us House Dist. 7- Peterson

Published 06:25 p.m., October 31, 2008

Congressman Collin C. Peterson

Terrorism:

It's time for U.S. troops to be coming home and if the President won't get that process started then I would support a timetable for withdrawal and an end to the war. It is clear that the war on terrorism hasn't been a total success. Our men and women of the U.S. military have done a great job but the situation in Iraq remains uncertain and there are numerous problems to deal with. Going into Afghanistan after “9-11” was the right thing to do, but from there the Administration expanded the war into Iraq without a clearly thought out plan and without finishing the mission in Afghanistan. The situation in both countries is difficult and without thoughtful reconsideration of objectives and policies by the next Administration it will be all but impossible for the U.S. to “win” in the traditional sense of the word. Nonetheless, we have to complete the job. We need new leadership that pursues achievable objectives and is honest with the American people about how long it will take and what it's going to cost. Only through rational military and cooperative diplomatic policies will we be able to defeat terrorism and achieve the safer world we all seek.

Health care:

Universal health care coverage is the right goal and I think we'll get there eventually, but until that day it is important to be realistic and improve that which can be improved while we develop the political courage and the financing required for universal coverage. A good first step that would help expand access to health care and increase the number of Americans with coverage would be to simply allow individuals and small businesses to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). By taking this approach we can make use of an existing system with well established plans that have delivered quality health care to large numbers of beneficiaries. Although the Medicare system has made some changes that should help rural health care in general it is still too soon to tell whether or not the drug discount card will in the long run actually help bring down prices for senior citizens. In the meantime to assure access to affordable care government must fully reimburse providers in underserved and rural areas, negotiate prescription drug prices and limit advertising, promote innovative technologies, provide health program price transparency, improve Children's Health Insurance Programs, allow program flexibility for reaching uninsured populations and provide incentives to small businesses to provide insurance.

Education:

I voted against the President's so called No Child Left Behind Act because it amounted to a direct assault by the federal government on Minnesota's tradition of local control of schools. The federal government should NOT be telling Minnesotans how to run their schools, and it most certainly should NOT be setting the standards while short-changing school districts on the amount of money it should be sending to Minnesota to pay for federally mandated education programs. Many of the rural school district leaders I've talked to have told me that the state government is creating additional problems for rural schools through their efforts to implement this seriously flawed edict from Washington. The bill should be repealed, but if we can't secure enough votes to get that done at the very least it should be amended so that rural schools can “opt out”.

Energy:

The United States must expand domestic oil production and establish a new U.S. energy policy that ends our country's dependency on foreign energy sources. There's no easy way to do this - it will require a national commitment and an “all of the above” approach by government and the private sector. We must consider every American resource that we have at our disposal - including the oil in ANWR -- and pursue all opportunities for development and production. This means more drilling for oil, more biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel, using biomass to generate power, developing clean coal technologies, expanding wind, solar and nuclear power generating capacity and pursuing research and development of any promising methodology that delivers more energy. In addition, we must make conservation a regular part of how we live our lives. We will need greater energy efficiency from anything that uses it, from our homes, to our machines and appliances. We must end our dependency on foreign sources - and when we do this, the future will be much brighter for everyone. I believe that we have the capacity to accomplish this in a manner that is consistent with our commitment to the environment and to future generations. If we do it right American consumers will spend some of their money on energy from the Midwest and not the Middle East. We need to get this right so that we can stop fighting wars over oil and stop buying oil from people who hate us.

Agriculture:

As Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, I spent many hours listening to Minnesota farmers and agriculture interests in order to write and negotiate a Farm Bill -- The Food Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 -- that makes historic investments in programs that help Minnesota farmers and ranchers do what they do best - providing high quality food and energy for our nation and the world. The new Farm Bill is a forward looking framework that rebalances farm protection by increasing loan rates and target prices for Minnesota crops. It also has a new permanent disaster program to provide disaster assistance and a new revenue-based counter-cyclical program will further strengthen the safety net options for Minnesota farmers. The bill includes new investments that will encourage and expand locally grown and organic production in Minnesota and across the nation. It is also the first Farm Bill to make a significant investment in renewable energy programs, providing $1 billion for new technologies and feedstocks for the renewable energy industry. Minnesota has led the nation in renewable energy production and use, and the Farm Bill will help the industry continue to grow using new sources. The impact of rising energy prices is a problem for all of agriculture, and biofuels are just one part of the equation. High fuel and fertilizer prices are hurting farmers and ranchers nationwide, no matter what they produce. To address part of the problem that is under the Agriculture Committee's jurisdiction, we passed the Commodity Markets Transparency and Accountability Act with bipartisan support. This legislation will increase transparency, improve oversight in commodity markets and limit speculation, ensuring that these markets are operating in best interest of farmers and consumers. Moving forward, I will continue to work in Congress for an energy policy that utilizes all of the resources our nation can provide - wind, solar, nuclear, oil and clean coal in addition to biofuels. Minnesota has seen enormous achievements in value-added agriculture. We need to continue to find ways to promote and expand opportunities that return more of the dollar to our farmers. Whether it is biofuels, animal agriculture, or locally-grown and organic farming, we need to do everything possible to keep our farms competitive and strong. On the horizon, I am watching carefully as USDA implements the Farm Bill. I want to make sure that the new investments and safety net improvements included in the law are put into place correctly so that they help our farmers as we intended. As Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, I will continue to look for ways to improve the USDA and its program delivery systems to be sure that Minnesota farmers don't encounter a never-ending mess of red tape and regulatory burdens. Federal government programs should assist and support farmers doing what they do best - providing the high quality agriculture products that make this country great.

Job creation:

Americans have no trouble competing and winning when the rules are fair and the field is level, but for past several decades U.S. trade policy negotiators have given away American jobs to appease the interests of International corporations in pursuit of cheap foreign labor and raw materials. U.S. companies have told us that they had to have these trade agreements in order to compete effectively, but what's good for the corporation is not always good for American workers or farmers. I think it's pretty clear that over the past decade or so this approach has been bad for the majority of Americans. Real wages have stagnated and jobs in our formerly robust manufacturing sectors have disappeared. I think U.S. companies should have fair access to foreign markets and that if they do they should be able to compete effectively - but this access should not be coming at the expense of American workers and their families.

Immigration:

I oppose amnesty for illegal aliens. In Congress I voted for the “get tough” immigration bill to secure our borders, increase the number of security personnel and build an extended border fence along our southern borders. We need to give law enforcement officials more resources with which to capture and deport people who are in this country illegally. This is not a comprehensive answer to our security and immigration problems, but it's a step in the right direction. We also must develop a tamper-proof biometrically encoded Social Security identification cards and make it against the law to hire anyone without one. With this kind of technology in place we can create secure temporary worker programs for people with special skills and agricultural workers and hold employers accountable in they knowingly hire undocumented illegal alien workers.

Economy:

As painful as it may be to the individuals involved, a bank foreclosure is a private sector action between private parties who have made financial commitments to one another. The American federal government “sets the rules” for many kinds of business transactions and through the various regulatory agencies that oversee the banking and financial systems it should guarantee that the rules are being followed and fairly applied. To that end both the Administration and Congress should conduct regular oversight of these financial institutions so as to guarantee that the system is functioning in the best interests of our citizens - consumers - and that the rules remain fair and rational and that they are being followed by all parties. When necessary, Congress and the Administration should give the courts the authority to resolve instances where the rules have not been followed. When there has been unfair manipulation of the system (like what has gotten large numbers of people throughout the nation into the sub-prime lending mess) the government should carefully review and evaluate the circumstances before stepping into the middle of any private sector business transactions. But at the end of the day, while federal, state and locals government entities and any number of private sector entities (including not for profit organizations) work to educate consumers and help them avoid bad financial decisions at the end of the day it's still a free country and people are still free to make bad decisions with their money.

Federal Shield Law:

Yes, I support enactment of a strong federal shield law to protect journalists and their sources from the coercive power of the government. Freedom of the press is an essential principle of American government enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. It is at the very foundation of our nation and vital to the free exchange of ideas and information we all expect in the open and free society of the United States of America.

Priorities:

It's an honor to be the 7th District's Congressman and I believe my experience and my position as Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture can benefit farmers, veterans, children, senior citizens, and communities large and small. There will be a lot of work to do in the upcoming Congress, not the least of which will be to oversee proper implementation of the new Farm Bill by the next Administration so that all the good programs it contains will effectively deliver the assistance to rural America that we intended. In addition the USDA - where computer systems are out of date and there is overlap and duplication of services -- needs to be totally reorganized and I intend to start that process as soon as possible next year. We'll have a new President, but our budget situation will restrict policy choices. Eight years of exploding deficits, increased spending, war, and an energy crisis have us in a squeeze. With time, fiscal discipline and adherence to “pay-go” rules (which delivered balance and surpluses in the 1990s) we'll restore balanced budgets. I will work to promote an “all of the above” energy policy for the U.S., and work to strengthen the U.S. economy by investing in our own infrastructure and expanding competitive opportunities for our own workforce. I also think we need to end this Administration's damaging trade negotiations process that gave us the anti-sugar CAFTA treaty and threatens more damage at the DOHA talks. My other priorities include controlling federal spending and restoring balanced budgets through strict “pay-go” rules, pursuing a rational and affordable expansion of Health Care coverage for all Americans, and getting our troops home from Iraq.

Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications.

As 7th District Congressman, I have been a consistent and effective advocate for rural Minnesota. I grew up on a farm in Baker, Minnesota, graduated from Moorhead State, had my own small business (as a CPA) and served in the Minnesota Senate before being elected to Congress. I'm an advocate for rural development and agriculture, public education, veterans, affordable, quality rural health care and fiscal discipline. As Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee I helped write the new Farm Bill and in that process I made sure that the interests and concerns of Minnesota's farmers and rural communities were included. If the voters see fit to have me represent them for another term I will continue to serve as the Agriculture Committee's Chairman where I will be able to fight effectively against any new Administration efforts to eliminate agriculture programs and federal funding to assist rural areas.

---

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?

---