back to European socialism.
A: No. But I would make sure that there is the waste and the fraud and abuse of that is taken care of.
Q: The waste, fraud and abuse is an easy phrase. But how do you actually cut spending?
A: Well, I guess I would have to go there and I would have to look at what is in there and what isn’t and write bills appropriately that take care of those measures.
A: Well, I think that is a broken promise to Americans. They were sold a bill of goods when the Social Security came out, that’s a promise this country made people, we have to honor it.
Q: How do you feel about something like means testing, where wealthier Americans don’t get the same Social Security benefit that lower income Americans get?
A:
Q: So you favor some kind of a private account?
A: I would favor the option. You should be given the option in this country. You shouldn’t have to be given to a socialized system. If you want to opt out of and be in control of your own retirement you should be allowed to in this country. Q: Let’s look to history. Social Security was a Depression era program when the nation didn’t have a retirement system, a lot of people were in poverty. Was it a mistake?
A: I think it was a benevolent idea but when you take the power out of the people’s hands and put it into the government hands that’s not going to solve anything.
Q: So, it was a mistake?
A: Possibly yes.
A: Yes.
Q: Why?
A: Because withdrawing a tax cut is a tax increase and I am not for tax increases.
Q: What about the budget deficit?
A: I would say in alignment with the Laffer curve, lower taxes, increase revenue.
Q: Why have lower taxes?
A: Because of out of control spending in Congress.
A: I think that over the last year, since the increase in the surge, I agree with what is going on in Iraq and I support it. The Iraqi troop level is up to over 540,000.
Q: What about the polls that people overwhelmingly oppose the war?
A: I’m not sure that Americans overwhelmingly oppose it. I think the idea that they’re not getting all the correct stats like those that I just gave, if more of that positive news came out instead of just the doom and gloom of Iraq came out I think more Americans would see what’s really going on over there.
Q: So, it’s our fault.
A: No, I wouldn’t say that. I just think that people need to be informed of what’s going on.
A: I would say until we’re comfortable that the Al Qaeda threat and fundamentalism threat and people who want to destroy Americans just for being Americans is quelled.
Q: So, there’s no two years, ten years?
A: I would never put a timetable on that because all that serves to do is give our enemies a timetable to relax and wait for us to get to that timetable.
A: Propaganda. I think it was a madman that had possession and had used weapons of mass destruction before and was willing and able to use them again and we had to make sure that wasn’t going to happen.
Christopher Reed served in the Navy both before and after the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy took effect. “It has caused more disruption by bringing it up than there was beforehand. There are no open homosexuals in the military,” Reed says. “I think it creates a distraction that is unnecessary to the fighting forc
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The above quotations are from 2008 Iowa Senate Debate between Tom Harkin & Christopher Reed.
Click here for other excerpts from 2008 Iowa Senate Debate between Tom Harkin & Christopher Reed. Click here for other excerpts by Christopher Reed. Click here for a profile of Christopher Reed.
Christopher Reed on other issues: |
Abortion
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Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families Foreign Policy Free Trade
Govt. Reform
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