The Chronicle invited readers to send in questions for the major presidential candidates, prior to the California primaries on Feb. 5. Some sent in a question for all the candidates. Others were directed at a specific candidate. Below is the full text of the questions to, and answers from, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.)
Here are the questions posed. You can click on the link below to read the answers.
1. What do you see as the most significant difficulties that American children today face, and what should the government be doing differently to solve them?
- Geoff Geiger, 55, Alameda
2. What are your plans to reform the social welfare systems in the U.S. and how will you tackle the increasing inequality and segregation in public schools?
- Sarah Perine, 29, Brisbane
3. Is anything worth saving in No Child Left Behind? How much of a monetary role do you see the federal government having in education, particularly K-12, as opposed to a bully pulpit role?
- Carol Strand, 65, Berkeley
4. Since standardized tests offer such a limited measurement of student learning, and have undesirable consequences, are there other means you could envision schools and teachers using to measure student learning?
- Anthony Cody, 49, Oakland
5. I saw you on the Logo Channel debate and was disappointed with the way you answered the question about marriage equality. To my ears, your emphasis on "state-level solutions" was merely a reworking of the same "states rights" arguments used by the South to defend segregation and laws that prohibited people of different races from marrying. As a candidate who claims to want to bring America back to our best traditions of democracy and equality, why won't you come out in support of full marriage equality for all our citizens?
- Brad Colby, 42, Millbrae
6. What do you believe is needed to help open up public discourse about racial issues, allowing people of all races to speak honestly without fear of being shut down by accusations of racism?
- Deborah Cloudwalker, 52, Oakland
7. One of the hot topics of late is universal health care. Taxpayers are taking a closer look at the fact that congress lavishes perks upon itself, but balks at caring for the people who make it possible for them. As president, would you make it your task to remove these perks from congress, to induce that governing body to come to grips with the fact that so many Americans are uninsured?
- Ramón Burgos, 57, San Francisco
8. In light of evidence in favor of single-payer health care systems in terms of cost effectiveness as well as health care delivery outcomes on objectively measured criteria - longevity, infant mortality, access, etc. - are you willing to be flexible and switch focus to a national health plan with the government as uniform single payer, which would offer physicians and hospitals the option to continue practicing publicly or privately, just as they are now? If not, why not?
- Vicki Tiernan, 57, San Francisco
9. With the threat of ever increasing deficits destroying the value of our currency, what specifically would you propose to first stop the increase of the deficit, and second start actually paying off the accumulated debt?
- Steven Krichman, 45, San Francisco
10. Are you willing to put the brakes on military spending to take care of our failing infrastructure. If so, how and when?
- Dawn Abel, 56, Redwood City
11. As my brother who is an officer in the army and is currently on his way into active duty as he finishes law school in the spring and has been accepted to the JAG Corps., when do you plan on bringing the troops home ( a time table?). In addition, how do you feel/react when you see a disfigured/disabled young serviceman/woman whose life has been forever altered b/c of this endless needless war while politicians sit in their cozy offices eating, schmoozing at 5 star restaurants and sleeping in their warm cushy beds at night safe under the covers?
- Nikki Whitaker, 30, San Francisco
12. How will you work with veterans providers to address our newly returned veterans' needs? While, there has been much movement toward putting more training dollars - in Northern California (especially in the rural areas) it is not enough to help veterans make it.
- Marcy Orosco, 55, Guerneville
13. What is your position on Palestinian property rights?
- John Arthur Wills, 61, Oakland
14. Our two party system doesn't work very well. Nothing but partisan bickering. And when bills are passed they are watered down and inefficient. Would you support a three (or more) party system that would give citizens better representation? In other words, a parliamentary type system of representation?
- Bill Krumbein, Santa Rosa
15. There is a general point of view that governors have made better presidents, and more successful presidential candidates, than senators. What do you say to that?
- Terry Miller, 51, San Francisco
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/04/MN6KUR81L.DTL
For kicks and comparisons for November, next post will have the questions posed to McCain. (Romney hasn't responded.)
Ya'll went nuts this weekend. I'm not reading all that right now.
