Paul Van Dam in UT Senate Debate
On Budget & Economy:
The national debt is damaging Social Security and Medicare
The nation’s growing deficit will not be erased by a growing economy, Van Dam added. “We’re going to have to tighten our belts and prioritize. We have imperiled Social Security and put Medicare on the edge by carrying this debt,” he said.
“Fifty percent of the people we’ve talked to in Utah don’t have any health care. What I hear being proposed, by the senator and this administration, is a Band-Aid approach to a system that’s on life support.”
Source: UT Senate Debate, in Deseret Morning News
Oct 14, 2004
On Education:
Reward schools for what they do right
I voted against No Child Left Behind, Bennett said. “It’s too heavy handed, and we’re working to get more flexibility into the program.”
Van Dam said the federal government should reward schools for what they do right instead of setting them up for failure.
Source: [Xref Bennett] UT Senate Debate, in Deseret Morning News
Oct 14, 2004
On Energy & Oil:
Focus on finding sources of clean energy
BENNETT: Bennett said he was in favor of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge because it would create hundreds of thousands of jobs. The impact of drilling in ANWR would be the equivalent of affecting an area the size of
the bottom of one of the goblets on the table, he said. VAN DAM: Van Dam said only 5% of the world’s oil supply is in the continental United States and the country should instead turn its focus to finding sources of clean energy.
Source: [Xref Bennett] UT Senate Debate, in Spectrum
Oct 14, 2004
On Health Care:
No profit in making the flu vaccine
BENNETT: Bennett countered that rising health care costs will never be stabilized until Congress changes current tax laws so that there is more of an incentive to reduce prices. “We used to have 11 companies produce flu vaccine. We now have four,” he
said. “They tell me it’s because they’re afraid of being sued.”VAN DAM: Van Dam said he also has talked with drug company representatives about the flu vaccine shortage, but he’s being told that there’s “no profit” in making the preventive medication.
Source: [Xref Bennett] UT Senate Debate, in Deseret Morning News
Oct 14, 2004
On Health Care:
Shift efforts so the money does not go to corporate America
BENNETT: Bennett said health care incentives need to change to give people control over their own dollars.
VAN DAM: Van Dam said the government needs to shift its efforts so the money does not go to corporate America. The US is the only advanced country that does not provide universal health care, he said.
Source: [Xref Bennett] UT Senate Debate, in Spectrum
Oct 14, 2004
On Health Care:
Let the government negotiate with drug companies
VAN DAM: Van Dam said Congress should let the federal government negotiate with insurance and drug companies for bargains, something that is currently off-limits.
BENNETT: Bennett countered that rising health care costs will never be stabilized until Congress changes current tax laws so that there is more of an incentive to reduce prices.
Source: UT Senate Debate, in Deseret Morning News
Oct 14, 2004
On Homeland Security:
Does not want another nuclear arms race
BENNETT: Bennett said while there is no need in today’s world to use nuclear weapons, there is no way to be sure the nation will not need them as a deterrent in the future. While there are no immediate threats, North Korea, China and Russia could pose
threats in the future. Bennett said nuclear weapons can be produced without testing. VAN DAM: Van Dam said he does not want another nuclear arms race. Van Dam said Bennett’s legislation would not prevent testing.
Source: [Xref Bennett] UT Senate Debate, in Spectrum
Oct 14, 2004
On Homeland Security:
We now have a lot of vulnerability
Homeland security, from protecting the nation’s borders to providing local police with the right equipment, needs more attention, Van Dam added. “We are spending $1 billion a week in Iraq.
It is bleeding this country, and we now have a lot of vulnerability,” Van Dam said. “Overall, our first responders are not getting the money they need to make America safe. We need to focus on what’s going on here.”
Source: UT Senate Debate, in Deseret Morning News
Oct 14, 2004
On Tax Reform:
The wealthiest pay a lot of taxes
VAN DAM: Van Dam said he opposes the flat tax and the tax burden already falls on the lower and middle classes. BENNETT: Bennett contended that the wealthiest 1 percent of the population pays 33 percent of taxes.
Source: UT Senate Debate, in Spectrum
Oct 14, 2004
Page last updated: Feb 26, 2019