League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
San Bernardino, Inyo, Mono Counties, CA June 3, 2014 Election
	Bob Conaway Answers Questions Candidate for United States Representative; District 8

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 and budget deficits, what are the most important steps that should be taken to improve our nation’s economy and sustain job creation?

Deficits are manufactured by poor fiscal policy--if programs duplicative (like 70 federal agencies with drug enforcement programs), consolidate the duplicative programs and save on management costs. If the program funds the manufacture of products not needed or wanted, pick the best program(s) we need and go with it(them). Jobs needs to be created in the US that can reduce our balance of trade deficit, circulate currency internally so to maximize growth potential and reduce devaluation risk. We need to revisit unfair and predatory trade agreements that are shuttering our manufacturing capacity and related sales. Single payer health care would be another way to save billions. Allowing the federal government to negotiate prescription costs would be another cost saving tool.

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

Put patient needs first and take the claim administrative denial and cut culture out of the decision-making where federal dollars are involved. The idea should be to get people better and save money. Focus on preventative care and medical choice. I would like to see some exploration into whether and how we could transition into a program that allows people to opt into single payer if they want it. The ability to negotiate drug prices for federally funded programs needs to be put back into the hands of purchasing management.

3. What are your priorities with respect to our nation’s energy policy?

First, we need to realize that we don't have a national energy policy. Second, look at conservation, lower energy lighting and multiple fuel technologies for homes and industry. Third, realize as a nation if we don't conserve and reduce consumption, we have to deal with coal, nukes, oil, natural gas, wind, solar and fracking problems in some mix to keep up with the growth in energy usage--the mix and regulatory policies needed, have to worked out by negotiations in good faith by all stakeholders with Congressional leadership

4. What, if any, changes should be made with respect to our nation’s security, including our national defense or anti-terrorism measures?

Tough. I had trouble with what the actual end game (for Iraq)was and by the obvious failure to understand the forces at play in the region. First the problem was Sadaam, then it was religious sects, then it was ethnic strife and then it was tribal--someone did a lot of foolish guessing with American blood and assets and it does not seem they figured it out. While I thought the "aluminum tubes" which were seen from the air were not legit excuses to invade Iraq, I was not sure as an outsider. I thought bottling up Sadaam was being done by the no fly zones, sanctions and the embargos. The price of invasion left us with a nation with even more strife, regionalization by ethnic and or tribal groups and oil (that we had many people die to protect) that is going to the Communist Chinese. The end game was not what we were told it was. Since the Iraq conflict, our reliance on military technology (vs hard intelligence and diplomacy) may be seeding a future crop that will make us less free and secure. The American people and our vets deserve better leadership. If we are asked to bleed and pay, we should be told the truth by Congress and be partners in the decisions that will affect our future.

5. What is your position on the issue of immigration reform? What, if any, changes to legislation or policy would you support?

We need make sure there is a pathway to citizenship and people who have been working here pay their taxes (if they are not already). Education is a superior alternative funding wise to crime abatement costs for those children who are here of no fault of their own. Separation of families is a tragedy in so many ways as it creates a family that we end up having to support --e.g. when we ship a breadwinner back to their native land, we lose a tax payment stream from the working adult and create a family potentially in need of public assistance. Policy which makes no sense at all.

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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 8, 2014 08:33
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