The Caffeinated Penguin

Posted By matt on September 9, 2006

In further support of the insurrection, here are some opinions on various candidates running for US Senate in the state of Rhode Island.

As near as I can tell, there are three advertising currently: Chafee, Laffey, and Whitehouse.

Chafee is a known quantity – he's been the senator from Rhode Island since his father passed away. He's not a bad guy, just on the opposite side of me from many issues, so I won't really talk about him any more, except to say that the ads he's running are basically saying “He doesn't vote with the party, he votes his conscience” as in “He's the un-Republican Republican.

Laffey is a complete unknown. Sure, he's been Mayor of Cranston, but I don't live in Cranston. You'd think that he'd have some type of position paper on the election site, but it's completely devoid of anything useful.

Now, Whitehouse is different – he actually has information on his site. Of course, he just happens to be mostly wrong. So, I sent him feedback on his site.

(Feedback for Sheldon on the Key Issues page)

The Iraq War
Sheldon Whitehouse supports a rapid and responsible withdrawal of our
troops from Iraq that gets most, if not all, of our troops redeployed
out of Iraq by the end of this year. To do that, we need to make it
clear to the Iraqis and to other nations that we are in withdrawal mode.
Iraqis must understand that very soon they will assume responsibility
for the security, governance and administration of their country.

Fair enough.

The Health Care Crisis
We’ve been hearing Members of Congress talk about the health care crisis
for years, but nothing gets done. Health care costs are escalating.
Families are paying more for health insurance. And each year, more
people are left uninsured, where they are one health care problem away
from bankruptcy. Sheldon Whitehouse’s number one priority in the United
States Senate will be to take on the special interests and create a
better health care system.

This is not the responsibility of the federal government to create a
better health care system. The government should deregulate the industry
and let the free market handle it.

A Better Prescription Drug Plan
Sheldon Whitehouse has proposed a simple, straightforward plan that
gives Medicare the power to negotiate with drug companies for lower
prices, offers a Medicare-administered alternative to the private plans,
and gives seniors the flexibility to switch plans if an insurance
company changes the coverage it promised to provide.

Medicare should not exist. It is not the responsibility of the federal
government to provide health care.

(see the 10th amendment to the US constitution)

Retirement Security
When Sheldon Whitehouse gets to Washington, he’ll put our seniors first.
He’ll help block attempts to privatize Social Security and cut benefits
for the middle class, and he’ll work to make sure that seniors’
hard-earned retirement savings are secure. And he’ll fight to scrap the
disastrous Part D prescription drug program, and replace it with a
simpler plan that really lowers costs.

Social security should not exist. It is not the responsibility of the
federal government to ensure that I put away for my retirement.

(see the 10th amendment to the US constitution)

Better Schools, Better Opportunities
America’s teachers and schools don’t have the resources they need, and
our children are paying the price. Sheldon Whitehouse supports fully
funding No Child Left Behind, as well as special education and
after-school programs. Endorsed by the National Education Association
(NEA), Whitehouse will also push for significant funding increases for
Pell Grants and other federal assistance to help many more young people
afford a higher education.

In some districts, “No Child Left Behind” has been implemented as “hold
everyone else back”. Additionally, schools are a state issue, not a
federal issue. The federal government should stay out of education. It
is up to the state/town/etc. to provide schools, if so desired by the
citizenry. The federal government also has no say in what is taught in
said schools – there is nothing which says that the curriculum in the US
needs to be homogeneous, or even that such an approach is beneficial.

(see the 10th amendment to the US constitution)

Preserving Our Natural Resources
The recipient of Save the Bay’s 2003 Environmental Advocacy Award,
Sheldon Whitehouse is a proven and passionate fighter to protect our
environment. Sheldon argued before the U.S. Supreme Court to protect our
public wetlands from development, and sued to block Bush administration
efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act. He led the investigation into a
devastating oil spill in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay, and made sure
the fine – the largest in the state’s history – was used for
conservation. As Rhode Island’s next U.S. Senator, he’ll protect our
wild spaces from oil exploration and support the development of clean,
alternative energy sources.

You might have my agreement on this one, right up until we're talking about:

“support the development of clean, alternative energy sources.”

How about this plan of attack:
(1) Remove any and all subsidies to oil companies
(2) Petro-Fuel prices go up
(3) Alternative fuel prices become competitive.
(4) With this initial cash infusion, the alternative fuel technology
develops and it gets even cheaper.

It will probably take 10 years or so to see the result. However, there
is an immediate benefit – I get to deal with fuel prices by buying more
or less fuel, rather than having money taken from my paycheck and given
to fuel companies.

If you propose any federal subsidies for alternative fuel companies, you
lose all support from me on this issue.

For the record, I already drive a diesel VW which gets 40mpg and can run
on biodiesel without modification.

Clean Up Washington
Sheldon Whitehouse is a former U.S. Attorney, Attorney General, and
advisory board member of Common Cause. He twice received public service
achievement awards from Common Cause for his work on reform in Rhode
Island. A reformer and firm believer in upholding the integrity of our
government, Sheldon has proposed a tough, aggressive plan to reform the
rules governing federal lobbyists to stop the culture of corruption that
has tainted the Capitol under Republican leadership.

I've read this plan, and can find no fault in it.

Can we add reforming the BATFE to this list? They've become a firearms
control gestapo.

Fighting to Keep Guns Off Our Streets
A former U.S. Attorney appointed by Bill Clinton and Rhode Island’s
Attorney General, Sheldon Whitehouse has successfully fought for tough
new gun control legislation that strengthened penalties for armed
criminals and prosecuted members of the Rhode Island Latin Kings, a
violent criminal gang that committed murder, drug dealing, assault, and
racketeering. In the U.S. Senate, Whitehouse will work for common-sense
solutions that help local law enforcement fight gun crime and to hold
irresponsible gun makers and dealers accountable for their actions.

I've read the page linked to off this page

You have no support from me for anything on this page. Specifically:

“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be
infringed.”

Which means:

(1) Not only is the Assault Weapons Ban unconstitutional, so is most
firearms legislation from the last century.

(2) Private individuals should be allowed to purchase and own everything
available to our military. (The second amendment is not about hunting;
it is about defending the nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic).

(3) There should be no limitation on this right for convicted felons. If
you've paid your debt to society and your parole is over, you're done.
All rights as a citizen should be restored, including the RKBA.

(4) Given (3), a federal background check becomes unnecessary.

(5) Waiting periods constitute “infringement”.

(6) The idea of concealed carry permits is unconstitutional. (Carrying a
firearm is the “bear” part of “keep and bear arms”).

For the non-constitutional arguments:

(1) Firearms manufacturers cannot be held responsible for misuse of
their products. Design defects and manufacturing flaws are subject to
the same laws as everything else, but suing a gun manufacturer because
you got shot by someone wielding one of their guns is exactly the same
as suing an auto manufacturer because you got run over by someone
driving one of their cars.

Honoring America’s Veterans
Sheldon Whitehouse’s Honoring America’s Veterans plan outlines a renewed
federal commitment to the brave men and women who fought to keep our
nation free. Whitehouse will work to make our veterans’ health care
system a national leader in health care quality, through reforms that
address veterans’ most urgent needs, and ensure that no soldier
returning from the battlefield is left behind. And he will support
efforts to guarantee that our retired service members and their families
receive the benefits and services they’ve earned.

Yes. This is part of “providing for the common defense”, which IS
something the federal government is supposed to be in charge of.

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