.Chris Dodd's Issues
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Appointments aka. NO MATCHING TOPIC
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Commander in Chief 1 aka. NO MATCHING TOPIC
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Commander in Chief 2 aka. NO MATCHING TOPIC
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Election Day aka. NO MATCHING TOPIC
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Execution of Law aka. NO MATCHING TOPIC
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Foreign Policy aka. Foreign Affairs
Chris Dodd: A Leader in Foreign Affairs; From his time in the Peace Corps as a young man to his 25 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chris Dodd has worked to strengthen America through bold engagement. Dodd understands America must lead to protect our security not only on Iraq, but also on the rise of state-less terrorist organizations around the world, Iran and North Korea’s emerging nuclear capabilities, a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, the HIV/AIDS crisis that is decimating whole continents and creating failed states, and the growing threat of global warming. Chris Dodd is ready to lead – to face our challenges abroad with boldness and a proven ability to bring people together.
The Dodd Record: - Dodd Traveled to the Middle East Four Times Since 2003 to Meet with International Leaders and Assess US Policies. As a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chris Dodd traveled to the Middle East four times since the outbreak of war in Iraq, visiting Baghdad three times in that period. During his visits, Dodd assessed the impact of U.S. foreign policy on the region, opened up important lines of communications with countries like Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and Israel, and made sure American troops were being taken care of and protected. - Dodd Served as Chair or Co-Chair of the Delegation to U.S–Mexico Interparliamentary Sessions and Received an Award From the Mexican Government. Since 1987, Chris Dodd has either Chaired or Co-Chaired the Congressional delegation attending the annual U.S.-Mexico Interparliamentary Conference. For this and his other work bolstering U.S.-Mexico relations, Dodd received the Aztec Eagle Award, Mexico's highest award given to a foreign national. - Dodd Was a Leader in Ending U.S. Military Assistance to the Nicaraguan Contras, Which Opened the Door for Successful Elections in 1990. In 1983, Chris Dodd was chosen by party leaders to speak on behalf of Congressional Democrats in response to President Reagan’s address on the situation in Nicaragua. In 1989 Dodd worked with the Bush administration to successfully broker a bipartisan accord on Nicaragua. This finally ended US military assistance to the Nicaraguan Contras and led to successful democratic elections in 1990. - Dodd Led the Senate Central America Negotiations Observer Group. Chris Dodd led the Senate Central America Negotiations Group. This group was created to monitor the progress of the Guatemala City Peace Accord. The accord called for a cease-fire in the Nicaraguan and El Salvador civil wars, reconciliation between those governments and their opposition groups, steps to assure democracy throughout Central America, an end to outside aid to rebel forces and an end to the use of any country’s territory by rebels trying to destabilize another country. - Dodd Worked Closely With President Clinton to Facilitate Peace in Northern Ireland. Chris Dodd, working closely with President Clinton helped facilitate the Good Friday Peace Accords which were signed on Friday, April 10, 1998. Dodd encouraged American involvement by urging President Clinton to speak directly with the Sinn Fein political leader Gerry Adams. He also participated in a Congressional delegation traveling to Northern Ireland with President Clinton in 1995.
The Dodd Agenda: Strengthen our Alliances. As President, Chris Dodd will work to restore our alliances, rebuild international institutions to better fight the war against terrorism, and enhance America’s security while upholding our common values. - Diplomacy, Not More Troops in Iraq. Chris Dodd is strongly opposed to the Bush-Cheney troop surge strategy. As President, he will advance a surge of diplomacy in the region, not a surge of more troops. - End the War in Iraq Decisively. Chris Dodd understands that ending the war in Iraq makes America safer. He strongly supports the Feingold-Reid proposal – the only responsible measure in Congress that sets a timetable to end the war in Iraq by March 31, 2008 – and he has urged all the candidates in the presidential race to join him. It is time to stand up to the President’s misguided Iraq policy. - Hold America’s Allies Accountable. As President, Chris Dodd would engage key strategic countries, nations like Saudi Arabia and Russia, and call on them to support freedom and democracy in their own countries and to eliminate the conditions that export terrorism and allow our enemies to thrive. - Enhance and Export Energy Technology to Free America and the World From Reliance On Oil. Chris Dodd believes we need to invest in renewable energy technology that will allow America to achieve energy independence. As President, he would share that technology with our allies to end their alliances of necessity with dictators from oil-producing nations like Venezuela and Iran.
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Miscelanious 1 aka. Healthcare
Chris Dodd: Working to Expand and Improve Healthcare for All Americans; Chris Dodd has worked to ensure that every American has health care coverage, regardless of their economic status. He understands that we simply can’t afford to fail again when it comes to ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable, quality health care. Dodd brought together Republicans and Democrats to pass the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act to ensure that Americans never have to make the choice between the job they need and the family they love. As a result, 50 million people have been able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a new child or a sick family member. The problems are known and so are the solutions – what we need is the kind of bold leadership Chris Dodd will bring to the White House to meet the health care challenge. He’ll get the job done.
The Dodd Record; - Dodd Authored and Passed the Family and Medical Leave Act. Chris Dodd authored and fought for seven years to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act, which has allowed an estimated 50 million workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a new child or a sick family member. - Dodd Is a Leader on Children’s Health Issues. Chris Dodd has authored legislation to increase federal funding for autism research, screening, and intervention programs, and to address the unmet needs of children with mental illness. He also introduced legislation that expanded federal research initiatives into premature births and pediatric HIV/AIDS. - Dodd Authored Legislation Providing Access to and Affordability of Safe and Effective Prescription Drugs. Chris Dodd authored legislation that encouraged the pharmaceutical industry to conduct studies to ensure that safe and effective products are available for children. He has also supported bipartisan legislation to bring down the price of prescription drugs by allowing Americans to import FDA-approved drugs from Canada and other industrialized countries. He also worked in a bipartisan fashion to author legislation to ensure that the American people have access to important safety and health information regarding prescription drugs. - Dodd Supported Legislation to Expand Health Research. Chris Dodd has supported legislation to expand embryonic stem cell research utilizing stem cell lines that meet strict ethical requirements. He also worked to pass legislation expanding access to cord blood (blood drawn from the placenta and umbilical cord of a newborn) that can be used as an effective alternative to bone marrow in the treatment of sickle cell anemia and leukemia. In addition, he has been a long-time supporter of NIH funding. - Dodd Supported Legislation to Protect Americans from Genetic Discrimination. Chris Dodd cosponsored bipartisan legislation to prevent health plans or employers from discriminating on the basis of genetic information.
The Dodd Agenda; - Universal Responsibility: Ensure universal affordable quality coverage by creating a Health Care General Fund (HCGF) to serve all Americans. Then, require employers to either cover their employees or contribute to the fund. Individual Americans not covered by employers will be required to purchase insurance from the HCGF at a price based on his/her fixed percentage above poverty. With universal responsibility, no American will be turned away. - Assisting Small Businesses: Exempt businesses employing less than 10 workers from contributing to the HCGF. Provide federal assistance to businesses employing between 10 and 30 workers. - Focusing On Prevention: Integrate clinical information tools, monitoring technologies, and care management into the system, and encourage screenings, timely visits to the doctor, and early treatments that keep chronic diseases under control. - Building On What Works: Extend Medicaid to adults who make 100 percent above the poverty line and to children whose family’s income is up to 300 percent of the poverty line. - Driving Down Costs: There is enough money in the system to solve the health care crisis. We will utilize 21st century technology to give hospitals comprehensive diagnostic and treatment data, so as to avoid duplicative and unnecessary treatment and services that waste precious resources and drive up costs.
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Miscelanious 2 aka. NO MATCHING TOPIC
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National Defence aka. NO MATCHING TOPIC
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State of the Union 1 aka. Energy & Jobs and the Economy
The Dodd Energy Plan; The Goals: - Reduce 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Dodd Plan will begin to turn back the clock on global climate change, safeguard our environment, and protect American health. - Enhance national security by eliminating our dependence on Middle East oil by 2015. We must end the cycle of fighting terrorists on one hand while financing their supporters on the other. - Strengthen our economy and create jobs. From our university labs to our farms, from manufacturing to our technology entrepreneurs, the Dodd Plan will create jobs across the economic spectrum.
The Plan: - Reduce 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. By mandating the framework of the Sanders "Cap-and-trade" legislation and the toughest, most transparent rules possible, we can make serious reductions to carbon emissions every decade. By 2020, the U.S. must reduce its emissions by 15% of 80 percent below 1990 levels; by 2040, emissions must be reduced by 2/3 of 80 percent; and by 2050, emissions must be reduced to a level that is 80 percent. -- A portion of the allocated credits will be auctioned off and revenues directed to the Corporate Carbon Tax Trust Fund. - Enact a Corporate Carbon Tax. A Corporate Carbon Tax will discourage big corporate polluters and stimulate innovation. The revenues of a corporate carbon tax—estimated at over $50 billion annually—will be placed into a Corporate Carbon Tax Trust Fund (CCTTF) to fund: -- Fast tracked research, development and deployment of renewable technologies such as wind, solar, as well as ethanol and other biofuels; -- Efforts to expedite the process for bringing energy efficient technologies to market; - Increase efficiency standards for consumer products. The Dodd Plan would adopt stronger standards for appliances, light bulbs and other electricity powered consumer products to reduce energy costs for consumers. -- Reduce costs of energy efficient consumer products such as lighting, automobiles and appliances, making them price competitive. -- Freeze electricity usage from 2010 onward through efficiency. -- Raise fuel economy standards in automobiles to 50 mpg. Under a Dodd Administration, America will lead the world in fuel economy standards ensuring all cars get 50 miles per gallon by model year 2017, lowering our emissions. - Impose tough standards for construction of new coal plants. The Dodd Plan requires all new plants capture and sequester CO2. No exceptions. -- The Dodd Administration would not invest in "coal to liquid" technologies and programs -- turning coal into liquid fuel does not support the overall goal of turning the clock back on global climate change and is not consistent with reducing greenhouse gas emissions. - Increase renewable electricity standard to 20% by 2020. The best proven method to reduce costs of renewable sources of energy is to set tough but achievable renewable electricity standards. - Make Historic Investments in Biofuels and other Clean Energy Technologies Produced Out On Our Farms. In a Dodd Administration, we will substantially increase investments in biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel produced on our farms, perpetuating not tyranny and hate, but the values of America’s Heartland. The Dodd Energy Plan would set the goal of renewable fuel usage in cars and homes at 8.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2008 and steadily increasing to 36 billion gallons by 2022. By 2016, an increasing portion of renewable fuels would be advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol, biobutanol and others. -- All biofuels must be produced in a sustainable way consistent with driving down carbon emissions, from production to use. - Make the Production Tax Credit permanent for clean and renewable sources of energy. The permanent production tax credit is a powerful economic incentive for energy producers to increase their use of clean and renewable technologies. By making the Production Tax Credit permanent, energy companies will continue to develop alternative energy sources like wind and solar power with the knowledge that they will continue to receive an economic incentive for their innovation. - Make high-efficiency automobiles affordable for every American family. Americans will purchase more efficient cares and trucks like hybrid if they are competitively priced. By providing an array of incentives and tax rebates, we can speed the transition from traditional cars to much more efficient hybrid vehicles. - Require that all new government vehicles use hybrid, plug-in, or other fuel efficient and alternative technology. - Require that all new and existing federal buildings be equipped with the latest energy efficiency technologies. With the Federal government one of the world’s largest purchasers of vehicles and America’s single largest energy consumer, we have a remarkable opportunity to lead by example and create markets for emerging technologies. In a Dodd Administration, every federal building will be built or retrofitted with the greenest technologies, from light-bulbs to power generation, and every vehicle will run on E85, biodiesel or other sources of clean energy. - Create a technical education curriculum that trains a new generation of automobile mechanics, electricians, plumbers, and construction workers to install, repair and maintain energy efficient goods across the spectrum, from cars to lamps. Training programs will: -- Assure consumers that they can use their energy efficient products without having to worry about what happens when they break. -- Create a new sector of jobs to meet the newly created demand for workers with specialized skills. - Increase access to affordable and convenient mass transit systems across all regions of the country. Mass transit saves families money in fuel costs and lowers pollution by reducing the number of cars on the road during rush hours. - Export safe renewable energy technologies to, friends, allies and developing nations. We all know renewable and clean energy technology will allow America to achieve energy independence. A Dodd Administration would understand the power of that technology to transform not only American society, but others. By sharing that technology with other nations, we can allow them to end their alliances of necessity with dictators from oil-producing nations like Venezuela and Iran and once again begin to take up America’s role as a responsible world leader.
Chris Dodd: Fighting for Working Families; Chris Dodd believes it’s time we had a President who can break the deadlock between workers and employers in this country – who can bring people together to create an environment and an economy that respects work and builds wealth. For 32 years, he’s fought to protect collective bargaining rights, secure pensions, and fair wages. And he has worked to curb the outsourcing of American jobs. As President, Chris Dodd will bring the values and aspirations of working people into the White House.
The Dodd Record; - Dodd Worked to Protect Families. Chris Dodd authored and fought for seven years to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act, which has allowed an estimated 50 million workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a new child or a sick family member. In addition, he has been a leader in the effort to ensure children receive the best child care. As the author of the Child Care and Development Block Grant, he has fought for safe, nurturing child care facilities run by qualified providers. Dodd has also been a strong supporter of increasing the minimum wage. - Dodd Worked to Protect Collective Bargaining Rights. Chris Dodd authored the RESPECT Act, which would reverse a series of decisions from the National Labor Relations Board that unfairly expanded the definition of a “supervisor” so that many workers would be denied the right to join a union. Dodd has also cosponsored the Employee Free Choice Act, also known as the “Card Check” bill, which will remove obstacles to joining a union, such as the cumbersome election process that can be delayed by employers to intimidate or discourage workers. - Dodd Fought to Protect American Jobs. Chris Dodd authored legislation – the U.S. Worker Protection Act – that sought to prevent most federal agencies from outsourcing jobs to overseas contractors. Dodd also sponsored legislation that required the Bush Administration to track and discourage the use of so-called “offset contracts” – agreements where a foreign government purchases defense-related systems from U.S. companies, but only if those companies buy goods or services from that country.
The Dodd Agenda; - Restore Workers’ Freedom to Form Unions. Chris Dodd believes the freedom to form a union is one of our most fundamental rights. He will use the power of the presidency to ensure that the right to organize is upheld and to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. - Enhance the Family Medical Leave Act to Include Paid Leave. Chris Dodd knows that far too many workers who need the protections of the FMLA cannot afford to take the time off. He will guarantee at least six weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, an elderly parent or sick family member, or one’s own serious illness. - Increase Child Care and Elder Care Assistance. Chris Dodd will help working parents balance their commitments to work and family by making child care programs more affordable and flexible. He will also increase assistance to working Americans who care for their elderly relatives. - Safeguard Pension Plans from Corporate Raiding and Protect Overtime Pay. Chris Dodd will enhance federal oversight of pensions. Employees should never have to forfeit their retirement security to pay for corporations’ mistakes. Chris Dodd will also fight to guarantee workers are always compensated time-and-a-half for overtime work and prevent employers from avoiding their obligations through unfair pay period calculations. - Create Jobs and Bolster Training Programs in Conjunction with Implementing a Comprehensive Energy Policy. Chris Dodd will create a technical education curriculum that trains a new generation of automobile mechanics, electricians and construction workers to maintain energy-efficient goods, from cars to homes. His energy plan will create jobs at every stage, from production to maintenance. - Make Workplaces Safer: Chris Dodd will promote efforts to enhance safety in the workplace that all businesses can understand and comply with. He will also protect workers who have been injured on the job from unfair retaliation or loss of benefits of any kind. - Enforce Trade Laws at Home and Abroad. Chris Dodd will insist that every trade agreement America enters into is fair, by ensuring that workers in those countries are guaranteed fair wages, fair working conditions, and strong environmental protections. Above all, Dodd will insist U.S. trading partners open their markets to American products.
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State of the Union 2 aka. Education
Chris Dodd: Working to Improve America's Schools and Expand Access to Higher Education; Chris Dodd understands that while children are 25 percent of our population, they are 100 percent of our future. But if America is going to face the challenges of the 21st century with boldness and optimism, we will need the best-educated generation in the history of our country. Coming from a family of educators, Chris Dodd has dedicated his career to educating our children, starting the first Children’s Caucus in the Senate, focusing on early childhood development and Head Start, and working to improve college affordability. With proven, experienced leadership in the White House, Chris Dodd believes every child – regardless of economic circumstances – can receive a high-quality education from pre-k to college.
The Dodd Record; - Dodd Was Named “Senator of the Decade” by National Head Start Association. For nearly 20 years, Chris Dodd has worked to expand access to the Head Start program, to ensure that it is fully funded, and to constantly seek new and innovative strategies to improve the program, including facilitating collaboration between Head Start and other early childhood development programs. For his efforts, the National Head Start Association named him “Senator of the Decade.” - Dodd Has Spearheaded Efforts to Reform the “No Child Left Behind” Act. Chris Dodd has introduced legislation to reform the “No Child Left Behind” Act so that schools are held accountable for student academic improvements over time rather than by relying on one high-stakes test score. Dodd’s bill would give schools the flexibility to direct additional resources to students who most need it, and will add a greater degree of reasonableness to the process by which teachers become qualified to teach. - Dodd Has Worked to Increase Funding for the Individuals With Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). Dodd introduced legislation to increase spending for IDEA by more than $1 billion, and has worked in a bipartisan fashion with Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) on the “The IDEA Full Funding Act” – legislation to ensure that the federal government meets its promise to fund 40 percent of IDEA program costs. - Dodd Has Helped Lead the Fight To Expand, Promote and Protect Afterschool Programs. Dodd was instrumental in the creation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program – the nation’s primary afterschool program – and he serves as the Chairman of the bipartisan, bicameral Afterschool Caucus. - Dodd Is a Leader in the Fight to Make College More Affordable for Families. Dodd authored legislation to increase the amount of an individual Pell Grant – one of the most effective grant programs for well-qualified, potential college students. He has also fought to reduce student debt and wrote legislation creating the CCAMPIS program to provide for and expand funding for high-quality child care at campus-based child care centers.
The Dodd Agenda; - Universal Pre-School: Guarantee that every 4-year-old child in this country will have access to high-quality pre-school. - High Standards for All: Develop and implement education standards that prepare all students for success in the global economy. States will have the capacity to voluntarily adopt these standards in exchange for increased No Child Left Behind flexibility and increased funding. - Better Teachers, Better Schools: Create powerful incentives for highly trained teachers to teach at schools in need of improvement. These incentives include increased salaries and free national board certification. - Virtual Schooling: Expand high-quality internet-based course offerings to enable public schools to supplement their course offerings of advanced or specialized subjects. - Make College Affordable for Every Family: Increase federal assistance to students and increase competition for lower interest rates on student loans.
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State of the Union 3 aka. Senior Citizens
Chris Dodd: Protecting America's Seniors; Chris Dodd understands that security in retirement is one of our most fundamental values as Americans. After a lifetime of hard work and paying taxes, seniors deserve the dignity of a secure retirement – reliable health care, affordable housing and prescription drugs, secure pensions, and strong Social Security and Medicare programs – the twin pillars of retirement security in this country and the embodiment of our shared values. With proven leadership that ensures a promise made is a promise kept, Chris Dodd believes every senior can look forward to their golden years with optimism.
The Dodd Record; - Dodd Strongly Opposed President Bush’s Plan to Privatize Social Security. Chris Dodd has long opposed the idea of diverting payroll taxes – the tax used to fund Social Security – into private investment accounts that fluctuate with the stock market and could lower or decimate the amount of money seniors receive when they retire. - Dodd Opposed the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan That Had a Coverage Gap and Banned Price Negotiation with Drug Companies. Chris Dodd voted against the 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug Bill, which included the so-called “doughnut hole” – forcing seniors to pay 100 percent for their medication after costs reach $2,250, and until they have paid $3,600 out-of-pocket. In addition, the bill banned Medicare from directly negotiating with drug companies for lower prices. As Dodd noted during the debate on the bill, “The architects of the bill are spending billions of dollars not to reform Medicare but to dismantle it.” - Dodd Supported Efforts to Improve Medicare’s Prescription Drug Coverage. With some seniors in certain regions of the country having to choose from over 40 different drug plans, Chris Dodd twice voted to extend the law’s enrollment deadline. The law, which Dodd opposed, forced seniors to pick a drug plan by May 15, 2006. If seniors did not pick a plan by that date, they were forced to pay an additional seven percent penalty to their monthly premium, for life. - Dodd Worked to Insure Seniors Paid the Most Competitive Price for Their Prescription Drugs. Chris Dodd has worked to find ways to provide cheaper prescription drugs for seniors. He cosponsored legislation to allow seniors to re-import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada and other select countries. In addition, Dodd cosponsored a measure allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices. - Dodd Worked to Provide Tax Incentives for Long-Term Care. Chris Dodd was an original cosponsor of a measure that sought to provide a tax credit for long-term care expenses. The bill also provided a deduction for premiums paid under a long-term care insurance plan. - Dodd Fought to Help Low-Income Seniors With Their Home Heating Bills. Chris Dodd has fought to provide adequate funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) – a federal program that provides low-income families, including many seniors on fixed income, with assistance in paying energy bills. “Our most vulnerable citizens shouldn’t have to choose between heating their homes or going without food or medicine,” said Dodd.
The Dodd Agenda; - Protect Social Security from Privatization. Chris Dodd will never put Social Security, the cornerstone of many Americans’ retirement plans, at risk by subjecting it to the fluctuating and volatile financial markets. - Safeguard Pension Plans from Corporate Raiding. Chris Dodd will enhance federal oversight of pensions. Employees should never have to forfeit their retirement security to pay for the mistakes of their employers. - Require Medicare to Negotiate Drug Prices with Pharmaceutical Companies. Chris Dodd will ensure that Medicare harnesses the enormous purchasing power of the millions of seniors enrolled in the Part D Prescription Drug Benefit to bargain for lower drug prices. - Eliminate the So-Called “Doughnut Hole” in Medicare Coverage. Chris Dodd will protect seniors from any coverage gaps to alleviate the financial hardship of having to pay 100 percent of their medical bills at any point. - Expand Support for Long-Term and Elder Care. Chris Dodd will provide incentives and support for Americans who care for their elderly relatives. He will also require insurance companies cover eligible long-term care recipients. - Strengthen Home Energy Assistance. Chris Dodd will fully support programs like LIHEAP – that provides critically needed energy assistance – so that seniors never have to choose between heating their homes and paying for their food or medical bills.
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Treaties aka. NO MATCHING TOPIC
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