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Latest Answers http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/latest/686/%2A/%2A/%2A a view of answers sorted by date en There’s actually been a misconception throughout the country that members of Congress do not get social security.  The fact of the matter is members of Congress do get Social Security and we’ve had a debate in this country as people know over the future direction of that program.  My view is that it has been one of the most successful programs coming out of the post depression era, trying to make sure that the senior citizens in this country have dignity in retirement, have a source of income during their retirement, at least something they can depend on and that’s why it’s so important to maintain that a guaranteed Social Security and why many of us were extremely nervous President Bush’s proposal to privatize at least a component of Social Security.  And I think as you look at what’s happening in the financial markets today and stock prices, if you had a significant of your retirement, including your Social Security invested in the stock market and you were coming to your retirement period right now, you would really find yourself in a bind because the value of your retirement would have plummeted in recent weeks and that is why its so important that we maintain the security in Social Security. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/%2526lt%3Bp%2526gt%3Bthere%2526amp%3Brsquo%3Bs-actually-been-misconception-throughout-country-members-congress-d Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:07:48 -0500 Whitney J 1702 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org   Well people are being squeezed economically all over this country.  You see rising gas prices.  Rising food costs, the cost of going to college are higher and higher, which is why it is essential that we provide a student loan program and extend Pell Grant program, but some of these basic costs we need to work hard to try to drive them down over time, which is one of the reasons its so important in the area of energy for example.  To reduce our dependence on oil and diversify our energy sources by going to renewable energy and energy efficiency so that we’re not entirely dependent on one source of energy. And over time, if you can get more sources of energy into the market place and create that competition you can drive down the costs.  That’s not necessarily an immediate solution, but it’s something we should have done many years ago.  Many of us are pressing to take that direction for a long time and finally we’ve had a wakeup call to get moving in the area of healthcare.  My view is we need to significantly reshape our healthcare approach.  We have a big fight in the Congress over the children’s health program to expand access to healthcare for millions more American children.  It passed the Congress, unfortunately, President Bush vetoed that. I hope that will be one of the early orders of business in January 2009 with the new Congress, but the caller is absolutely right, that we need to find ways to reduce the costs of essential goods and services to the American people. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/%2526lt%3Bp%2526gt%3B%2526amp%3Bnbsp%3B%2526lt%3B/p%2526gt%3B%2526lt%3Bp%2526gt%3B%2526lt%3Bb-style%3D%2526quot%3B%2526quot%3B%2526gt%3B%2526lt%3Bspan-style%3D%2526quot%3B%2526quot Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:02:18 -0500 Whitney J 1699 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org Well I don't think that Big Brother is here in the sense that we are still able to protect people's civil liberties. However, I will say that under the Bush administration there has been an effort by the president and others to erode those civil liberties to really blur the line. We've seen this with the electronic surveillance program where they want to take the judiciary out of the process. Our system is premised on having some independent body stand between the powers of the federal government, the police powers, and the individual citizen. And the Bush administration is one to tear that wall down. And what the democrats have said is, number one, we need to protect our national security, but we can do it in a way that's consistent with the constitution and the freedoms guaranteed American citizens under the constitution. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/well-i-don%2526%2523039%3Bt-think-big-brother-here-sense-we-are-still-able-protect-people%2526%2523039%3Bs-civil Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:21:32 -0600 1080 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org Well, I think that we do need to reduce the influence of lobbyist on the electoral process and on the hill, in terms of increasing transparency, prohibiting lobbyist from winning and dining members of Congress, reducing travel. Common Cause, Public Interest, other groups, other public watch dog groups, hailed it as a landmark piece of legislation. It dramatically limits the influence of lobbyist in terms of their winning and dining of legislators, no traveling with lobbyist. It sets up some very important firewalls in the process. I do believe that we need to go farther with respect to campaign finance reform. And I believe we should have a system where there is much more of a public funding component to reduce the influence of money generally. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/well%2C-i-think-we-do-need-reduce-influence-lobbyist-electoral-process-and-hill%2C-terms-increas Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:57:00 -0600 1077 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org