I emailed Lucky Narain my question and he got back to me. I’m not too big a fan of all his policies but he’s actually coming off as though he’s got his own ideas, not just a rubber stamp for either side.

Interesting enough for me to consider voting for him anyway.

- TG.

I know that some readers here (myself included) will be helping as much as we can.

We can win this. We’ve got the other side scrambling right now. I appreciate how many people are helping out by making phone calls, going door to door and giving money. In the final days now we can use all that and more. So please join us: http://www.forgit2007.com

If you care about your country, please vote on December 11 and bring your friends who want to see real leadership in Washington–not just more of the old politics.

Thank you,

Philip

Thanks, Billy, this is a very important issue. I believe we have to address security concerns before we can go anywhere on immigration. First we have to secure our borders–north and south. That’s what the Department of Homeland Security is supposed to be doing, but they have really dropped the ball so far. Second we need to actually enforce laws to stop businesses from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. These two things must be done before anything else.

I find it laughable that Republicans pose as being tough on immigration when they had all the power in Washington for years and the problem only got worse under their watch. I think this is a great issue for Democrats to take leadership on and that’s why I support commonsense solutions like Heath Shuler’s SAVE Act.

How do you plan to address immigration?

I support tax cuts for the middle class and maintaining cuts that benefit small business owners.

For years, Republicans have been using such negative attacks to distract voters from their failed leadership in Iraq and so many other areas. It’s all they have left because the Republican brand is fading.

You may have noticed that my opponent rarely identifies himself as a Republican because he knows that’s not what Virginians really want. We want solutions and we want people who will make things happen in Washington.

The bottom line is that if you knock on doors and make calls and tell your friends that there is a real opportunity to change things in the election, then we can win. It’s time to fight for the future of our country.

First there need to be some guiding principles. Health care should be accessible, affordable and portable. A lot of people miss the last point, but in today’s economy it is very expensive to maintain health insurance between jobs–I know from experience. So we have to have a system that fits the realities of people’s lives

Second, I want to look at existing programs that can be built upon rather than creating whole new bureaucracies. For instance, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program has been successfully applied to states across the country and saved millions of kids from facing illness without insurance. This is a good program–which has wide bipartisan support–that we can learn from and apply to other situations. Likewise, Medicare has been successful in many regards and we can build on that.

Third, I want to see a distinctly American solution–with full involvement of private insurance companies. I don’t want to see a single payer system like some countries have with its clear shortcomings.

We have to do something to solve this problem soon.

I think we have seen some improvement with the new majority in terms of oversight–bringing to light billions of dollars that have disappeared in Iraq as well as questionable practices with the various contractors doing business with the government.

This is a critical part of Congress’ role and I think even more can be done in the future. For example, with all that has gone on in this war, there must be a strong call for a review–like a Truman Commission–of where and how our tax dollars were spent.

No Child Left Behind like many of the unfunded mandates at the federal level, left the money behind.

I have no problem with accountability, but states must receive the resources promised in order to reach these standards.

As a teacher, I am very familiar with most of the education mandates and bills which have come down from Congress in the last 30 years–all with admirable aims–but in almost all instances, state and local governments are left to make up the funding gap left by the federal government. This puts a huge strain on local governments.

I’d like to see the rhetoric of support for our troops match the dollars that go into veterans’ health care and benefits.

I think it’s reprehensible that in the 2006 budget, the government cut medical benefits, closed VA hospitals, required veterans to pay a $250 annual enrollment fee and doubled prescription drug co-payments. These things need to be addressed.

We need to pay particular attention in the VA medical community to brain trauma because this could well become the Agent Orange of this war.

Furthermore, I would like to expand health care for national guard and reservists who make up a large percentage of those on active duty in these wars.

This could be part of a larger package of veterans benefits in a New GI Bill of Rights.

JM said, on November 30th, 2007 at 12:02 pm

Mr. Forgit,

Can you give some details about what you would like to see Congress do for the large number of disabled veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan?

Thanks.

I saw Iraqis who were eager to learn and grown in their jobs. They were eager to step up to take leadership roles in their country. They had a great deal of pride in their history and culture.

In the first unit I worked with, Americans were doing all the jobs at the start and by the end, we had succeeded in training Iraqis to lead all those positions.

That is the way forward in Iraq. As they stand up, that means we go home.

Patrick said, on November 30th, 2007 at 1:51 pm

Dear Mr. Forgit,

Can you talk about what you saw happening in iraq and the training of their soldiers?”

THanks!
Patrick

Do you believe that the 2nd Amendment protects an individual right to firearms ownership or a collective one?

1. what’s your view on how (this) Congress has been doing – as a whole – when it comes to oversight, and

2. Will you support investigations into the conduct at various executive agencies prior to your term, if elected? This is particularly important, I believe, as future administrations – Democratic and Republican – need to know that there are consequences for the illegal and unethical behavior we’ve seen over the past seven years.

Thanks.

Can you talk about what you saw happening in iraq and the training of their soldiers?”

THanks!
Patrick

How do you propose to handle the nations health care problem?

Can you give some details about what you would like to see Congress do for the large number of disabled veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan?

Thanks.

First, I want to thank you for running. You are a truly upstanding, ethical and well reasoned individual, exactly the kind of person we need in Congress.

My question is, are you prepared for the attacks on you that will undoubtedly be subjected to very soon from the NRCC?

Thank you.

Like my dear dad I am a republican, but
he always said “vote the man , not the party”.
I believe you are that man, and you have my vote on Dec 11.

Delegate Wittman has, so far, been the rare Republican to earn consistenly high marks from Equality Virginia for his support for equality for all regardless of sexual orientation.

Do you share his view against discrimination? Where do you stand on the employment non-discrimination act (which would make it illegal for businesses to fire/hire someone based on his or her sexual orientation) and the Matthew Shepard local law enforcement (hate crimes) act?

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Philip – thanks for joining us today. My question: Social Security is a looming problem. How do you propose we solve it?

To do my part, I am telling all of my Bath Party (I mean Republican) friends to get out and vote for Lucky Narain. Most of them are too hard core to cross over to the Democrats, but they generally can’t stand the holy rollers that get nominated by the Religious Reich. So I think they can be convinced to help Lucky Narain. A vote for Lucky is a vote against the Religious Reich candidate, Wob Witman and every Bathist (Republican) who votes for Lucky will be helping Phil, as well as helping our fellow Virginians throw off the yoke of tyranny that has been set upon us by the Bathist/Republican Neocons.

Ron Paul is the only Republican Presidential contender that seems to understand the crap that the Bushies have been pulling. The other guys are either really dumb or just acting dumb, or they know what is going on (the torture, the domestic spying, the secret arrests of citizens, etc.) and they actually support Bush’s criminal behavior.

If you are a Bathist (Republican) then vote for Lucky Narain. If you are a Republican who has a conscience and you don’t support the Neocon world government plan, then crossover and support Phil, if you are a Democrat you have to drag every one of your Democratic friends and neighbors out to the polls on December 11, 2007.

If Phil wins this race, then there truly is hope that there is an awakening of the citizens underway in America.