What one question would you want to ask the candidates to answer?

Survey Tally
Received: 734 comments	Published: 110 comments

 

AFT member questions on Healthcare Coverage

What do you propose to do to help ordinary Americans with the cost of healthcare?
Leah Witherspoon, Alliance/AFT

Do you support universal health care, who would manage it, and how would you fund it?
Robert Gibbons, Education Austin

How can the government put a stop to the continuing rise in the cost of health care and perscription medications?
Gloria Rubin, Fairfax County Federation of Teachers

Affordable health care is a concern of everyone. What can you do to make healthcare affordable for the working and the elderly who are on fixed incomes?
Joyce Barrow, Frontier Central Employees Assoc.

What will you do to see that every American has affordable healthcare and what would your timeline be to see your plan through?
Kristina Schwarzkopf, Toledo Federation of Teachers

Do you support a single-payer health care system supported financially by the federal government?
Diane Mohney, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers

Health care is a national crisis. In order to provide universal health care, and take it out of the hands of the insurance companies, we need a national single payer health care system. What is your opinion of this?
Michae Dolber, Bellmore-Merrick United Secondary Teachers

Why this question is important to our members.

"Our workers have to pay more and more for our health insurance and the unemployed (or underemployed) don't have any coverage. All people should have affordable health insurance."
-- Mary Yonkers, Rensselaer Col Greene Boces

"Healthcare coverage is a universal problem for most Americans who work. It also adversly affects our students and their parents."
-- Leah Witherspoon, Alliance/AFT

"Too many people are without health insurance at all and others use our public emergency systems as a primary source of healthcare. Preventative care, home healthcare, and prescription coverage are some of the areas that are in greatest need of reform. "
-- Martha Moore, DeRuyter Faculty Association

"Every strike or near-strike my union has had in the past seven years has been generated by the rising cost of healthcare. I am a retiree with a good pension, but no one can afford the rising cost of healthcare."
-- Dr. Bob Blackwood, Cook County Teachers Union

"My parents worked hard for over 40 years to provide their family. Now, they worry from month to month what would happen if one of them became ill. I believe they deserve better than this. I don't want to see the same thing happen to myself or my children."
-- Laurie Maycrovich, Toledo Federation of Teachers

AFT member questions on the Iraq War

The current administration has entangled the United States in a war in Iraq that seems to have no end. At the same time, domestic programs that receive federal funding are being cut. How will you end the conflict in Iraq, at what cost, and when?
James Close, Public Employees Federation

Having virtually destroyed Iraq by our invasion, we cannot simply leave. How would you begin to repair the country and bring our troops home, without ruining our own economy?
Linda Bianco, Clark Federation of School Employees

What will you do as President to restore the reputation of the American people as honest, respectful, tolerant, dignified to people around the world.
Noreen Burris, Billings Education Association

What steps would you take to end the Iraqi war quickly and to the best advantage of the United States?
Denny Wise, Chicago Teachers Union

With billions available to fight the Iraq war, why can our political leaders not find the resources to provide healthcare for all Americans?
Theodore Rudin, Cleveland Teachers Union

What is your strategy to change the image, of the US abroad, from oil guzzling militarists to environmental responsible peace keepers?
Marjorie Leopold, Ulster BOCES Teachers Organization

Why this question is important to our members.
"The Iraq war is shattering our economy, ruined our foreign relations, destroyed programs that bolster and suppor our democracy and permanently damaged a large portion of our youth."
-- Thelma Perkins, Chicago Teachers Union

"My son is career army. He's on his 2nd tour in Iraq. This war wastes our funds, man power, and has greatly damaged our image in other countries. It's time to do right by our service people, our citizens, and the rest of the world."
-- Marjorie Garland, Martin Education Association

"It's time to move on. Too many lives have been lost."
-- Denny Wise, Chicago Teachers Union

"The illegitimate war and occupation of Iraq has drained billions from our economy and services for the neediest of our citizens."
-- Mark Gauthier, United Teachers of Los Angeles

AFT member questions on No Child Left Behind

What if any changes and/or additions do you plan to make to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)? Will it remain in effect, as is, if you are elected?
Tammie Whaley, AFT Texas

What do you plan to do about the NCLB Act? Do you feel we need to look at how it is being implemented and how schools are being "graded" and funded?
LaTasha Richardson, Duval Teachers United

How would you change No Child Left Behind to make it a tool to improve education?
Linda McDonald, Collier County Education Association

What is your assessment of the success of NCLB? Please explain how you arrived at your opinion, including what input you received from classroom teachers?
Lynne McComiskey, Tangipahoa Federation of Teachers

It is clear that the "Leave No Child Behind" legislation has not accomplished its prime directive. As the next President of this country, what changes would you make to the law to ensure that our children are receiving the kind of education that will truly prepare them for their future?
Deborah Hutchin, East Baton Rouge Federation of Teachers

Have you spoken to public school teachers directly about whether or not they think there is educational value to both students and teachers regarding NCLB?
Judy Gerowitz, United Federation of Teachers

With our mandatory education laws, increasing numbers of single parent families,cultural and language barriers, andreliance on standardized testing, how would you avoid leaving no child behind?
Robert Hall, Corpus Christi AFT

What are you going to do to give teachers back the privilege of teaching their subject and the time to guide students into creative thinking?
Nancy Banks, AFT San Antonio

How can we interest the fresh and gifted teachers we so need to educate our children when NCLB is poorly fundedand makingthe jobfrustrating and overwhelming?
Patricia Noakes, Scranton Federation of Teachers

With all concern focused towards bringing up the math and communications scores, what would you do to produce a well rounded student who is ready and prepared to face the working world?
Nancy Souilliard, Pittsburgh Federation of Teacher

Why this question is important to our members.

"There is too much pressure to meet AYP because of NCLB law. The funding is not there and teachers are leaving the profession because too much time is spent testing and too little time teaching."
-- Antonio Olivares, Texas PEG

"NCLB has ruined the public school systems by setting up false expectations that have resulted in failure. I believe the business approach to education is delivering Enron results."
-- Jerry Dearborne, Houston Federation of Teachers

"I have been a teacher for sixteen years and I have watched the importance of education become smaller and smaller. Without an education, nothing can be accomplished. Please put education first."
-- Sharon Chaumont, Beauregard Federation of Teachers and School Employees

"We in the inner city schools (and other impoverished areas) are teaching in class sizes of 30-33 students without the human or financial resources of our suburban counterparts. It is obvious that without a level playing field, children will be left behind, regardless of the dedication of the instructors and rigor of the curriculum."
-- Donna Mooney, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers

"Teachers voices are what is lacking in the federal mandates. Legislators don't know about child development or living in poverty and these are just two of the important factors that impact teaching and learning."
-- Loretta Shiver, TVI Employees Federation

"As a teacher I am seeing more and more programs being lost to unfunded state and federal mandates that hurt small districts more than it helps."
-- Raymond Pitcher, Herkimer Faculty Assocation

AFT member questions on Education Issues & Funding

Between meetings and paperwork, chronically unresolved discipline problems, and year around testing, I no longer feel like a real teacher. What realistic solutions can you envision that would allow teachers to once again become educators instead of being overburdened with standardized test administration, case management, and disciplinarian issues?
Joy Murray, AFT Texas

Candidates often visit schools for a photo-op, but until they actually participate in the process of educating our youth, they won't understand the needs of our students. Would you be willing to spend one day as a teacher assistant with mein our inner city classroom?
Seth Cohen, Troy Teachers Association

What would you do as President to assist in bringing back the "prestige" that teachers used to have in their communities? Young educators are leaving the profession. What national policy should be in place to stop this from occurring?
David DeMond, Orange County Classroom Teachers Association

Why can we not provide each teacher in this country with a classroom of their own and limit class size?
Michael Robinson-Williams, Texas Federation of Teachers

How will you assist underfunded schools in high poverty areas so they may compete with suburban schools?
Kieth Newman, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers

Many educators feel overworked, underpaid, and not given enough respect. How do you plan tokeep qualified educators in the various school systems?
Carol Bowie-Cotton, Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association

Please describe your comprehensive pre-K through graduate school plan to provide the federal support necessary to educate our children for the 21st century.
Michael Morrow, Portland Community College Faculty Federation

To whom will you listen when it comes to education policy and what are you plans for our country's educational future?
Greg Jenkins, Caddo Federation of Teachers

What is your position on taxpayer supported private education?
Don Luisi, Education Association of South Orangetown

How can we increase support for accomplished teachers who are interested in achieving National Board Teacher Certification?
Barbara Misuraca, Detroit Federation of Teachers

Teaching is an honorable profession. However, in recent years the educator has been overlooked as a second class citizen. What would you do to improve the quality of professionals entering this field?
Mary Norman, Caddo Federation of Teachers

How will you ensure that paraprofesionals are acknowledged for the work that they do in the classroom?
Andella White, Detroit Federation of Paraprofessionals

How will you assist states in providing quality early childhood education programs for all children so that they can begin school ready to learn?
Allan Grant, Osseo Federation of Teachers

What changes in federal education support will you sponsor so that children from deprived circumstances will receive pre school education so that they can "catch up" to their more affluent peers?
Pauline Levin, Education Association of South Orangetown

We have proof that vouchers have failed to be successful in every state where they've been implemented. Why does this issue continue to be debated?
Shirley Nesom, Livingston Federation of Teachers

Currently there is no federal law requiring school districts to provide a professional school nurse. Do you consider our children's healthcareand safety important enough to advocate to Congress about making this a law?
Margaret Chisham, United Federation of Wichita

Why this question is important to our members.
"The school I teach in has 29 "floater" teachers, and my own classes have grown beyond 200 students in 6 periods of the day. Inadequate resources and huge classes equal a poor education. You don't need testing to prove that."
-- Michael Robinson-Williams, Texas Federation of Teachers

"I feel we spend more money on people who have committed crimes and are not productive citizens instead of building a foundation of future leaders - our students."
-- Kevin Dehart, Jefferson Federation of Teachers

"I believe that schools already have plenty of money to operate effectively. They merely have incompetent or unethical administrators who funnel money away from the classrooms."
-- Patricia Locke, Placer Nevada Teachers Union

"Beyond the first year, the new teachers are on their own unless they happen to find a colleague to take pity on them. With testing, lack of professional value, discipline problems, low salaries, on and on, it is no wonder teachers are leaving the profession in droves."
-- Carolyn Markos, Corpus Christi Federation of Teachers

AFT member questions on Jobs, Poverty & the Economy

What would you do to improve the lot of every-day, honest, hard-working Americans?
Val Jack, AFT Oregon

What plan do you have to deal with social safety nets that either are in trouble or are non-existent, such as social security, welfare, and medical/dental coverage?
Karen Thomas, Philadelphia Fed. of Teachers

Do you think outsourcing is an issue and if so what would you do about companies outsourcing jobs?
Karen Crofton, Cook Country College Teachers Union

What will you do to end mandatory overtime for nurses?
Chris Thomassen, Public Employees Federation

How do you plan on helping working class citizens maintain affordable housing and day care?
Ebony Tyler, Public Employee Federation

What would you do to increase the discussion about the reality of race discrimination and inequity in our country; and the economic costs of so many people living below the poverty line?
Charlene Lojewski, Public Employees Federation

What are you going to do to take back control of the country from corporations?
Irene Schmidt, Wisconsin Professional Employees Council

America seems to be becoming a service-industry nation, where those jobs barely pay above the minimum wage and usually don't offer benefits, such as health insurance or retirement. What is your plan to keep good paying jobs in the country instead of going overseas?
Lauri Morton-Peasley, Public Employees Federation

Why this question is important to our members.
"The divide betwen rich and poor is the cause of a lot of the behavior problems we see in children which keeps us from teaching our best."
-- Teresa Strong, Boston Teachers Union

"Our budget priorities are all screwed up. Billions for war, tax breaks to the rich and peanuts for people at home. The abandonment of New Orleans is the most potent argument for a need to radically shift these priorities."
-- Rich Yurman, San Matteo Community College Federation

"In our nation we hear two conflicting stories. On one hand, we hear that the economy is doing well, on the other, we hear that people are loosing their purchasing power. What appears to be happening is that there is a widening gap and we are losing the middle class."
-- Sarah Hernandez, United Faculty of Florida

AFT member questions on the Right to Join a Union

How will you strengthen the voice of union members in the labor market?
Gina Silverstein, United Federation of Teachers

How will you ensure that our healthcare, pension, and our right to be part of a union and negotiate fairly with your employer will be protected and preserved?
Richard Charap, United Federation of Teachers

What are you thoughts on the ability of workers to form unions without firings and intimidation being used by the employer, and what if anything should be done about this?
Thomas Hefner, United Guilford Federation of Teachers

How would you encourage the growth of union membership in the country?
Ellen Alpert, New Hampshire Federation of Teachers

AFT member questions on Higher Education

What will you do to reverse the trends to higher part-time and contingent faculty in higher education in place of full-time tenured faculty?
Dr. Paul G Shane, AFT/AAUP Rutgers

How would you insure the concepts of academic freedom and encouragement of intellectual curiosity while managing to maintain minimal standards?
Susan Yentz, Seminole Education Association

By what means are you able to assure that all individuals wishing to engage in post-secondary education are able to do so?
Catherine Freeman, Teyler Federation of Teachers

I am concerned with the state of Academic Freedom and free speech on public college campuses. What do you believe should be the standard in regards to academic freedom and free speech on public college campuses? How should this standard be implemented and overseen?
Marilyn Kennedy, Coast Federation of Teachers

What decisions would you make, toward stemming the tide of the growing percentage of adjunct professional work, which is decreasing thefull-time professional positions available at many universities today?
Paul J Gammarano, Keane University Adjunct Faculty Federation

Why this question is important to our members.
The integrity and concept of academic freedom of inquiry is being destroyed by the erosion of tenure and the treatment of teachers as replaceable commodities.
-- Dr. Paul G Shane, AFT/AAUP Rutgers

AFT member questions on Individual Rights & Freedoms

What steps would you take to make this country safe without giving up the right to free speech?
Earleen Barrilleaux, Jefferson Federation of Teachers

What steps will you take to restore the Constitutional rights with special emphasis on the first ten amendments to all citizens, residents, and visitors in the United State, including the expanding substantive workers rights to organize unions?
Arthur Yarish, United Federation of Teachers

Why this question is important to our members.
"We must demand that any candidate will adhere to the ideas and principles of historically treasured and painfully won constitutional rights. "
-- Arthur Yarish, United Federation of Teachers

AFT member questions on Social Security

Why are retired teachers not able to receive spouse's social security?
Zelda Hentschel, Bexar County Federation of Teachers

Many of us have served the people by working in public service jobs. Now we face the probability that our pensions and benefits will be reduced or eliminated. What is your plan to protect the aging workforce from such attacks on our future?
Marjorie DeVoe, Public Employees Federation

We hearthat social security is broken and will not be able to provide foryounger people who are not near retirement age. How can we fix Social Security so that it will provide the same benefits to those younger people?
Ken Reid, Macomb Intermediate Federation of Teachers

Considering that I am looking at retirement in the next five plus years, and Isee how difficult it is for my own mother to get her prescriptions at reasonable prices, I would like to know how the candidate would take care of the baby boomer elderly?
Diane Mintz, Houston Federation of Teachers

Why this question is important to our members.
"The Social Security Administration has blocked retired teachers from receiving their spouse's social security. Working people are hurting. Retired people are really hurting."
-- Zelda Hentschel, Bexar County Federation of Teachers

AFT member questions on Immigration Issues

How would you address the need to improve the education for our English Language Learner (ELL) population in this country?
Oscar Avina, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers

How would you address the problem of illegal immigration and whatcan be done about the millions of illegal immigrants now in our country?
Ruth Tornick, United Federation of Teachers

Why this question is important to our members.
"As a leading advocate for bilingual education I feel it is necessary to accept that our ELL population will only continue to increase and will be vital to our global economy."
-- Oscar Avina, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers

AFT member questions on School Conditions & Discipline

What programs do you plan to initiate to stem the rising number of increasingly violent attacks by students on other students and on teachers?
Karen Sanabria, AFT Texas PEG

What changes will you make in order to have parents become more involved and held more accountable for their child's educational success?
Lisa Hannah, Newark Teacher's Union

It is very frustrating as an educator to work hard with a student when there is no parental support. How are we to turn these children into productive members of society if they are constantly encouraged to make little or no effort?
Maria Evans, Louisiana PEG Group

How can we make schools safer for our students and staff?
Taska Lipham, St. Tammany Federation of Teachers

The condition of schools and classrooms across the country especially in the urban areas are so poor. What is your plan to attend to the physical needs of the public schools?
Bruce Mellion, Norwalk Federation of Teachers

Why this question is important to our members.

"Violence in our schools and communities are making it impossible for children to focus on learning. This situation also leads to the teacher shortage, as there is little respect for teachers from both students and parents."
-- Fran Ruggiero, Yonkers Federation of Teachers

AFT member questions on the Political Process

What is your position on ethics reform in congress? What is your position on public financing of election campaigns
Edward Lewis, Chicago Teachers Union

What would you do to increase the transparency of government and eliminate secret back room deals?
Mark Moyle, AFT/CFEPE

How do you plan to get Democrats and Republicans to work together towards common goals and objectives?
Robert Branan, Maryland Professional Employees Council

What are three goals your administration will try to accomplish during your first presidential term?
Ernesto Lerma, La Joya Federation of Teachers

A lot of politicians have talked a good game before election, but how soon can we expect to see results on universal health care, funding for public education and an end to the way in Iraq.
Ron Giranio, Chicago Teachers Union

What would you do to reign in political donations from special interest groups and their inherent influence on the political process?
Jospeh Klein, Public Employee Federation

AFT member questions on the Environment

When are we going to get serious about alternative energy sources that significantly decrease our dependency upon fossil fuels? What might be your plan?
Paul Farfaglia, Jordan Elbridge Teachers Association

For decades, candidates state that we must reduce our dependency on foreign oil. But nothing has been done. What would you really propose and carry out to reduce our oil dependency?
Sal Alessi, Public Employee Federation

What will you do to wean this country off the use of fossil fuels, especially those purchased from foreign countries?
Judith Golombiski, Public Employees Federation Retired

Why this question is important to our members.
"The US needs to be the leader in environmental conservation. We need efficient mass transit trains, trolleys, small fuel efficient autos, non-fossil fuel alternatives and newly engineered vehicles that utilize non-fossil fuels or an alternative generator. We need wind power, solar power, and conservation on each citizen's part. We need to immediately propose environmental caps on industry and vehicles and not respond to auto lobbyists or any lobbyists who deter from conservation."
-- Bonnie Steinkraus, Onandaga Community College Federation

AFT member questions on the Budget

Are you willing to raise taxes and/or cut military spending to reduce the budget and improve healthcare and education to ensure that our country has viable and vibrant future?
Mark Supanich, Teaching Assistant Association Federation

What will you do about reducing the evergrowing national debt?
Barbara Smyth, New Britain Federation of Teachers