League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
State of Ohio March 6, 2012 Election
	Joseph Rosario DeMare Answers Questions Candidate for United States Senate; Green Party

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Ohio and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. According to the U.S. Census, median income has declined and the number in poverty has increased. What steps should be taken to strengthen the U.S. economy and address unemployment?

In bankruptcy, people used to keep their home and one car and lose their debt. The Democrats and Republicans under G.W. Bush "reformed" bankruptcy so now people lose their homes and keep their debt. Democrats and Republicans won't restore the old system which kept lenders cautious and families off the street, but Greens will.

"Free" trade agreements like NAFTA and GATT, pitting U.S. workers against those earning pennies, must be overturned. We Greens protested NAFTA and GATT. We were promised labor and environmental "side agreements." Those promises were lies.

Technology slashes employment. Office buildings were once filled with people whose jobs are now done by computers. Automated factories need few workers. Reducing the full time work week to 30 hours would employ more. Unionizing must be facilitated through laws like "card check." Unions increase income. Income decline mirrors union decline. These four steps are a start.

2. How would you reform the tax code?

I believe we should tax the ultra-wealthy, the multi-billionaires, out of existence. Progressive taxation, having higher incomes taxed at a higher rate, should be the heart of the tax code. At one point, we had a 90% tax rate in this country and our economy was booming. This puts money back into the economy and provides the funds to allow the government to provide more services to its citizens. The Production Tax Credit which encourages wind and solar power development must be extended for at least 10 years. Tax breaks and rebates given to the largest companies such as Exxon, must cease. The richest corporations in America pay nothing in taxes. This is why the country is wallowing in debt while profits soar. They must begin paying their fair share.

3. How would you change Medicare to make it sustainable?

Greens want universal, single payer, health care--Medicare for everyone. Insurance companies limit care and have slashed benefits, so now insurance is no guarantee against bankruptcy from medical bills. Obama literally sold us to the insurance corporations, forcing us to buy expensive, inadequate coverage. Taking the profit out of sickness dramatically reduces the cost of health care. Medicare has low administrative costs. During the health care debate, over 70% of Americans wanted a public option. Almost 2/3 of Ohioans voted against forced health insurance. I will give them a voice in Washington. I will fight to expand Medicare. If we take the premiums people currently pay for health insurance, and apply that money to a universal Medicare system, the amount taken out of our paychecks would be reduced and everyone would be covered for life.

4. Do you believe it is possible to protect the environment while preserving American jobs? What are examples of how this can be done?

It is impossible to preserve American jobs without protecting the environment. In country after country, ecological destruction is followed by economic collapse. We are on the same path because our leaders lack ecological wisdom. Changing our energy systems from nuclear, coal, and fracking to wind, solar, geothermal, and conservation is a beginning that will create jobs. Also, we need to employ people restoring our ecosystems. Ohio has lost its ash trees to the emerald ash borer because the federal government has no system for stopping invasive species when they are first discovered. The loss of the ash, and the american chestnut before that, show us unregulated commerce can impoverish us all. Our $7 billion fishery in Lake Erie is threatened by toxic algae and invasive species like asian carp. Instead of simply watching ecological disasters happen, we must employ Americans in the fight to preserve and restore America's environment.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits apply. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: February 13, 2012 16:26
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