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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