Interview with Jeff Latas, Democrat for Congress In Arizona's CD8
Published March 21, 2006
M: Will there still be a role for private, for-profit insurance?
J: Yes, I think that we need to keep private plans available for people who want them. We want to make it affordable for the lower end, at have option of government or private at higher income levels.
M: What about the Medicare Drug plan?
J: Any time you have the pharmaceuticals companies writing the legislation - it's boondoggle for the pharmas. We can fix it. The VA can negotiate prices and the prices are lower than part D. It's costing us 50 billion a year, and though my mom's drugs did go down, that's the case for most. It was a fiasco the way it was implemented and in that there are companies now making bigger profits because of it.
Why are many of these drugs cheaper in other countries. I'm told it's because we're paying the large R&D costs in this country; but why can't we share those costs among all countries?
M: We have Clean Elections in Arizona, and it is likely to expand to other states. Would you want to see it Federalized, and would introduce such legislation?
J: You damn right I do. You bet, in a second. I honest believe the reason you get Tom Delays and J.D. Hayworth's, and all those other corrupt, er... allegedly corrupt, individuals is because it all comes down to how they're financing their campaigns. The sooner we can get away from that, the more power to the people.
M: Would you be in favor of an independent ethics body overseeing Congress?
J: Why not? Why should a Congressman decide the rules of ethical behavior for himself? We need an objective means for determining proper behavior. I don't have any problem with that.
M: What sorts of new initiatives would you be in favor of to protect our environmental quality?
J: First we need to enforce the old laws, like the Clean Air Act. We need to be careful and enforce the Endangered Species Act; we can't afford to lose the act to the present legislation in Congress now [intended to make enforcement action more difficult]. We need stronger regulation on water quality.
M: Would you support take-back laws on more products here in the U.S. like computers, televisions, and cars, etc.?
J: Yeah. Especially those products containing hazardous wastes. It makes sense.
M: What about OSHA
J: It's under-funded and there isn't enough enforcement.
M: What do we do about reducing carbon emissions?
J: That's my main platform. We need to get off petroleum. That's why I got in this race; with ecology in mind, asking how can I make my world a better place? How can I have an effect? By trying to get this nation aware that we can have a better society without oil.
Once you realize that, then you start seeing all the connections between national security, foreign policy, war and oil. Many of our problems over the past 40 years are connected to that.
- Interview with Jeff Latas, Democrat for Congress In Arizona's CD8
- Published: March 21, 2006
- Type: Interview
- Section: Politics
- Writer: Michael D. Bryan
- Michael D. Bryan's BC Writer page
- Michael D. Bryan's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
1977-1980 we reduced our oil requirements from the Middle East by 87% at the same time the GDP went up 27%, so it's obviously healthy for this economy to get off of oil.
He must have forgotten the average 12% yearly inflation rate during that period which went along with that GDP growth, which effectively reduced it to a -21% rate of growth.
Dave
I neglected to include his homepage. Thanks for pointing out the oversight.
Michael, you could go back and edit that into the article at an appropriate place.
Dave
I too share similar opinions about the F-22 V Joint Strike Fighter and alot of other systems to numerous to mention.
I recall while in High School,1959 to 1963, I wore a Hughes Missile Pin of The Falcon on my shirt every day, and being called to the cafeteria with other Hughes Families because Hughes paid a direct subsidy to the school for my being in attendance.
The same is true of the many good aircraft and systems that did not get off the ground because of "Favorite Defense Contractors inside the Pentagon," as was Boeing, favored by Dwight Eisenhower, and it got the contracts over Lockeed and Martin and Convair and many others that had a superior aircraft but lost to Politics.
General Spots the first Air Force General and whom broke off from The Army ,then called Army-Air Force, was a good friend of my Family and was born in Boyertown,P.A. where I was Born. Since the Town is so small everyone knew everyone else,and in the First and Second World War with Spots in Command we had alot of options open to us.
Hughes alone has Government Contracts now over a TRILLION Dollars, Iam a member of Davis Monthan Air Force Lodge #105 and have spent alot of time in the Bone Yard now and back in the 1960's as I hauled out 250 B-26's to be refitted and sent to Madam Nue and her Air Force in Viet Nam under The Kennedy Administration.
For anyone who wants to see their Tax Dollars , visit the Bone Yard to see everything from B-1 Bombers back in time to your favorite aircraft,all coated with white sun guard.
The point that my Father always made as he was stationed at Langley to Hughes was that when a contract was complete the JIG was Destroyed so that no more production of PARTS or THE AIRCRAFT could continue, this forced special jobs to make more parts from new JIGS that most engineers had a hard time matching the tolerances down to the original and the parts did not fit or work in many systems SCRAPPING many thousands of parts that had to be made over and over again,then if a repair order was ahead of schedule the parts were scrapped on purpose to continue the contract.
With this in mind beware of Politicians whom are connected to the Pentagon or its Contractors because you will experience Haliburton all over again.
Most of the complaints you raise about incompetent and inefficient management of the aircraft parts by the military would be true regardless of who built the planes. You make the mistaken assumption that any one of those aircraft contractors was less corrupt than the others, and even more that Boeing was corrupt just because they were the one that got the contract. If Hughes or Douglas or Convair or whoever had gotten the contract you'd be complaining about them today.
Dave
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Great interview Michael! Is there a website where people can learn more about / contact / support Latas' campaign?