X-Posted @ BearFlagBlue

My local Thursday newspaper, The Livermore Independent, has published a profile of Assemblymember Joan Buchanan.

I was glad to see that they covered a range of issues in their interview with the possible Congressional Candidate.

Education, as she sees it, is part of the investment that society needs to make for future health of all kinds, including economic health. She points to Ireland as a country that, despite recent downturns, has committed to education as a path to future strength. She feels this is an essential commitment in California as well, and worries that California’s per capita education support will drop to the lowest in the nation as the economy continues its decline and legislators remain seriously divided in Sacramento…



She objects to the wide gap between low-paid workers and those at the top, claiming, “We have the greatest income disparity in 20 years.”  Without blaming the Bush Administration by name, she clearly hints that its policy of giving particular tax breaks to the wealthy was part of the problem: “Government works best when it works for all the people, not just those at the top.”…

In California , the rule requiring two-thirds of the legislature to approve taxes and budgets is not only a procedural obstacle but anti-democratic, she believes. It has the effect of enabling a minority to block what the majority wants. She would support efforts to change the rule “Everyone’s vote should count equally,” she says…

she thinks legislators can do a better job of making the budget process transparent and reaching early agreement on the values of various programs before undertaking to pin down numbers…

On another topic, she would like to see universal health care and more emphasis on disease prevention.   Recognizing the potential conflict between the reducing costs and maintaining quality, she says, “We need reimbursement levels high enough for doctors to want to practice medicine.”  However, she resists the idea of setting up a government-financed program to pay for health care for fear that “we would borrow from it as we do from Social Security.”…

Education… Wage Disparity… Repeal 2/3rds… Transparency… Universal Healthcare…

I have to say, I like what I’m hearing from Buchanan so far.

On a personal level, everybody I talk to in the district, speaks very highly of both potential congressional favorites.

As the guy that has been getting all of the endorsements lately, I’d sure like to be hearing more about Mark DeSaulnier’s plans & priorities.

For the rest of the article, and more Livermore news check out the The Livermore Independent