Questions for the 2004 Presidential Candidates
AARP Segunda Juventud asked each of the
major presidential candidates key questions about issues important
to our Hispanic members and their families. These included the Medicare
prescription drug benefit, health insurance, Social Security, immigration
reform, affirmative action, and bilingual education. AARP Segunda
Juventud did not edit or modify their responses in English or Spanish.
AARP is nonpartisan and does not own a political
action committee (PAC), endorse political candidates, or contribute
money to political parties or political candidates' campaigns. AARP
educates the public about issues of concern to older Americans and
their families through voter guides, issue workshops, and candidate
forums.
| 1. |
At the federal level, AARP
supports initiatives designed to lower the prices of prescription
drugs:
- Authorizing the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries in the event competitive purchasing doesn't work to lower prices.
|
- Legalizing the importation of drugs from Canada for individuals-with strict controls to ensure that consumers are ordering only from reputable Canadian pharmacies and ensuring that FDA has adequate resources.
|
- Calling on pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors to voluntarily limit price increases to no more than the rate of inflation.
|
What steps are you taking or do you
propose to take to improve the Medicare prescription drug benefit
and to control prescription drug costs?
|
| 2. |
Along with prescription drugs, health
insurance is difficult for many older Hispanics to afford. What
programs do you propose to help such individuals have their health
needs met?
|
| 3. |
Older Hispanics have a high rate of depending
on Social Security as their primary source of income. Solvency
projections are not nearly good enough. Congress and the administration
should begin planning modernization and improvements now, while
Social Security is assured stable funding. The sooner we begin
that process, the more moderate and affordable the impact of
those changes will be. What do you propose to make sure Social
Security is fully funded past 2041?
|
| 4. |
Please discuss your vision for immigration
reform. Does it include a pathway to legal residency or citizenship
for undocumented immigrants who meet certain requirements? Does
it include special status for temporary workers from other countries?
How do you feel about amnesty?
|
| 5. |
What are your views on affirmative action?
Should race and ethnicity be taken into consideration in college
admissions or in other areas such as hiring for federal and other
public jobs?
|
| 6. |
Many Hispanic children are being left
behind and studies have shown that bilingual education, if properly
implemented, can actually lead to children achieving at higher
levels than monolingual English speakers. What is your position
on encouraging bilingual education, not only for Hispanics, but
for all children?
|
Find out how Jorge
Ramos sees the Hispanic community having the final word in this November’s Presidential
election.
Return to Top
