Jonathan Farnick

On the Record

Outside of jobs and the federal deficit, what are the one or two most important issues in the 14th Congressional District, and how do you plan to address them?

Protect civil liberties and enforce the rule of law. "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin. The Patriot Act, FISA, MCA, NDAA, etc, etc, etc should have the most egregious parts of those undone and we need to stop passing new ones like it (SOPA, PIPA, etc). Prosecuting those that ordered things like torture, rendition, extra-judicial killings over the past 11 years and prosecuting those that committed fraud and theft on Wall Street over the past 4 years. "When once a republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil." - Thomas Jefferson [as copied from Montesquieu, Spirit of the Laws, VIII, c.12:]

Should the federal government continue to give subsidies and/or tax breaks to the farming, oil and gas and other major industries? Why or why not?

Farming yes, but max out where small family farms can still receive assistance as needed, but large industrial farms can't pad their profits at the expense of the federal government. Oil and Gas no. They have been consistently the most profitable industries and have some of the largest incomes of any company on the planet, there should be windfall taxes applied, not credits.

There have been a lot of ideas floating around Washington D.C. to save Social Security. Raising the eligibility age. Increasing the Social Security tax on employers and employees. Privatization. What do you think should be done to make Social Security solvent decades into the future? Or are you of the opinion that Social Security should be phased out?

I would like to see the actuarial tables on this proposal: lower the rate to 5% (from the present 6.2%) on both the individual and employer on income up to $125,000. Then, the same 5% on all income by the individual over $250,000. That way the tax is lowered on all making less than $125k, lowered for the employers, and is a less regressive tax then it is at present (a lower, flat tax should make the likes of Grover Norquist happy too). Should that not be able to keep it solvent for the next 75 years, we can adjust the numbers if necessary, as I don't know how that would play out. But to drastically change it, raise the age of retirement, or end it, I am generally opposed. It will be solvent for the next 3 decades, it is something that needs to be addressed, but we have issues that need to be addressed tomorrow that should take precedence.

Most everyone agrees that job growth, particularly in the private sector, is critical to turning the American economy around. What should Congress do to help spur job growth?

Pass much of what President Obama's job plan consists of. Putting Americans to work and fixing this county's aging infrastructure is a win-win for all of us.

What are you committed to doing, if elected, to reduce the federal deficit, and force Congress to pass only balanced budgets each year?

Have a strong national defense, but curtail the obscene national offense. In 2003, the defense budget was $379 billion, if it rose by the rate of inflation, would be $465 billion, but is it now $750 billion. The domestic "protection" (Police, Courts, Prisons, etc) was $40 billion in 2003, if it rose by the rate of inflation, would be $50 billion, but is it now $57 billion. Stop funding overseas empire building and stop imprisoning our own citizens. Russia, China, and Iran have less per capita and less total numbers of their population in prisons and jails than we have. I am against a constitutional amendment to have a balanced budget. If members of Congress cannot balance a budget, they should not be re-elected @ a 90% recidivism rate as they are now, and we should send people there that will.

Why are you running for Congress?

To do the right thing and help people. I got tired of going to a primary election and seeing only one person on the ballot. To get someone elected to Congress who was not a bought-and-sold politician. To be a representative of the people of this district, elected by the people of this district, to vote for the benefit for the people of this district and not of the corporations, by the monied interests, for the already powerful and privileged.

What should the U.S. do about Iran and its nuclear program?

President Ford (with Dick Cheney in the White House and Don Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense at the time) thought it proper to allow the sale of nuclear technology to Iran in 1975. The reasoning was that the more domestic power Iran could produce by other means, a benefit was that more oil could be exported to foreign interests. They are a member of the IAEA and have signed the nuclear non-proliferation agreement. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in January of this year, there is no evidence that Iran is trying to make a nuclear weapon. From the IAEA "all nuclear material in the facility remains under the agency’s containment and surveillance." Much of the talk surrounding this is by people who think that attacking Iran is the next best thing to attacking Iraq and Afghanistan (both trillion dollar debacles that resulted in thousands of dead US Soldiers and tens of thousands of innocent dead Iraqis and Afghans if you care to remember)

Americans are fed up with gridlock in Washington. Will you be willing to reach across the aisle and work on compromise with members of the opposite party to resolve this country's many issues? Explain.

I believe it was James Clyburn (D-SC) who said: "If we are five steps away from agreement, I'll be happy to walk three steps if you walk two". I am more than ready and able to do the same. Unfortunately, I am of the belief that many Republicans of today not only won't budge, they'll move the goalposts backwards a step or three in the process. We need more, and better, Democrats in office. Getting the money out of politics will go a long way, also.