Mr. Small's Statements to the Electorate Art Small for Congress Platform I am running for the U.S. Senate because I believe that the course followed by my Republican opponent seriously threatens the safety and security of Iowa and the nation. From excessive tax cuts for the wealthy to uncritical support of the war in Iraq, Senator Grassley has acted, in my view, irresponsibly.

Healthcare

My goal in Washington will be to create an Opportunity Society. By that I mean that every American deserves health coverage as good as that Congress provides for itself and for the President. I want to switch from an employee based insurance system to one which provides vouchers that permit participation in the existing Congressional plan. Health insurance costs are crippling our businesses and causing them to reduce coverage and/or increase costs to employees to the point that their needs are not being met. I would finance my system by closing corporate tax loopholes and eliminating the tax breaks given to the wealthiest Americans under the Bush-Grassley tax legislation.

Tax Relief

When it comes to tax relief and deficit reduction, I am fortunate to be able to call upon the 12 distinguished economists, including three Nobel Laureates, who have endorsed my plan. I agree with these economists that the Grassley-Bush tax policy provides a tax postponement rather than tax relief. Coupling tax reductions for the wealthiest Americans and corporations while engaging in profligate spending leaves an enormous debt for our children and grandchildren. Bush and Grassley have also provided "relief" to those who need it least and have contributed to the growth of the gap between rich and poor which threatens the health of our democracy.

I agree with the economists who have endorsed me that the Grassley-Bush tax policy provides a tax postponement rather than tax relief. Coupling tax reductions for the wealthiest Americans and corporations while engaging in profligate spending leaves an enormous debt for our children and grandchildren. Bush and Grassley have also provided "relief" to those who need it least and have contributed to the growth of the gap between rich and poor which threatens the health of our democracy.

Responsible Government

I believe it is the role of government to do for its people what they cannot do on their own. I believe this is particularly important when it comes to those who need our help to be able to live decent lives and contribute to society. I do not believe that government ought to interfere in the private lives of its people unless it is necessary to promote the general welfare.

Homeland Security

We need to provide more funding to our state and local police and fire departments which are our first line of defense.

Unemployment/Job Creation and the Rural Economy

We must rid our tax code of incentives to employers to outsource jobs to other countries. We must provide support for small businesses, the principal engine of job creation. The elimination of the cost of employee based health insurance would be of great help, especially in small businesses where often the cost of health care equals or exceeds the cost of raw materials. To stimulate the rural economy, I recommend reducing the crop subsidies to the wealthiest landowners and using the funds for community development grants. Under such a system, rural communities could decide how to invest this grant so it created jobs for those in the area.

The following are some of the direct questions that Charles Grassley refuses to answer by not participating in the Print Debate Level Playing Field.

My questions for Senator Grassley:

Question 1: For most of your 46-year long political career you have presented yourself as an advocate of fiscal discipline. But now that you are in a position of power as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, you support a policy of profligate spending and tax cuts skewed toward the wealthiest American. What happened to the Chuck Grassley of old? Are you uncritically following President Bush's lead even though he tends to undermine the future of our children and grandchildren?

Question 2: You describe yourself as the Chief Architect of the 2003 Medicare Bill. Why did you support the drug companies by prohibiting the government from negotiating price discounts such as those the Veterans Administration already obtains to bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Veterans?

Question 3: Why did you refuse to submit answers to the National Political Awareness Test sponsored by Vote Smart? After 30 years in Washington do you think you no longer need to provide Iowa's voters with information about your views? Is that why you are refusing to participate in Print Debate?