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_________________________________________________________________

What: Progressive Phone Banking for Local Candidates

When: Thursday, October 16, 6:00-8:45 pm

Where: Giovanni's Restaurant, 9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd (SW Corner of Ruffin Rd - just west of I-15

- Mike Copass
_______________________________________________________________________________

PDA Elects Progressives:  special phone bank for

Stephen Whitburn, City Council Dist. 3

When:    Tuesday, October 14,  5:30 - 8:00 pm

Where:     Whitburn Campaign field HQ:   4411  30th St,  San Diego, CA 92116  
  (two blocks north of El Cajon Blvd, map) - HQ phone 619 528 1438

Do you want to see more Progressives in local government?

Join PDA members Mike Copass and Judy Hess on the evening of Tuesday Oct 14th to call 
voters on behalf of Stephen Whitburn, one of our "friendly endorsed" candidates.   
(Note: this is in addition to our scheduled PDA meeting & phone bank on Thurs Oct 16th at Giovanni's)

Whitburn is endorsed by Councilmember Donna Frye and Congressman Bob Filner, 
Democracy for America (DFA), the Sierra Club and a host of other groups.

Can you make calls for an hour? 90 minutes?  Help us get a head count! RSVP or drop a 
note to Mike Copass at California53@gmail.com, or call Whitburn HQ phone 619 528 1438

****

Please note: PDA is meeting on Thursday, October 16th at 6pm at our regular location, 
Giovanni's, to call on behalf of a variety of candidates. Other opportunities to mobilize the vote:

New Citizen Voter Registration: Wed Oct 15th, City Hall Plaza, 3rd & B, 10:15am - noon, 
contact & RSVP to sdvoter@gmail.com  (Greg Bolian)

John Lee Evans for School Board Precinct Walk: Saturday, October 11th, 10am - noon, 
7847 Convoy Court. RSVP to john@evansforschoolboard.com

Marti Emerald for City Council  Precinct walk: Saturday, October 11th, 12:30pm, meet at 
San Diego Dem Club at University & Utah -- 2828 University Avenue, Suite 105 San Diego, 
92104. RSVP & info 619.297.2262

_______________________________________________________________________________

this Saturday only - in San Diego....

_______________________________________________________________________________

WHAT:       MEETING -  

                        TOPIC: Protecting the Integrity of Our Vote:
                    working for Clean, Fair, Transparent,
                    Accurate Elections in San Diego County

WHEN:             Thursday Sept. 18                
                            6 pm Supper    7 pm Meeting

WHERE:             GIOVANNI'S PIZZA   
                            9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.  
                            San Diego CA 92123
                            (SW corner of Ruffin Rd., just west of I-15)

Voting Integrity Advocacy       (Sandy Arsham, Sal Magallanez)

Candidate announcement:     John Lee Evans, Democrat for San Diego    School Board

"Million Doors for Peace" -     Sat Sept 20th, PDA massive door-to-door mobilization with Barb Cattedra.

Voting integrity:    

Explosive new documentary:

UNCOUNTED: the New Math of American Elections 

San Diego Film Festival
Pacific Gaslamp 15 Theatre
701 5th Ave San Diego

Thursday, September 25, 2008 - 5pm
Post-film Q&A with filmmaker David Earnhardt
 
Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 5pm
Post-film Panel Discussion with filmmaker David Earnhardt and progressive talk show host
Bree Walker plus other Special Guests

_______________________________________________________________________________

PDA METRO MEETING 

when:        Thursday, Aug. 21 ,  6 pm supper, 7 pm meeting

where:       Giovanni's Pizza, 9353 Clairemont  
                   Mesa Blvd., San Diego

                      PLEASE JOIN US FOR AN IMPORTANT MEETING!

Mike Copass on developments in Georgia

John Lee Evans for School Board (to be confirmed)

Special Announcement: PDA will co-host a new voting activism film "Uncounted: The New Math 
of American Elections" Wed, September 24th at 7 pm at the Ultrastar Cinemas, Hazard Center. 
Film Director David Earnhart and Brad Friedman of Bradblog.org will be on hand. Reception to follow.    

See you Thursday, Aug. 21.

Mike Copass, Leader
PDA Metro San Diego Chapter   
_______________________________________________________________________________

PDA METRO MEETING 

when:        Thursday, July 17,  6 pm supper, 7 pm meeting

where:       Giovanni's Pizza, 9353 Clairemont  
                   Mesa Blvd., San Diego (corner of Ruffin Rd.)

 Agenda Here       

_______________________________________________________________________________

PDA METRO MEETING 

when:     Thursday, June 17,  6 pm supper, 7 pm meeting

where:        Giovanni's Pizza, corner 9353 Clairemont  
                    Mesa Blvd (at Ruffin Rd.)

                 An Invitation to our Esteemed 
                       Endorsed Candidates

   "OK, the Primary's over - NOW COME HOME!"

This will be a "down home" meeting, suits left in the closet, hair down, Congratulations, fun music, conversation, crying in beer as needed.

We will have some Announcements (when don't we?), and brief discussion of Blackwater's recent Court decision followed by the June 12 protest.

Our Nationally (and Locally) Endorsed Candidates:    

Cheryl Ede (CA 50)

Vickie Butcher (CA 52)

Mike Copass (CA 53)
                  

Our Locally Endorsed Candidates:

Floyd Morrow (Mayor of San Diego)

Stephen Whitburn (SD Council District 3)

Rudy Reyes (SD County Board of Supervisors)

Welcome home to PDA Metro and on to greater things.

_______________________________________________

PDA METRO MEETING 

when:     Thursday, May 15 6 pm supper, 7 pm meeting

where:        Giovanni's Pizza, corner Clairemont  
                    Mesa Blvd and Ruffin Rd.

PDA Metro San Diego Chapter welcomes you to a very special evening this Thursday
for two important reasons.

We recommend that you arrive early for good seating.

Col. Ann Wright, US Army (Ret),
and US diplomat, who resigned her position in Afghanistan to protest the upcoming Iraq War 
will speak and sign her new book, "Dissent: Voices of Conscience". Col. Wright's book will be 
available for purchase.

Col. Wright is returning from Japan, and will report on new developments in President Bush's 
efforts to have the Japanese amend their Constitution to participate in the US War of 
Aggression in Iraq. She will also report on the cover-up of assault, rape and murder of US 
female military by male counterparts, and the assault and rape of women on Okinawa by 
US service personnel. 

Nationally Endorsed Candidates

This Thursday night is also our last meeting with our 3 nationally endorsed candidates as 
Primary Candidates. Yes, the next time we hear from them, they will be the Democratic 
Candidates running in the General Election to represent us in the House of Representatives. 
Please join us to welcome them once more, and to give them a great send-off to their Primaries June 3rd. We will join together to help them be elected. Details at the meeting. 

Our Candidates:

Mike Copass - CA 53
Cheryl Ede - CA 50
Vickie Butcher - CA 52

We urge you to support these deserving Candidates.
See you Thursday!

_____________________________________________

PDA METRO MEETING 

when:     Thursday, April 17 6 pm supper, 7 pm meeting

where:        Giovanni's Pizza, corner Clairemont  
                    Mesa Blvd and Ruffin Rd.

First, remember to go to your caucus Sunday - PDA Metro Members are running as 
delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. See Dr. Bill's email with 
the list of PDA Candidates.

                                    JOIN US 
             Meet your Democratic Candidate for 
                              Mayor of San Diego 

                                Floyd Morrow

Floyd will discuss his campaign and his plans to restore confidence in government, to restore fiscal 
responsibility in City Hall, and to fulfill the promise of San Diego as America's Finest City - Floyd 
will ask for a "friendly endorsement"

                                          AND 
Since PETRAEUS And CROCKER sent us a 
CLEAR MESSAGE for the Administration:

                                 !!! ATTACK IRAN !!!
                                          AND 
Since the media has embraced this new war,
We bring you excerpts of the Movie, based on 
Norman Solomon's book, 

                                  WAR MADE EASY
How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death 

narrated by Sean Penn, and featuring Norman Solomon - 
PDA's own Norman Solomon 
(co-chair of Healthcare not Warfare Initiative)
We've invited Norman to call in, discuss the current push 
for an attack on Iran, and take your questions. 
Also - more on working precincts and monitoring elections!
_____________________________________________

                     PDA Metro Meeting:

When:     Thursday, Mar. 20 6pm supper/ 7pm meeting

Where:    Giovanni's Pizza (corner Clairemont Mesa Blvd 
                          and Ruffin Rd. San Diego) 

What:      Did you know?

That San Diego County's Elections are run by:

Former Diebold Sales Executive (Registrar, Deborah Seiler)

Former Cuyahoga County Ohio Registrar, two members of whose
staff were convicted in the 2004 Ohio Presidential Election Scandal? (Assistant Registrar, Michael Vu)

How to elect Progressive Democrats and take back our country? 

Come to our meeting to find out!

Hear Julian Quinonez (SD Co. Dem Party) discuss the Go Team 
efforts - and how to become a Precinct Leader and Poll Watcher - help progressive candidates get elected.

Hear  Sal Magallanez on working Election Integrity by poll watching 

We got Blackwater out - we can fix our elections and get a 
Progressive Democratic Majority in - Si se puede!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

  
   PDA Metro Endorses and will Participate in
            SDCPJ's March 15 Rally and March 
                       commemorating 
     the Illegal Invasion of Iraq Mar. 19, 2003
              The occupation continues...     

          Join us at our PDA Metro Table 

                     11:15 at TerAlta Park

                  (bordered by 40th St, Orange Ave, Central Ave and Polk St)     

 We'll assemble there to go to the March together 
                and march behind our banner.  
         Bring signs, drums (substitute pots and wooden spoons)
               and wear your PDA T Shirt to demonstrate 
                   our solidarity in opposing this war!

           March will return to TerAlta Park for 1 pm Rally with
 
                           Featured Speaker, Gore Vidal 

Directions to TerAlta Park  
 
TerAlta is either directly below or above I-15 - hard to be sure from the map.

If you get off I-15 North at El Cajon Blvd. (highly recommended) go West (left) on El Cajon Blvd, and almost immediately go South (left) on 40th. Orange Ave. is 1 block south of El Cajon Blvd. Turn left on Orange to drive the northern border of the park and then you can circle it to find parking. 

If you're coming from 15-South, go west (right) on El Cajon Blvd and then follow the above directions.
____________________________________________
     PDA Metro San Diego Proudly Presents:

                   !!!  ENDORSED CANDIDATES  !!!

CA 53

                           MIKE COPASS

               Click on Mike's picture to see his story on the 
                              National Website                 

CA 50     

                            CHERYL EDE

                        And Presenting Our First 

                           Nationally Endorsed 

                          Candidate this year, in 

CA 52
                                 VICKIE BUTCHER
 See Vickie's Front Page Story at PDA National:

 http://www.pdamerica.org/articles/campaigns/2008-03-03-13-06-01-campaigns.php

     Information:  All 3 Candidates have won the Endorsement of our Chapter.   To 
     receive the National Endorsement, the Candidates participate in the National 
     Conference Call, "Inside the Democratic Party", the 4th Thursday of each month.            

       Candidate Vickie Butcher has won the National Endorsement in last month's call.

      Mike Copass and Cheryl Ede will be on the call Thursday, March 27.   All PDA    
      members are invited to be on the call.   See the National Home page for call 
      information.

                           ___________________________________________
       Candidate Endorsement Meeting Feb. 29

       Hear Mike Copass for Congress in CA 53

              Giovanni's at 6pm Supper - 6:30 pm Registration - 7:00 pm Meeting 

               Here are Mike's Responses!

                    CA 53

                                                      PDA Metro San Diego Chapter

                                             2008 Candidate Endorsement Questionnaire

                                                      U. S. House of Representatives

Return to:

Judy Hess, Leader                  j.hess@cox.net
Diane Shamis, PDA                diane@pdamerica.org

  Please fill out this form if you are interested in pursuing an endorsement by PDA Metro San Diego . We are part of Progressive Democrats of America , a nationwide grassroots organization of 100,000 members that works inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements for peace and justice.

  Please return this questionnaire by the Deadline:       Feb. 22 2008

  Altering or deleting the questions on this form may lead to disqualification.  Please note that your answers on this questionnaire may be made public.  Please answer on this form in the space below the question.  Use as much space as you need. Feel free to change font and/or color to distinguish your answers.

  If you have any questions regarding this questionnaire, please contact Judy Hess, 619-421-6403.

                                     Candidate and Campaign Information:

Candidate Name: Mike Copass

Address:  4042 Mount Blackburn Ave

City, State, Zip: San Diego CA 92111

E-mail Address:  California53@gmail.com

Office for which you are running:  US Congress, 53rd District, California

Date of Election:  June 3, 2008

Registered Political Party: Democratic Party

Campaign Manager:               N/A

Phone: 619.665.9415        Fax: N/A

Campaign Consultant:     N/A Phone:    N/A                   Fax: N/A

Campaign Address:  Copass for Congress, PO Box 125081 , San Diego CA 92112-0581

List endorsements from organizations and/or individuals:

Al Meyerhoff   (Environmental lawyer and former Natural Resources Defense Council attorney) 

I have only recently begun asking for endorsements. 

How would you describe yourself politically (i.e. progressive; moderate democrat, etc.)?

I am a proud Progressive. 
To quote the late Senator Paul Wellstone “I stand for the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party”

List elective or political party offices you have held, including committee appointments:

None. 
(In addition, I have been neither wined, nor dined, by a lobbyist or PAC, nor taken paid-for travel.)

What is your primary occupation?

I am a scientific consultant to a plaintiffs’ law firm, specializing in detecting and prosecuting securities 
fraud perpetrated by pharmaceutical manufacturers alleged to have violated Securities laws.  I created 
and am the president of a legal services business which hires and trains attorneys in the review and 
analysis of discovery documents in similar complex civil litigation matters.   Additionally, I write for the Corporate Governance Bulletin, a quarterly publication which highlights litigation and advances in 
securities and consumer fraud.

Why are you running for Congress? (100 word limit)

I strongly believe that the United States must face multiple impending financial, ecological, political 
social crises, driven by a war machine and militarism that has been vocally opposed by We, the People, 
but yet unchallenged by the people's Congress. It is abundantly clear that the status quo (and the 
incumbent representative in our District) has failed utterly to provide leadership in confronting these 
crises.  Americans can, and will, boldly confront these challenges – and to do so, the times call for change – for a new approach and with a new voice.

Issues Specific to Office:

What experiences have prepared you to run for Congress?

Patience:  I have 12 years of experience in molecular biology, specifically microbiology and molecular genetics, working in three different countries, which has provided training in patience, persistence, (and languages) as well as providing an understanding of genetic technologies. There are currently no members 
of Congress with training in molecular biology, which is alarming, given the rapid technological 
development and genetically modified products entering our food supply.

Business:  I manage a small business in Legal Services, which has been instrumental in instructing me 
how job creation, business, and regulation function.

Activism: I have served as a volunteer Point Person in the 53rd Congressional District ( San Diego ) since June, in which I brought the concerns of the progressive community to the office of its Congressional Representative. My candidacy arises directly out of my experience with PDA, in pursuing a meaningful "inside and outside the Party" strategy for change. I took my role as point person seriously, reading and studying the various House Resolutions under consideration, and communicating the Representative's 
votes and positions on key issues ( Iraq , impeachment, and healthcare) back to the members of PDA.

If you receive the endorsement of Progressive Democrats of America , how do you intend to use it?

A PDA endorsement will be invaluable to establishing awareness and excitement about a new 
Progressive candidate on both a local national level.  I will employ the PDA endorsement in a fashion 
similar to that of Donna Edwards of Maryland , to reach out to other progressive political groups both 
locally and nation-wide, and be proud to list the endorsement on my literature, website and 
communications.

Please list the top three issues on which you will take leadership if elected:

1) Ending Iraq war funding and returning troops home with full proper treatment. I support the Lynn Woolsey-sponsored HR 508, the Bring the Troops home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration, towards 
restoring the United States ’ standing in the world community.

2) Aggressively moving to address global climate change, through integrating sound and sustainable 
energy policy with carbon and climate policy, for both short term and long term goals.

3) Implementing Universal Health Care in the United States (I support HR 676, cosponsored by John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich)

Do you agree with Congress’ decision to reauthorize the Patriot Act?

No.   We know now Patriot Act was a terrible idea, born of the twin evils of fear and deception, and based neither in facts nor reflection.  

As a matter of principle, I oppose strongly all legislation that undermines or eviscerates our Constitutional rights -- from the Patriot Act, to the creating of the Homeland Security Dept, the Military Commission 
Act, which suspends habeas corpus, and the attempts to pass “Patriot Act II.”  The net effect of these 
laws is not “better security” -- the Patriot Act and its ill-conceived brethren instead exert an enormously chilling effect on free and open speech, and the ability of American citizens to actively voice their dissent.

I stand with Congressmen Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul, who, although of starkly differing positions on social programs, have stood up and spoken out-- with purpose and clarity --against the raft of "anti-
freedom" legislations passed by Congress during the last seven years, laws which are antithetical to the basic freedoms and liberties which generations of men and women fought to establish.  The newest 
outrage is the revelation that Bush-Cheney have sought, even prior to September 11th 2001, the circumvention of the FISA court standard, to harvest all electronic communications, voice and data, from American citizens engaged in private discourse – this with the collaboration of the large telecom 
corporations.

The lifeblood of liberty is free and open discourse: in the street, on the phone, on the internet.  Legislation that chills or suppresses this speech, or that permits spying either overtly or covertly, eviscerates the 
privacy protections of the 4th Amendment.

In Congress, I will support legislation such as HR 3835, cosponsored by Kucinich and Welch, which addresses and repeals many of the abuses of executive power.

Why or why not?

See details above.

If elected, which committee(s) would you prefer to serve on and why?

The House Armed Services Committee, in order support the human personnel serving in the armed forces in the mission of defense of the continental United States, and to place a strong check on the interests that would attempt to manipulate and abuse the awesome military power of the United States to purposes that are inimical to freedom – whether for purposes of empire-building, or to expand for-profit oil enterprises. We have learned the lessons of Col Medley Butler, who said (in 1933) "There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket."  Having been alerted by our returning US military veterans regarding the incredible 
abuses of the Iraq invasion, we must stay ever-vigilant against the use of the Armed Services for "war as 
a racket." The restoration and rebuilding of the human infrastructure of the men and women is our obligation.  As such, I would be honored to be called to serve on the Oversight Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC).

As a scientist who is keenly aware of the importance of scientific data, and who has direct experience as a genetic engineer, and fully aware of both the incredible power for genetic technology to be abused for private-profit purposes,  I would also be pleased to rise to the call to serve on the Agricultural Committee.  The use, sale and consumption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO foods) is a topic that should be part of a lively and informed public debate.

I would similarly be glad to serve on the newly-established House Select Committee on Energy 
Independence and Global Warming.

Federal Issues:

1) Iraq :

PDA supports an immediate start to a rapid and complete withdrawal from Iraq of all troops and military contractors, and has championed legislation that would withhold funding for any other military purpose there. In addition, PDA believes that the U.S. must revise its strategy for the region by removing these forces from the Mideast entirely, rather than just "redeploying" them within the region.  PDA advocates a shift in U.S. foreign policy from reckless unilateralism toward cooperation and diplomacy--so that people of other countries know us more by our helping hand than our slugging arm. Furthermore, PDA supports the redirecting of resources allocated for military spending to human needs. 

Will you pledge to support such immediate and total withdrawal from Iraq of the military forces, including supporting legislation towards this goal?

A priority for the 111th Congress must be the restoration of America ’s standing in the world community.  America ’s strength lies not in its weaponry, but in the power of its ideals.  To that end, I fully support legislation such as HR 508, Lynn Woolsey’s “Iraq Sovereignty Restoration” Bill. The international community can and will come together to 
support the peaceful reconstruction of the nation of Iraq, and I will support legislation those ends, while we 
reconstruct our human military infrastructure both at home and abroad by providing the services they may need.

  In addition, will you forswear any preemptive military attacks upon any nation?

I believe in Rule by Law.

The framers of the Constitution understood that placing the power of unilateral use of the military in the hands of one man, or in the Executive Branch, was to invite the abuse of that power. Therefore, Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution describes that it is reserved to the Congress, and only to Congress, the power to declare war and levy funds for that purpose.
Pre-emptive military strikes fall dangerously close to what the U.S. itself defined at Nuremburg as Crimes against Peace, or War Crimes.

Will you commit to fully support investigations into the White House's false claims justifying the invasion 
of Iraq, and would you support impeachment of Bush, Cheney and other administration officials for these 
and other high crimes?

I believe in Rule by Law. No one is unaccountable, or above the law.

Congress' failure to uphold the rule of law, to uphold its sworn oath, is a danger to the rule of Law. The founders and framers of the Constitution could foresee a need for Congressional oversight and accountability, and saw fit to discuss impeachment in six places in that document. (Curiously, "corporation" appears nowhere.)

I would support investigations to the actions of any government officials, whether in foreign countries, or 
my own, which may constitute War Crimes, or at the least, the fraud perpetrated and described in the book " USA v. George W Bush" by Elizabeth de la Vega .  If investigations proved to be grounds for 
impeachment of either President Bush, or Vice President, it is Congress' obligation pursue the.  It is 
appalling that throughout two full Congressional sessions, particularly after the November 2006 election's majority went to the Democrats that many members of Congress have failed to support HR 333, which I would do, if in office.

Have you participated in or spoken at any events, demonstrations, meetings or teach-ins opposing the Iraq war and occupation?

Yes. I have participated in a number of anti-war and impeachment demonstrations on the street.

Have you organized any such events?

I am organizing 24 (or 48) hour anti-war vigil in downtown San Diego , in solidarity with Iraq Veterans 
Against the War and their Winter Soldier events, March 14-15.

2) Health Care:

There are over 46 million uninsured people living in America , the majority of who are working Americans. Every year, nearly 18,000 people die unnecessarily as a direct result of their lack of health insurance.  Millions with health insurance maintain inadequate, overly expensive coverage and face the peril of denials of claims or termination of benefits if a family member becomes seriously ill--one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the U.S.    While spending twice as much on health care as any other industrialized country, 
our system performs poorly, spending more money for less coverage, maximizing profits by finding ways to deny care. The private insurance bureaucracy expends one-third of health care money on waste, administrative paperwork, advertising and corporate profits. The current Medicare program for senior citizens spends under 4% of its budget for its overhead costs. Meanwhile, poor health, escalating health insurance premiums and spiraling health care costs impair our economy and job creation in the U.S.

  PDA has endorsed HR 676, the National Health /"Expanded and Improved Medicare for-All" Act. To guarantee comprehensive health care for all, PDA supports the replacement of the current profit-driven system, publicly financed, privately provided health care program. This "Medicare for All" national plan would save more than $350 billion per year, enough new money to provide guaranteed comprehensive 
health care for all. This system would insure portable and uniform benefits regardless of income. With no deductibles or co-pays, this plan would encourage preventive care and restore a doctor and patient 
controlled health care system affording choice of providers and fair, publicly negotiated payment for both treatment and medication.

  What is your approach to the health care crisis?

I believe that without access to health care, we cannot reasonably practice the pursuit of "life, liberty and happiness" – as exhorted to in the Declaration of Independence.  It is a moral outrage that the United 
States has 46 million who are without access to healthcare, and approximately 100 million who are un- or inadequately covered.

We are all the stakeholders in the Public Health. I would support legislation similar to HR 676, the Conyers-Kucinich bill, the system endorsed by more than 14,000 physicians. 

What is your view of Guaranteed Health Care through an Expanded and Improved Medicare-for-All 
system?

See above. If France can put together a functioning healthcare system for its population, there is no 
reason that the United States cannot.

There will be certain parties who will howl in anger at such a system, best illustrated by CEOs such as UnitedHealthcare's William McGuire, who, after years in the private sector of healthcare, then attempted 
to retire with $1.3 billion in gains, and Pfizer's former CEO Hank McKinnell, former BusinessRoundTable Chairman, who, after pushing pharmaceuticals on the market that medical plans neither needed nor could afford, stepped down with $240 million in options.  A for-profit system tends to fall victim to being rigged 
in the interests of a self-serving elite.  These enormous healthcare and Pharma CEO payouts illustrate at 
a glance that for-profit systems are difficult to harness to the public good.

If elected, would you support a publicly financed, privately provided national health care program, which insures access to comprehensive health care for all in the U.S. ?

Yes. Americans deserve access to at least a minimum of health care, particularly preventive care. I have worked with type II diabetics and am very concerned about the epidemics of diabetes, obesity, 
hypertension, and cardiac disease which are lurking like time bombs in our population.  As the son of a physician who works in a County Hospital , we often do not realize that failure to treat and intervene early 
is not a "savings" but rather a cost, a tax that must be paid elsewhere.

Would you support a not-for-profit, doctor-patient controlled system which would eliminate the private health insurance industry (with protection for eliminated workers) as the intermediary determining access and the level of care?

Yes, substantially.  When we create a profit-center out of denying care to those who need it, to feed the corporate insurance sector's requirement to "make its numbers" on profit margins each year, we sow the seeds of disaster.  It is care-givers and patients that have the vested interest in promoting long-term public health – and that "health and wellness" is to the public profit – measured in moral terms, not in Wall 
Street's dollar-only metric.

Would you support the government's ability to negotiate fair prices for treatment as well as drugs, as it 
does for those covered by the Veteran's Administration's plan?

Yes. I furthermore would support intensive engagement of the FDA in its mission not to rubber-stamp Big Pharma's latest new drugs, but to determine efficacy and safety. Our government is useless if it does not protect the public from such harms as the recent phen-fen and Vioxx debacles. My work in analyzing 
clinical trials data from big-Pharma sponsored drug trials (both the published and often-hidden data) has 
been invaluable.

3) Economic Justice:

The current generation has seen unprecedented levels of economic disparity, both among individuals (the richest 1% of Americans own almost 35% of all wealth; the bottom half, only 2.5%) and in the ratio of 
CEO pay to employee wages. Thirty-seven million people (equal to the population of California ) are living 
in poverty in the U.S. These immoral levels of poverty, which disproportionately impact communities of 
color and women, can be significantly reduced through concerned legislative effort - including a living wage for all workers, expanded earned income tax credits, childcare assistance and housing vouchers.  
Specifically, the federal government must fulfill its promise of resources to Hurricane Katrina survivors so they can return to rebuild their communities in the Gulf Coast .

Tax burdens on the middle class can be eased if the wealthy pay their share. In addition to working to roll back Bush's tax breaks for the wealthy, PDA endorses the Equity in Income Act, limiting the amount of 
CEO compensation afforded federal corporate tax deductions.  In emphatically supporting the workers' 
right to organize, we also endorse the Employee Free Choice Act, which establishes unions in any 
workplace where a majority of workers sign union cards to join.  In the global arena, PDA supports anti-sweatshop legislation and fair trade agreements which protect workers' rights as well as the environment, while opposing wage reducing "free trade" agreements that protect only corporate rights to exploit unprotected labor.  PDA also advocates for humane and comprehensive immigration reform, which insures a fair, attainable path to citizenship and the rights of undocumented workers in the workplace, affirming the dignity and integrity of immigrant families.

What is your position on "Fair Trade" versus "Free Trade" agreements?

"Free Trade" agreements often prove to be neither Free nor substantially about furthering true Trade, rather a rigging of the system to the benefit of the few, and detriment of many.   If 12 years of NAFTA 
have not shown anything else, the ability of US Corn to dump a subsidized product on Central American markets has the net effect of driving Central American growers (many smallholders) off their own land, 
into the ranks of urban poor, and finally, to desperate migrations to other countries.

This massive migration pressure is felt first in border areas including San Diego County .  NAFTA and its 
ilk (such as the recent Peru-CAFTA) have failed all parties.  I am strongly supportive of fair wages being paid on both sides of the border, and to these ends, trade agreements not by supra-national bodies such as the WTO, but from representation of workers and the citizens, are of utmost importance to all.

Will you have pledge to reverse the tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans?

I pledge to restore tax fairness, and to do this, the repeal of the economically-disastrous Bush tax cuts is essential -- (Even conservative Alan Greenspan, former head of the Federal Reserve, insists on that point.)

Having already thought about the matter, I would support a “Tobin Tax” on financial derivative transactions (the outstanding notional amount is roughly $516 trillion) of about 0.5% to 1%.  Congress must act now to restore fairness, such that Wall Street transactions of billions and trillions are taxed in a fashion not 
creating unfairness to the laboring man and woman.

Do you support the right of workers to organize, in any situation?

I support the right of workers to organize, to discuss organization, and if a majority agree to form a labor organization, then management should immediately begin a formal process that acknowledges and formally recognizes this process, while creating protections for workers who wish to organize.

What is your relationship to labor nationally and in your district?

I am in support of Organized Labor, nationally –and I believe that to be pro-Labor is to be pro-Family and furthermore pro-strong American Middle Class. A strong an engaged middle class is a bulwark of liberty, and of the "domestic tranquility" referred to in the Constitution.   I work on behalf of a plaintiffs’ firm which represents Union clients in securities fraud class-action suits, when union pension funds have been 
defrauded -- these unions include SEIU, UNITE-HERE, and others.

Do you have union endorsements and supporters in your district?

I have no union endorsements at this time. I will seek the endorsement of particular labor unions in the 
53rd District.

What is your approach to bringing communities "out of poverty"?

1)      Recognize the root causes of the poverty cycle in a specific community,  and address them with long-range programs

2)      Business incentive and job creation: most communities on borderline poverty are ready and willing 
to work. They lack the job training & access to capital -- which the wealthy often enjoy as a matter 
of birthright.

3)      Homeownership & foreclosure:  I support public & private partnerships in the community which assist at-risk homeowners who face late payment or mortgage default. The 2/28 and 3/27 ARM mortgages (called “subprime”) often result in rapidly increasing “balloon payments.” Default leads to foreclosure leads to neighborhood decay I support neighborhood which assist at-risk homeowners from predatory lending, and can save homeowners from foreclosure – programs in Chicago have 
been incredibly successful in this regard.

Would you support the legislation of the "out of poverty" caucus?

Yes. Poverty is an issue addressed through equitable and mandatory education standards, through investment in human capital across the country, and requires equitable taxation and healthcare support to achieve the goal. We all stand to gain if poverty is addressed honestly, and with moral force.

What efforts would you support to provide meaningful resources to Katrina survivors?

In 2005 and 2006, the United States government missed, (whether through negligence or by intention)  an incredibly important opportunity in the aftermath of the flooding and destruction of many lower Wards in 
New Orleans– to bring job skills and educational training to the poor communities of the Lower 9th Ward 
and elsewhere. Instead, the Federal Government sent FEMA trailers with toxic formaldehyde.   This does nothing to alleviate either acute or long-term issues.   Out of crisis, opportunity:  New Orleans residents, 
for example, could be right now working with groups like Rebuild Green to construct affordable and environmentally-sound housing in their own neighborhoods, “Green Collar” jobs.  Frequently all we need 
but do is “open the door” – and it is morally appalling that our government does not.

Do you support comprehensive and humane immigration reform as outlined above?

I do. 

Have you reached out to immigrant communities and advocates in your district?

I have established alliances with advocates who work for justice and represent groups of different ethnic identities.

4) Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections:

The U.S. election system is in crisis.  Not only are the usual corrupting factors of money and corporate lobbying as rampant as perhaps at any time in U.S. history, but the new millennium along with the fallout from the contested 2000 election - have ushered in a qualitative change in the conduct of our elections: Centuries of tradition in which citizens, government officials and Party representatives oversaw physical evidence of voter intent have fallen to the rise of the machines. This sea change, from paper to ephemeral electrons, brings much more than the implicit demand to trust the invisible: the move to computers means that 85% of America has ceded control of its elections to third-party vendors, whose legal claims regarding proprietary software bring corporate control of the entire voting process. PDA thus supports federal legislation that would ban the use of touch-screen (“DRE”) voting machines.

Will you pledge, if elected, to support only voting methods in which ballots are cast on paper?

The ballot of record must be defined not as the computer coordinates of the vote record, but the Paper Ballot.  I have been a long time advocate of auditable, verifiable elections, whether via hand-counted paper ballots at the Precinct, or other verifiable, auditable method, consistently employing Paper Ballots. 
I will lead the fight in Congress not for compromise solutions, but for simple and clear legislative reform – and I believe that it is imperative to restore Voter Trust and Confidence in our election systems. The well-documented irregularities of the elections of 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 demonstrate that vote suppression, and computerized tabulation, represent "clear and present dangers" to fair, transparent, and open democracy.

Do you pledge to support “Clean Money” public financing of public elections?

Yes.

“Clean Money” is part of important three-part reforms

1) sweeping campaign finance reform  (no bundling, lowered maximum individual contributions, matching public funds)

2) verifiable voting aka “paper ballots” (no computerized tabulation)  

3) fair redistricting, to end gerrymandering of absurd districts which are purely designed to promote incumbency.

All three areas require immediate action.

Would you accept public financing for your current campaign?

Yes – particularly upon demonstrating support within the community for my candidacy.

Do you support the restoration of voting rights to past felony offenders?

Yes. 

Do you support same-day voting registration?

Absolutely.

Would you oppose the onerous requirement of official photo identification before affording citizens access 
to the polls?

I oppose ID requirements at the polls.

Photo and “REAL-ID” requirements are designed to suppress voting among elderly and ethnic groups.

5) Environment/ Global Warming:

No issue reveals more clearly the flaws of the U.S. political-economic system than global warming - the dominance of greed and corporate power over the public good, and the nearsighted focus on the short-term over the welfare of 
future generations.  It is known that the U.S. has the natural resources to power the entire country solely from clean, “alternative” sources of power- whether with solar cells that would require a miniscule fraction of the California 
desert, or from wind turbines on the Great Plains and in the Great Lakes.  It has also often been said that we need a 
new Apollo Program for clean energy (if not Manhattan Project), in which science, industry and government would cooperate on a crash course to produce novel results in a limited period. Immediate action would include raising the 
auto fuel economy and impose mandatory caps on carbon pollution while investing in public transportation, energy conservation technologies and alternative energy development--in the process, creating new jobs, which pay well.

PDA calls on the Democratic majority in Congress to lead boldly in reducing our country's oil dependence and use of fossil fuels.

Will you pledge to take an uncompromising leadership role on legislation to enact the enormous changes 
and sacrifices that will be required to stem Global Warming?

Yes.

I plan to be in the vanguard of this legislation. Although sustainable energy and climate policy is often 
seen as “bad for business”  -- it is more apparent that it is merely “bad for ExxonMobil and Big Oil.”  
There are incredibly exciting job creation possibilities, “green collar” jobs, which we will implement in San Diego County area, and show the rest of the country (and doubters) that the transition to sustainable 
energy solutions will actually drive economic growth.

Will you pledge to enact an Apollo Program for clean energy?

I will fight to enact the “Apollo Alliance ” for renewable and sustainable energy. It all starts with simple 
and useful conservation measures.

What kind of personal vehicle do you currently drive? Is it rated ZEV, or PZEV?

My primary personal transportation is generally a shared carpool.  (I don’t know how that rates on ZEV scale)  My summer & fall transportation is frequently a bicycle, and public transportation for the rest.  During 2007, I challenged myself to reduce personal gasoline consumption by 50%, which I met, as well as 20% reduction in electricity, natural gas, and water.  It proved very possible with creative solutions. In Congress, I will champion national legislation that turns the same practical solutions into public policy.

Local Issue:

Blackwater has initiated the establishment a training camp in Potrero CA .  Congressman Bob Filner has come out in full opposition to this camp. 

What will you do specifically to support him in keeping Blackwater out of San Diego County ?

I will Stand Up with Bob Filner. All too frequently, the other Democratic Representative in San Diego  
county fails to stand up and speak out to the moral imperatives of our County, as Democrats, and as 
human beings.

I will fight for legislation, proposed by Filner and others, that bans the use of any land, public or private, for private military contractors (PMCs) such as Blackwater, DynCorp, Kroll, or others.  Private mercenary armies are inimical to freedom, much as Madison and others recognized in the late 1700s.

What is your position on using military contractors in our military actions abroad?

This is a very bad idea. 

The possibility arises that 1) private contractors are hired on a different pay scale, which is unfair to our troops 2) private contractors would be asked to perform task which escape the Geneva Conventions and oversight bodies including Congress and 3) that someday, somewhere, a contingent of private mercenaries might massacre innocent people at an intersection.

If Congress does not act forcefully to assert its oversight authority, such things could someday come to 
pass, and I would predict that the private companies involved would attempt to use some legal loophole to escape accountability.

In our cities, such as New Orleans ?

Strongly opposed.  Blackwater is the for-hire equivalent of the Brownshirts in Germany of the 1930s.

I recall that a for-hire mercenary in New Orleans related this story about encountering, and then gunning down Americans:  [The private security contractor] said he and his men were armed with AR-15s and 
Glocks and that they unleashed a barrage of bullets in the general direction of the alleged shooters on the overpass. "After that, all I heard was moaning and screaming, and the shooting stopped. That was it. 
Enough said."

On our border?

We can decide how to protect, police or defend our borders according to public law, and employing men and women who are accountable to public authorities.

Finance

Please estimate your campaign costs:

Primary Election: $12,000      General Election: $ unknown

How much money have you raised to date?

Approximately $6,200.  I have not yet engaged in directed fundraising, choosing to first work to establish myself as a viable progressive candidate -- and despite the lack of intentional fundraising, money has been donated from points across the political spectrum.  I am grateful and humbled to see this unsolicited outpouring. 

Please list independent expenditures that may impact your race:

My campaign will focus on voter outreach and education, with a large volunteer contingent.  I foresee printing and mailing costs to support my canvassing and field efforts. 

 __________________________________________         

  Candidate Endorsement Meeting Feb. 21 

            Hear the Candidates CA 50 and CA 52

            Giovanni's at 6pm Supper - 6:30 pm Registration - 7:00 pm Meeting 

            Here are the Candidates Responses!

                    CA 50

__________________________________________

Cheryl Ede - 

PDA Metro San Diego Chapter

2008 Endorsement Questionnaire

U. S. House of Representatives

Return to:                                                                     

Judy Hess                    judyhess@gmail.com                                     j.hess@cox.net  and
Diane Shamis              Field@pdamerica.org

  Please fill out this form if you are interested in pursuing an endorsement by PDA Metro San Diego Chapter. 
 We are part of Progressive Democrats of America, a nation- wide grassroots organization of 100,000 
members that works inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements for peace and justice.

  Please return this questionnaire by the deadline: Feb.14 , 2008.

  Altering or deleting the questions on this form may lead to disqualification.

  Please note that your answers on this questionnaire may be made public. If you need additional space to answer questions, please attach additional pages to the questionnaire.  If you have any questions regarding this questionnaire, please contact judyhess@gmail.com or call 619-421-6403.

Candidate and Campaign Information:

Candidate Name: Cheryl Martin Ede

  Address:  5210 Harbour Heights Court

  City, State, Zip:  San Diego, CA 92109  

E-mail Address:  cmede@san.rr.com

  Office for which you are running:  Congress – CA 50th district

  Date of Election:  June 3, 2008

  Registered Political Party:  Democratic Party

  Campaign Manager: Ken Lindeneau  Phone: (619) 417-9244       Fax: __________________Campaign Consultant: ____________ Phone:  ___________  Fax: _________________

  Campaign Address: 5210 Harbour Heights Ct. ., San Diego, CA 92109

List endorsements from organizations and/or individuals:  

  Tricia Baker, Tyler Baker, Lori Brubeck, Linda Collier, Toni Davies, Marette Esperance, Pam Evans, Melissa Ford, Harry Markowitz, Ed Neete, John Olson, Joan Rich, Deborah Roon, John Theroux,

  I am seeking endorsement of the Democratic Party, the California Teachers’ Association, San Diego Education Association, and the San Diego Labor Council. 

How would you describe yourself politically (i.e. progressive; moderate democrat, etc.)?

Progressive Democrat

List elective or political party offices you have held, including committee appointments:

I am the SDEA Association Representative for the San Diego Unified School District’s school psychologists.

  What is your primary occupation?

School and clinical psychologist

  Why are you running for Congress?  (100 word limit)

I want the U.S. to be a more positive force in the world, with renewable energy technology products surpassing our exports of weapons.  I want to end U.S. military domination of the earth, which creates enemies, wars, debts, and needlessly risks young military men and women’s lives. I support universal health care and stem-cell research, which promises a healthier and more robust people. I support 
comprehensive and core economic solutions to poverty, illegal immigration and the growing disparity 
between the richest and poorest.  I want Congress to reclaim its Constitutional responsibilities to the 
people.

Issues Specific to Office:

What experiences have prepared you to run for Congress? 

  My life experiences have prepared me.  As a young adult, I was interested in serving our country, inspired by the ideals of the Peace Corps.  I was interested in history and in becoming a foreign services officer.  I entered the work force as a history teacher in public education, and began a master’s program in history.  The loss of a loved one on Memorial Day, at the end of my first year of teaching, changed my course.  Rocky Edmondson was shot down in North Vietnam, along with seven other crew members; he became an MIA, and his remains were never found.  This led me to examine more critically the actions and priorities of our presidents and members of Congress.  This loss, along with the tragedies of the assassinations of John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, led me to a more introspective career as a psychologist.

  My introspective path, rather than the initial world-oriented career, helped me develop personal strengths that uniquely qualify me for Congress.  Especially helpful are the years of personal analysis psychologists are recommended to undergo, so our own issues do not interfere with helping our clients.  It may be why I can deal with information without being overwhelmed by grief or anger, as it is painful, for example, to watch what we have done in Iraq.  In the spirit of diversity, my psychologist and social-scientist perspective will be a good addition to the numerous attorney perspectives we already have.  As a school psychologist, I have learned about bullying behavior--it is a prevalent problem in our schools; I anticipate it may occur in Congress. The tactics of bullying are the same whether done by an 8-year-old, or a 58 year-old.  I recognize these tactics, and have the emotional stamina to deal appropriately with them. 

  The political activism events I initiated, during and immediately after the 2004 Kerry campaign, demonstrate my leadership and problem-solving abilities. (See below: ‘Have you participated in events… opposing the Iraq war?’)

  The years of experience in the public schools of San Diego County, including the 50th district, translate into an awareness of the major struggles and obstacles facing children and their families.  Whatever the issue, I know a particular child and family impacted by that issue, and will be guided by the experiences of real individuals.  I will not forget the human faces.

  If you receive the endorsement of Progressive Democrats of America, how do you intend to use it?

Add the information to my web site and to literature I distribute during my campaign.

Please list the top three issues on which you will take leadership if elected:

1) Reclaim Congressional oversight into (a) the budgets of the Defense Department and CIA, and (b) the size and number of military bases and outposts throughout the world, charted by where oil is located, and (c) the global CIA activities.

  2) Support legislation to jump start the alternative and renewable energy industries to combat global warming, create jobs, and inspire a new innovative period in U.S. history.  This works hand in hand with the number one issue, as the less we rely on oil, the less pressure to establish military outposts all over the globe, freeing taxpayer dollars that are sorely need.

  3) Work to support universal health care for all; concomitantly, work to support stem-cell research, which offers promise to people throughout the world for healthier futures.

  Do you agree with Congress’ decision to reauthorize the Patriot Act?  No. 

Why or why not?        Congress has given too much authority and privilege, and allowed too much secrecy to the executive branch.  This reduces the separation of powers and contributes to an imperial presidency.  Secrecy breeds corruption.

  If elected, which committee(s) would you prefer to serve on and why?

The Committee on Armed Services; The Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. 

These committees address the first two priorities.  With money saved by creating a friendlier, rather than hostile approach to the world, U.S. taxpayers will have funds available for health care and other pressing needs.

Federal  Issues:

1) Iraq :
PDA supports an immediate start to a rapid and complete withdrawal from Iraq of all troops and military 
contractors, and has championed legislation that would withhold funding for any other military purpose there. 
In addition, PDA believes that the U.S. must revise its strategy for the region by removing these forces from the
Mideast entirely, rather than just "redeploying" them within the region. PDA advocates a shift in U.S. foreign 
policy from reckless unilateralism toward cooperation and diplomacy--so that people of other countries know 
us more by our helping hand than our slugging arm. Furthermore, PDA supports the redirecting of resources 
allocated for military spending to human needs.

Will you pledge to support such immediate and total withdrawal from Iraq of the military forces, including supporting legislation towards this goal?

Yes.  Withdrawal includes no permanent U.S. military bases or outposts in Iraq.

I also would not approve the sale of $20 billion worth of weapons that the Bush administration announced (January 15, 2008) it would make to Saudi Arabia, confident of getting congressional approval.  The country that spawned Osama bin Laden, the country that was home to most of those who attacked us on September 11, 2001, should not get $20 billion dollars worth of our finest weapons.  This leaves taxpayers burdened with paying for the upgrade for weapons to outdo those sold.  All of us must wonder, is there another Saudi who wants to harm us, who may get his hands on those weapons?

In addition, will you forswear any preemptive military attacks upon any nation?

 Absolutely!  This is my priority! I am inspired by the memory of one dead U.S. Air Force officer, who represents, to me, thousands of other needlessly dead young men and women, who served in the U.S. 
Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Army, and the National Guard and Reserves.  He 
also represents, to me, future young people who will die if we continue to dominate the world militarily, 
and create enemies in the process.  No one should be asked by the Commander in Chief nor authorized 
by Congress (either through its Constitutional power to declare war or its authorization of war powers to 
the president) to go to war and put his or her life on the line, unless it is for the defense of our country.  
The standard for those with decision-making powers must be:  “Are conditions so dire that my son, 
daughter, grandson, or granddaughter must risk his or her life to save our country?”

Will you commit to fully support investigations into the White House's false claims justifying the invasion
of Iraq , and would you support impeachment of Bush, Cheney and other administration officials for these and other high crimes?

  Yes!  Below is a letter I sent to my representative and Senators and to the major media

  Dear ______:

  The future of the U.S. and the world must be separated from President Bush’s fate and place in history.  What is good for the U.S. and the world is not the same as what is good for President Bush’s place in history. The first step to bring peace to Iraq is to follow our Constitution and hold the president responsible for his actions.  Then, we must apologize to Iraqis for the wrongdoings we perpetrated on them.  Finally, the U.S. must reach out to the international community and truly mean we will help Iraq form a stable government, without establishing permanent military bases in their country.

  Our greatest generation is being followed by our most gullible, easily duped generation.  History will judge not only this president and his administration, but Americans who allowed one of the world’s greatest travesties to occur without investigating events, seeking justice, or holding anyone responsible.  Congress must fulfill its constitutional obligation to investigate fully the deceptions that led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, investigate fully the planning and management of Iraq after the U.S. invasion, debate and determine the way out of our military involvement in Iraq, and support political and international efforts to bring peace to the region.  If warranted by Congress’ investigation, President Bush and Vice-President Cheney must be impeached.  To do otherwise would allow a great injustice to be met with silence. 

  Because of President Bush’s determination to get Saddam Hussein, thousands of innocent people have been killed, beginning with the pulverization of the wrong people in the first aerial bombing of Baghdad. The greatest of President Bush’s deceptions was that if we did not invade Iraq, Americans, and the world, would see a “mushroom cloud” from Iraq’s nuclear attack on us.  The fact that Saddam Hussein must have a delivery system for this supposed nuclear weapon was not addressed by anyone in authority. The fact that our nuclear experts in the Department of Energy had negated the idea that Saddam Hussein had nuclear capability was not factored into decisions made by our leaders.  Proof of President Bush’s deceptions comes in the form of polls showing a large percentage of Americans, for many years, had their facts wrong regarding who was responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001—because they listened to and believed the president. 

  No one with power willingly gives it up; rather, power must be wrested from the powerful.  It is time American citizens and Congress act responsibly and assume their legitimate power.  Not holding this president and vice-president responsible for their actions is unconscionable.  This stance, in essence, expresses the idea that it is too complicated and complex to follow the Constitution at this moment in our history, so we will set it aside.  Without impeachment proceedings, the public is robbed of a confrontation with facts that would be revealed in hearings--facts that would serve as our common knowledge, from which we would begin to problem solve. Impeachment will correct our course at home, allow us to apologize to Iraqis for the wrong we perpetrated on them, and help us reach out to the international community and truly mean that we will help Iraq form a stable government, without establishing permanent military bases in their country. 

  Until Congress addresses these complex and core issues, we are in danger of allowing President Bush to proceed with a policy that projects hostility toward many in the world, further escalating the possibility of future wars.  To focus and fund war at the expense of diplomacy, international relations, conflict resolution and peace is wrong.  Our permanent military bases throughout the world fuel the fires of terrorism, and recruit more enemies of the U.S., that our young people must fight for and die.  The problem of global warming alone provides an opportunity for all peoples of the world to work together to save our planet for future humans.  Congress must carry out its constitutional obligations now.

  Sincerely,

  Cheryl Ede

5210 Harbour Heights Ct. San Diego, CA 92109

Have you participated in or spoken at any events, demonstrations, meetings or teach-ins opposing the Iraq war and occupation?

Yes!

  Have you organized any such events?

Yes!  My volunteer work in the 2004 Kerry campaign was prompted by President Bush’s preemptive war in Iraq—‘we have to go to war to prevent war’—combined with Kerry’s words as a young man:  “How do 
you ask the last man to die for a mistake?”

  I also initiated a separate project inspired by an investigative report published in the New York Times 
on October 3, 2004, which WAS NOT REPORTED IN THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE! The 
report stated our nuclear experts in the Department of Energy (well before the invasion and before 
President Bush’s references to a “mushroom cloud”) rejected the idea that Saddam Hussein had nuclear capability. The same Department of Energy experts were prohibited from reporting their conclusion to 
the public or press, under the guise that if Saddam Hussein knew their conclusion, he would know what 
to say to the U.N. weapons inspectors.  This may be the origin of truthiness! 

  Using shared e-mail lists of Kerry supporters, I forwarded a letter outlining some of the N.Y.Times’ 
major findings, asked for help in publishing it via the purchase of an ad in the U-T (to insure readers 
would be informed prior to the election), and collected $2740 to pay for the ad. The letter, signed by 48 individuals, appeared in the Sunday paper, October 31, 2004.  The Union-Tribune took our money, and 
hid our message amongst ads for paint, spas and carpets.  The letter is on my web site on the “political activism” page.

  A small consolation for me was the San Diego City Beat named me in its Champs and Chumps’ column 
the following week.  I was the champ because I attempted to inform San Diegans; Roger Hedgecock was 
the chump, because he rallied his listeners to complain so the public library would not show Michael 
Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 prior to the election.

  After the election, I organized a protest of the San Diego Union-Tribune, as our representative of the “free-press,” during the Ohio recount of the 2004 presidential election.  The mass media, including the 
U-T,  DID NOT REPORT ON THE OHIO RECOUNT!  I also contacted local television stations, so 
the event was covered on the evening news.  I was written up in the San Diego City Beat again.  
Protesters signed a letter to the Los Angeles Times, copied and delivered to the San Diego 
Union-Tribune on the day of the protest, asking the Times to consider, once again, opening a San 
Diego branch of the Los Angeles Times.     

2) Health Care:
There are over 46 million uninsured people living in America, the majority of which are working Americans. Every year, nearly 18,000 people die unnecessarily as a direct result of their lack of health insurance. Millions, with health insurance, maintain inadequate, overly expensive coverage and face the peril of denials of claims or termination of benefits if a family member becomes seriously ill--one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the U.S. While spending twice as much on health care as any other industrialized country, our system performs poorly, spending more money for less coverage, maximizing profits by finding ways to deny care. The private insurance bureaucracy expends one-third of health care money on waste, administrative paperwork, advertising and corporate profits. The current Medicare program for senior citizens spends under 4% of its budget for its overhead costs. Meanwhile, poor health, escalating health insurance premiums and spiraling health care costs impair our economy and job creation in the U.S.

PDA has endorsed HR 676, the National Health Insurance/"Expanded and Improved Medicare-for-All" Act. To guarantee comprehensive health care for all, PDA supports the replacement of the current profit-driven system, publicly financed, privately provided health care program. This "Medicare for All" national plan would save more than $350 billion per year, enough new money to provide guaranteed comprehensive health care for all. This system would insure portable and uniform benefits regardless of income. With no deductibles or co-pays, this plan would encourage preventive care and restore a doctor and patient controlled health care system affording choice of providers and fair, publicly negotiated payment for both treatment and medication.

  What is your approach to the health care crisis?

  My approach is that our health care system needs a major overhaul, as it puts the profits of some corporations above the health of our citizens.

  I decided to run for office in November 2007, after Bilbray did not vote to override the president’s veto 
of the Children’s Health Care Initiative.  I need to look no further than my family to know our nation has 
a health-care crisis.  Both of my nieces have serious health problems.  If you are a single-income parent, 
such as my niece Gina, and you get diabetes, your medical expenses will skyrocket—especially if you 
are unlucky enough to have a kidney stone attack that requires urgent medical attention.  It will be impossible for you to stay in the black.  My niece Kelsa was fortunate to have an attorney in the family, otherwise her health insurance company may have continued to refuse to pay for the back surgery her 
doctor recommended and her father paid for, so the doctor would perform the needed surgery.  Gina is an associate professor in the mass communication department at Oklahoma State University; Kelsa is a registered nurse. What happens to people who are not as highly educated, who don’t have health 
insurance, or don’t have families to back them up?

  What is your view of Guaranteed Health Care through an Expanded and Improved Medicare-for-All system?

 I favor considering this as a viable solution to our health-care crisis.

  If elected, would you support a publicly financed, privately provided national health care program, which insures access to comprehensive health care for all in the U.S.?

  Yes.

  Would you support a not-for-profit, doctor-patient controlled system which would eliminate the private health insurance industry (with protection for eliminated workers) as the intermediary determining access and the level of care?

  Yes.

  Would you support the government's ability to negotiate fair prices for treatment as well as drugs, as it does for those covered by the Veteran's Administration's plan?

  Yes.

3) Economic Justice:
The current generation has seen unprecedented levels of economic disparity, both among individuals (the richest 1% of Americans own almost 35% of all wealth; the bottom half, only 2.5%) and in the ratio of CEO pay to employee wages.Thirty-seven million people (equal to the population of California) are living in poverty in the U.S. These immoral levels of poverty, which disproportionate impact communities of color and women, can be significantly reduced through concerned legislative effort - including a living wage for all workers, expanded earned income tax credits, childcare assistance and housing vouchers. Specifically, the federal government must fulfill its promise of resources to Hurricane Katrina survivors so they can return to rebuild their communities in the Gulf Coast.

Tax burdens on the middle class can be eased if the wealthy pay their share. In addition to working to roll back Bush's tax breaks for the wealthy, PDA endorses the Equity in Income Act, limiting the amount of CEO compensation afforded federal corporate tax deductions. In emphatically supporting the workers' right to organize,  we also endorse the Employee Free Choice Act, which establishes unions in any workplace where a majority of workers sign union cards to join. In the global arena,  PDA supports anti-sweatshop legislation and fair trade agreements which protect workers' rights as well as the environment, while opposing wage-reducing "free trade" agreements that protect only corporate rights to exploit unprotected labor. PDA also advocates for humane and comprehensive immigration reform, which insures a fair, attainable path to citizenship and the rights of undocumented workers in the workplace, affirming the dignity and integrity of immigrant families.

What is your position on "Fair Trade" versus "Free Trade" agreements?

  I favor “Fair Trade” agreements, as well as a new look at our current trade agreements.

  Will you have pledge to reverse the tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans?

Yes, I agree with Warren Buffett.

  Do you support the right of workers to organize, in any situation?

Yes.

What is your relationship to labor nationally and in your district?

I am a member of a local educators’ association, the San Diego Education Association, as well as the California Teachers’ Association, and the National Education Association.  I am the SDEA Association Representative for the 140 school psychologists employed in the San Diego Unified School District. 

Do you have union endorsements and supporters in your district?  

I am seeking an endorsement by my association, CTA and the San Diego County Labor Council.

What is your approach to bringing communities "out of poverty"?

Health care reform is an important component of bringing people “out of poverty.”  Education and job training, including vocational training, are necessary for public school students, and also for adults.  Small businesses, that meet the needs and demands of the local community, can contribute greatly to providing job opportunities that offer a viable alternative to the lure of gangs and drugs that affect too many young people who have a sense of hopelessness about their futures. Starting a new age of innovation--with the renewable and alternative energy industry and stem-cell research in the lead--will create jobs and bright futures for many.

Would you support the legislation of the "out of poverty" caucus?

Yes

What efforts would you support to provide meaningful resources to Katrina survivors?

My response to bringing communities “out of poverty,” applies to Katrina survivors.  In addition, the engineering and environmental issues evidenced by the Katrina disaster must be addressed.  The work necessary to make corrections and rebuild homes and businesses should be open to Katrina survivors who have the necessary skills or the ability to learn them.

Do you support comprehensive and humane immigration reform as outlined above?

Yes

Have you reached out to immigrant communities and advocates in your district?

  Not yet - my outreach is in its infancy. I will not support legislation that targets the poor people of Mexico as scapegoats for all of our nation’s economic and job ills. 

  The illegal immigration problem is analogous to the Bush administration’s stance on torture—i.e., on the one hand “we do not torture,” but on the other hand, we do.  Regarding illegal immigration, we do not allow illegal immigration; on the other hand, when businesses need cheap labor, we do.

4) Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections:

The U.S. election system is in crisis. Not only are the usual corrupting factors of money and corporate lobbying as rampant as perhaps at any time in U.S. history, but the new millennium – along with the fallout from the contested 2000 election - have ushered in a qualitative change in the conduct of our elections: Centuries of tradition in which citizens, government officials and Party representatives oversaw physical evidence of voter intent have fallen to the rise of the machines. This sea change, from paper to ephemeral electrons, brings much more than the implicit demand to trust the invisible: the move to computers means that 85% of America has ceded control of its elections to third-party vendors, whose legal claims regarding proprietary software bring corporate control of the entire voting process. PDA thus supports federal legislation that would ban the use of touch-screen (“DRE”) voting machines.

Will you pledge, if elected, to support only voting methods in which ballots are cast on paper?

Absolutely!

Do you pledge to support “Clean Money” public financing of public elections?

Yes.  I look forward to the day when members of Congress are chosen for the content of their character, rather than the size of their war chests.

Would you accept public financing for your current campaign?

Yes, I would very much welcome it!

Do you support the restoration of voting rights to past felony offenders?

Yes!

Do you support same-day voting registration?

Yes.

Would you oppose the onerous requirement of official photo identification before affording citizens access to the polls?

Yes.  Official photos are especially problematic for some citizens, such as homeless people, who want to vote.

5) Environment/ Global Warming:
No issue reveals more clearly the flaws of the U.S. political-economic system than global warming - the dominance of greed and corporate power over the public good, and the near-sighted focus on the short-term over the welfare of future generations. It is known that the U.S. has the natural resources to power the entire country solely from clean, “alternative” sources of power- whether with solar cells that would require a miniscule fraction of the California desert, or from wind turbines on the Great Plains and in the Great Lakes. It has also often been said that we need a new Apollo Program for clean energy (if not Manhattan Project), in which science, industry and government would cooperate on a crash course to produce novel results in a limited period. Immediate action would include raising the auto fuel economy and impose mandatory caps on carbon pollution while investing in public transportation, energy conservation technologies and alternative energy development--in the process, creating new jobs which pay well. .

PDA calls on the Democratic majority in Congress to lead boldly in reducing our country's oil dependence and use of fossil fuels.

Will you pledge to take an uncompromising leadership role on legislation to enact the enormous changes and sacrifices that will be required to stem Global Warming?

Absolutely!  Please see above statements.

Will you pledge to enact an Apollo Program for clean energy?

Yes! Please see above statements.

  What kind of personal vehicle do you currently drive? Is it rated ZEV, or  PZEV?

I currently drive a 1998 Buick Royale, and will be driving a Smart car.  Last year, my husband and I made a deposit so that we will be one of 30,000 who will get one; ours is blue.

You did not ask about solar energy—we are in the process of installing solar panels so that our use of electricity will be greatly reduced.

Local Issue:

Blackwater has initiated the establishment a training camp in Potrero CA.  Congressman Bob Filner has come out in full opposition to this camp. 

What will you do specifically to support him in keeping Blackwater out of San Diego County? 

Support his efforts to organize pressure on the County Board of Supervisors to honor the wishes of the local community and not allow Blackwater to build a training camp in Potrero.

What is your position on using military contractors in our military actions abroad?

  I am opposed to outsourcing military activities.

  In our cities, such as New Orleans ?

  Military contractors should not be rebuilding New Orleans.  The people of New Orleans who are in need of jobs should be the first to be considered to rebuild their city and communities.

  On our border? 

  The Border Patrol should be used to enforce our laws, not military contractors.

  Finance:

  Please estimate your campaign costs:

  Unknown at this time.  My campaign is based on the grapevine method.  I have many supporters, both friends and work colleagues, who are sending my web site to friends and family members in the 50th district.  I have lived in Pacific Beach since 1976, and have a wide friendship circle throughout the 50th district because I belonged to a running club for many years. Runners are energetic people!  Although I am fundraising, I am more interested in people voting for me.  I am reaching out to Republican friends and neighbors from the outset, and plan to attend many ‘meet-the-candidate’ events.  I have begun to attend Democratic Club meetings within the 50th district, and will continue this effort until the primary election is over.  This will provide an opportunity to become acquainted with members.

My campaign expenses include yard signs and “static clings” (decals that attach to the inside of a rear car window, using no adhesive).  The message on both:  CherylEdeForCongress.org. 

This will allow for name recognition, and others will learn about me via my web site, which is very comprehensive.  My web site contains links to other information, and is not all about me.  The web site exemplifies my aspiration, expressed beautifully by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of “Love in the Time of Cholera,” in describing his late friend, Frank del Olmo, associate editor of the Los Angeles Times:  “He did journalism without pause, enslaved by the certainty that the world would be better as long as we faced it.”  That is my message—it is time we faced the world, and I can lead the way.

  Primary Election:  I have purchased yard signs and “static cling” decals so far.  General Election:  ___________

  How much money have you raised to date?  I have just begun fundraising efforts, and only recently informed friends, who want to contribute, that I am ready to receive contributions.  My first rally is Saturday, February 16, 2008.

 
 Please list independent expenditures that may impact your race:

None known at this time.

___________________________________________Ni  Nick Liebham -  

* (Nick's original submission in two documents below this conforming questionnaire  Nick
did not conform to National requirements, and did not answer a number of questions  -  I (Judy Hess)
had to plug his answers into the national  format (directly below) for publication on the national 
website as best I could.   Nick contacted me indicating that he did not feel the way it was reformatted made a fair representation of his answers, so at his request, I've also posted his submission as received.  It is below this document.)

Please be sure to scroll below his documents to read CA 52 Candidate Vickie Butcher's responses

I take full responsibility for the decision to publish the original responses, and I apologize for any inconvenience.

PDA Metro San Diego Chapter

2008 Endorsement Questionnaire

U. S. House of Representatives

Return to:                                                                     

Judy Hess                    judyhess@gmail.com

                                    j.hess@cox.net  and

  Diane Shamis              Field@pdamerica.org

  Please fill out this form if you are interested in pursuing an endorsement by PDA Metro San Diego Chapter.  We are part of Progressive Democrats of America, a nation- wide grassroots organization of 100,000 members that works inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements for peace and justice.

  Please return this questionnaire by the deadline: Feb.14 , 2008.

  Altering or deleting the questions on this form may lead to disqualification.

  Please note that your answers on this questionnaire may be made public. If you need additional space to answer questions, please attach additional pages to the questionnaire.  If you have any questions regarding this questionnaire, please contact judyhess@gmail.com or call 619-421-6403.

Candidate and Campaign Information:

Candidate Name: _ Nick Leibham
Address:  2240 Encinitas Blvd., Ste D-111
City, State, Zip:  Encinitas, CA 92024

  E-mail Address:  nick@picknick08.com

  Office for which you are running:  US Congress, 50th District of California

  Date of Election:  June 3rd, 2008

  Registered Political Party:  Democrat

  Campaign Manager: Alec Evans  Phone: 858-427-4804

Fax: __________________

  Campaign Consultant: ____________ Phone:  ___________  Fax: _________________

Campaign Address: 2240 Encinitas Blvd Ste D-111 Encinitas, CA 92024

  List endorsements from organizations and/or individuals:  

How would you describe yourself politically (i.e. progressive; moderate democrat, etc.)?

List elective or political party offices you have held, including committee appointments:

What is your primary occupation?

  Practicing attorney here in San Diego ’s North County .

  Why are you running for Congress?  (100 word limit)

I am running for Congress because I was asked by the community that I live in to once again enter 
public service. This is a critical time, a time to renew the vision and promise of the Founding Fathers.

Issues Specific to Office:

What experiences have prepared you to run for Congress? 

Nick is a practicing attorney here in San Diego’s North County. He’s your neighbor and a contributing 
member of our community. Born and raised in Oregon, he attended college in Hawaii. Upon graduating 
Nick felt the calling of the classroom; graduating cum laude with a B.A. in Political and Historical Studies,
 Nick felt right at home teaching high school Government and U.S. History. “The thrill of seeing kids learn is indescribable. I will always treasure my classroom time”, Nick has often been heard saying.

Wanting to see American Democracy up close, Nick then went to our nations Capital. There he became a senior Congressional aide to Congressman Gary Ackerman (NY). Working for a leading member of the Congress who was assigned to the International Relations and Banking Committees, Nick studied at the 
knee of legislative giants. At one time or another, Nick's portfolio included foreign affairs, economic development, tax issues and trade policy. "Working with Congressman Ackerman to relocate Balkan area refugees fleeing ethnic cleansing was extraordinarily rewarding. I also had the chance to assist many small businesses. Helping American business people and seeing them actually go away with a smile on their face 
was a highlight for me."

Nick moved to San Diego in order to attend the University of San Diego's law and business schools. There 
he graduated with both his Law degree and a Masters Degree in Business Administration in three years. Called again to public service, Nick became a Criminal Law Clerk at the Department of Justice, United 
States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. There he was assigned to the major frauds 
and economic crimes section and aided federal prosecutorial and investigative teams as they probed Metabolife and Peregrine.

Continuing to serve the public, Nick next went to work for the City Attorney of San Diego as a Criminal Prosecutor. There he reviewed, charged, arraigned and went to trial on hundreds of criminal matters, including; weapons and drug possession, burglary, domestic violence, child abuse, forgery and fraud in 
public contracting. "The duty of a prosecutor is seeking the truth. Those in law enforcement have a sacred obligation not only to protect our communities and punish wrongdoing, but to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law." Nick believes in our Constitution and its guarantees of due process and equal protection.

“I am running for Congress because I was asked by the community that I live in to once again enter public service. This is a critical time, a time to renew the vision and promise of the Founding Fathers."

If you receive the endorsement of Progressive Democrats of America, how do you intend to use it?

Please list the top three issues on which you will take leadership if elected:

Do you agree with Congress’ decision to reauthorize the Patriot Act? 

Why or why not?       

If elected, which committee(s) would you prefer to serve on and why?

Federal  Issues:

1) Iraq :
PDA supports an immediate start to a rapid and complete withdrawal from Iraq of all troops and military contractors, and has championed legislation that would withhold funding for any other military purpose there. In addition, PDA believes that the U.S. must revise its strategy for the region by removing these forces from the Mideast entirely, rather than just "redeploying" them within the region. PDA advocates a shift in U.S. foreign policy from reckless unilateralism toward cooperation and diplomacy--so that people of other countries know us more by our helping hand than our slugging arm. Furthermore, PDA supports the redirecting of resources allocated for military spending to human needs.

Will you pledge to support such immediate and total withdrawal from Iraq of the military forces, including supporting legislation towards this goal?

Each and every day that we remain in Iraq we compromise our national security that much further. I 
support a timely and responsible withdrawal from Iraq. The amount of money that we have spent in Iraq 
has hit $500 BILLION! That equates to…$275 million per day and $4,100 per household. I believe that 
money should have been spent providing health care to all American citizens; repairing our crumbling infrastructure, and; shoring up Social Security and Medicare.  

In addition, will you forswear any preemptive military attacks upon any nation?

Will you commit to fully support investigations into the White House's false claims justifying the invasion of Iraq , and would you support impeachment of Bush, Cheney and other administration officials for these and other high crimes?

Have you participated in or spoken at any events, demonstrations, meetings or teach-ins opposing the Iraq war and occupation?

Have you organized any such events?

2) Health Care:
There are over 46 million uninsured people living in America, the majority of which are working Americans. Every year, nearly 18,000 people die unnecessarily as a direct result of their lack of health insurance. Millions, with health insurance, maintain inadequate, overly expensive coverage and face the peril of denials of claims or termination of benefits if a family member becomes seriously ill--one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the U.S. While spending twice as much on health care as any other industrialized country, our system performs poorly, spending more money for less coverage, maximizing profits by finding ways to deny care. The private insurance bureaucracy expends one-third of health care money on waste, administrative paperwork, advertising and corporate profits. The current Medicare program for senior citizens spends under 4% of its budget for its overhead costs. Meanwhile, poor health, escalating health insurance premiums and spiraling health care costs impair our economy and job creation in the U.S.

  PDA has endorsed HR 676, the National Health Insurance/"Expanded and Improved Medicare-for-All" Act. To guarantee comprehensive health care for all, PDA supports the replacement of the current profit-driven system, publicly financed, privately provided health care program. This "Medicare for All" national plan would save more than $350 billion per year, enough new money to provide guaranteed comprehensive health care for all. This system would insure portable and uniform benefits regardless of income. With no deductibles or co-pays, this plan would encourage preventive care and restore a doctor and patient controlled health care system affording choice of providers and fair, publicly negotiated payment for both treatment and medication.

What is your approach to the health care crisis?

I believe that every American family should have access to a family doctor of their choosing. We can and 
must make this a reality! Concrete steps can be taken to move in that direction. First, the health care 
industry must adopt information technology. This will steam line operations, cut down on medical errors 
and help ferret out abuse and fraud. Secondly, the United States government must use its bargaining 
power to secure the best deals from the pharmaceutical industry. Every other major industrial power does it and we must stop corporations from controlling the negotiations. Lastly, we must rein in the insurance companies & HMO’s concerning catastrophic care and/or end of life treatment. We spend an 
overwhelming majority of our health care dollars on the last year of life. Insurance companies & HMO’s 
should not be allowed to collect years worth of premiums and then abandon American families during those closing days.

What is your view of Guaranteed Health Care through an Expanded and Improved Medicare-for-All system?

If elected, would you support a publicly financed, privately provided national health care program, which insures access to comprehensive health care for all in the U.S.?

Would you support a not-for-profit, doctor-patient controlled system which would eliminate the private health insurance industry (with protection for eliminated workers) as the intermediary determining access and the level of care?

Would you support the government's ability to negotiate fair prices for treatment as well as drugs, as it does for those covered by the Veteran's Administration's plan?

3) Economic Justice:
The current generation has seen unprecedented levels of economic disparity, both among individuals (the richest 1% of Americans own almost 35% of all wealth; the bottom half, only 2.5%) and in the ratio of CEO pay to employee wages.Thirty-seven million people (equal to the population of California) are living in poverty in the U.S. These immoral levels of poverty, which disproportionate impact communities of color and women, can be significantly reduced through concerned legislative effort - including a living wage for all workers, expanded earned income tax credits, childcare assistance and housing vouchers. Specifically, the federal government must fulfill its promise of resources to Hurricane Katrina survivors so they can return to rebuild their communities in the Gulf Coast.

 Tax burdens on the middle class can be eased if the wealthy pay their share. In addition to working to roll back Bush's tax breaks for the wealthy, PDA endorses the Equity in Income Act, limiting the amount of CEO compensation afforded federal corporate tax deductions. In emphatically supporting the workers' right to organize,  we also endorse the Employee Free Choice Act, which establishes unions in any workplace where a majority of workers sign union cards to join. In the global arena,  PDA supports anti-sweatshop legislation and fair trade agreements which protect workers' rights as well as the environment, while opposing wage-reducing "free trade" agreements that protect only corporate rights to exploit unprotected labor. PDA also advocates for humane and comprehensive immigration reform, which insures a fair, attainable path to citizenship and the rights of undocumented workers in the workplace, affirming the dignity and integrity of immigrant families.

What is your position on "Fair Trade" versus "Free Trade" agreements?

I support “fair trade” agreements that take into account America’s interests and values. Much like 
Senator Sherrod Brown, I oppose fast track authority for the President. As a practicing attorney, I find 
the statute in question to be Constitutionally dubious and an infringement upon the Legislative chamber’s prerogatives.

Will you have pledge to reverse the tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans?

All American’s should pay their fair share of taxes. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once famously 
quipped that taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society…and that includes the wealthy.

Do you support the right of workers to organize, in any situation?

What is your relationship to labor nationally and in your district?

Do you have union endorsements and supporters in your district?  

What is your approach to bringing communities "out of poverty"?

Would you support the legislation of the "out of poverty" caucus?

What efforts would you support to provide meaningful resources to Katrina survivors?

Do you support comprehensive and humane immigration reform as outlined above?

Have you reached out to immigrant communities and advocates in your district?

4) Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections:

The U.S. election system is in crisis. Not only are the usual corrupting factors of money and corporate lobbying as rampant as perhaps at any time in U.S. history, but the new millennium – along with the fallout from the contested 2000 election - have ushered in a qualitative change in the conduct of our elections: Centuries of tradition in which citizens, government officials and Party representatives oversaw physical evidence of voter intent have fallen to the rise of the machines. This sea change, from paper to ephemeral electrons, brings much more than the implicit demand to trust the invisible: the move to computers means that 85% of America has ceded control of its elections to third-party vendors, whose legal claims regarding proprietary software bring corporate control of the entire voting process. PDA thus supports federal legislation that would ban the use of touch-screen (“DRE”) voting machines.

Will you pledge, if elected, to support only voting methods in which ballots are cast on paper?

Do you pledge to support “Clean Money” public financing of public elections?

In my estimation the ONLY way to bring about fundamental change is to move to a publicly financed 
campaign system. If you wish to change American democracy whole cloth, you must be willing to say that money does not equate to speech. If you wish to engage in a real dialogue about universal health care, 
you must remove the millions of dollars that the HMO's and insurance lobby put to work via 
Congressional campaigns. If we as a society wish to embrace a real and sustainable agenda concerning 
energy policy and the environment, we must say to Exxon-Mobile, B.P. and the rest of the fossil fuel 
industry that they do not get to distort the process with outsized campaign contributions. If we ever 
intend on fundamentally changing our military/foreign policy (and procurement), the only way that this 
will be accomplished is to rein in Boeing, McDonald Douglas, Raytheon and their supporting companies.

Would you accept public financing for your current campaign?

Do you support the restoration of voting rights to past felony offenders?

Do you support same-day voting registration?

Would you oppose the onerous requirement of official photo identification before affording citizens access to the polls?

5) Environment/ Global Warming:
No issue reveals more clearly the flaws of the U.S. political-economic system than global warming - the dominance of greed and corporate power over the public good, and the near-sighted focus on the short-term over the welfare of future generations. It is known that the U.S. has the natural resources to power the entire country solely from clean, “alternative” sources of power- whether with solar cells that would require a miniscule fraction of the California desert, or from wind turbines on the Great Plains and in the Great Lakes. It has also often been said that we need a new Apollo Program for clean energy (if not Manhattan Project), in which science, industry and government would cooperate on a crash course to produce novel results in a limited period. Immediate action would include raising the auto fuel economy and impose mandatory caps on carbon pollution while investing in public transportation, energy conservation technologies and alternative energy development--in the process, creating new jobs which pay well. .

PDA calls on the Democratic majority in Congress to lead boldly in reducing our country's oil dependence and use of fossil fuels.

Will you pledge to take an uncompromising leadership role on legislation to enact the enormous changes and sacrifices that will be required to stem Global Warming?

The scientific debate as it concerns global warming is over. It is now time for America’s elected officials 
to address the gathering storm and to take proactive measures to mitigate global warming. Congress 
must take action to increase CAFÉ standards (further), move to a cap on emissions and invest in green technology.

Will you pledge to enact an Apollo Program for clean energy?

What kind of personal vehicle do you currently drive? Is it rated ZEV, or  PZEV?

Local Issue:

Blackwater has initiated the establishment a training camp in Potrero CA.  Congressman Bob Filner has come out in full opposition to this camp.  What will you do specifically to support him in keeping Blackwater out of San Diego County?

What is your position on using military contractors in our military actions abroad?

In our cities, such as New Orleans?

On our border? 

Finance:

  Please estimate your campaign costs:

  Primary Election:   ___________     General Election:  ___________

  How much money have you raised to date?   Raised to date: Approx. $250,000

Cash on Hand: Approx. $200,000

Please list independent expenditures that may impact your race:

*    Nick Liebham's Original Documents (from pdf to word)

 PDA SAN DIEGO BIO

Candidate Name: Nick Leibham
Address: 2240 Encinitas Blvd. , Ste D-111
Encinitas , CA 92024

E-mail address: nick@picknick08.com

Office for which you are running: US Congress, 50th District of California

Date of Election: June 3rd, 2008

Registered Political Party: Democrat

Campaign Manager: Alec Evans Phone: 858-427-4804

Campaign Address: 2240 Encinitas Blvd Ste D-111

Encinitas , CA 92024

Additional Information:

Raised to date: Approx. $250,000

Cash on Hand: Approx. $200,000

Nick is a practicing attorney here in San Diego ’s North County . He’s your neighbor and a contributing member of our community. Born and raised in Oregon , he attended college in Hawaii . Upon graduating Nick felt the calling of the classroom; graduating cum laude with a B.A. in Political and Historical Studies, Nick felt right at home teaching high school Government and U.S. History. “The thrill of seeing kids learn is indescribable. I will always treasure my classroom time”, Nick has often been heard saying.

Wanting to see American Democracy up close, Nick then went to our nations Capital. There he became a senior Congressional aide to Congressman Gary Ackerman (NY). Working for a leading member of the Congress who was assigned to the International Relations and Banking Committees, Nick studied at the knee of legislative giants. At one time or another, Nick's portfolio included foreign affairs, economic development, tax issues and trade policy. "Working with Congressman Ackerman to relocate Balkan area refugees fleeing ethnic cleansing was extraordinarily rewarding. I also had the chance to assist many small businesses. Helping American business people and seeing them actually go away with a smile on their face was a highlight for me."

Nick moved to San Diego in order to attend the University of San Diego 's law and business schools. There he graduated with both his Law degree and a Masters Degree in Business Administration in three years. Called again to public service, Nick became a Criminal Law Clerk at the Department of Justice, United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. There he was assigned to the major frauds and economic crimes section and aided federal prosecutorial and investigative teams as they probed Metabolife and Peregrine.

Continuing to serve the public, Nick next went to work for the City Attorney of San Diego as a Criminal Prosecutor. There he reviewed, charged, arraigned and went to trial on hundreds of criminal matters, including; weapons and drug possession, burglary, domestic violence, child abuse, forgery and fraud in public contracting. "The duty of a prosecutor is seeking the truth. Those in law enforcement have a sacred obligation not only to protect our communities and punish wrongdoing, but to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law." Nick believes in our Constitution and its guarantees of due process and equal protection.

“I am running for Congress because I was asked by the community that I live in to once again enter public service. This is a critical time, a time to renew the vision and promise of the Founding Fathers."

1. End the War & Redirect Funding. Each and every day that we remain in Iraq we compromise our national security that much further. I support a timely and responsible withdrawal from Iraq . The amount of money that we have spent in Iraq has hit $500 BILLION! That equates to…$275 million per day and $4,100 per household. I believe that money should have been spent providing health care to all American citizens; repairing our crumbling infrastructure, and; shoring up Social Security and Medicare.

2. Health Care for All. I believe that every American family should have access to a family doctor of their choosing. We can and must make this a reality! Concrete steps can be taken to move in that direction. First, the health care industry must adopt information technology. This will steam line operations, cut down on medical errors and help ferret out abuse and fraud. Secondly, the United States government must use its bargaining power to secure the best deals from the pharmaceutical industry. Every other major industrial power does it and we must stop corporations from controlling the negotiations. Lastly, we must rein in the insurance companies & HMO’s concerning catastrophic care and/or end of life treatment. We spend an overwhelming majority of our health care dollars on the last year of life. Insurance companies & HMO’s should not be allowed to collect years worth of premiums and then abandon American families during those closing days.

3. Economic Justice. All American’s should pay their fair share of taxes. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once famously quipped that taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society…and that includes the wealthy. I support “fair trade” agreements that take into account America ’s interests and values. Much like Senator Sherrod Brown, I oppose fast track authority for the President. As a practicing attorney, I find the statute in question to be Constitutionally dubious and an infringement upon the Legislative chamber’s prerogatives.

4. Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections. In my estimation the ONLY way to bring about fundamental change is to move to a publicly financed campaign system. If you wish to change American democracy whole cloth, you must be willing to say that money does not equate to speech. If you wish to engage in a real dialogue about universal health care, you must remove the millions of dollars that the HMO's and insurance lobby put to work via Congressional campaigns. If we as a society wish to embrace a real and sustainable agenda concerning energy policy and the environment, we must say to Exxon-Mobile, B.P. and the rest of the fossil fuel industry that they do not get to distort the process with outsized campaign contributions. If we ever intend on fundamentally changing our military/foreign policy (and procurement), the only way that this will be accomplished is to rein in Boeing, McDonald Douglas, Raytheon and their supporting companies.

5. Stop Global Warming. The scientific debate as it concerns global warming is over. It is now time for America ’s elected officials to address the gathering storm and to take proactive measures to mitigate global warming. Congress must take action to increase CAFÉ standards (further), move to a cap on emissions and invest in green technology.

 PDA SAN DIEGO QUESTIONS

PDA Metro Chapter – San Diego

2008 Candidate Questionnaire, 50th Congressional District

  To Whom It May Concern:

  I am seeking PDA’s endorsement because I think it is crucial to my success in November 2008. While the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has recognized me as one of the top 40 challenger races nationwide, I am 
not running for DC – I am running for the people of the 50th District and because I want to be proud of my government again. I am confident that you will find not only my stands on the issues to be satisfactory, but that my campaign will instill confidence going into the Fall of 2008.

I meet all the requirements as specified within the PDA’s governing endorsement document, the Progressive Democrats of America National Congressional Endorsement Policy. Under Section II (D), I must: (a) be a member of the Democratic Party running on the Democratic Party ticket; (b) be a member in good standing of PDA at the National level, and involved with the local chapter, and; (c) shall provide a written statement or answers to a questionnaire submitted by the chapter to the campaign based on PDA’s five priority issues.

The five priority issues as outlined upon PDA’s national website appear below. I will be happy to answer any and all questions concerning these priorities on the 21st of February. Again, I request PDA’s support…together, we will once again be a beacon of hope both at home and abroad.

  Sincerely,

  S/ Nick Leibham

1. End the War & Redirect Funding. Each and every day that we remain in Iraq we compromise our national security that much further. I support a timely and responsible withdrawal from Iraq . The amount of money that we have spent in Iraq has hit $500 BILLION! That equates to…$275 million per day and $4,100 per household. I believe that money should have been spent providing health care to all American citizens; repairing our crumbling infrastructure, and; shoring up Social Security and Medicare.

2. Health Care for All. I believe that every American family should have access to a family doctor of their choosing. We can and must make this a reality! Concrete steps can be taken to move in that direction. First, the health care industry must adopt information technology. This will steam line operations, cut down on medical errors and help ferret out abuse and fraud. Secondly, the United States government must use its bargaining power to secure the best deals from the pharmaceutical industry. Every other major industrial power does it and we must stop corporations from controlling the negotiations. Lastly, we must rein in the insurance companies & HMO’s concerning catastrophic care and/or end of life treatment. We spend an overwhelming majority of our health care dollars on the last year of life. Insurance companies & HMO’s should not be allowed to collect years worth of premiums and then abandon American families during those closing days.

3. Economic Justice. All American’s should pay their fair share of taxes. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once famously quipped that taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society…and that includes the wealthy. I support “fair trade” agreements that take into account America ’s interests and values. Much like Senator Sherrod Brown, I oppose fast track authority for the President. As a practicing attorney, I find the statute in question to be Constitutionally dubious and an infringement upon the Legislative chamber’s prerogatives.

4. Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections. In my estimation the ONLY way to bring about fundamental change is to move to a publicly financed campaign system. If you wish to change American democracy whole cloth, you must be willing to say that money does not equate to speech. If you wish to engage in a real dialogue about universal health care, you must remove the millions of dollars that the HMO's and insurance lobby put to work via Congressional campaigns. If we as a society wish to embrace a real and sustainable agenda concerning energy policy and the environment, we must say to Exxon-Mobile, B.P. and the rest of the fossil fuel industry that they do not get to distort the process with outsized campaign contributions. If we ever intend on fundamentally changing our military/foreign policy (and procurement), the only way that this will be accomplished is to rein in Boeing, McDonald Douglas, Raytheon and their supporting companies.

5. Stop Global Warming. The scientific debate as it concerns global warming is over. It is now time for America ’s elected officials to address the gathering storm and to take proactive measures to mitigate global warming. Congress must take action to increase CAFÉ standards (further), move to a cap on emissions and invest in green technology.

  _______________________________________________________________________________________

                        CA 52

_Vickie Butcher-

PDA Metro San Diego Chapter

2008 Endorsement Questionnaire

U. S. House of Representatives

  Return to:                                                                     

Judy Hess                    judyhess@gmail.com

                                    j.hess@cox.net  and

  Diane Shamis              Field@pdamerica.org

  Please fill out this form if you are interested in pursuing an endorsement by PDA Metro San Diego Chapter.  We are part of Progressive Democrats of America , a nation- wide grassroots organization of 100,000 members that works inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements for peace and justice.

  Please return this questionnaire by the deadline: Feb.14 , 2008.

  Altering or deleting the questions on this form may lead to disqualification.

  Please note that your answers on this questionnaire may be made public. If you need additional space to answer questions, please attach additional pages to the questionnaire.  If you have any questions regarding this questionnaire, please contact judyhess@gmail.com or call 619-421-6403.

Candidate and Campaign Information:

Candidate Name: Vickie Butcher

Address:  1906 Olivebrook Ct. , El Cajon , CA 92019

  E-mail Address: media@votevickiebutcher.com

Office for which you are running: 52nd Congressional District

Date of Election:  June 3, 2008

Registered Political Party:  Democrat

Campaign Manager:    Patrick Pannett, DCI Group

Phone: 202-258-2311; (202)546-4242; 202-302-9185 mobile ppanett@dcigroup.com

Campaign Consultant:  Carl Silverberg, Silverberg Associates, Washington D.C.     Phone:  202-320-9797 Fax:  ?

Also: Media & Communications Consultant: Miriam Raftery

619-698-7617; fax 619-698-7628

Campaign Address:  7400 El Cajon Blvd., Suite 203 , La Mesa , CA 91941

List endorsements from organizations and/or individuals:

Partial list:

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, chair,House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics committee)
Congresswoman Diane Watson
Sylvia Hampton, director, San Diego Healthcare for All/League of Women Voters
Richard Barrera, San Diego Regional Organizer, United Healthcare Workers
Dan Ortiz, former vice president, United Auto Workers, local 4123
  Leon Thompson , Executive board representative, California Democratic Party and Courage Campaign representative, San Diego Count
  Derek Casady, former 52^nd Congressional District Democratic candidate and president, Coronado Democratic Club
Edi Montijo Chapman, former president, La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club and past president, National Women’s Political Caucus, San Diego chapter
Estela de Los Rios, Latino organizer
Paul Vauchelet, Painters & Allied Trades, District Council #36   Jamie Butler, chair, California Democratic Party Rural Caucus
Peter Moller , retired news anchor, KOGO and KSDO
Miriam Raftery, national award-winning journalist and media watch chair, San Diego For Democracy/DFA Dee Sanford, founder, African American Business Women of Vision
Rev. Peter Moore-Kochlacs, former Democratic candidate, 52^nd Congressional district Andre J. Branch, PhD, professor of educational curriculum, San Diego State University

How would you describe yourself politically (i.e. progressive; moderate democrat, etc.)? 

progressive

List elective or political party offices you have held, including committee appointments: 

I have held many political positions including:  

City & County Government

Chair, El Cajon Planning Commission (12 year member)

Executive Director, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Task Force, San Diego

Appointed member, County of San Diego Human Relations Commission

African American Community Dialogue Support Group

Member, Children and Families First

City of El Cajon General Plan and Residential Zones Committee

Consultant, San Diego County Department of Health Services

Legal assistant, Honorable Presiding Judge Elizabeth Riggs, El Cajon Municipal Superior Court

Assistant and governmental liaison to Chairman, San Diego County Board of Supervisors

State of California

California 9th Regional Water Quality Control Board

California State Advisory Board on Drug Programs

National/Federal Government

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Molecular & Clinical Genetic Devices Panel

Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Consumer Representative

FDA Consumer Consortium

  What is your primary occupation?  

I was a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and also taught civics and political science.  I obtained a law degree before pursuing a public service career.  Besides my government positions listed above, I have also headed up many nonprofit and professional organizations.  I was president of the National Medical Association Auxiliary, working to bring healthcare to underserved communities.  I have been president of
El Cajon Rotary and the San Diego World Affairs Council.   I served on a United Nations Peacemaking roundtable, earning the Medaille d’Excellence in Geneva Switzerland .  I am also founder and executive director of Water for Children Africa, and received the 2007 NAACP Award in San Diego for leading 
efforts to provide safe, clean water and medical supplies for people in 15 nations.   I have also received the March of Dimes Mother of the Year award and an FDA award for my consumer service.

Why are you running for Congress? (100 word limit)

People in our nation and my district are hurting.  We must end this war, which costs $10 billion a month, reduce our staggering deficit and invest in programs to help people at home—such as universal healthcare and “green collar” job training in sustainable energy production.  In addition, the worst wildfires in California history all started in my district.  I will provide leadership at the federal level to provide real protection against wildfires and other natural disasters.  It is wrong for people to be left homeless by Katrina and wildfires while our government neglects its role in protecting public safety.

Issues Specific to Office:

What experiences have prepared you to run for Congress?

  I have overcome adversity and spent my life fighting for what is right. My grandfather was lynched by a brutal mob in the South.  My father was sent away as a child to escape racial violence.  Inspired after 
hearing Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speak, I challenged segregation and integrated a diner in my own community—long before the Civil Rights Act.  I fought to win civil rights and voting rights.   I have 
devoted my life to public service, first as a teacher of the deaf, then as a high school and college civics/political science teacher.  I graduated law school after my fifth child was born – and that takes tenacity!  I have held a variety of public offices and led nonprofit organizations, gaining leadership experience at the international, national, state and local levels.  I have also served as a national delegate 
at sustainability conferences in Washington D.C.

If you receive the endorsement of Progressive Democrats of America, how do you intend to use it?

I will proudly list PDA’s endorsement to win votes from San Diego County ’s many progressive voters.  If there is funding from PDA, I will use it to send mailers and air radio ads educating voters about the need 
for change—including support for progressive issues.  My campaign will also use funds for signage, field organizing, office, staffing and overhead costs as well as a massive voter registration drive targeting new Democratic voters in populations of diversity and youths.

Please list the top three issues on which you will take leadership if elected:

  1) Ending the Iraq War

2) Enacting universal healthcare for all Americans

3) Protecting my constituents from wildfires—and improving natural disaster protections for all Americans

Do you agree with Congress’ decision to reauthorize the Patriot Act?  No.

Why or why not? 

The Patriot Act is a violation of our constitutional rights and liberties. It must be revisited, revised and/or repealed.

If elected, which committee(s) would you prefer to serve on and why?

I would be most interested in serving on the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and  Human Services, and Education, and/or on committees addressing international and water issues.   I have expertise in healthcare reform, having served as president of national, state and county medical organizations, as well 
as on a hospital foundation board and several FDA medical panels.   I am also a teacher and have a strong interest in improving public education.  As founder and executive director of Water for Children Africa , I have global water expertise as well as a strong interest in international issues.

Federal Issues:

1) Iraq :

PDA supports an immediate start to a rapid and complete withdrawal from Iraq of all troops and military contractors, and has championed legislation that would withhold funding for any other military purpose there. In addition, PDA believes that the U.S. must revise its strategy for the region by removing these forces from the Mideast entirely, rather than just "redeploying" them within the region.

PDA advocates a shift in U.S. foreign policy from reckless unilateralism toward cooperation and diplomacy--so that people of other countries know us more by our helping hand than our slugging arm. Furthermore, PDA supports the redirecting of resources allocated for military spending to human needs.

Will you pledge to support such immediate and total withdrawal from Iraq of the military forces, including supporting legislation towards this goal?

Yes, absolutely.  It’s time to bring our troops home.

In addition, will you forswear any preemptive military attacks upon any nation?  Yes

Will you commit to fully support investigations into the White House's false claims justifying the invasion of Iraq, and would you support impeachment of Bush, Cheney and other administration officials for these and other high crimes?

Impeachment hearings should be convened whenever there is strong evidence that high crimes and misdemeanors have been committed, and I would uphold those principals for any high officials who 
violate our Constitutional laws, although President Bush and Vice President Cheney will no longer be 
in office when I am sworn in along with a new President and Vice President in 2009.

Have you participated in or spoken at any events, demonstrations, meetings or teach-ins opposing the Iraq war and occupation?   Yes

Have you organized any such events?

Yes, I organized a Martin Luther King day commemoration and spoke about the need to honor King’s 
legacy of peace and end the Iraq War.

2) Health Care:

There are over 46 million uninsured people living in America , the majority of whom are working Americans. Every year, nearly 18,000 people die unnecessarily as a direct result of their lack of health insurance. 

Millions with health insurance, maintain inadequate, overly expensive coverage and face the peril of denials of claims or termination of benefits if a family member becomes seriously ill--one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the U.S.  

While spending twice as much on health care as any other industrialized country, our system performs poorly, spending more money for less coverage, maximizing profits by finding ways to deny care. The private insurance bureaucracy expends one-third of health care money on waste, administrative paperwork, advertising and corporate profits. The current Medicare program for senior citizens spends under 4% of its budget for its overhead costs. Meanwhile, poor health, escalating health insurance premiums and spiraling health care costs impair our economy and job creation in the U.S.

PDA has endorsed HR 676, the National Health /"Expanded and Improved Medicarefor-All" Act. To guarantee comprehensive health care for all, PDA supports the replacement of the current profit-driven system, publicly financed, privately provided health care program. This "Medicare for All" national plan would save more than $350 billion per year, enough new money to provide guaranteed comprehensive health care for all. This system would insure portable and uniform benefits regardless of income. With no deductibles or co-pays, this plan would encourage preventive care and restore a doctor and patient controlled health care system affording choice of providers and fair, publicly negotiated payment for both treatment and medication.

  What is your approach to the health care crisis?

It’s time for the U.S. to join all other industrialized nations in the world and enact universal healthcare for all Americans, starting with our children.  Affordable healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. 

What is your view of Guaranteed Health Care through an Expanded and Improved Medicare-for-All system?

I would support giving all Americans a choice to opt into a Medicare-for-All system with high-quality healthcare, while  allowing those who prefer to retain private coverage the option of retaining it, similar to the program proposed by John Edwards.  Ideally I would hope to see all Americans offered access to the same high quality healthcare that members of Congress have provided for themselves. 

  If elected, would you support a publicly financed, privately provided national health care program, which insures access to comprehensive health care for all in the U.S. ?    

Yes, provided patients have freedom to choose their providers, and that healthcare is affordable and 
high quality to everyone.  We must also eliminate loopholes for companies to exclude people from care 
due to pre-existing conditions etc.  The current system experiences a 30% administrative cost, which 
drives up cost of care astronomically.  I would seek a cap on administrative costs to improve efficiency 
and assure that the lion’s share of funds go to patient care, not fattening profits for executive managers. 

Would you support a not-for-profit, doctor-patient controlled system which would eliminate the private 
health insurance industry (with protection for eliminated workers) as the intermediary determining access and the level of care?

I support a public system that would cover all Americans who opt to participate.  However it is most 
realistic to structure a system that allows choice for all Americans, reflecting our democratic values. 

Would you support the government's ability to negotiate fair prices for treatment as well as drugs, as it does for those covered by the Veteran's Administration's plan?   

Yes, absolutely. 

3) Economic Justice:

The current generation has seen unprecedented levels of economic disparity, both among individuals (the richest 1% of Americans own almost 35% of all wealth; the bottom half, only

2.5%) and in the ratio of CEO pay to employee wages. Thirty-seven million people (equal to the population of California ) are living in poverty in the U.S. These immoral levels of poverty, which disproportionately impact communities of color and women, can be significantly reduced through concerned legislative effort - including a living wage for all workers, expanded earned income tax credits, childcare assistance and housing vouchers. Specifically, the federal government must fulfill its promise of resources to Hurricane Katrina survivors so they can return to rebuild their communities in the Gulf Coast .

Tax burdens on the middle class can be eased if the wealthy pay their share. In addition to working to roll back Bush's tax breaks for the wealthy, PDA endorses the Equity in Income Act, limiting the amount of CEO compensation afforded federal corporate tax deductions.

In emphatically supporting the workers' right to organize, we also endorse the Employee Free Choice Act, which establishes unions in any workplace where a majority of workers sign union cards to join.

In the global arena, PDA supports anti-sweatshop legislation and fair trade agreements which protect workers' rights as well as the environment, while opposing wage reducing "free trade" agreements that protect only corporate rights to exploit unprotected labor.

PDA also advocates for humane and comprehensive immigration reform, which insures a fair, attainable path to citizenship and the rights of undocumented workers in the workplace, affirming the dignity and integrity of immigrant families.

  What is your position on "Fair Trade" versus "Free Trade" agreements?  

It’s imperative that future trade agreements must include labor and environmental standards to level the playing field for American workers and provide protections for workers in other countries, as well as protecting our environment.  The outsourcing of American jobs overseas must be stemmed.   I support the fair trade concept.  I have organized international trade conferences enabling American small businesses 
to gain knowledge through the U.S. Department of Commerce and open up trade opportunities that also provide farmers and producers of products fair compensation.

Will you have pledge to reverse the tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans?  

Yes. It is immoral for Bush to seek permanent tax cuts for millionaires while so many poor and middle class Americans are struggling to make ends meet.  We need a tax stimulus program that benefits working Americans, seniors, and those who don’t earn enough to file income taxes in order to jump-start our economy and help those most in need.

Do you support the right of workers to organize, in any situation?   

I grew up in a working class family, and fully support the rights of workers.  The Bush administration has turned a blind eye to union-busting practices and has failed to enforce laws that protect workers’ rights to organize.  It’s wrong for large corporations like Wal-Mart to fire workers who seek to organize unions.  I support the Employee Free Choice Act introduced by Senator Kennedy and Rep. Miller, which would require that employers honor decisions made by a majority of workers to form a labor union.

What is your relationship to labor nationally and in your district?   

I have been endorsed by several union leaders.  My campaign manager is a union activist, and I am 
applying for endorsement from the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council. 

Do you have union endorsements and supporters in your district?   

Union endorsement applications are pending, but I have been endorsed by 3 major labor union leaders and have support from other prominent members of labor groups.

What is your approach to bringing communities "out of poverty"?  

This is an important and complex issue. Poverty in my district has increased sharply under the Bush administration.  The cost of healthcare, housing, gasoline and college are making it harder and harder to survive, while jobs get outsourced overseas. We must have access to affordable healthcare for all Americans.  We need job development and training in jobs with good wages, such as “green collar” jobs in renewable energy production—helping our people, our economy, and our environment.   We should enforce laws protecting workers rights to organize. We must take action to lift children out of poverty and provide healthcare for every child, starting with approving the S-CHIP program that President Bush vetoed.  We should strengthen public education, provide more vocational training programs, and make college 
affordable for all deserving students. We also need tax relief for the poorest Americans, as well as 
predatory lending laws and economic reforms to help save people from losing their homes to foreclosure. 

Would you support the legislation of the "out of poverty" caucus?  

I have not seen the legislation yet that this caucus proposes, but I am an admirer and friend of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, founder of the Out of Poverty Caucus. We have traveled to Africa together and share a deep concern to help lift people out of poverty, both in the U.S. and globally. I would be be likely to support all reasonable legislation proposed by the Caucus.

  What efforts would you support to provide meaningful resources to Katrina survivors?   

We need more funding for cleanup and rebuilding New Orleans and other hard-hit areas in the Gulf Coast region, as well as rebuilding levees to higher standards.  I would be open to other proposals to provide long-overdue help for survivors of both Hurricane Katrina and Rita.

  Do you support comprehensive and humane immigration reform as outlined above?   

Yes.  We must provide humane policies including a path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants working here, along with reasonable border protection policies.  We must also work to halt hate crimes and hate speech on talk radio, which is fueling racism and violence toward immigrants.

Have you reached out to immigrant communities and advocates in your district?  

Yes, in fact I was just interviewed on Latino radio by Enrique Morones, organizer of the national immigrant marches.  We are doing massive outreach to the Latino community including organizing voter registration drives, and translating our materials into Spanish.

4) Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections:

The U.S. election system is in crisis. Not only are the usual corrupting factors of money and corporate lobbying as rampant as perhaps at any time in U.S. history, but the new millennium along with the fallout from the contested 2000 election - have ushered in a qualitative change in the conduct of our elections: Centuries of tradition in which citizens, government officials and Party representatives oversaw physical evidence of voter intent have fallen to the rise of the machines. This sea change, from paper to ephemeral electrons, brings much more than the implicit demand to trust the invisible: the move to computers means that 85% of America has ceded control of its elections to third-party vendors, whose legal claims regarding proprietary software bring corporate control of the entire voting process. PDA thus supports federal legislation that would ban the use of touch-screen (“DRE”) voting machines.

Will you pledge, if elected, to support only voting methods in which ballots are cast on paper?

Yes, this is very important to me.  I fought hard to win voting rights and civil rights, and will also pledge to fight to have every vote counted accurately.

  Do you pledge to support “Clean Money” public financing of public elections?  

Yes

  Would you accept public financing for your current campaign?

Probably, particularly if my opponents would agree to this as well so that we would have a level playing field.

  Do you support the restoration of voting rights to past felony offenders?   

Yes, I believe if a person has served their time and repaid their debt to a society, is no longer on parole and is prepared to accept the responsibilities of citizenship, then they should be allowed to have a vote.  I am concerned about the high disenfranchisement rate particularly among African-American voters on this basis.  California has already restored voting rights for paroled felons from state prisons; it’s time for our federal government to follow suit.

  Do you support same-day voting registration?

Probably; I would want to see studies on whether there was any substantial increase in fraud wherever this has been tried before, but the concept makes sense to maximize voter turnout and participation.  I would also support voting on weekends to encourage higher voter turnout.

  Would you oppose the onerous requirement of official photo identification before affording citizens access to the polls?

Yes

5) Environment/ Global Warming:

No issue reveals more clearly the flaws of the U.S. political-economic system than global warming - the dominance of greed and corporate power over the public good, and the nearsighted focus on the short-term over the welfare of future generations.

It is known that the U.S. has the natural resources to power the entire country solely from clean, “alternative” sources of power- whether with solar cells that would require a miniscule fraction of the California desert, or from wind turbines on the Great Plains and in the Great Lakes.

It has also often been said that we need a new Apollo Program for clean energy (if not Manhattan Project), in which science, industry and government would cooperate on a crash course to produce novel results in a limited period. Immediate action would include raising the auto fuel economy and impose mandatory caps on carbon pollution while investing in public transportation, energy conservation technologies and alternative energy development--in the process, creating new jobs, which pay well.

PDA calls on the Democratic majority in Congress to lead boldly in reducing our country's oil dependence and use of fossil fuels.

  Will you pledge to take an uncompromising leadership role on legislation to enact the enormous changes and sacrifices that will be required to stem Global Warming?

Yes, absolutely. I have been a delegate several times to a national conference on sustainability in Washington D.C.    As a global expert on water issues through Water for Children Africa , I am well aware of the devastating impact of global warming and believe strong, swift actions are needed to address this serious threat.

  Will you pledge to enact an Apollo Program for clean energy?

Yes, I support the Apollo Program.

What kind of personal vehicle do you currently drive? Is it rated ZEV, or PZEV?

I currently drive a Toyota van but hope to purchase a hybrid as my next vehicle.

Local Issue:

Blackwater has initiated the establishment a training camp in Potrero , CA .  Congressman Bob Filner has come out in full opposition to this camp. 

What will you do specifically to support him in keeping Blackwater out of San Diego County ?   

I would support Congressman Filner’s bill to restrict military contractors to military bases or other federal property, but I would go farther.  I do not believe our country should be outsourcing military jobs to private contractors, particularly one with a record of violence and unaccountability such as Blackwater’s.  I also believe Blackwater should be held accountable for its actions, and would oppose further federal contracts with this company.

Blackwater does not belong in San Diego County and particularly, not in Potrero. We must be sensitive to the devastation in this community from the recent Harris wildfire and should not allow Blackwater with its armory, shooting ranges and vehicle training track, all of which pose fire risks to the community. 

What is your position on using military contractors in our military actions abroad?  

I am deeply disturbed by the lack of accountability of these private contractors and believe we should revisit our country’s policies to eliminate any “need” for such contractors.  When we send our troops overseas for three or four deployments, we are stretching our military forces too thin.  Now our government is pulling people out of hospitals, even for treatment of severe conditions including bipolar disorder, homicidal and suicidal tendencies and sending them back to Iraq .  We are woefully short of personnel and our soldiers are paying the price.  But turning to unaccountable private contractors is not the answer—particularly contractors with records of abuses.  The role of security and other vital functions should be filled by American military personnel, not contractors unaccountable under federal law.

In our cities, such as New Orleans ?

This should be the role of our National Guard, not private military contractors. 

  On our border?  

I would never support privatization of our Border Patrol. 

Finance:

  Please estimate your campaign costs:

  Primary Election: $100,000  General Election: $400,000

  How much money have you raised to date?  

Around $24,000.

I entered the race late and raised $10,000 in just a few weeks over the holiday season.  I have many fundraising resources and expect to surpass my primary opponents in funding in the near future.  This week, I’ve added a national campaign manager, Patrick Pannett, who has had leadership roles in the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign and other federal races. He is focusing on bringing in national funding from prominent, predominantly progressive sources.

Please list independent expenditures that may impact your race: 

 
None that I’m aware of currently. 

_____________________________________________

                     PDA Metro Meeting:

When:     Thursday, Mar. 20 6pm supper/ 7pm meeting

Where:    Giovanni's Pizza (corner Clairemont Mesa Blvd 
                          and Ruffin Rd. San Diego) 

What:      Did you know?

That San Diego County's Elections are run by:

Former Diebold Sales Executive (Registrar, Deborah Seiler)

Former Cuyahoga County Ohio Registrar, two members of whose
staff were convicted in the 2004 Ohio Presidential Election Scandal? (Assistant Registrar, Michael Vu)

How to elect Progressive Democrats and take back our country? 

Come to our meeting to find out!

Hear Julian Quinonez (SD Co. Dem Party) discuss the Go Team 
efforts - and how to become a Precinct Leader and Poll Watcher - help progressive candidates get elected.

Hear  Sal Magallanez on working Election Integrity by poll watching 

We got Blackwater out - we can fix our elections and get a 
Progressive Democratic Majority in - Si se puede!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

  
   PDA Metro Endorses and will Participate in
            SDCPJ's March 15 Rally and March 
                       commemorating 
     the Illegal Invasion of Iraq Mar. 19, 2003
              The occupation continues...     

          Join us at our PDA Metro Table 

                     11:15 at TerAlta Park

                  (bordered by 40th St, Orange Ave, Central Ave and Polk St)     

 We'll assemble there to go to the March together 
                and march behind our banner.  
         Bring signs, drums (substitute pots and wooden spoons)
               and wear your PDA T Shirt to demonstrate 
                   our solidarity in opposing this war!

           March will return to TerAlta Park for 1 pm Rally with
 
                           Featured Speaker, Gore Vidal 

Directions to TerAlta Park  
 
TerAlta is either directly below or above I-15 - hard to be sure from the map.

If you get off I-15 North at El Cajon Blvd. (highly recommended) go West (left) on El Cajon Blvd, and almost immediately go South (left) on 40th. Orange Ave. is 1 block south of El Cajon Blvd. Turn left on Orange to drive the northern border of the park and then you can circle it to find parking. 

If you're coming from 15-South, go west (right) on El Cajon Blvd and then follow the above directions.
____________________________________________
     PDA Metro San Diego Proudly Presents:

                   !!!  ENDORSED CANDIDATES  !!!

CA 53

                           MIKE COPASS

               Click on Mike's picture to see his story on the 
                              National Website                 

CA 50     

                            CHERYL EDE

                        And Presenting Our First 

                           Nationally Endorsed 

                          Candidate this year, in 

CA 52
                                 VICKIE BUTCHER
 See Vickie's Front Page Story at PDA National:

 http://www.pdamerica.org/articles/campaigns/2008-03-03-13-06-01-campaigns.php

     Information:  All 3 Candidates have won the Endorsement of our Chapter.   To 
     receive the National Endorsement, the Candidates participate in the National 
     Conference Call, "Inside the Democratic Party", the 4th Thursday of each month.            

       Candidate Vickie Butcher has won the National Endorsement in last month's call.

      Mike Copass and Cheryl Ede will be on the call Thursday, March 27.   All PDA    
      members are invited to be on the call.   See the National Home page for call 
      information.

                           ___________________________________________
       Candidate Endorsement Meeting Feb. 29

       Hear Mike Copass for Congress in CA 53

              Giovanni's at 6pm Supper - 6:30 pm Registration - 7:00 pm Meeting 

               Here are Mike's Responses!

                    CA 53

                                                      PDA Metro San Diego Chapter

                                             2008 Candidate Endorsement Questionnaire

                                                      U. S. House of Representatives

Return to:

Judy Hess, Leader                  j.hess@cox.net
Diane Shamis, PDA                diane@pdamerica.org

  Please fill out this form if you are interested in pursuing an endorsement by PDA Metro San Diego . We are part of Progressive Democrats of America , a nationwide grassroots organization of 100,000 members that works inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements for peace and justice.

  Please return this questionnaire by the Deadline:       Feb. 22 2008

  Altering or deleting the questions on this form may lead to disqualification.  Please note that your answers on this questionnaire may be made public.  Please answer on this form in the space below the question.  Use as much space as you need. Feel free to change font and/or color to distinguish your answers.

  If you have any questions regarding this questionnaire, please contact Judy Hess, 619-421-6403.

                                    Candidate and Campaign Information:

Candidate Name: Mike Copass

Address:  4042 Mount Blackburn Ave

City, State, Zip: San Diego CA 92111

E-mail Address:  California53@gmail.com

Office for which you are running:  US Congress, 53rd District, California

Date of Election:  June 3, 2008

Registered Political Party: Democratic Party

Campaign Manager:               N/A

Phone: 619.665.9415        Fax: N/A

Campaign Consultant:     N/A Phone:    N/A                   Fax: N/A

Campaign Address:  Copass for Congress, PO Box 125081 , San Diego CA 92112-0581

List endorsements from organizations and/or individuals:

Al Meyerhoff   (Environmental lawyer and former Natural Resources Defense Council attorney) 

I have only recently begun asking for endorsements. 

How would you describe yourself politically (i.e. progressive; moderate democrat, etc.)?

I am a proud Progressive. 
To quote the late Senator Paul Wellstone “I stand for the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party”

List elective or political party offices you have held, including committee appointments:

None. 
(In addition, I have been neither wined, nor dined, by a lobbyist or PAC, nor taken paid-for travel.)

What is your primary occupation?

I am a scientific consultant to a plaintiffs’ law firm, specializing in detecting and prosecuting securities 
fraud perpetrated by pharmaceutical manufacturers alleged to have violated Securities laws.  I created 
and am the president of a legal services business which hires and trains attorneys in the review and 
analysis of discovery documents in similar complex civil litigation matters.   Additionally, I write for the 
Corporate Governance Bulletin, a quarterly publication which highlights litigation and advances in 
securities and consumer fraud.

Why are you running for Congress? (100 word limit)

I strongly believe that the United States must face multiple impending financial, ecological, political 
social crises, driven by a war machine and militarism that has been vocally opposed by We, the People, 
but yet unchallenged by the people's Congress. It is abundantly clear that the status quo (and the 
incumbent representative in our District) has failed utterly to provide leadership in confronting these 
crises.  Americans can, and will, boldly confront these challenges – and to do so, the times call for change – 
for a new approach and with a new voice.

Issues Specific to Office:

What experiences have prepared you to run for Congress?

Patience:  I have 12 years of experience in molecular biology, specifically microbiology and molecular 
genetics, working in three different countries, which has provided training in patience, persistence, 
(and languages) as well as providing an understanding of genetic technologies. There are currently no members 
of Congress with training in molecular biology, which is alarming, given the rapid technological 
development and genetically modified products entering our food supply.

Business:  I manage a small business in Legal Services, which has been instrumental in instructing me 
how job creation, business, and regulation function.

Activism: I have served as a volunteer Point Person in the 53rd Congressional District ( San Diego ) 
since June, in which I brought the concerns of the progressive community to the office of its Congressional 
Representative. My candidacy arises directly out of my experience with PDA, in pursuing a meaningful 
"inside and outside the Party" strategy for change. I took my role as point person seriously, reading and 
studying the various House Resolutions under consideration, and communicating the Representative's 
votes and positions on key issues ( Iraq , impeachment, and healthcare) back to the members of PDA.

If you receive the endorsement of Progressive Democrats of America , how do you intend to use it?

A PDA endorsement will be invaluable to establishing awareness and excitement about a new 
Progressive candidate on both a local national level.  I will employ the PDA endorsement in a fashion 
similar to that of Donna Edwards of Maryland , to reach out to other progressive political groups both 
locally and nation-wide, and be proud to list the endorsement on my literature, website and 
communications.

Please list the top three issues on which you will take leadership if elected:

1) Ending Iraq war funding and returning troops home with full proper treatment. I support the Lynn 
Woolsey-sponsored HR 508, the Bring the Troops home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration, towards 
restoring the United States ’ standing in the world community.

2) Aggressively moving to address global climate change, through integrating sound and sustainable 
energy policy with carbon and climate policy, for both short term and long term goals.

3) Implementing Universal Health Care in the United States (I support HR 676, cosponsored by 
John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich)

Do you agree with Congress’ decision to reauthorize the Patriot Act?

No.   We know now Patriot Act was a terrible idea, born of the twin evils of fear and deception, and 
based neither in facts nor reflection.  

As a matter of principle, I oppose strongly all legislation that undermines or eviscerates our 
Constitutional rights -- from the Patriot Act, to the creating of the Homeland Security Dept, the 
Military Commission 
Act, which suspends habeas corpus, and the attempts to pass “Patriot Act II.”  The net effect of these 
laws is not “better security” -- the Patriot Act and its ill-conceived brethren instead exert an enormously
 chilling effect on free and open speech, and the ability of American citizens to actively voice their dissent.

I stand with Congressmen Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul, who, although of starkly differing positions on 
social programs, have stood up and spoken out-- with purpose and clarity --against the raft of "anti-
freedom" legislations passed by Congress during the last seven years, laws which are antithetical to the 
basic freedoms and liberties which generations of men and women fought to establish.  The newest 
outrage is the revelation that Bush-Cheney have sought, even prior to September 11th 2001, the 
circumvention of the FISA court standard, to harvest all electronic communications, voice and data, 
from American citizens engaged in private discourse – this with the collaboration of the large telecom 
corporations.

The lifeblood of liberty is free and open discourse: in the street, on the phone, on the internet.  Legislation 
that chills or suppresses this speech, or that permits spying either overtly or covertly, eviscerates the 
privacy protections of the 4th Amendment.

In Congress, I will support legislation such as HR 3835, cosponsored by Kucinich and Welch, which 
addresses and repeals many of the abuses of executive power.

Why or why not?

See details above.

If elected, which committee(s) would you prefer to serve on and why?

The House Armed Services Committee, in order support the human personnel serving in the armed forces in 
the mission of defense of the continental United States, and to place a strong check on the interests that would 

attempt to manipulate and abuse the awesome military power of the United States to purposes that are inimical to 
freedom – whether for purposes of empire-building, or to expand for-profit oil enterprises. We have learned the 
lessons of Col Medley Butler, who said (in 1933) "There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense 
of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket."  Having been alerted 
by our returning US military veterans regarding the incredible 
abuses of the Iraq invasion, we must stay ever-vigilant against the use of the Armed Services for "war as 
a racket." The restoration and rebuilding of the human infrastructure of the men and women is our obligation.  
As such, I would be honored to be called to serve on the Oversight Subcommittee of the House Armed Services 
Committee (HASC).

As a scientist who is keenly aware of the importance of scientific data, and who has direct experience as a genetic 
engineer, and fully aware of both the incredible power for genetic technology to be abused for private-profit purposes,  
I would also be pleased to rise to the call to serve on the Agricultural Committee.  The use, sale and consumption of 
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO foods) is a topic that should be part of a lively and informed public debate.

I would similarly be glad to serve on the newly-established House Select Committee on Energy 
Independence and Global Warming.

Federal Issues:

1) Iraq :

PDA supports an immediate start to a rapid and complete withdrawal from Iraq of all troops and military contractors, and has championed legislation that would withhold funding for any other military purpose there. In addition, PDA believes that the U.S. must revise its strategy for the region by removing these forces from the Mideast entirely, rather than just "redeploying" them within the region.  PDA advocates a shift in U.S. foreign policy from reckless unilateralism toward cooperation and diplomacy--so that people of other countries know us more by our helping hand than our slugging arm. Furthermore, PDA supports the redirecting of resources allocated for military spending to human needs. 

Will you pledge to support such immediate and total withdrawal from Iraq of the military forces, including supporting legislation towards this goal?

A priority for the 111th Congress must be the restoration of America ’s standing in the world community.  America ’s strength lies not in its weaponry, but in the power of its ideals.  To that end, I fully support legislation such as HR 508, Lynn Woolsey’s “Iraq Sovereignty Restoration” Bill. The international community can and will come together to 
support the peaceful reconstruction of the nation of Iraq, and I will support legislation those ends, while we 
reconstruct our human military infrastructure both at home and abroad by providing the services they may need.

  In addition, will you forswear any preemptive military attacks upon any nation?

I believe in Rule by Law.

The framers of the Constitution understood that placing the power of unilateral use of the military in the hands of one man, or in the Executive Branch, was to invite the abuse of that power. Therefore, Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution describes that it is reserved to the Congress, and only to Congress, the power to declare war and levy funds for that purpose.
Pre-emptive military strikes fall dangerously close to what the U.S. itself defined at Nuremburg as Crimes against Peace, or War Crimes.

Will you commit to fully support investigations into the White House's false claims justifying the invasion 
of Iraq, and would you support impeachment of Bush, Cheney and other administration officials for these 
and other high crimes?

I believe in Rule by Law. No one is unaccountable, or above the law.

Congress' failure to uphold the rule of law, to uphold its sworn oath, is a danger to the rule of Law. The founders and framers of the Constitution could foresee a need for Congressional oversight and accountability, and saw fit to discuss impeachment in six places in that document. (Curiously, "corporation" appears nowhere.)

I would support investigations to the actions of any government officials, whether in foreign countries, or 
my own, which may constitute War Crimes, or at the least, the fraud perpetrated and described in the book " USA v. George W Bush" by Elizabeth de la Vega .  If investigations proved to be grounds for 
impeachment of either President Bush, or Vice President, it is Congress' obligation pursue the.  It is 
appalling that throughout two full Congressional sessions, particularly after the November 2006 election's majority went to the Democrats that many members of Congress have failed to support HR 333, which I would do, if in office.

Have you participated in or spoken at any events, demonstrations, meetings or teach-ins opposing the Iraq war and occupation?

Yes. I have participated in a number of anti-war and impeachment demonstrations on the street.

Have you organized any such events?

I am organizing 24 (or 48) hour anti-war vigil in downtown San Diego , in solidarity with Iraq Veterans 
Against the War and their Winter Soldier events, March 14-15.

2) Health Care:

There are over 46 million uninsured people living in America , the majority of who are working Americans. Every year, nearly 18,000 people die unnecessarily as a direct result of their lack of health insurance.  Millions with health insurance maintain inadequate, overly expensive coverage and face the peril of denials of claims or termination of benefits if a family member becomes seriously ill--one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the U.S.   While spending twice as much on health care as any other industrialized country, 
our system performs poorly, spending more money for less coverage, maximizing profits by finding ways to deny care. The private insurance bureaucracy expends one-third of health care money on waste, administrative paperwork, advertising and corporate profits. The current Medicare program for senior citizens spends under 4% of its budget for its overhead costs. Meanwhile, poor health, escalating health insurance premiums and spiraling health care costs impair our economy and job creation in the U.S.

  PDA has endorsed HR 676, the National Health /"Expanded and Improved Medicare for-All" Act. To guarantee comprehensive health care for all, PDA supports the replacement of the current profit-driven system, publicly financed, privately provided health care program. This "Medicare for All" national plan would save more than $350 billion per year, enough new money to provide guaranteed comprehensive 
health care for all. This system would insure portable and uniform benefits regardless of income. With no deductibles or co-pays, this plan would encourage preventive care and restore a doctor and patient 
controlled health care system affording choice of providers and fair, publicly negotiated payment for both treatment and medication.

  What is your approach to the health care crisis?

I believe that without access to health care, we cannot reasonably practice the pursuit of "life, liberty and happiness" – as exhorted to in the Declaration of Independence.  It is a moral outrage that the United 
States has 46 million who are without access to healthcare, and approximately 100 million who are un- or inadequately covered.

We are all the stakeholders in the Public Health. I would support legislation similar to HR 676, the Conyers-Kucinich bill, the system endorsed by more than 14,000 physicians. 

What is your view of Guaranteed Health Care through an Expanded and Improved Medicare-for-All 
system?

See above. If France can put together a functioning healthcare system for its population, there is no 
reason that the United States cannot.

There will be certain parties who will howl in anger at such a system, best illustrated by CEOs such as UnitedHealthcare's William McGuire, who, after years in the private sector of healthcare, then attempted 
to retire with $1.3 billion in gains, and Pfizer's former CEO Hank McKinnell, former BusinessRoundTable Chairman, who, after pushing pharmaceuticals on the market that medical plans neither needed nor could afford, stepped down with $240 million in options.  A for-profit system tends to fall victim to being rigged 
in the interests of a self-serving elite.  These enormous healthcare and Pharma CEO payouts illustrate at 
a glance that for-profit systems are difficult to harness to the public good.

If elected, would you support a publicly financed, privately provided national health care program, which insures access to comprehensive health care for all in the U.S. ?

Yes. Americans deserve access to at least a minimum of health care, particularly preventive care. I have worked with type II diabetics and am very concerned about the epidemics of diabetes, obesity, 
hypertension, and cardiac disease which are lurking like time bombs in our population.  As the son of a physician who works in a County Hospital , we often do not realize that failure to treat and intervene early 
is not a "savings" but rather a cost, a tax that must be paid elsewhere.

Would you support a not-for-profit, doctor-patient controlled system which would eliminate the private health insurance industry (with protection for eliminated workers) as the intermediary determining access and the level of care?

Yes, substantially.  When we create a profit-center out of denying care to those who need it, to feed the corporate insurance sector's requirement to "make its numbers" on profit margins each year, we sow the seeds of disaster.  It is care-givers and patients that have the vested interest in promoting long-term public health – and that "health and wellness" is to the public profit – measured in moral terms, not in Wall 
Street's dollar-only metric.

Would you support the government's ability to negotiate fair prices for treatment as well as drugs, as it 
does for those covered by the Veteran's Administration's plan?

Yes. I furthermore would support intensive engagement of the FDA in its mission not to rubber-stamp Big Pharma's latest new drugs, but to determine efficacy and safety. Our government is useless if it does not protect the public from such harms as the recent phen-fen and Vioxx debacles. My work in analyzing 
clinical trials data from big-Pharma sponsored drug trials (both the published and often-hidden data) has 
been invaluable.

3) Economic Justice:

The current generation has seen unprecedented levels of economic disparity, both among individuals (the richest 1% of Americans own almost 35% of all wealth; the bottom half, only 2.5%) and in the ratio of 
CEO pay to employee wages. Thirty-seven million people (equal to the population of California ) are living 
in poverty in the U.S. These immoral levels of poverty, which disproportionately impact communities of 
color and women, can be significantly reduced through concerned legislative effort - including a living wage for all workers, expanded earned income tax credits, childcare assistance and housing vouchers.  
Specifically, the federal government must fulfill its promise of resources to Hurricane Katrina survivors so they can return to rebuild their communities in the Gulf Coast .

Tax burdens on the middle class can be eased if the wealthy pay their share. In addition to working to roll back Bush's tax breaks for the wealthy, PDA endorses the Equity in Income Act, limiting the amount of 
CEO compensation afforded federal corporate tax deductions.  In emphatically supporting the workers' 
right to organize, we also endorse the Employee Free Choice Act, which establishes unions in any 
workplace where a majority of workers sign union cards to join.  In the global arena, PDA supports anti-sweatshop legislation and fair trade agreements which protect workers' rights as well as the environment, while opposing wage reducing "free trade" agreements that protect only corporate rights to exploit unprotected labor.  PDA also advocates for humane and comprehensive immigration reform, which insures a fair, attainable path to citizenship and the rights of undocumented workers in the workplace, affirming the dignity and integrity of immigrant families.

What is your position on "Fair Trade" versus "Free Trade" agreements?

"Free Trade" agreements often prove to be neither Free nor substantially about furthering true Trade, rather a rigging of the system to the benefit of the few, and detriment of many.   If 12 years of NAFTA 
have not shown anything else, the ability of US Corn to dump a subsidized product on Central American markets has the net effect of driving Central American growers (many smallholders) off their own land, 
into the ranks of urban poor, and finally, to desperate migrations to other countries.

This massive migration pressure is felt first in border areas including San Diego County .  NAFTA and its 
ilk (such as the recent Peru-CAFTA) have failed all parties.  I am strongly supportive of fair wages being paid on both sides of the border, and to these ends, trade agreements not by supra-national bodies such as the WTO, but from representation of workers and the citizens, are of utmost importance to all.

Will you have pledge to reverse the tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans?

I pledge to restore tax fairness, and to do this, the repeal of the economically-disastrous Bush tax cuts is essential -- (Even conservative Alan Greenspan, former head of the Federal Reserve, insists on that point.)

Having already thought about the matter, I would support a “Tobin Tax” on financial derivative transactions (the outstanding notional amount is roughly $516 trillion) of about 0.5% to 1%.  Congress must act now to restore fairness, such that Wall Street transactions of billions and trillions are taxed in a fashion not 
creating unfairness to the laboring man and woman.

Do you support the right of workers to organize, in any situation?

I support the right of workers to organize, to discuss organization, and if a majority agree to form a labor organization, then management should immediately begin a formal process that acknowledges and formally recognizes this process, while creating protections for workers who wish to organize.

What is your relationship to labor nationally and in your district?

I am in support of Organized Labor, nationally –and I believe that to be pro-Labor is to be pro-Family and furthermore pro-strong American Middle Class. A strong an engaged middle class is a bulwark of liberty, and of the "domestic tranquility" referred to in the Constitution.   I work on behalf of a plaintiffs’ firm which represents Union clients in securities fraud class-action suits, when union pension funds have been 
defrauded -- these unions include SEIU, UNITE-HERE, and others.

Do you have union endorsements and supporters in your district?

I have no union endorsements at this time. I will seek the endorsement of particular labor unions in the 
53rd District.

What is your approach to bringing communities "out of poverty"?

1)      Recognize the root causes of the poverty cycle in a specific community,  and address them with long-range programs

2)      Business incentive and job creation: most communities on borderline poverty are ready and willing 
to work. They lack the job training & access to capital -- which the wealthy often enjoy as a matter 
of birthright.

3)      Homeownership & foreclosure:  I support public & private partnerships in the community which assist at-risk homeowners who face late payment or mortgage default. The 2/28 and 3/27 ARM mortgages (called “subprime”) often result in rapidly increasing “balloon payments.” Default leads to foreclosure leads to neighborhood decay I support neighborhood which assist at-risk homeowners from predatory lending, and can save homeowners from foreclosure – programs in Chicago have 
been incredibly successful in this regard.

Would you support the legislation of the "out of poverty" caucus?

Yes. Poverty is an issue addressed through equitable and mandatory education standards, through investment in human capital across the country, and requires equitable taxation and healthcare support to achieve the goal. We all stand to gain if poverty is addressed honestly, and with moral force.

What efforts would you support to provide meaningful resources to Katrina survivors?

In 2005 and 2006, the United States government missed, (whether through negligence or by intention)  an incredibly important opportunity in the aftermath of the flooding and destruction of many lower Wards in 
New Orleans– to bring job skills and educational training to the poor communities of the Lower 9th Ward 
and elsewhere. Instead, the Federal Government sent FEMA trailers with toxic formaldehyde.   This does nothing to alleviate either acute or long-term issues.   Out of crisis, opportunity:  New Orleans residents, 
for example, could be right now working with groups like Rebuild Green to construct affordable and environmentally-sound housing in their own neighborhoods, “Green Collar” jobs.  Frequently all we need 
but do is “open the door” – and it is morally appalling that our government does not.

Do you support comprehensive and humane immigration reform as outlined above?

I do. 

Have you reached out to immigrant communities and advocates in your district?

I have established alliances with advocates who work for justice and represent groups of different ethnic identities.

4) Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections:

The U.S. election system is in crisis.  Not only are the usual corrupting factors of money and corporate lobbying as rampant as perhaps at any time in U.S. history, but the new millennium along with the fallout from the contested 2000 election - have ushered in a qualitative change in the conduct of our elections: Centuries of tradition in which citizens, government officials and Party representatives oversaw physical evidence of voter intent have fallen to the rise of the machines. This sea change, from paper to ephemeral electrons, brings much more than the implicit demand to trust the invisible: the move to computers means that 85% of America has ceded control of its elections to third-party vendors, whose legal claims regarding proprietary software bring corporate control of the entire voting process. PDA thus supports federal legislation that would ban the use of touch-screen (“DRE”) voting machines.

Will you pledge, if elected, to support only voting methods in which ballots are cast on paper?

The ballot of record must be defined not as the computer coordinates of the vote record, but the Paper Ballot.  I have been a long time advocate of auditable, verifiable elections, whether via hand-counted paper ballots at the Precinct, or other verifiable, auditable method, consistently employing Paper Ballots. 
I will lead the fight in Congress not for compromise solutions, but for simple and clear legislative reform – and I believe that it is imperative to restore Voter Trust and Confidence in our election systems. The well-documented irregularities of the elections of 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 demonstrate that vote suppression, and computerized tabulation, represent "clear and present dangers" to fair, transparent, and open democracy.

Do you pledge to support “Clean Money” public financing of public elections?

Yes.

“Clean Money” is part of important three-part reforms

1) sweeping campaign finance reform  (no bundling, lowered maximum individual contributions, matching public funds)

2) verifiable voting aka “paper ballots” (no computerized tabulation)  

3) fair redistricting, to end gerrymandering of absurd districts which are purely designed to promote incumbency.

All three areas require immediate action.

Would you accept public financing for your current campaign?

Yes – particularly upon demonstrating support within the community for my candidacy.

Do you support the restoration of voting rights to past felony offenders?

Yes. 

Do you support same-day voting registration?

Absolutely.

Would you oppose the onerous requirement of official photo identification before affording citizens access 
to the polls?

I oppose ID requirements at the polls.

Photo and “REAL-ID” requirements are designed to suppress voting among elderly and ethnic groups.

5) Environment/ Global Warming:

No issue reveals more clearly the flaws of the U.S. political-economic system than global warming - the dominance of greed and corporate power over the public good, and the nearsighted focus on the short-term over the welfare of 
future generations.  It is known that the U.S. has the natural resources to power the entire country solely from clean, “alternative” sources of power- whether with solar cells that would require a miniscule fraction of the California 
desert, or from wind turbines on the Great Plains and in the Great Lakes.  It has also often been said that we need a 
new Apollo Program for clean energy (if not Manhattan Project), in which science, industry and government would cooperate on a crash course to produce novel results in a limited period. Immediate action would include raising the 
auto fuel economy and impose mandatory caps on carbon pollution while investing in public transportation, energy conservation technologies and alternative energy development--in the process, creating new jobs, which pay well.

PDA calls on the Democratic majority in Congress to lead boldly in reducing our country's oil dependence and use of fossil fuels.

Will you pledge to take an uncompromising leadership role on legislation to enact the enormous changes 
and sacrifices that will be required to stem Global Warming?

Yes.

I plan to be in the vanguard of this legislation. Although sustainable energy and climate policy is often 
seen as “bad for business”  -- it is more apparent that it is merely “bad for ExxonMobil and Big Oil.”  
There are incredibly exciting job creation possibilities, “green collar” jobs, which we will implement in San Diego County area, and show the rest of the country (and doubters) that the transition to sustainable 
energy solutions will actually drive economic growth.

Will you pledge to enact an Apollo Program for clean energy?

I will fight to enact the “Apollo Alliance ” for renewable and sustainable energy. It all starts with simple 
and useful conservation measures.

What kind of personal vehicle do you currently drive? Is it rated ZEV, or PZEV?

My primary personal transportation is generally a shared carpool.  (I don’t know how that rates on ZEV scale)  My summer & fall transportation is frequently a bicycle, and public transportation for the rest.  During 2007, I challenged myself to reduce personal gasoline consumption by 50%, which I met, as well as 20% reduction in electricity, natural gas, and water.  It proved very possible with creative solutions. In Congress, I will champion national legislation that turns the same practical solutions into public policy.

Local Issue:

Blackwater has initiated the establishment a training camp in Potrero CA .  Congressman Bob Filner has come out in full opposition to this camp. 

What will you do specifically to support him in keeping Blackwater out of San Diego County ?

I will Stand Up with Bob Filner. All too frequently, the other Democratic Representative in San Diego  
county fails to stand up and speak out to the moral imperatives of our County, as Democrats, and as 
human beings.

I will fight for legislation, proposed by Filner and others, that bans the use of any land, public or private, for private military contractors (PMCs) such as Blackwater, DynCorp, Kroll, or others.  Private mercenary armies are inimical to freedom, much as Madison and others recognized in the late 1700s.

What is your position on using military contractors in our military actions abroad?

This is a very bad idea. 

The possibility arises that 1) private contractors are hired on a different pay scale, which is unfair to our troops 2) private contractors would be asked to perform task which escape the Geneva Conventions and oversight bodies including Congress and 3) that someday, somewhere, a contingent of private mercenaries might massacre innocent people at an intersection.

If Congress does not act forcefully to assert its oversight authority, such things could someday come to 
pass, and I would predict that the private companies involved would attempt to use some legal loophole to escape accountability.

In our cities, such as New Orleans ?

Strongly opposed.  Blackwater is the for-hire equivalent of the Brownshirts in Germany of the 1930s.

I recall that a for-hire mercenary in New Orleans related this story about encountering, and then gunning down Americans:  [The private security contractor] said he and his men were armed with AR-15s and 
Glocks and that they unleashed a barrage of bullets in the general direction of the alleged shooters on the overpass. "After that, all I heard was moaning and screaming, and the shooting stopped. That was it. 
Enough said."

On our border?

We can decide how to protect, police or defend our borders according to public law, and employing men and women who are accountable to publi