League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
State of California June 5, 2012 Election
	Colleen Shea Fernald Answers Questions Candidate for United States Senator

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

Questions & Answers

1. In this time of high unemployment, what are the most important steps that should be taken to improve our nation’s economy?

End all policies, and funding for strike-first missions of choice, in all branches of national security; so we stop the massive debt we incur, each day this remains unchanged.

Funding incentives for training and hiring of military veterans, by small business owners, and American owned corporations is a start.

Funding incentives for training and hiring of Green jobs workers, by small business owners, and American owned corporations is a wise next step.

End all tax breaks to multi-national corporations; and nuclear energy, natural gas, oil, and coal business.

End the Federal Reserve; create Publicly owned banks for each state.

A fair and balanced, simple tax structure would help: no tax for very low income, 10% for low income, 20% for middle income levels, 30% for high income rates.

I'd like to see one flat sales tax for each state, to even the playing field and restore our infrastructure and basic services.

I'd like to hear from Californians; and see what solutions the majority agree on.

2. How should the federal budget deficit be addressed, now and into the future? How should budget priorities for defense and domestic programs be adjusted?

We fund our values. The values of Californians, are not reflected in our Federal budget; nor have they been for quite some time.

My values are reflected through a budget based on this:

De-fund all unconstitutional wars of choice; right now.

Fund only missions of defense, always.

Fund AmericaCARE; "Made in America" & "Made in California" branding programs.

Fund emergency services.

Fund affordable wellness care for all.

On a State, local, Federal, and University level, fund holistic wellness research; and training for wellness services providers. Integrate mental and physical wellness care.

Support the natural wellness businesses of California.

Legalize hemp, and assist in adding this crop to our agriculture economy.

Fund our food security. Protect California's organic crop industry, small farmers,and organic foods & products business owners.

Fund affordable, effective education at all levels.

Fund our Libraries.

Do not privatize our Postal Service; or Social Security.

Provide tax breaks for businesses offering a living wage, and good benefits.

Provide tax breaks for businesses, and investors of products, and services which eliminate, or dramatically reduce pollution; and reduce energy demand with efficiency.

Protect State's rights.

Most of all, protect our Constitutional rights; and return of due process for all.

3. What are your priorities with respect to our nation’s energy policy? Should there be an emphasis on clean energy and reducing carbon emissions, and/or on reducing our dependence on foreign sources?

We need to end all toxic energy production, no matter where the source.

De-fund all nuclear energy in California and the rest of the US.

No to fracking here; or across America; we cannot sacrifice, or even risk our water security.

All extraction and burn based fuel sources need to be phased out, as we replace them with safe, clean methods such as: wind, solar, bio fuels, wave, etc.

Cap and trade is not enough to undo the damage done to our environment. We need a net gain of new forests planted ASAP, to avoid a collapse of our natural systems from Ecocide.

Replacing water intensive crops with dry farmed, and low water ones is a wise investment.

Covering our aquifers with solar paneled shade structures would pay off well too, with power to use and sell, while you reduce evaporation.

A solar powered electric rail transportation system is way overdue.

GeoEngineering/Weather Modification is not the solution to climate security; it is a great risk being delivered on us at our unwitting peril.

I am against SmartMeters.

I support Publicly owned clean power providers; and small scale clean power generation businesses.

California has an abundance of ingenuity; we can build our economy, as we create the clean, safe solutions to our energy challenges.

Here's one example; I have worked for Sol Solutions, a small California business, which crafts portable solar generators - the Sol Man, for clean energy security.

This is the kind of product, which needs to get to the next level, of providing well paying Green jobs; while making a quality product, for a reasonable price.

Providing incentives for investments in ramping up to assembly line production levels for the Sol Man, and products like that; is far sounder than giving tax breaks to large multinational corporations; whose products harm our water, soil and air; and damage human & animal health in great numbers, each day.

Every voter, consumer & investor, has the power to make California the leading clean power state; and put an end to our nuclear & dirty fuels nightmare.

4. What, if any, changes should be made to federal health care policies or programs?

This was mentioned before in my affordable wellness care for all statement.

5. What, if any, changes should be made to federal rules on campaign financing?

Giving corporations the rights of people is a disgrace; Citizen's United must be overturned.

Political Action Committees must be made to list the identity and contribution amounts of all donors, as individuals.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. 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: May 16, 2012 14:23
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