I asked local representatives of the presidential campaigns to answer some questions about their candidates and to give us local folks something to chew on before the Democratic Caucus on Saturday, January 19th.
Please note that I have not endorsed a candidate. I present these views to encourage citizens of North Las Vegas to become more engaged with the political system. Democracies are strongest when people participate.
Representatives from the other campaigns will be given equal space to respond, if they choose. They can contact me at nevada_scandalmonger@yahoo.com.
State Assemblyman Ruben Kihuen volunteered to answer questions for Hillary Clinton's campaign.
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Question: You have announced that you support Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Why should the citizens of North Las Vegas support Senator Clinton, in your opinion?
Kihuen: This country has given me so many opportunities – the opportunity to immigrate here, economic prosperity for my family, and the opportunity to pursue my dreams through a college education. I want all Latinos to have these same opportunities, and Hillary Clinton is the only candidate that has a record of 35 years of fighting for the issues that are important to our families, and actually bringing about change. People should vote for Hillary Clinton because her experience makes the difference between actions and rhetoric. Her actions helped expand SCHIP, thanks to which 60 thousand more children in Nevada have health care. Our neighbors and fellow citizens should support her because she is the candidate that will help bring a better life for our families by working on providing access to affordable health care.
Question: North Las Vegas has seen several incidents of violence against students at our schools and school bus stops this last year. Some of these incidents have been connected with gang violence. How would Senator Clinton reduce crime and violence at our schools, if she is elected president?
Kihuen: Senator Clinton has always had a particular concern about children, youth and families. Earlier this year she introduced her Youth Opportunity Agenda that will help bring America’s youth out of the shadows of gang violence and crime, and into new educational and professional opportunities. Hillary’s plan includes investments in promising new state and local programs and new training partnerships that prepare youth for jobs in high-growth industries in their own communities, including renewable energy, health care, engineering, construction and financial services. Hillary’s vision includes a partnership with area businesses so participants can see tangible job prospects at the end of the process and a support system for a young people through peer and community organizations.
Question: North Las Vegas is uncomfortably close to the proposed Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository and to what some claim to be the dirtiest coal-fired plant in the nation, the Reid Gardner plant in Moapa. There are also plans to build another coal power plant, the Toquop plant, nearby. Yucca Mountain itself shows us the main problem with nuclear power: dealing with its waste. Coal plants contribute enormously to global warming and release heavy metals like mercury that have been shown to cause birth defects. Does Senator Clinton support nuclear or coal power, or both, and if so, how would she, as president, mitigate the negative effects of these energy sources? If the Senator supports other alternatives, what are they, and how would she create incentives to promote them?
Kihuen: Senator Clinton believes that Yucca Mountain is the wrong place to store our nuclear waste, and as President she will end Yucca Mountain and convene scientific experts to find an alternative. In addition to waste disposal, Senator Clinton has concerns about plant safety and nuclear proliferation. For all of these reasons, she believes we should focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources rather than nuclear power to meet future power needs. A 2006 McKinsey Global Insight study of global energy efficiency potential found that all future energy service demand growth in North America can be met through cost-effective energy efficiency investments, such as greener building technologies and more efficient vehicle. She has set the most aggressive energy efficiency goal-to reduce electricity demand 20 percent from projected levels by 2020.
Hillary also understands that we cannot continue to build new coal plants in the same way that we have in the past if we are to meet the growing threat of global warming. Hillary would direct state utility commissions to ensure that before approving an application to build a coal plant, there is an evaluation of whether the energy services provided by that plant could be met by cost-effective investments in energy efficiency. She will also require all new coal plants to be capable of adding capture and storage technology when it becomes commercially available. Her energy plan includes bold steps to develop this critical technology. Most importantly, Senator Clinton will spur the rapid deployment of renewable energy technologies by making the production tax credit for renewable energy permanent, setting a goal of producing 25 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025, and by doubling investment in energy research. Senator Clinton recognizes that focusing on energy efficiency and renewable sources will not only reduce pollution, but will also create new “green-collar” jobs that cannot be exported. Nevada has enormous renewable energy resources, and as President Senator Clinton will strongly support Nevada’s drive to develop these clean energy sources.
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Learn more:
- Hillary Clinton's Youth Opportunity Agenda
- McKinsey Global Institute: Curbing Global Energy Demand Growth, The Energy Productivity Opportunity
- McKinsey Global Institute: Wasted Energy: how the U.S. Can Reach It's Energy Productivity Potential
- Hillary Clinton's Energy Plan (short version)
- Hillary Clinton's white paper on energy (pdf)
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