Dave Domina in 2014 NE Senate debate
On Civil Rights:
End gender paycheck inequity & all gender favoritism
Statistically, current evidence suggests that women's compensation lags behind men for similar positions. In 2010, women working full-time earned 77 cents for every dollar earned by men working full time. There is no logic and no sound basis whatsoever
for any argument that women should be paid less than men for the same work. I have heard no one argue that compensation for similar work should vary with gender. These rules should be a basic part of the law:- Gender favoritism or preference is
impermissible and forbidden for all positions except those few, in rare settings, where gender is a criterion for employment.
- Neither gender should be paid more or less than the other for the same work in the same or parallel positions.
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Performance is gender neutral. Compensation must be too.
- The Equal Paycheck Act passed by the United States Senate makes genuine efforts to remedy historical disparities.
Source: 2014 Nebraska Senate campaign website, DaveDomina.com
Sep 1, 2014
On Education:
Treat public education as a basic right of citizenship
It is time for Americans to recognize the right to an education as a basic, civil right of citizenship. Without education for all Americans, stability, upward mobility, and progress are not attainable. Education must be measured by, and rooted in, strong
public schools. Care must be taken to permit alternatives to public education, but the public schools mandatory curriculum must be met or satisfied through proficiency testing.The US needs a comprehensive educational policy for the 21st Century-
Education as a basic civil right for all Americans.
- More and better resources for classroom teachers
- Rigorous evaluation of schools of education and alternative pathways to the teaching profession.
- Improved and invigorated teacher education in
enhanced schools of education.
- Strengthened professional standards for teaching
- Pre-K educational investment through federal formula based funding
- Vocational education at high school and post-high school levels.
Source: 2014 Nebraska Senate campaign website, DaveDomina.com
Sep 1, 2014
On Corporations:
Stop allowing companies to outsource jobs
Q: How would you help Americans save so they can secure their future and live independently as they age?A: We cannot allow companies to get ever bigger, outsource more jobs, dry up more opportunities, or
build taller barriers to entry for our aspiring independent businesses. We must be friendly to new businesses, and companies who want to compete fairly in America. Government must be about protecting the middle.
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2014 Nebraska Senate race
Aug 31, 2014
On Social Security:
It's not an entitlement; and it shouldn't be privatized
Q: How would you protect Social Security for today's seniors and strengthen it for future generations?A: Domina said Social Security's earning cap is too low. He said Social Security should not be called an "entitlement"
and the program should not be cut or privatized. "It is a promise that was made to the people of the United States," Domina said. "It was earned by many who count on it. It must be protected."
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2014 Nebraska Senate race
Aug 31, 2014
On Civil Rights:
Government should stay out of private matters like marriage
The candidates were asked about the federal government's role when state laws conflict, such as the differing rules on same-sex marriage. Sasse said government's interest in marriage is ensuring that children are raised with a parent of each
gender. "It's empirically obvious that kids are best raised in a world with one mother and one father," he said. He said other questions, such as civil unions, are better left to the states. "The government is not interested in who your best friend is,"
he said.Domina disagreed with Sasse's overall assessment of same-sex marriage. "I am aware of no data to suggest that on a consistent basis that children have a better outcome with a single mother and father living together than children with two
fathers or two mothers," he said. He said that the government should address these issues only insofar as they affect taxes. It should stay out of private matters, Domina said.
Source: Omaha World-Herald on 2014 Nebraska Senate debate
Jun 2, 2014
On Civil Rights:
Feds SHOULD define marriage, but not as one-man-one-woman
Asked if the federal government should address conflicting state and federal laws on marijuana legalization and same-sex marriage, Sasse said he believes in traditional marriage and children are best raised by a father and mother and doesn't believe
the government should be in the business of defining marriage. The feds also shouldn't be involved in regulating marijuana--that should be left to local authorities, he said.Domina disagreed, saying it's the responsibility of government to define
marriage, noting that a couple dozen states have legalized same-sex marriage. He said he's not aware of any studies showing children fare better with a mother and father than with two mothers, two fathers or single parents.
As for pot, he said the feds need to address the situation where the drug is legal in Colorado but not in neighboring states, while federal law bans the transport of illegal drugs.
Source: WatchDog.org on 2014 Nebraska Senate debate
Jun 2, 2014
On Crime:
Defended and exonerated death row inmates
In his opening, Domina said he's represented people on death row, and every time he "volunteered to put myself between a Nebraskan and the electric chair" the inmate went home.
And when one man he got exonerated didn't have a home to return to, he stayed with Domina, just down the hall from his children.
Source: WatchDog.org on 2014 Nebraska Senate debate
Jun 2, 2014
On Drugs:
Legal structure is not ready legal marijuana
Often times there are differences or conflicts between federal and state laws. Domina says this is no exception when it comes to marijuana. "Historically, of course, the states define drug crimes.
The federal government defines drug crimes when they involve interstate traffic. Colorado recently legalized marijuana in a citizen initiative.
And what happened in Colorado is that none of the rest of the legal structure in the state was ready for that." Domina says there's no way to test a driver for being under the influence of marijuana,
and there's no answer under Colorado law for how to handle employment testing with marijuana now being legal.
Source: KRVN 880 Rural Radio on 2014 Nebraska Senate race
Jun 2, 2014
On Drugs:
Feds need to address marijuana in bordering Colorado
Asked if the federal government should address conflicting state and federal laws on marijuana legalization, Sasse said the feds shouldn't be involved in regulating marijuana--that should be left to local authorities, he said.
Domina disagreed, saying the feds need to address the situation where the drug is legal in Colorado but not in neighboring states, while federal law bans the transport of illegal drugs.
Source: WatchDog.org on 2014 Nebraska Senate debate
Jun 2, 2014
On Education:
Common Core: feds have an interest in common understanding
On education, Sasse said he opposes Common Core State Standards--which were developed by groups such as the National Governors' Association but have come under fire by wary conservatives. Sasse said they were supposed to be voluntary and state-based,
but are "no longer either." Sasse said raising kids is the responsibility of parents and local government and shouldn't be "centrally done in Washington."
Domina said the federal government has a "pretty dynamic interest" in making sure all students have common levels of understanding, noting that he may differ on education from Sasse,
who attended private colleges and homeschools his children "which I applaud him for." The problem is, both George W. Bush and Obama didn't trust teachers to decide who should pass, Domina said.
Source: WatchDog.org on 2014 Nebraska Senate debate
Jun 2, 2014
On Energy & Oil:
Impact of fossil fuels on our environment is real
On energy, Domina advocated for abolishing federal subsidies for fossil fuels and redirecting them to renewable energy. He supported the EPA's proposed new regulations to crack down on coal-fired power plants. "Science is real, and the impact that fossil
fuels are having on our environment are real," he said. "They will come raining down on all our heads, and especially yours, if we don't fix it immediately."Sasse decried the Obama adminstration's "war on industries like coal": "The
Obama administration doesn't have an all of the above strategy--they have a Solyndra Strategy."
Domina represents Nebraska landowners fighting the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline that would cross the state; Sasse supports the pipeline and the
development of more North American oil and natural gas. Sasse also supports renewable energy, ethanol, clean nuclear power and wind energy "but not an administration that tries to pick winners and losers."
Source: WatchDog.org on 2014 Nebraska Senate debate
Jun 2, 2014
On Health Care:
There are good features in ObamaCare, like age-26 insurance
Sasse reiterated his opposition to the federal Affordable Care Act, the centerpiece of his primary campaign.
He has frequently stated that the entire 2010 law should be repealed, and he offered a plan for what he called free-market solutions to problems with the health care system.
Domina said the Affordable Care Act has some problems but also positive aspects: the requirement to cover pre-existing conditions, for example, and allowing young people to remain on their parents'
insurance plans until age 26. "There are very good features about this law," he said.
Source: Omaha World-Herald on 2014 Nebraska Senate debate
Jun 2, 2014
On Homeland Security:
Drones are no exception to Fourth Amendment protections
Asked about drones, domestic surveillance and the rights of privacy, Domina said the Fourth Amendment protects Americans against unreasonable search and seizure, and "drones are no exception." He said he opposes the use of drones to kill
Americans in foreign countries and the National Security Agency's seizure of emails and texts.Sasse agreed with Domina on the need to guard against unreasonable search and seizure.
Source: WatchDog.org on 2014 Nebraska Senate debate
Jun 2, 2014
On Social Security:
Keep promises made to the elderly
Nebraska's U.S. Senate candidates promised to offer strongly divergent views of the federal government during the five months leading up to the November election. And they began by addressing gay marriage, the federal health care law and other issues.
It was the first official meeting since the primary election between Democrat Dave Domina and Republican Ben Sasse. The forum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was held in front of high school juniors attending American Legion Cornhusker
Boys and Girls State.
Domina, a lawyer, said his campaign will focus on keeping promises made to veterans, the elderly and others through programs such as Social Security, Medicare and veterans' benefits plans. "We have sharp differences, Mr.
Sasse and I, on each and every one of those points," Domina said.
Sasse, the president of Midland University, said politicians have overpromised, and it's time to talk about how those promises "fundamentally didn't add up."
Source: Omaha World-Herald on 2014 Nebraska Senate debate
Jun 2, 2014
On War & Peace:
No drones to kill Americans in foreign countries
Asked about drones, domestic surveillance and the rights of privacy, Domina said the Fourth Amendment protects Americans against unreasonable search and seizure, and "drones are no exception." He said he opposes the use of drones to kill
Americans in foreign countries and the National Security Agency's seizure of emails and texts. Sasse said Americans need "stone-colored realism about the dangers we face" and its government must have the technology to keep up with bad guys.
Source: WatchDog.org on 2014 Nebraska Senate debate
Jun 2, 2014
On Corporations:
Big corporations pay their fair share
Domina said he'll offer voters an opportunity for an independent, rather than a partisan, voice to represent Nebraskans in Washington. Specifically, Domina said, he'll point to differences on Social Security reform, tax policy,
veterans benefits and whether there is a clear commitment not to shut down the federal government "as a political expression."
And, Domina said, he expects to raise questions about Sasse's ties to campaign funding from special interests that oppose a federal farm program. "Deregulation with a reliance on huge wealth to do right by the people has never worked,"
Domina said during a telephone interview. "We need to return to a thoughtful, progressive tax system in which big corporations pay their fair share," he said. And that, in turn, would "drop the tax burden on average Nebraskans," he said.
Source: Lincoln Journal Star on 2014 Nebraska Senate race
May 20, 2014
On Abortion:
Women should search their soul before deciding on abortion
Dave Domina said the Affordable Care Act should be fixed, not repealed, women must "search their soul"
and get scientific information before making a decision about abortion.
Source: NebraskaWatchdog.org on 2014 Nebraska Senate race
Jan 21, 2014
On Gun Control:
Right to enjoy weapons should have restrictions
Dave Domina said sportsmen should have the right to enjoy weapons, but all constitutional rights have restrictions. "I don't think
private citizens should have the same weapons that we train our soldiers to use," he said.
Source: NebraskaWatchdog.org on 2014 Nebraska Senate race
Jan 21, 2014
Page last updated: Dec 06, 2018