1. Do you support the Medicare You Can Buy Into Act (H.R. 4789, 111th Congress), which would allow all citizens or permanent residents to buy into Medicare?
YES X NO COMMENTS: It’s a great idea. It’s voluntary and people have to pay the required premiums to have it, just like any insurance. If it saves ordinary folks money, I’m in.
2. Do you agree that any immigration reform bill should:
a) Contain a meaningful path to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants currently in the United States that does not include overly punitive fines or a touchback requirement;
YES NO COMMENTS: If people have worked and paid taxes for 10-12 years. Not amnesty, but rightfully earned citizenship I could agree to.
b) Ensure that expanded legal permanent immigration, rather than expansion of temporary worker programs, serves as the United States' primary external answer to workforce shortages; and
YES NO COMMENTS: We should expand immigration for people who want to come here to work. Hard working folks should be welcome in larger numbers. For the foreign students we are giving a world-class education to, we need to change our laws so they stop leaving with their high-tech jobs and patents to compete with us in other countries!
c) Maintain current caps on the total number of non-agricultural temporary worker visas issued for any non-agricultural temporary worker programs, and also include a meaningful prevailing wage requirement keyed to the Service Contract Act and the Davis-Bacon Act?
YES X NO COMMENTS: America is the land of opportunity. When people come here to WORK they should be given minimal wages according to what anyone in the U.S. would be paid to work at that particular job.
3a. Do you support the Strengthening Social Security Act (H.R. 3118 / S. 567, 113th Congress), which would increase Social Security benefits and strengthen the program's finances?
YES X NO COMMENTS: Many people don’t realize that because of the social security tax cap that people making $220K or more actually pay half the percentage of taxes (or less) than regular folks do. This fixes that. Social Security is NOT going broke- anyone saying so is a liar.
3b. Do you oppose each of the following changes to Social Security and Medicare:
a) Raising the retirement age;
YES X NO COMMENTS: This is limiting benefits instead of fixing the unfair taxing.
b) Eliminating or reducing the cost of living adjustment, including implementing so-called "chained CPI";
YES X NO COMMENTS: This is also limiting the benefits instead of fixing the unfair taxing.
c) Directly reducing benefits;
YES X NO COMMENTS: Nobody on social security is living in luxury. Unnecessary.
d) Means-testing recipients; and
YES X NO COMMENTS: Benefits are paid out fairly in SS. It’s a great thing about the system.
e) Privatization, so-called "personal accounts," and vouchers?
YES X NO COMMENTS: These are methods to dismantle a system that is running a surplus and works well already, even with the current unfair taxation system for average incomes.
4. Do you support the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 1409 / S. 560, 111th Congress), including the provision known as "card check"?
YES X NO COMMENTS: Employers should not be able to override a majority decision for employees to unionize.
5. Do you believe that all adults should be allowed to legally marry another adult of their choosing, regardless of that person's sex?
YES NO COMMENTS: It is legal in other states. The Full Faith and Credit Clause applies in Mississippi. A majority in our state do not currently favor gay marriage. The state does have the right to it’s own laws pertaining to marriage.
6. If elected, do you pledge not to join the Blue Dog Coalition or Third Way?
YES X NO COMMENTS: I will not serve corporate and Wall Street interests!
7. If elected to the Senate, do you pledge to restore majority rule to the Senate and both work and vote to end the filibuster?
YES NO COMMENTS: I favor the old (required) talking filibuster Senate rules. That should be restored.