Congressional Candidates - CD36

Marcy Winograd - Democrat
Herb Peters - Libertarian
Andrew Sharp - Republican

Marcy Winograd

1. Do you favor a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan? If so, when?
I favor immediate steps to withdraw our forces from both Iraq and Afghanistan, as well
as end the air wars on Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen. We should engage regional stakeholders in diplomatic efforts, rather than multiplying our enemies with perpetual wars
and occupations.

2. Will you work to shift funding from the military to schools, housing, health care, job creation, and other needed services? 
My platform calls for cuts in our bloated military budget to transition from a war economy to a new green economy.  We need to put America back to work in productive ways - building mass transit (which includes bike lanes), bolstering our public schools, staffing our hospitals and community health clinics, and expanding the reach of aerospace to develop alternative energy.

3. How important do you believe it is to end global climate change? What do you propose?
It is imperative that we take dramatic steps to stop global warming before our coastline erodes and famine sweeps across Africa.  To address climate change, we must invest massive resources in developing wind and solar energy, building mass transit, and adopting new lifestyles that conserve energy while building local communities.

4. With the recession/depression more people are becoming homeless. What would do as a member of the Congress to provide housing, services and jobs for this population?
I would push to repeal the 2005 bankruptcy bill, which my opponent Jane Harman supported, so that homeowners facing foreclosure could seek loan modifications in bankruptcy court.  I would also fight to give foreclosed homeowners the first rent to rent their homes.  In addition, I would support efforts to expand affordable housing, as well as apprenticeship programs and job retooling for those laid-off.

5. What is your position on the new Health Care Act? Do you also favor government programs such as the public option, extending medicare and/or single payer?
Though I would have voted for the health insurance reform legislation, I would continue to push for protection for states wishing to enact single-payer health care.  I have been a long-time supporter of a publicly-funded privately delivered health care system modeled on Medicare and support Congressman Grayson's bill which would allow anyone to opt in to Medicare for a reasonable fee.

6. How would you reverse the ongoing income shift from the poor to the rich that has caused widespread poverty and excessive salaries and bonuses?
One of my campaign slogans is Your Street, not Wall Street.  To preserve our neighborhoods and enrich our communities, we need to 1) Roll back the Bush tax cuts for the rich  2) Cut the bloated military budget and end the squandering of our resources on perpetual war 3) Impose fees on Wall Street stock trades  4) Invest in a New Green Deal, a federal jobs program similar to the Works Progress Administration, that employs Americans in schools, hospitals, loan modification programs, and environmental protection efforts.

7. If elected, will you establish an office in the Venice/Mar Vista area? Will you hold regular town halls to get input from your constituents?
Yes, when elected I will establish an office in the Venice/Mar Vista/West Los Angeles area and hold regular town halls to hear my constituents concerns and address key issues, both on a local and national level.  Locally, we must address homelessness and the need for housing, jet exhaust polluting neighborhoods near the Santa Monica Airport, and school cuts that threaten to dismantle public education.  Nationally, it is time to become a global partner, rather than a global occupier, and to work with the international community to create everlasting peace.

Herb Peters

Questions for Congressional Candidates:
(The Beachhead reserves the right to edit answers longer than 30 words.)

Wake up America; the quality of life has significantly worsened in our country over the last 112 years; especially in the last 50 years. We should know that more government and more taxes and more regulations are not the answer to our problems; in fact they are the problem.

Our government is a reflection of us. We, individually must change if we want better government.

1. Do you favor a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan? If so, when?
I agree with Ron Paul on this question – we should march out of both Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as possible. These are not just (as in justice) wars. Whether they are for retaliation because of 9/11 or for access to oil – neither justifies the wars. Scripture says: Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Defend ourselves, yes – take revenge, no.

If the war is for oil, it is dishonorable for us to take the oil by force – that is theft.

2. Will you work to shift funding from the military to schools, housing, health care, job creation, and other needed services?
NO. We must reduce spending. Today the government is spending about $5 billion per day MORE than it takes in. We must balance the federal budget, reduce taxes and reduce regulations to restore our once wonderful economy.

Government funding of schools is similar to nepotism; the government shows favoritism to itself. To restore our country we must have schools that are independent.

Housing, health care and job creation are private sector functions. Generally private sector activities produce wealth; and government jobs tend to drain away our wealth. We need to create more wealth - than we use - to survive as a nation.

3. How important do you believe it is to end global climate change? What do you propose?
It’s the wrong thing to do. Climate change, including global warming or cooling, are natural phenomena brought about by the sun. Both have happened in the past. These natural phenomena cannot be controlled by man.

No effort on the part of man will bring about the reversal of what the sun is doing. Cap and trade is yet another effort to create more government to give the government more power over we the people. Cap and trade would increase the cost of living. I hope that this bill does not pass.

4. With the recession/depression more people are becoming homeless. What would do as a member of the Congress to provide housing, services and jobs for this population?
Government attempts to solve these significant problems would be counterproductive and wrong. As the government grows so does homelessness. To get back our job market we must balance our federal budget AND significantly reduce taxes and regulations.

The Bush administration, with the backing of congress, unethically spent a billion dollars per day MORE than it took in during its first year; it took in about $5 billion per day and spent about $6 billion per day. Over the 8 year period the daily deficit generally grew. The last year of that administration they upped the deficit to over $2.7 billion per day to pay for the bailouts. As already stated the current administration is spending about $5 billion per day more than it takes in. This is unethical, regardless of the party – both Republicans and Democrats have been bad for our country. We need real change.

The government attempts to borrow the $5 billion per day that the congress authorizes it to spend. When it can’t borrow the money, using the Federal Reserve tool, the money is printed out of nothing. This is not new. The federal government’s demand for money has skyrocketed – by an average increase in deficit spending of 41% per year over the last 51 years!

These actions make our situation worse in two ways; the excessive government borrowing strips the availability of money from the private sector businesses. This reduces the number of jobs that would otherwise be available.

Creating money out of nothing – usually causes increases in costs of goods and services via the “inflation tax.” The inflation tax is most severe on our poorest people. And this is an incredible drain on our economy; no wonder so many jobs have been lost. This is another negative for consumers, brought about by excessive government.

To further aggravate our nation’s serious financial situation, federal government employees are paid more than DOUBLE the private sector; private sector average pay, $59,909 per year, federal employee average pay, $119,982 per year. CATO http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/08/24/federal-pay-continues-rapid-ascent/

The result of our wrong approach of asking the government to do what we should do for ourselves: it will cost probably 4 times what it would cost via the private sector. Why? The government employee is paid double the private sector and under far less pressure to get the job done.

The recession/depression is largely a result of bad government actions over the last 112 years; such as needless wars, excessive taxation and regulation. We know from history that the government can not help the economy. For some – the economy improves during wars; most of us pay the price later.

An attempt by government to provide additional services would make the problem even worse than it is now. To get our economy back we must roll back government spending, significantly reduce taxes and excessive regulation and balance the federal budget. The federal government has not balanced its budget since 1957. No balanced budgets during the Clinton years.

As shown at my web site www.herbpeters.com the best economy of all time in the US occurred about 112 years ago in 1898. We produced so much that we exported 10% of our production producing a positive trade surplus of $600 million. The federal debt was $25 per person and the federal treasury grew by $50,000 per day.

We did the above with NO Federal Reserve System, No Income Taxes, fewer regulations and No Social Security System.

Yes, we all like cars, roads, airplanes and modern conveniences. I believe that these improvements would have come to us sooner if we had held our government to compliance with our US Constitution.

5. What is your position on the new Health Care Act? Do you also favor government programs such as the public option, extending Medicare and/or single payer?
As already claimed, anytime we ask the government do for us what we should do for ourselves; costs go up! To get our economy back and to get the best health care in the world back we must get the federal government out of healthcare.

I have signed the “repeal it” Pledge. http://www.repealit.org/

I believe that the Churches and Private Charities will be there to help the poor.

6. How would you reverse the ongoing income shift from the poor to the rich that has caused widespread poverty and excessive salaries and bonuses?
Who are the rich? One group; the government employees that are paid more than double the private sector and produce little or no wealth. Another group; are the bankers behind the Federal Reserve System. Both of these rich groups are supported by our tax dollars.

To shift that money back to us we must reduce federal taxes balance our federal budget and reduce regulations.

7. If elected, will you establish an office in the Venice/Mar Vista area? Will you hold regular town halls to get input from your constituents?
I plan to email all persons who wish to receive emails; I would share what is going on in Washington. My web site would help many persons to contact my office.

I would also commit to at least an annual – Venice hosted - town hall meeting. I would offer the same for the other cities in the district.

The driving distance from the north extreme of the 36th to the south extreme exceeds 40 miles. To have one office, which seems adequate, I would work to place it towards the middle of the district.

Herb Peters
Candidate for Congress
California’s 36th Congressional District

Andrew Sharp

1. Do you favor a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan? If so, when?
Yes, Our troops should come home when the mission is completed.  It looks like the mission in Iraq is nearly finished.  We need to stabilize Afghanistan so that Al-Qaeda & Taliban won't have a safe haven.

2. Will you work to shift funding from the military to schools, housing, health care, job creation, and other needed services?
I will work to reduce Federal taxes.  Spending on schools, health care & other needed services should be at the State level.

3. How important do you believe it is to end global climate change? What do you propose?
The global climate has been changing throughout its history.  We see natural environmental change with the Iceland volcano.  We need a clean & safe environment.  

4. With the recession/depression more people are becoming homeless. What would do as a member of the Congress to provide housing, services and jobs for this population?
The Federal government should set the economic environment for a thriving economy.  This would create jobs and people could provide their own housing, not the government.

5. What is your position on the new Health Care Act? Do you also favor government programs such as the public option, extending medicare and/or single payer?
I would vote to repeal it.  Health care should be managed at the state level.  That way each state can make the best choices for its needs.

6. How would you reverse the ongoing income shift from the poor to the rich that has caused widespread poverty and excessive salaries and bonuses?
I would work to keep taxes low (a flat tax or the FairTax), this would create opportunity for economic growth and would reduce poverty.

7. If elected, will you establish an office in the Venice/Mar Vista area? Will you hold regular town halls to get input from your constituents?
I will have a minimum of 6 town hall meetings a year!  I would have an office that would work to service the whole district.


Andrew Sharp for Congress
www.sharp4congress.com