Candidates:

Barb White, Republican

Keith Ellison, Democrat

Questions:

Priorities  Social Security  Enhancing Retirement Security  Making Health Care More Affordable  Long-Term Care 

The candidate was asked to check either the support or oppose boxes.

QUESTION:

What will be your top domestic issue priorities if elected? How will you work to break the gridlock to get things done on these issues? Please list your top three domestic priorities:

AARP RESPONSE:

AARP’s position: Millions of Americans worry about their health and long-term financial security. They fear the future will not be as prosperous for their children and grandchildren. They face competing demands: affording health care, saving for retirement, sending children to college and supporting aging parents. At the same time, soaring health care costs constrain businesses’ ability to grow and compete. Our elected leaders in Washington have become increasingly unable to solve major issues because of partisan gridlock. Americans want results from our elected leaders, not promises without action. It’s time for individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations, and government to come together to find solutions. AARP believes that providing quality, affordable health care and improving lifelong financial security for all Americans should be Washington’s top domestic priorities.

Barb White (Republican) RESPONSE:

The Barb Davis White for Congress is a Campaign that believes that this Country, the United States of America belongs to THE PEOPLE. We can all work together along with Private Enterprise on which this Country was founded.Congress has the lowest numbers of approval ever because the uncertainty and the challenges that the People face everyday are getting lost in grid lock.

Keith Ellison (Democrat) RESPONSE:

My top three legislative priorities are ending the war in Iraq, passing universal single-payer health care, and repairing and funding the future development of our nation's infrastructure. I see ending the war in Iraq as a domestic priority because of the tremendous amount of money we spend on a struggle we can no longer win by force.

QUESTION:

Will you support or oppose a balanced Social Security plan to continue the program’s guaranteed benefits for future generations? Will you support or oppose diverting Social Security payroll taxes to fund individual retirement accounts?

AARP RESPONSE:

Social Security has provided peace of mind for Americans for over 70 years. The program’s guaranteed, inflation adjusted benefit protects families when a worker retires, becomes disabled or dies. We all benefit from the shared responsibility of providing for today’s beneficiaries, with the knowledge that future generations will also share the responsibility for us. AARP believes that a bipartisan plan that balances additional contributions from higher income workers with modest adjustments in future benefits can maintain Social Security’s guaranteed benefits for future generations. AARP supports individual retirement accounts in addition to current guaranteed Social Security benefits, but believes diverting Social Security taxes from the Trust Fund to fund individual retirement accounts instead of Social Security would weaken the program and create a mountain of new federal debt.

Barb White (Republican) RESPONSE:

I support continuing Social Security along with reforms. Retirement plans are not stable right now in terms of investment. People have entrusted the Government with their money and now the program is in jeopardy.

Keith Ellison (Democrat) RESPONSE:

The candidate chose not to response by the deadline.

QUESTION:

What options do you support to make saving for retirement easier for American families? Do you support or oppose guaranteeing employees’ access to automatic payroll deductions in the workplace to fund an IRA? Do you support or oppose creating retirement accounts in addition to Social Security?

AARP RESPONSE:

Lifetime financial security is a cornerstone of the American dream, yet this dream is being threatened by the phasing out of many traditional pension plans, and an economic environment where people find it difficult to save. Social Security was never intended to be a worker’s only source of retirement income. AARP supports creating new retirement savings options and expanding existing supplemental retirement accounts that enable workers to accumulate retirement savings in addition to Social Security’s guaranteed benefits. Half of all workers have no organized way to save for retirement such as pensions or 401(k) plans. AARP supports guaranteeing workers access to automatic payroll deductions to an IRA (Individual Retirement Account) in the workplace if their employers do not already provide them a pension or 401(k) plan.

Barb White (Republican) RESPONSE:

The candidate chose not to response by the deadline.

Keith Ellison (Democrat) RESPONSE:

The candidate chose not to response by the deadline.

QUESTION:

What policies would you support to make health care and health insurance more affordable and accessible for everyone? What policies would you support to make Medicare more affordable?

AARP RESPONSE:

We believe affordable, quality health care is a fundamental right for all Americans. Availability of coverage, rising premiums and the prospect of losing coverage altogether have become constant concerns for too many families, including older Americans, because Medicare cost sharing continues to increase as well. Making health care affordable is a shared responsibility among government, business, health care providers and individuals. We need to improve quality, eliminate waste, establish more efficient systems of care, and take individual responsibility to live healthier lives. AARP believes existing programs, both public and private, should be strengthened with incentives and subsidies to encourage greater individual and employer participation. Improving care for chronic diseases like diabetes and expanding preventive care and greater use of research on health outcomes will help reduce costs and improve overall health.

Barb White (Republican) RESPONSE:

The Health Care system in this Country is in dire need of reform. The strength of our Country is in the health of our elderly citizens. They have the legacy to hand down and have worked very hard towards our freedoms. Our economy must be strengthened so that individuals and employers can aggressively participate in these shared economic responsibilities.

Keith Ellison (Democrat) RESPONSE:

I support a universal, national, single-payer health care system. Single-payer health care will rein in the overblown costs of our broken health care system and eliminate the expensive middlemen who often stand between us and the doctors and nurses who provide the care we need. Allowing our government to bargain on our behalf, using all Americans’ collective buying power, will drive costs down and improve the health of our people and our economy.

QUESTION:

How would you shift long-term care services and financing so that people can afford to stay in their homes and communities as long as appropriate?

AARP RESPONSE:

At some point, most Americans will need supportive services to help with daily activities (such as dressing or bathing). The vast majority strongly prefer receiving care in their homes and communities rather than in more costly nursing homes or other institutions. However, government programs for long-term care are often geared toward institutions, making home and community-based care much harder to receive. The caregiving burden—both physical and economic— is often overwhelming for millions of families. AARP supports shifting long-term care programs to more home and community services to help people stay in their homes and communities as long as appropriate. Consumers should have more choices and improved quality of care across all settings, and the caregiving burden on millions of families should be eased.

Barb White (Republican) RESPONSE:

There is no greater place to be cared for than the home with family surrounding their loved one. I agree as a whole with AARP, and might add that tax relief could be given to these families as an additional incentive.

Keith Ellison (Democrat) RESPONSE:

I support the Community Choice Act, which allows those receiving long-term care benefits to retain their benefits while living outside institutional settings, allowing them continued access to commerce, their families and friends, and the sustaining energy of community life.