Where the three candidates stand on New York’s top-three issues:
John McHugh (Republican, incumbent)
The Economy: McHugh supports making the Bush tax cuts permanent and is opposed to any tax increases for government programs. On extending the soon-to-expire Bush tax cuts, McHugh wrote on his Web site, “In my opinion, the House of Representatives had a pretty easy choice — to allow taxes to go up and, as a result, stifle the economic growth and recovery that’s so important to our part of New York State, or to take bold initiatives to maintain current tax levels.”
Iraq: McHugh supports the war in Iraq and has praised progress made since the troop surge began. After President Bush’s State of the Union address in January, McHugh said in a press release: “He noted, and rightly so, the incredible progress that has been seen in Iraq. Our troops have made great advances in quelling the violence in that nation over the past year. But we need to maintain that same vigilance as we combat global jihadists.”
Health Care: McHugh has supported legislation that would provide tax cuts to help pay health care premiums. In a press release about the legislation, he said: “My legislation would allow individuals a refundable tax credit for the purchase of private insurance and to take an above the line deduction for all health insurance premiums paid during the tax year.”
Michael Oot (Democrat, challenger)
The Economy: Oot calls for ending tax breaks for companies exporting jobs. “We need to keep jobs here and stop shipping them overseas,” he said. “Companies shouldn’t have incentives for laying off American workers.”
Iraq: Oot is opposed to the war in Iraq and says U.S. military forces should be concentrated on Afghanistan. “We need to get out,” Oot said. “We need to bring our troops home as soon as we can.” A careful phased withdrawal is the best bet, Oot said.
Health Care: Oot supports House Resolution 676, which has become known as the “expanded Medicare bill.” The bill would create a national single-payer health care system with Medicare acting as the nation’s insurance company. Tax dollars would act as premiums, paying the costs.
The Economy: “I will do whatever I have to do to get our economy back on track,” Francis said. “We need to make sure jobs stay here and stop our deficit spending. There’s nothing wrong with debt if you pay it back.” Francis did not offer specifics on an economic plan.
Iraq: Francis linked the war in Iraq to the nation’s economic woes. Leaving Iraq would solve two problems, he said. “We’re spending billions of dollars over there we should be spending here,” he said. “We’re wasting two resources in Iraq: precious human lives and billions of dollars. The military is stretched too thin.” Francis said he would support a phased withdrawal of troops.
Health Care: Francis also calls for a universal health care plan. “If we can land a man on the moon and get him back here safely, we can solve a health care crisis on Earth,” he said.
(Heath D. Williams is a junior newspaper major.)
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