KEN STREMSKY DISCUSSES How candidates may want to answer questions from reporters. 1. Do you support partial-privatization of social security? I do support partial-privatization of social security because I believe people who are at least 18 years of age should be able to take risks and make bad decisions. I would like the social security tax placed on all wages that a person makes in a year and not just the first $87,000 to decrease the probability that the "normal retirement age" will not be 65 years old. In 2002, the social security tax was placed on the first $84,900. Right now, the social security tax is 6.2 percent. I would like the social security to be five percent or less on the first $50,000 in wages a person makes in a year. 2. Do you support school choice? I support school choice because I believe competition usually produces better results than the results obtained from a monopoly or an oligopoly. If people truly cared about education, they would want parents to be able to use public funds to send their children to the schools that the parents choose. Smart people want to be able to see the Doctors that they want. Don't our children deserve the benefits of competition? 3. What do you think we should do about the War on Terrorism? NATO should be a full partner in the War on Terrorism because NATO is an entangling military alliance. An attack on one country is supposed to be considered as an attack on all the countries in NATO. Citizens of the United States of America who are called enemy combatants may not be denied their Amendment Six rights which include the ability to have a lawyer and the ability to have a trial. Fighting for an enemy of our country is a criminal offense. 4. Do you think we should go to War with Iraq? I think Congress should Declare War against Iraq because it is better to defeat an enemy when it is weak than to go to War with it when it is powerful. People appeased Hitler when he was weak and millions of people died when he was strong. I believe significant numbers of land troops should only be sent to Iraq if Congress Declares War against Iraq. A Congressional authorization for the usage of force is not acceptable. Congress and not the President of the United States of America is supposed to Declare War. 5. Do you support a prescription drug benefit in Medicare? I support a prescription drug benefit in Medicare. I believe Medicare should be more like the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. A prescription drug benefit in Medicare would probably improve the lives and the length of the lives of many senior citizens and might decrease the number of hospital stays taken by senior citizens. 6. Do you support our current War on Drugs? I do not support our current War on Drugs. I think people who are at least 18 years old have the right to take illegal drugs and ruin their lives. If a person who is at least 18 years old gets high at home, the government should not care. If a person drives an automobile when the person is high, the government should care because the person is endangering the lives of others. I think it is ridiculous that our country often gives longer prison sentences to non violent drug offenders than it does murderers and rapists. 7. Do you support Trade Promotion Authority for the President of the United States of America? I do not support Trade Promotion Authority for the President of the United States of America. According to Article One of the United States Constitution, Congress and not the President of the United States of America is supposed to regulate commerce with foreign nations. If Congress wants the President of the United States of America to negotiate trade treaties, Article Two of the Constitution has to be followed and the Senate must be able to provide its Advice and Consent on Treaties. Trade Promotion Authority denies the Senate its Constitutional responsibility to provide Advice on Treaties. 8. Do you support luxury taxes? I do not support luxury taxes. After Congress placed luxury taxes on ships, many people in the shipbuilding industry lost their jobs. When government tries to soak the rich, many middle class people and many poor people loose their jobs because consumption of goods and services decrease. 9. Do you support the elimination of the capital gains tax? I support the elimination of the capital gains tax. People will be encouraged to invest if the capital gains tax is eliminated. Millions of Middle Classs Americans who have money invested in mutual funds will benefit from the elimination of the capital gains tax. Rich people are more likely to save more, invest more, and consume more after the capital gains tax is eliminated. 10. Do you support the elimination of the estate tax? I support the elimination of the estate tax because I do not believe that the government should benefit financially when a person dies. If the estate tax is eliminated, more families will be able to keep their family farms and their family businesses. 11. Do you support the elimination of taxes on dividends. I support the elimination of taxation on dividends because this will encourage more people to invest. Millions of Middle Class Americans who have mutual funds will benefit from the elimination of taxation on dividends. Rich people will probably save more, invest more, and consume more after the elimination of taxation on dividends. 12. Do you support the elimination of taxation on savings accounts. I support the elimination of taxation on savings accounts. I think people should be encouraged to save and invest. I think it is ridiculous that our government punishes people for saving by taxing interest from savings accounts. The more money that people are able to save and invest during their working years the less dependent they will be on Social Security. 13. Do you support allowing people and businesses to deduct the full cost of college tuitions, graduate school tuitions, college related expenses, and graduate school related expenses from their federal taxes? I support allowing students to deduct the full cost of their college tuitions, graduate school tuitions, college related expenses, and graduate school related expenses from their federal taxes. I support allowing parents to deduct the full cost of their children's college tuitions, graduate school educations, college related expenses, and graduate school related expenses from their federal taxes. I support allowing businesses to deduct the full cost of their employees college tuitions, graduate school tuitions, college related expenses, and graduate school related expenses from their federal taxes. I support allowing businesses to deduct the full cost of the college tuitions, graduate school tuitions, college related expenses, and graduate school related expenses of the children of employees from their federal taxes. I support allowing businesses to deduct the full cost of the college tuitions, graduate school tuitions, college related expenses, and graduate school related expenses of others from their federal taxes. I believe that the more people who attend college the stronger our economy will be and the higher per capita income will be. I believe that the more people who attend graduate school the stronger our economy will be and the higher per capita income will be. College graduate often pay more in taxes in their life times than non college graduates.