The 2nd of the 6 Democratic candidates for the open seat in the 1st Congressional District, Darshan Rauniyar has submitted his answers to a set of questions I recently sent to each candidate.
EXAMINER: The state legislature will soon pass and the governor will sign a marriage equality bill in our state. The Federal government still has the Defense of Marriage act in place. President Obama has said he will not enforce the act but has stopped short of calling for its repeal. Would you work to repeal DOMA?
RAUNIYAR: This is outside the government's purview, in my opinion. The government should enforce laws to ensure that every citizen's civil rights are protected. It is unfortunate that states are having to lead the charge on this particular civil rights issue.
EXAMINER: This year there will be a ballot measure in Washington State to legalize the growing and possession of marijuana. Washington and other states already have approved medical marijuana. A major stumbling block has been the US Code that has the federal government essentially negating these state laws. Would you work to revise the US codes that are preventing the legalization of marijuana?
RAUNIYAR: The entire “War on Drugs” needs to be reevaluated. It's silly that marijuana – a drug with proven medical applications – is categorized as a Schedule 1 drug in the Controlled Substances Act. It is past time for the Federal government to let science and common sense dictate its drug policy, not irrational fear.
EXAMINER: Currently, President Obama has proposed a cut in the Defense budget of some $487 Billion. Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) and others have said we could safely cut twice that amount. Whose position do you support; Obama or Frank?
RAUNIYAR: I think there are many ways we can make significant cuts to military spending without sacrificing our ability to protect the homeland and defend our legitimate interests abroad. So much of current defense spending is shaped by outdated Cold War thinking and pork barrel spending by Congress. The President is advocating the cuts he thinks he can get passed by the Republican Congress, but there is certainly a lot more room to cut responsibly. I will not be able to commit to specific cuts until I have access to all the relevant classified information that is made available to members of Congress.
EXAMINER: Social Security is a bedrock plank of the Democratic Party. While there is much concern about its ongoing solvency, there is an argument that says raising or eliminating the cap on withholding could eliminate those concerns for the indefinite future. Would you work to raise or eliminate the cap?
RAUNIYAR: While I believe that Social Security is safe and secure for the foreseeable future, if it is necessary to protect the future of the program I would support raising the payroll tax withholding cap. Older Americans have worked to earn a secure retirement, and I will make one of my top priorities to see that they receive it.
EXAMINER: For years now, many in Organized Labor have felt under assault by this country’s shift to a policy of “Free Trade.” They believe that workers in the US have been placed at a disadvantage by having to compete against countries with few if any worker’s rights or safety laws; plus a tax code that rewards companies for moving jobs off-shore. Will you work to eliminate tax breaks for companies who shift labor off-shore?
RAUNIYAR: Absolutely. It is one of my top priorities. No company should receive a tax break for moving American jobs to another country. Congress must evaluate all our trade bills and treaties and see if they are creating or costing American jobs.
EXAMINER: Do you support Free Trade or Fair Trade?
RAUNIYAR: I will fight for fair and competitive trade – and fight to keep good paying jobs in the United States. We must ensure that the American worker is competing on a level playing field. To not do so is hurting our workers, our environment, and our economic security.
EXAMINER: In his State of the Union address, President Obama suggested that we should shift our subsidies from the Oil and Gas industry and toward the Clean Energy industry. In the past, he has included nuclear in the cadre of Clean Energy providers. Will you work to Shift the subsidies?
RAUNIYAR: Yes. We give away billions in unnecessary subsidies to oil companies making billions at the pump, polluting our air, and contributing to climate change. I will support getting rid of these unnecessary subsidies. It is critical, both for our economy and environment, that we invest in clean energy technologies, like wind, solar and geothermal. Clean energy industries have the potential to create millions of jobs and help get our economy moving again.
EXAMINER: What is your position on nuclear energy?
RAUNIYAR: I want to applaud the President for asking the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to do a full safety review of the nuclear power plants currently running. I understand the concerns many have surrounding nuclear energy, and I have many concerns about the disposal and storage of our nuclear waste, but we must move beyond our national dependence on coal energy – and down the road, if we know that we can safely dispose and store our nuclear waste, and know that our plants are safe, I would be willing to explore the option of expanding our use of nuclear energy.
Thanks to Darshan Rauniyar for submitting his answers. I look forward to bringing you the answers from the remaining candidates as they become available.
Peace,
Chad Shue
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