On Tuesday, November 2 Polls will be open 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM A Special Edition of the Just Harvest News Vol. 18, No. 6, November-December 2004 This voter's guide presents the candidates' positions on several issues to help you make your choices on Election Day. You have received it because you are one of the more than 4,500 new voters that we registered this year, or because you signed one of our voter pledges, or because you are a long-time Just Harvest supporter. The 2004 Presidential election is the most important in decades; people with low- and moderate-incomes can really make a difference. The public is still divided just about 50/50, so it won't take many votes to affect the final result. Only 39% of eligible voters actually voted in the 2000 Presidential election in Florida, and it was decided by only about 500 votes. Why are elections important? Government officials-- ones who are elected and those they hire-- decide how much taxes you pay and how those taxes are spent. They determine whether we go to war, whether roads and bridges are built or repaired, what our schools teach, and what social services are provided and to whom. The federal government(including the President and Congress) make decisions that affect everyone in the US. They are responsible for national security and war, as well as national programs like Social Security, Medicare, Veterans' Benefits, and hunger programs like WIC and Food Stamps. The state government including the Governor and General Assembly) makes decisions for Pennsylvanians. State government personnel decide about money for education and bus service. And they license and regulate professionals: doctors, nurses, pharmacists, insurance agents, realtors, teachers, and barbers. Major decisions about welfare, school meals and taxes are made by people in both federal and state governments. Local government - your hometown - operates police and fire departments, and maintains local parks and streets. Why do government decisions favor the rich instead of the poor? Because rich people vote much more than poor people do. Statistically, people least likely to voter are new voters, people lower incomes, with disabilities, with criminal records, African-Americans, youth and women. In 2002, 80 percent of voters who made more than $75,000 voted, while only 25% of people with incomes less than $10,000 voted. Our guide covers several important topics: hunger and poverty, welfare, fair pay, the minimum wage, housing, health care, disabilities, and taxes. Throughout the US, the government social safety net has seriously diminished during the past four years. Federal government officials have transferred more and more of the human service responsibilities to the states, without the money to pay for them. Family income has decreased, millions of jobs have been lost, and fewer people have health insurance. Also in the US: Thirty five million people go without decent food every year in the US, yet the federal and state governments continue to cut programs aimed at reducing hunger. In fiscal year 2000, the federal government had a $236 billion surplus ($236,000,000,000). Now, there is a $411 billion deficit ($411,000,000,000). Our children and grandchildren will be paying these bills. Since 2000, the cost of family health insurance has increased more than $2700, and nearly 44 million Americans have no health insurance at all. Many people can't find adequate work to support their families. The minimum wage has been $5.15 per hour since 1997 and many workers must hold multiple jobs just to make ends meet. Pres. Bush's proposed federal budget for next year includes a 5% across-the-board cut in social services. Spending on the war and tax cuts for the rich take precedence over human needs. So, if you don't like these conditions, you CAN change them. Voting is just the beginning. Be informed about the issues important to you. Contact your elected officials, either on your own or as a group with your friends, neighbors, family, or co-workers. Join an organization that works on things you care about. If there isn't an organization, start one. If you've never voted before, don't worry. There's a "practice" voting machine at the polling place. There is a large sample of your ballot hanging on the wall of the room. You can look at it all you want and chat about it with anybody working the polls (inside or outside) or other voters who might be there. Take your time. You have up to three minutes in the voting booth. Think about what's important to you. Review the information here and elsewhere. JUST VOTE! It's free. It's easy. And it's not fattening. Thanks to our funders: Ms Foundation for Women Public Welfare Foundation Funding Exchange's Mobilize the Vote Fund VOTING INFORMATION In order to vote, you do not need the voting card that you may have received in the mail. You must show ID the first time you vote at a particular voting place (poll). Approved forms of ID include: PHOTO ID (Must be VALID) PA Driver's license or ID Card issued by PENNDOT ID issued by US government ID issued by any Commonwealth of PA agency US Passport US armed forces ID student ID employee ID NON-PHOTO ID (Must include your name and address) Voter Identification Card Non-Photo ID issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Non-Photo ID issued by the US Government firearm permit current bank statement current utility bill current paycheck government check You cannot lose your job, or your benefits, or be evicted for voting. If the workers at the poll (voting place) find a problem with your registration, ask for a provisional ballot. By law, they must let you vote on a provisional ballot and the problem will be straightened out later. PEOPLE WITH FELONY CONVICTIONS MAY vote in PA, once they are no longer incarcerated. HOMELESS PEOPLE may vote if they have a mailing address. They do not need a home. PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES have a right to vote on an alternative ballot, and/or to get assistance from the person of their choice in the voting booth Federal Candidates President US Senate Hunger and Poverty Our federal government has a number of food programs that help fight hunger in the US, such as food stamps, WIC, and school lunches. However, they are under-funded. How would you change this situation? It's a scandal that a country as rich and powerful as ours allows nearly 35 million people to live in families that struggle to put food on their tables. What more will you do to eliminate hunger in this country? Welfare Welfare Reform is being hailed as a success. In reality, fewer people are on welfare but more people are poor. Welfare should provide an adequate safety net and realistic paths to self-sufficiency. How would you make this a reality for consumers of welfare? Given the state of the economy, should welfare consumers a) be subject to increased mandatory work requirements and b) be penalized if they can't find jobs? a) _______________ b) _______________ Taxes Recent huge tax cuts have mostly benefited the richest Americans, increasing the gap between rich and poor. What is your position on making these tax cuts permanent? Health Care The US is the only major nation without national health insurance, leaving behind 44 million uninsured and millions more under-insured, yet we spend 50% more on healthcare than countries that cover everyone. What would you do to ensure universal, high-quality care for everyone and take the unfair burden off employers? Minimum Wage The present minimum wage of $5.15 keeps a family of three $5,000 below the federal poverty line each year. Do you support current efforts to raise the minimum wage to $7.00 in three steps over two years? How would you amend this proposal? Disabilities If you were elected, what would be your top priority during your first 100 days in office to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities? Housing HUD (Housing and Urban Development) has asked communities to create a strategy to address chronic homelessness within 10 years. What steps will you take to accomplish this? National and statewide housing studies indicate that there is a serious shortage of decent rental housing for low-income families, elderly and people with disabilities. The National Housing Trust Fund Act has been proposed in Congress as a major step towards solving this problem. Do you support the National Housing Trust Fund proposal and what other steps, if any, would you propose to deal with this problem? General Why should a mother on welfare, who is struggling to feed her family and become self-sufficient, vote for you? ANSWERS: Senator John F. Kerry - Democrat George Bush has made tax cuts for the wealthy his top priority. I will make very different choices. I will invest in programs that fight hunger. Fighting hunger is part of my commitment to a healthier America, and should not be shortchanged to pay for tax giveaways to the rich. Across the board, we must create economic policies that give low-income families hope and opportunity. We must use existing government programs better to end hunger first among children and seniors. We must form real partnerships between the government and community-based nonprofits to help feed more people and improve local nutrition. Welfare reform has had positive results, but our task now is to ensure that parents who go to work have the health and child care they need to leave poverty and build a better life for their families. State TANF programs need flexibility to give workers the skills to succeed. I support work requirements, but these must be coupled with increased investments in work supports like child care and health care. Our priority for welfare reauthorization should be rewarding work and reducing poverty. I will repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans and increase tax cuts for the rest of America. I will help ease the burden on hardworking families with tax credits for health care, child care, and tuition. I will cut taxes for 98% of Americans. I'd let Americans access the same health care Congress gets. I'd expand state-based programs to insure all children and millions of adults by paying the full cost of over 20 million children in Medicaid. I'd make health insurance more affordable for small businesses and many Americans with tax credits. I will raise the minimum wage to $7.00 by 2007 to ensure that no one working full-time at the minimum wage must raise their children in poverty. I will also support and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit. We'll work to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid - and make them work better for people with disabilities through bills like MiCASSA, the Money Follows the Person Act, and the Family Opportunity Act. We'll fully fund IDEA. Qualified individuals with disabilities will play a pivotal role in a Kerry-Edwards Administration. We must first ensure individuals don't lose their homes by strengthening health and child care assistance, and raising the minimum wage. We must provide supportive services, including mental health and drug treatment programs many individuals need. I introduced legislation to encourage cooperation among agencies administering welfare and federal housing subsidies. I sponsored the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act in the Senate. It would create a new housing production program, to ensure that new rental units are built for low-income families and working families. I will provide appropriate Section 8 funding to protect voucher recipients, which George Bush has opposed. George Bush has made the wrong choices for our families. I will fight to make America's working families stronger at home with a plan to create good paying jobs, provide health care to all Americans, and make housing, child care, and college more affordable. President George W. Bush - Republican (Incumbent) Every answer: Did not respond Senator Arlen Specter - Republican (Incumbent) Every answer: Did not respond US Rep. Joe Hoeffel - Democrat I have opposed efforts by the Republican Congress to cut funding for the WIC Program, which would have cost over one million low-income women and children their nutritional assistance. We should roll back the Bush-Cheney administration's tax cuts for millionaires and fully fund these food programs. I think it's wrong for the Bush-Cheney White House and Republican Congress to cut taxes for millionaires, and corporations while cutting funds for assistance for needy families. We need to change the course in Washington and make it a priority to increase funding for programs that help people feed their families. Welfare reform has yielded mixed results. Moving people from welfare to employment cannot be accomplished without providing the states the funding they need to provide meaningful work and education opportunities with adequate child care and flexible transportation options. I voted to increase child-care funding for welfare recipients by $11 billion. a) _____NO________        b) _______NO______ I opposed the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy when they were enacted and I oppose making them permanent. I support tax cuts for middle and lower income families that include expanding the child tax credit, establishing a new 10% tax bracket for lower income people and fixing the marriage penalty. I support giving every American access to the same health plan available to members of Congress by providing subsidies to lower income Americans and tax credits for small business to make insurance more affordable. Yes. I am an original cosponsor of HR 4256, the latest round of minimum wage legislation that seeks to raise the minimum wage to $7 an hour. I want to roll back the Bush tax cuts for millionaires that have left the federal government unable to fully fund programs that increase employment opportunities for disabled people and support long term care options that preserve dignity and independence. I will also work to get MiCASSA passed into law. I strongly oppose the Bush Administration's efforts to abolish bipartisan, successful programs including the Public Housing Drug Elimination Program and the HOPE VI program to revitalize distressed public housing units. We should reform the Section 8 voucher program, modernize HOPE VI, and raise the Federal Housing Administration multi-family loan limits. Yes. I have worked to secure additional resources to provide housing for low-income families. I co-sponsored the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act, to establish a trust fund in the Treasury of the United States to provide for the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of decent, safe, affordable housing for low-income families. Arlen Specter's 89% support for the Bush-Cheney agenda is making things worse for most Pennsylvanians. We must change course and bring a sense of urgency to solving the problems facing our families and communities. I want to build an America that invests in our children, creates good jobs and provides health care for everyone. "Each of us helps to decide how our nation should use its power and wealth in a hungry world. If we choose not to get involved, we are helping to make the kind of decisions that lock people into hunger. Put another way, saying nothing to political leaders is saying something to them. We usually get the kind of leadership we ask for, and if we ask for none on hunger, that is what we can expect." David Beckman, President, Bread for the World US Congress - House of Representatives Hunger and Poverty Our federal government has a number of food programs that help fight hunger in the US, such as food stamps, WIC, and school lunches. However, they are under-funded. How would you change this situation? It's a scandal that a country as rich and powerful as ours allows nearly 35 million people to live in families that struggle to put food on their tables. What more will you do to eliminate hunger in this country? Welfare Welfare Reform is being hailed as a success. In reality, fewer people are on welfare but more people are poor. Welfare should provide an adequate safety net and realistic paths to self-sufficiency. How would you make this a reality for consumers of welfare? Given the state of the economy, should welfare consumers a) be subject to increased mandatory work requirements and b) be penalized if they can't find jobs? a) _______________         b) _______________ Taxes Recent huge tax cuts have mostly benefited the richest Americans, increasing the gap between rich and poor. What is your position on making these tax cuts permanent? Health Care The US is the only major nation without national health insurance, leaving behind 44 million uninsured and millions more under-insured, yet we spend 50% more on healthcare than countries that cover everyone. What would you do to ensure universal, high-quality care for everyone and take the unfair burden off employers? Minimum Wage The present minimum wage of $5.15 keeps a family of three $5,000 below the federal poverty line each year. Do you support current efforts to raise the minimum wage to $7.00 in three steps over two years? How would you amend this proposal? Disabilities If you were elected, what would be your top priority during your first 100 days in office to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities? Housing HUD (Housing and Urban Development) has asked communities to create a strategy to address chronic homelessness within 10 years. What steps will you take to accomplish this? National and statewide housing studies indicate that there is a serious shortage of decent rental housing for low-income families, elderly and people with disabilities. The National Housing Trust Fund Act has been proposed in Congress as a major step towards solving this problem. Do you support the National Housing Trust Fund proposal and what other steps, if any, would you propose to deal with this problem? General Why should a mother on welfare, who is struggling to feed her family and become self-sufficient, vote for you? Stevan Drobac, Jr. - Democrat 4th Congressional District By voting to increase the funding to meet the need. Stop outsourcing of jobs, employment opportunities and take care of our people in America before spending on other countries. By adding more educational opportunities including 4 year degree. By stopping outsourcing and bringing more employment opportunities into the US. Stop giving tax breaks to those companies who are outsourcing and giving tax breaks to those companies who offer employment in the US. a) NO            b) NO Will vote against it and vote for more tax breaks for the middle class American. I support HR 676, a universal single payer health care system. Disagree with the 3 steps over 2 years. It should be brought into the current system immediately. Also minimum wage should be at $8.50 per hour. Universal/single payer health care plan would be the first step in helping people with disabilities. Attempt to accomplish this goal before the 10 year goal. Yes As a middle class working father and grandfather, I am well aware of the need to support our single parents. They are raising our future. U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart - Republican (Incumbent) Every answer: Did not respond Mark Boles, M.D. - Democrat 18th Congressional District Funding for these programs and many others have fallen victim to needless tax cuts and runaway defense spending. Food programs need to become a higher priority in budgeting. A livable minimum wage; increased funding for food programs; increased funding for education/job training; funding/incentives for economic development in depressed areas. Increase the minimum wage; increase funding for education/job training; increase funding/availability of child care, food programs; economic development in depressed areas. a) Yes, work or education/job training. b)No, if they are actively seeking employment. Oppose I support a national single-payer healthcare system that would cover every American, eliminate exorbitant administrative costs and relieve employers and workers alike of cost burden. Support Adequately fund Individuals with Disabilities and Education Act. Pass Mental Health Parity Act. Work to fund economic development efforts, education, job training programs Support I have been a pediatrician in Western Pennsylvania for 18 years. I have seen the challenges that many parents face on a daily basis and know the tools that they need to care for their children. I feel that it is imperative that these tools be available to every family regardless of its economic situation. U.S. Rep Tim Murphy - Republican (Incumbent) Every answer: Did not respond U.S. Rep Mike Doyle - Democrat (Incumbernt) Unopposed 14th Congressional District U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha - Democrat (Incumbent) Unopposed Just Harvest is a county-wide membership organization which promotes economic justice and works to influence public policy and to educate, empower, and mobilize the citizens of our community toward the elimination of hunger. 16 Terminal Way Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone: 412 - 431 - 8960 Fax: 412 - 431 - 8966 www.justharvest.org Pennsylvania Candidates Hunger and Poverty Will you take a lead in supporting increased state funding for food banks? Taxes Do you support putting unfair additional costs on working and poor Pennsylvanians by expanding the state sales tax to include food, medicine and other necessities? Tax Refund Anticipation Loans (RAL's) are aggressively marketed in low-income communities during tax season. These loans - sometimes called "Rapid Refund" or "Instant Money" can have annual interest rates as high as 700%. Would you support legislation to license and regulate RAL providers and set limits on fees and interest? Health Care Do you support a state health care system that would provide coverage for everyone? Fair Pay Do you believe Pennsylvania should set a minimum wage above the federal minimum wage as 13 states have done ? Would you support funding salary increases for caregivers that would provide them with at least a living wage and would provide the clients high quality services? Housing Will you work to minimize unfair eviction policies for low-income renters who are behind in their rent? Public funding for renovating or building new affordable housing often leads to the displacement of significant numbers of low-income households from the area being revitalized. Will you support a state policy that would prevent such displacement and assure the replacement of all existing affordable housing in impacted communities? General Why should a mother on welfare, who is struggling to feed her family and become self-sufficient, vote for you? NAME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pennsylvania Senate 37th PA Senate District Gianni Floro (D) Yes No Yes Yes ? ? No Yes She should know that I support: Quality public education, affordable and/or subsidized day care, a living wage, all-day kindergarten and pre-school and afterschool programs; food banks and the Farmers Market Nutrition Program; and job training and life skills programs to those in need. I will be there for the people. Pennsylvania Senate 37th PA Senate District John Pippy (R) Incumbent Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Pennsylvania House 16th PA House District (Open Seat) Sean M. Ramaley (D) Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes My plan will not only offer hope, but a vision for our future to bring both big and small businesses into the 16th District. These jobs will provide family-sustaining wages, so that she can earn the money to feed and care for her family, but still spend quality time with them. Pennsylvania House 16th PA House District (Open Seat) Pat Geho (R) Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Pennsylvania House 20th PA House District Don Walko (D) Incumbent Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes I have always supported support services for families, including family support centers, child day care, after school programs and others. Also importantly I continue to support dedicated and increased funding for mass transit Pennsylvania House 21st PA House District Frank J. Pistella (D) Incumbent Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes I have been and will continue to be an ardent supporter of the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC), the (CHIP) Program, Adult Basic, and the Ounce of Prevention Grant Program Pennsylvania House 23rd PA House District Dan B. Frankel (D) Incumbent - Unopposed Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes ? I always advocate for the necessary support for someone to make the transition from welfare to work. This includes increased subsidies for childcare and transportation. These individuals should not lose their medical assistance by taking entry level jobs without benefits. I also support increasing the minimum wage and earned income tax credit. Pennsylvania House 25th PA House District Edward A. Nicholson (R) No Yes Partial No No No No No Because I'm a firm supporter of giving people a hand up, not a hand out. I believe in working to better yourself and will do everything to support that. Pennsylvania House 25th PA House District Joseph F. Markosek (D) Incumbent Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Pennsylvania House 39th PA House District David K. Levdansky (D) Incumbent Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Did not respond Pennsylvania House 39th PA House District Brad Grantz (R) Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Pennsylvania House 44th PA House District Mark Mustio (R) Incumbent Yes Yes Yes ? No Yes No Yes My agenda will create jobs, good paying jobs that will provide healthcare, child care, and retirement benefits. These are exciting to be an elected official and I am honored to be in a position to help struggling families. Pennsylvania House 44th PA House District Tim McLaughlin (D) Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Did not respond Pennsylvania House 45th PA House District Nick Kotik Incumbent (D) Unopposed Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes I believe in a government that embraces all people and gives them an opportunity to better themselves and an helping hand when they are in need. It is our duty as public servants to fulfill our civic and moral responsibilities. Presidential Candidates statements on Hunger and Poverty President Bush, May 4, 2004, Maumee, OH: "Amidst our plenty, there's loneliness and hunger, and people lacking shelter. But those problems can be solved by rallying the armies of compassion, by encouraging people to serve their nation by loving their neighbor." President Bush, July 21, 2004, Washington, DC: "Our country has made a lot of progress in ending dependency on government. Now we must move forward to strengthen work requirements that lead people from welfare to stable jobs. We need to encourage marriage and the family ties that improve the lives of our children. During the next four years, we'll help more citizens to own their health plan, to own a piece of their retirement, to own their own home or their own small business. We'll usher in a new era of ownership in America, with an agenda to help all our citizens save and build and invest, so every person owns a part of the American Dream. This broad agenda we will carry into the new term comes from a basic conviction: Government should never try to control or dominate the lives of our citizens. Yet government can and should help citizens gain the tools to make their own choices and to improve their own lives. When men and women have a sound education, and the skills to seize new opportunities, and the security of health care, they will achieve great things for themselves and for our nation. There is no greater force for good in this world than the energy of free people." Sen. Kerry, June 3, 2004- Hunger Awareness Day Statement: "Today 34 million Americans, including 12 million children, live in households that suffer from hunger or struggle at the brink of hunger. This number has increased each of the last 3 years, and lines at soup kitchens and food pantries have grown longer. We can and must do better. We must raise the minimum wage to ensure that people working hard and playing by the rules can earn enough to put food on the table. We must use existing government programs more effectively in order to end hunger first among children and seniors. We must form real partnerships between the government and community-based nonprofit groups to help feed more people and improve local nutrition. And across the board, we must create economic policies that give low-income families hope and opportunity." Senator Kerry, November 5, 2003, Manchester, NH: "The answer to poor mothers is not to take them away from their families without adequate capacity to be able to have child care.. . (Y)ou need to have more breadth to what qualifies as education and training so that they have the opportunity to jobs in the future. In addition to that, we have to stop, in this country, asking people to go to work the way we do today and barely allow them for a full week's work and not be able to work their way out of poverty. We have to stop talking about just raising the minimum wage, but having a living wage in the United States of America so people have the opportunity to get ahead. And it is punitive and contradictory to all family values to be suggesting that you've got to go to work but you don't have a place for your kid to get child care. You've got to go to work but you don't have the ability to live out the family values. And it's wrong." Just Harvest initiated Just Vote this year because we wanted to help low and moderate income people participate in this year's election. We brought together more than 100 local human service agencies as partners, as well as the Allegheny County Jail, Community College, and County Election Division to register voters. We focused on people from groups that traditionally do not vote - including people with low-incomes, homeless people, youth, and people with disabilities. We also gathered voting pledges from people who were already registered. We are calling as many of these people as possible to remind them to vote. Together with our partners we developed the questions for this guide. We sent questionnaires to all the major candidates for President, US Senate, US House, PA Senate, and PA House in contested races in Allegheny County. Because of space and time limitations, we did not contact unopposed candidates. The federal candidates were given 50 word limits for each answer. The state candidates were asked to respond with yes or no. We actively sought contact information from each candidate. We sent the questionnaires out three weeks before the due date and actively contacted candidates until the day we went to press. Their responses are published here.