Education
Student-teacher ratio is the single most important factor in your child's education. I
believe in low student-teacher ratio in our public schools. Teacher assistants/aides and
substitutes need salary increases. Headstart and other program bring parents into the
day-to-day of their child's education. Longer days and shorter vacations seem to help
with retention. Early start programs like pre-school help tremendously.
Gas/Energy
1. Create business incentives for investors and entrepreneurs to develop renewable
energy sources. These new businesses could create opportunities in a struggling
economy and we should encourage it by providing incentives to inventors who create
smarter technology and cleaner fuel choices. Some energy ideas that could be explored
are: Wind, solar, wave, ethanol, biofuels, hydrogen and even methane gas.
2. More privatization of utilities in order to bring the prices down. Let people have a
variety of choices.
3. Make "Green Codes" for communities and integrate them with Boca Codes
(International Building Codes) to make entire communities more energy efficient on new
construction.
4. Provide incentives to homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient.
Example solar panels or improvements in insulation, etc.
5. Improve public transportation. For instance a bill was submitted today by a
Massachusetts senator that would improve the tracks on this corridor which will allow
high speed trains like the Acela to go from Stamford to Boston in approximately two
hours. That would save a bundle on jet fuel.
1. I don’t approve of opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling. We have
untapped areas that have already been purchased by big oil related industries. Also, this
just perpetuates more of the same. A better alternative is "green pork" the federal
financial stimulus for innovation for new technology.
2. Eliminate the Iraq War. War uses 30% of the world's oil. End the war.
3. Limit Speculation. Speculation is driving the price of gas up and not by normal
market conditions therefore, restore supply and demand by limiting who can speculate
and/or impose a cap on the volume of trades on the Mercantile Exchange. Or, raise
margins high enough to make it too costly for hedge funds to over speculate. Hedge fund
folks are crafty - they'll go to other markets - therefore we need world-wide market
compliance. Also, as the Lieberman bill suggests, limit the size of the transaction to get
some of the big institutional guys out.
Transportation
The new trains have begun to arrive! The unveiling was delayed but not for long.
Commuters will soon see new trains on the tracks. They will arrive, a few at time, until
2010 and the completion of the project. Now what we need is more train cars so that all
commuters may sit.
Traffic on 95 needs to be addressed. A Senate bill was just submitted to improve the
tracks on this corridor so that the Acela train could run at 150 miles per hour and travel
from Boston to New York in less than 2 hours. That would save on airport traffic and jet
fuel as more people opt to take the high-speed train.
We need a train bridge in the lower Hudson. This would cut down on tractor trailor traffic
from Port of Elizabeth.
Broadwater
The Broadwater decision has been appealed; this is very bad. Broadwater is a liquefied
natural gas (LNG) plant proposed on the Long Island Sound. This monstrosity would be
20 stories high and the size of four football fields. Liquefied natural gas would pass
through a pipeline with 75% of the energy going to Long Island and 25% going to
Connecticut.
Broadwater would bring 25 miles of cable to the sea bed. The possibility of fire and
widespread destruction, make it too much of a risk to our communities, our coastline
and the ecology of marine life. A proposed 20 vessels per week would go through the
mouth of Long Island Sound carrying a highly combustible compound that would then be
liquefied at the plant. In such a water-locked corridor, if there was ever a disaster at the
mouth of the Sound the area would be “sea locked.” So much depends on the free flow
of vessels. Millions of dollars in business, including our thriving oyster trade and the
people employed there, would be devastated.
Who wants Broadwater? A consortium of LNG explorers such as Shell and Total and
LNG ship owners with specially fitted vessels to transport natural gas such as Exxon and
Hess. These are powerful and big players and they are trying very hard to get this
across. Powerful speculators also have a hand in the influence in this situation. I will fight
against these powerful forces.
Forclosure
HR – 1322 would allow homeowners in trouble to find investors to buy into the first
mortgage. This is currently not allowed. Remove the "no touch condition" to conventional
loans. This would save a lot of homes and allow people to get back on their financial feet
again without having to leave their homes.
