|
BOONE, 9 March 2008 -- Democratic senatorial candidate Jim
Neal spoke to Watauga
County voters at Espresso
News Saturday afternoon.
Neal is one of five candidates vying in the May 6 primary
for the privilege to face Republican incumbent Senator Liddy Dole this
November.
Responding
to a wide range of questions, Neal spoke at length about “the perfect storm”
now arising in our economy. He mentioned that in 2001, gasoline was $1.46 a
gallon and is now $3.18, and everyone expects it to top $4.00 by the end of
this year. Over 37,000 North Carolinians lost
their homes in 2007 due to foreclosure. The median family income in North Carolina actually declined almost 13 percent from 2000 to
2006.
Neal said that his work in private sector
investment banking has given him a much clearer understanding of the massive
debt that the Bush administration has saddled us with and of their
mismanagement of the economy generally.
While the
Bush administration raises the specter of “socialism” at any talk of university
health care for American citizens, they are not at all concerned about the
economic socialism of bailing out Bear Stearns from its own mismanagement.
With the
value of the dollar tanking and with the crisis deepening in the home mortgage
industry, Neal said every American had every right to be very worried about the
future.
Senator
Dole represents business as usual, according to Neal, and she has lacked the
understanding and/or the courage to challenge the Bush administration on any of
its policies.
“Our
national independence is threatened as the U.S.
government borrows money from China
to finance record budget deficits. We are mortgaging America’s crown
jewels - our productive assets - to finance massive trade deficits.”
Other
questions directed at candidate Neal centered on the high cost of health care
and on federal education policy represented by “No Child Left Behind.”
He drew
distinctions between himself and his leading opponent for the Democratic nomination,
state Senator Kay Hagan. She represents the establishment, he said, and she’s
prepared to continue doing business as usual. “I’m the outsider.”
He pointed
out that while Hagan has been a chief budget-writer in the NC Senate, she voted
to lower taxes on the wealthiest citizens. She has said that she agreed with
George Bush about telcom immunity from criminal prosecution for domestic
spying. She has also said she would have voted to uphold the Bush veto of the
S-CHIP expansion.
“It seems
that Senator Hagan thinks this campaign is about calling in favors from
high-dollar Capitol insiders to pay for carpet bombing the state with
poll-tested political ads, but the people of North Carolina deserve better.”
“How is
she different from Elizabeth Dole?” Neal asked.
Other
Democrats running in the May 6th primary are listed at http://www.wataugadems.com/1candidates/candidates08.html, along
with direct links to all their websites.
|
