Friday, September 08, 2006

Questions for Debate


I am heading off to Missoula for the weekend. On Sunday I am going to the Tester/Burns debate in Hamilton with Jay and CeCe. My understanding is that they will be fielding questions from the audience. Here is what I have so far:

> Mr Burns, you have bragged about federal earmarks that you have helped secure for parking structure at UM and ice rinks for Bozeman. Additionally you have bragged about never voting for a tax increase. Considering that we have a record budget deficit and a record national debt how do you rectify this borrow-and-spend approach as being fiscally responsible. Isn't this just shifting the burden to our children?


Or this derivative suggestion from Matt Singer:

"You bragged about federal earmarks that you quote
'secured' for various projects around the state, including yada yada. But
according to The Hill newspaper, those earmarks are currently proposals and
Congressional leaders doubt their passage. Were those press releases
anything more than election year promises?"


And this is my idea for Tester:

> Mr Tester, there is a lot of talk from both sides about reducing our reliance on foreign sources of energy, particularly in the middle east. Can you tell us how you would help Montana benefit from the movement to develop homegrown energy?


Are there any other ideas or refinements that any of you can think of? Anything that you want to know?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Tester,

Do you believe we should pull out of Iraq immediately? If not, should we set a timetable for withdrawl?

Anonymous said...

Mr. Tester,

Do you believe in universal health care?

Anonymous said...

Mr. Tester,

Do you believe we should repeal Mr. Bush's tax cuts?

Anonymous said...

Are those supposed to be scary questions for Jon, anon? Considering something like 80 percent of Americans support universal health care...that Tester's already come out for a timetable for withdrawal...and the Bush tax cuts benefit like 50 people and have gutted our budget in time of war...

Anonymous said...

Jay,
No, there is no intent for "scary" questions, I'd just like to hear a debate on issues. Is it going to be televised at all? I wasn't aware Mr. Tester had come out with a timetable, I'll have to venture over to his website...

Cece said...

Hey boyos . . .

I am such a nerd. I bought notecards to write down our questions on, as I was listening to the debate on YPR, I found it easier to have cards rather than pages to flip through.

And Anon - Hey your first question might work in well: "So, Mr. Burns, I understand that when you were asked about your solution for completing the war in Iraq, you said that you wanted to win. Admirable sentiment, but winning is a goal, what is your solution to the War in Iraq?"

;) See you in "Zoo"

Anonymous said...

Quoth Jay: "something like 80 percent of Americans support universal health care."

It doesn't follow from there that it is the right thing to do. See Argumentum ad populum.

granny said...

Ask Senator Burns about this vote to allow intentional pesticide dosing on pregnant women, children and fetuses:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00162

granny said...

If I read that correctly, I believe that Senator Burns voted to use tax dollars to do pesticide testing on pregnant women, fetuses and small children. Why he would think that is a better use of tax dollars than Pell Grants for our youth, I do not know.

Who are we kidding, they will never call on you three because the CEO's at corporate America do not want to do honest work for a living.

Anonymous said...

Shane - really really good post! I'm totally in agreement with you here, and furthermore hope that you get to ask Senator Burns a question, as I know you will burn his ass.

There. I was nice to you.

By the way, for the record, I did not troll Wulfgar. He made a mistake.

Shane C. Mason said...

Mark T,

Whatever. Could be a mistake but that doesn't negate what I had to say on his site.

Shane C. Mason said...

Mark T,

Your ideas are fringe at best. I think that you are about as effective as a chewing gum is to problem solving. You have a jaded view of the world that 'Things are messed up and there is nothing we can do to fix them'. So yeah, you are not my favorite person.

You know what, to make the accusations towards Craig and I that you did is pretty lame. Your kind of devisive behaviour is sad. Really sad.

For the rest of you, here is the thread.

Anonymous said...

Ah, don't be so defensive. As to my effectiveness, it's not something I think about much. I long ago gave up the idea that anything is going to change, that anyone is going to form a new opinion based on evidence. So I just sort of watch it all as it passes by, with new idealists coming and going.


My "fringe" ideas are years in the making, and I defend them regularly. I've found many people of opposite beliefs equally able to defend views even when at diametric odds with my own. That leads me to believe that it is a complicated world where everyone is a little bit right, a little bit wrong. Libertarians are on to something, and I've come to believe that the people closest to a workable and rational philosophy are not liberals and progressives, but rather, conservatives. True conservatives. Not Bushies.

Once you grasp that, you'll find me not so fringe, and understand why I rank paint-by-the-number Democrats as somewhere down underneath Coobsian Republicans.

Cheers.

Shane C. Mason said...

I long ago gave up the idea that anything is going to change

That is why you most likely cry yourself to sleep at night you hollow shell.

Libertarians are on to something

Ok, go with that. Bye.

I rank paint-by-the-number Democrats as somewhere down underneath Coobsian Republicans.

Self-defeated folks such as yourself fall well below Coobs in my opinion because you have decided that you have no real worth or no value to add to the world. Coobs at least believes that he can make a difference and tries to do so by taking part in the discourse. Coobs is a much better American than yourself.

Anonymous said...

I chuckled in 2004 as Kerry promised to keep the war going, while people voted for him thinking he would end it. It's that kind of political astuteness that turns me off on Democrats.

I lived through eight years of Clinton. I paid attention the whole time. That's how I became skeptical of Democrats. Didn't make me a Republican, but it unmade me a Democrat.

I agree Coobs is more effective than you in advancing his cause. At least he and the people he supports are on the same page!