RSS Feed
|
|
|||||
|
for larger version       Decision 2000… In an effort to educate the public on the two candidates for the 9th Congressional District -- Congressman Anthony Weiner (incumbent) and Councilman Noach Dear (challenger) -- The Wave and The Forum of Queens present "Paper Debate". Each candidate will be given three questions a week for three weeks and their responses will be published. In the September 8, 2000 edition, The Wave will consider an endorsement for one of the candidates. The Democratic Primary will be on Tuesday, September 12, 2000. The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. QUESTIONS 1: EDUCATION District 27 has faced many problems stemming from overcrowding, uncertified teachers and low scores on standardized tests. What have you done to improve these conditions at your present level of government representation, to contribute or demonstrate your commitment to reducing overcrowding, devising a remedy for the use of uncertified teachers, and raising the levels of scores of standardized testing? We ask that you specifically refer to the problems in District 27 and how any change has been or will be effected by measures that you have supported. What innovation will you introduce from Congress that will have impact and provide solutions to these problems? WEINER’S RESPONSE: Confronting school overcrowding, bringing up test scores and Weiner: Fighting for School Construction As Congressman, I've worked hard on legislation to expand, repair Weiner: Bringing Federal Dollars to District 27 Millions in federal grant money for everything from computers to Weiner: 100,000 New Teachers Nationwide...And Counting Congressional Democrats have fought the reluctant House leadership for years over our initiative to place 100,000 new trained and certified teachers in our classrooms around the country, and I am proud to count myself as a vocal supporter of this proposal as it reaches its goal this year. Our teachers must be trained and knowledgeable in their chosen subjects - like my mother, who has been inspiring students at Midwood High School for decades with her math lessons. Our local schools deserve only the best in educators, and I am committed to supporting teacher hiring and training on every level. DEAR’S RESPONSE: As a parent (father of four daughters) and a public servant, I am uniquely positioned to understand the importance of education. Our future is dependent upon our children and our responsibility is to provide them with the tools that will aid them in furthering themselves and making valuable contributions to our society. As a result, education will always remain at the top of my legislative agenda. The status quo of education is inadequate. We are faced with difficulties related to overcrowding, uncertified teachers, and low standardized test scores. These problems exist throughout the city, and are especially prominent in School District 27. Despite this, I am proud to stand on my record as a fighter for better education for our children. I have been a leading proponent for improvement in education throughout my 18-year tenure in the City Council. Recently, I have been responsible for a number of valuable education improvement initiatives. I authored the resolution in the New York City Council (Resolution 1176, February 8, 2000) that called for an immediate raise in teachers' salaries. The intent was two-fold. First a teachers' salary raise will abate the qualified teacher shortage by preventing the relocation of teachers to more lucrative positions outside the city and state. Second, I hope that higher salaries will attract talented young people to the teaching profession. The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) commended my efforts with regard to teachers’ salaries. Teachers are so important to our society - they deserve compensation commensurate with that importance. I worked hard to ensure that $5.9 million was allocated for the New York City Teachers Education (NYC TEACH) program over the past two years. This enlightening program provides payments for tuition or loans in order to attract bright-qualified candidates to teaching careers in New York City's public schools. I fought for the allocation of $6.5 million in order to add additional teachers to our classrooms. This funding is being used to reduce The overcrowding in our schools is of serious detriment to student learning. I have consistently fought to provide our children with adequate facilities. This year, I was a primary supporter for the addition of $150 million for school construction in order to significantly reduce overcrowding. I believe that the best in modern technology must be utilized in our children’s education. That is why I have rallied my colleagues to support financing that will enable all students to have access to computers, software and Internet access. Additionally, I have secured $200,000 for computer lab upgrades and computers for classrooms in the FY2001 budget. The atmosphere in which our children are taught is so important to their education and development. For this reason, I have worked to protect our children from violence and other harmful elements at school. I wrote the law to keep pornography vendors away from schools. I voted to prevent tobacco companies from advertising in school zones. I led the fight for the addition of School Safety Officers in order to protect our children from violence and to make them feel safe and secure at school. Last week, Mayor Giuliani signed the School Bus Safety Bill (Intro. 585-B) that I authored, which will enhance the safety of children on their way to and from school. My opponent apparently does not share our values with regard to the importance of our children and their education. In the City Council, he voted to keep tobacco advertisements in school zones (NYC Council Minutes 9/24/92-10/8/92). In Congress, he voted "no" to protecting teachers who make "reasonable efforts to maintain discipline in classrooms and thereby protect our children" (HR 1501, 6/17/99). He is so out of touch with the families of the Rockaway's and the rest of New York's 9th Congressional District that he voted to allow children caught with loaded guns to get off scott-free without expulsion or suspension (HR 1501, 6/17/99). Furthermore, my opponent has forgotten the Rockaway's and New York City schools. Congress continues to decrease certain funding to local schools even at a time when some of our school districts are so evidently lacking what they need to provide our children with quality education. Despite not having yet represented the Rockaway's, I have already made a valuable education contribution to the region and specifically, School District 27. I have recently supplied $50,000 in funding for the City University of New York. This program brings courses onsite to local schools so that teachers can conveniently achieve their certification. It helps to further develop the qualifications of present teachers, as well as attract and train aspiring new teachers. This program has almost exclusively benefited School District 27. As a family man, husband, father, and grandfather, my commitment to the values of families throughout New York's 9th Congressional District is constantly being renewed on a very personal level. As your representative in QUESTION 2: SENIORS What have you done and what will you do to provide a cost reduction program to provide access to prescription medication? Seniors in our community and throughout the United States are often faced with the dilemma of choosing medication over other life essentials such as food. How will you use your position in Congress to legislate effectively so that this burden can be eliminated for the vital senior component of society? WEINER’S RESPONSE: Weiner: Working to Include a Rx Benefit Under Medicare The sad truth is that seniors pay more out of their pockets for health Weiner: Putting Seniors Before Corporate Interests The House recently approved a Republican bill - drafted largely by the Weiner: Making the COLA More Fair to New Yorkers It is more expensive to live in Queens, NY, than Butte, Montana. Each year, Social Security Benefits are supposed to keep up with the rise of inflation so seniors get a cost of living adjustment or COLA. But last year, the COLA was only 1.3 percent -- a record low. Now, I am working to make the COLA fairer by taking into account the higher costs and expenses in cities like New York. In my first months in Congress, I drafted the COLA Fairness Act of 2000, HR 2180, which will ensure that our higher priced housing, food and especially prescription drugs are taken into account when our COLA is calculated. Weiner: Stopping the Rx Price Gauging I recently conducted studies of prescription drug pricing in New York City and found two shocking facts: One, prescription drug companies charge individual seniors more than 2-3 times as much for medications as they charge the large HMOs. Two, our seniors pay more for their prescriptions than do our pets - for the exact same drugs. I am a co-sponsor several bills in Congress that would combat price discrimination by prescription drug companies and lower costs for our seniors and I recently joined many of my colleagues in approving a measure to allow the importation of drugs from other countries, where those drugs are cheaper. As a member of the Prescription Drug Task Force, I will keep up these efforts, while examining other ways to provide relief from high drug prices. One of the greatest dilemmas facing our nation today is the high cost of I have found that prescription drugs often cost substantially less in other In Congress, I will continue to fight for seniors. I will remain committed to reforming our health care system to ensure that quality health care is My opponent has in the past made all sorts of dubious claims, but in reality, he has failed our communities and our senior citizens. Amazingly, not once, but three times, he voted against the elimination of the Marriage Penalty Tax (HR 4810). He was one of only 47 members of the House to vote against extending long-term benefits for our military veterans; a bill supported by 90 percent of Congress and signed into law by President Clinton (HR 2116, 9/21/99). These positions highlight my opponent's unfortunate record on issues relating to senior citizens. QUESTION 3: TRANSPORTATION Our district has been traditionally plagued with transportation issues, which occur from one end of the district to another. Specifically, the geographical positioning of both the Rockaway peninsula and Howard Beach have posed very distinct problems with accessibility. How would you hope to modify the transportation availability in both these areas of our district so that residents can find their work commutes less taxing with both regard to time and economic consideration? WEINER’S RESPONSE: Historically, Howard Beach and the Rockaways have not been well served well by our city's transportation infrastructure. This is ironic, given that South Queens is known world-wide as a major transportation hub thanks to our neighbor, Kennedy airport. In my years in Congress, I have fought to better the lives of Rockaway residents by 1. Making JFK a better and quieter airport and 2. Providing faster and more reliable commuter and visitor routes to the beauty, resources and businesses of our Rockaway and Howard Beach neighborhoods. Weiner: Bringing Ferries to the Rockaways As a barrier peninsula, surrounded almost entirely by water, Rockaway's best resource for fast and effective transportation is undeniably via ferry Weiner: Improving Our Roadways Traffic in and out of Southern Queens and the Rockaways is notoriously awful - particularly at rush hour when so many of us are on the roads. As an area vulnerable to severe weather such as hurricanes, South Queens must have a better hurricane evacuation route than the one currently in place. For example, I have been working with the Department of Transportation to expedite repairs to the Gil Hodges bridge to minimize delays and commuting times while these much-needed repairs are completed. It is also time that the city-managed side of the Joe Addabbo Bridge - our lifeline in and out of Howard Beach - finally be cleaned up. It is an eyesore on our beautiful community. Weiner: Cleaning up Bus Pollution Finally, for too long, our local franchised bus lines, Green Bus DEAR’S RESPONSE: As Chairman of the New York City Council's Committee on Transportation, I have worked hard to vastly improve the city's traffic infrastructure. This city's roads, highways, and system of mass transportation are among the most utilized in the world. As a result, we need to work constantly to upgrade and improve - I have led that effort. I strongly advocated the institution of the Metrocard program in New York City. This program has revolutionized mass transit for all New Yorkers and all visitors to our city. Metrocards have increased convenience and affordability and have encouraged greater use of our buses and subways. The program has helped keep fewer cars on the roads, thereby improving traffic conditions and protecting the environment by reducing air pollution. Since the institution of the Metrocard program, I have carefully monitored its successes and failures. I have sought a variety of corrective measures and improvements. When Metrocard users faced difficulties with the system, I I was the first to propose a limit on the gasoline sales tax, which would I have fought for the improvement of countless roads throughout the city in order to increase convenience and safety. A recently introduced bill that I authored (Intro. 695-2000) is slated to enhance the safety of motorists and construction crews at highway construction sites where there are lane closures. In Rockaway, when the dangers of the Rockaway Freeway were brought to my attention, I worked to have the Department of Transportation arrange a logical adjustment of traffic flow. Since the improvement, I am pleased to announce that there have been 30 percent fewer accidents on the previously accident-prone section of the freeway. I have worked towards a much-needed Rockaway ferry, which will ease the commute for working Rockaway residents and also increase accessibility to the Rockaway peninsula for New York City tourists. The Rockaways and Howard Beach are often neglected when it comes to This year, I secured nearly $1 million for the purchase of buses for service in the Rockaways. Despite ostensibly serving as the representative for the region, my opponent has neglected the Rockaway, Howard Beach, and Broad Channel area transportation issue. How can we expect other federal government officials to pay the region its due attention if its own representative doesn't? Transportation is so important to the economic development of a region. In the Rockaways, Broad Channel, and Howard Beach, the success and development of the many small businesses depends upon the quality of the transportation infrastructure. I have fought hard to improve transportation throughout the entire city. In Congress, I will advance the cause and demand that Rockaway transportation gets the long overdue federal funding it deserves. I fully expect that this will spur even greater development in a region, which is experiencing a great resurgence.
|
|
||||
