Three candidates seeking the DFL Party endorsement for U.S. Senate discussed their views of the issues facing the country during a debate Tuesday.
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, Mike Ciresi and Al Franken met for a debate at Rainy River Community College. The three answered questions about their stands on issues such as the Iraq war, education, global warming and health care during the two-hour debate. A Web cast of the debate is expected to be available to view Wednesday at electioninfo4u.com
But the three candidates agreed on one thing: That the country is in a critical time.
“Welcome to the most important decade in human history,” Nelson-Pallmeyer said in his closing statement.
Nelson-Pallmeyer compared the country to a car traveling at 150 miles per hour over a cliff. Ciresi said Americans are standing up for a government that reflects their values. Franken said he wants to form a partnership that works together and marches together to change the country.
Nelson-Pallmeyer said he believed that the country needs to unite to end the Iraq war. It also needs to undo tax breaks for the wealthy, build renewable energy and create a solution to the health care system.
Ciresi called the No Child Left Behind education initiative “no child with a dime.” He also said he believes the U.S. has a failed foreign policy that has engaged in the world militarily. He said 47 million Americans don’t have health care, 11 million of which are children.
Franken said a new progressive majority is emerging that want universal health care. He called for an educational system that supports early childhood education and affordable college educations. He said he wants a “strong economy that works for working families.” He also supports renewable energy and energy efficiency, which will create jobs, he said.

Economic growth
Franken said he is not happy with the economic stimulus package proposed by the federal government to help spur the economy. It should have been used to address deferred infrastructure projects. By moving the projects forward, it would help create jobs. He also wants to see a freeze on foreclosures.
For rural northern Minnesota, Franken said he would build a green economy using timber. He called for using wood as biomass material.
In the long run, he said he wants children to be able to have a “world-class education.” The Bush administration is “falling down. No Child Left Behind is a terrible failure,” Franken said.
Nelson-Pallmeyer said the causes of the downturn in the economy — inequality because of tax cuts for the wealthy and a minimum wage that is not comparable to a livable wage — need to be dealt with. What is spent on one day of the Iraq war could be spent to hire 9,300 teachers for one year or give 165,000 students Pell grants, he said.
Transportation improvements, such as expanding commuter lines, would bring economic benefits to rural America, Nelson-Pallmeyer said.
Ciresi said the middle class has been hollowed out as a result of the tax code, which needs revision.
Environmental opportunities such as solar and wind power and biomass fuel would create jobs in Minnesota, he said.
Ciresi also called for a 21st century education fund that would tie students to incentives to become educated.

Health care
The three candidates all agreed that the United States should adopt a universal health care system.
Nelson-Pallmeyer said he favors a single-pair system similar to Canada’s to accomplish the goal of universal health care. The system should focus on prevention and include coverage for dental care and chemical dependency.
Ciresi said a universal health care system should cover preexisting medical problems and bring the doctors back into the system.
Franken began with the fact that the United States spends two times more per person on health care than any other industrialized country. The U.S. is also last in preventative care, he said. Franken said he would like to rid the system of waste, such as the “donut hole” that exists in Medicare Part D coverage.

Education
Franken said the country needs to reprioritize what it's doing to fund education and fund mandates the federal government passes down to states and local governments without funding.
Ciresi said federal mandates need to be funded. Unfunded mandates fall back on the states, which then pass them down to the local school districts. If the government has a mandate, it should be required to fund it, he said.
Nelson-Pallmeyer said the government shouldn’t fund education with property taxes. Education should be funded through a state and federal progressive tax. No Child Left Behind is a punishment for schools instead of helping schools, he said.

To view the debate, please visit www.electioninfo4u.com