Questions for Senator Wayne Allard

Senator Wayne Allard has agreed to participate in a Q&A with Colorado Pols on June 10, but we're going to be doing it a little bit differently than normal.

Trying to schedule an entire day for a Q&A with a member of Colorado's congressional delegation is next to impossible, so we think we've come up with the next best thing to our traditional "live" version. Here's how it's going to work:

We will solicit your questions for Senator Allard through the afternoon of June 3. At that point, we will send Senator Allard our 11 questions along with 10-15 of your best questions, and then he will take a week to answer them and send them back to us. On June 10, we will publish the entire Q&A.

What's the criteria for your questions? There really is no pre-set criteria. We'll try to select the questions that best represent the overall themes that you broach below, and we'll also give more weight to questions that have the best chance to solicit an interesting answer. We'll try to avoid sending him a bunch of softballs as well, so keep them creative and thought-provoking.

Obviously we'd love to always have a "live" Q&A, but that's not realistic in certain cases. We hope you agree that this is the next best thing. We'll also post a link each day back to this post so you don't have to go searching for where to leave your questions.

Okay, that about covers it. Submit your questions for Senator Allard below until the afternoon of June 3, and then we'll post the full Q&A on June 10. If you have questions or comments about this process, leave them below or e-mail us directly.

Only questions that are submitted in the COMMENTS section below will be considered for Senator Allard (we won't accept questions for Senator Allard via e-mail). This way you can be sure that we didn't just ditch your questions and make them all up ourselves.

Start your questions any time...

Comments

[Ted Weverka]

In your first 4 years in office you balenced the budget. In your last 4 you increased the deficit to record levels. If we had maintained fiscal responsibility, wouldn't we have no trouble paying back the Social Security Trust?

[Col con]

What do you think about Gov. Owens' proposal to let insurers offer cafetria style health care plans so people can pick and choose the services they want (and the amount they want to pay)?

Any chance you'll try to bring that up at the Federal level?

[too_much_green_tea]

Senator Allard,

I am a relic of a nobler time. When I was growing up it was considered rude to discuss religion in public because it can be so divisive. Now, the GOP seems to have become inextricably commingled with not only with the Christian faith, but with protestant evangelical sects explicitly.

How do you justify this, and how can we continue to live in a pluralistic and civil society when the GOP has identified itself so exclusively with one subjective, religious view?

Do you reject the notion that democracy’s strength is founded in authentic cultural pluralism?

I would just like to say that GOD is not a Republican. I would be pleasantly surprised to see you respond.

[sharktacos]

It looks like Social Security privatization is not going anywhere since, everytime the president brings it up, support for it drops another percentage point or two. Plus, it does nothing to solve the rather minor long-term problem of Social Security.

Do you agree that Social Security privatization is dead?

[Ralph]

Can you tell us a little about the status of the investigations of the Air Force Academy on sexual and religious harassment? Thanks for your work on this and on the Peoria Chemical Depot.

[Phoenix Rising]

Several questions:

1) Do you plan to hold to your pledge and retire from the Senate in 2008?

2) The issue of filibuster on judicial nominees brought the Senate to the brink of a crisis this past week; in 2001 you supported a filibuster on Judge Richard Paez, yet recently you supported the "nuclear option" - what caused you to change your mind?

3) You and several others, including the President, have been quoted as saying that the Social Security Trust Fund may not be secure come 2017 when the fund starts running a deficit. What trust should we have in the Federal Government as run by the GOP if it won't honor our own most secured Treasury bonds?

[Abirdie]

I have heard through the grapevine that Sen. Allard has more Indian blood than Ben Campbell and Ward Churchhill combined...is that true?

[givemeabreak]

Give me a freakin' break. Like the Senator is actually going to answer any questions - it'll be his PR staff, making sure the answers are honed to perfection so the Senator doesn't have any baggage heading in to his next election. You know, you guys usually call it like it is, what's up with you trying to pretend it's actually going to be the Senator answering the questions? You should know better, and if you don't then you have no right running a website that claims to bring an "insider" perspective.

[Phoenix Rising]

I think that's why I wasn't pulling punches when asking questions... If Allard (and/or his staff) gets to prepare responses, the least we can do is provide questions that are direct and revealing, no matter which side of the aisle you hail from.

PS - here's a follow-on to the 2008 question: Do you have any other plans to run for office?

[gwd]

As a well educated and pro-business Senator, do you agree with the comments below from Thomas Friedman's 5/25 column and, if so, what will you do as a Senator to address these issues?

"America faces a huge set of challenges if it is going to retain its competitive edge. As a nation, we have a mounting education deficit, energy deficit, budget deficit, health care deficit and ambition deficit. The administration is in denial on this, and Congress is off on Mars. And yet, when I look around for the group that has both the power and interest in seeing America remain globally focused and competitive - America's business leaders - they seem to be missing in action. I am not worried about the rise of the cultural conservatives. I am worried about the disappearance of an internationalist, pro-American business elite."

[Vladimir]

Senator, will you be seeking reelection to a third term in the US Senate? If, you have not made up your mind what factors will influence your decision one way or the other?
Thank you

[Phoenix Rising]

Senator,

Do you think we are doing ourselves a disservice with the growing partisanship of the Congress? Democratic Representatives and Senators have been complaining that they are left out during the writing of legislation, during Committee meetings, and during Conference Committees. Don't we all do better when everyone gets a fair voice? What ways do you see to return to a more civil debate?

[Kim Coupounas]

Senator Allard,

Colorado is home to a diversity of outdoor recreation opportunities, including hiking and biking to camping and paddle sports. Our state is also home to a strong and growing outdoor recreation economy with about $200 million annually in consumer spending alone (not counting the business and personal taxes outdoor employers generate).

Colorado's outdoor enthusiasts and its outdoor industry rely on the Land and Water Conservation Fund - www.nps.gov/lwcf - to provide federal matching grants to states and local communities for quality close-to-home recreation like trails, ballfields and parks. The President recommended and the House recently passed, legislation that entirely eliminates this important state/federal partnership. As a member of the Senate Interior Appropriations Committee, what will you do to ensure funding for the stateside and federal Land and Water Conservation Fund program?

[Jim Muhm]

Why has the Republican Senate been so reluctant to resume any indlependent investigation of the torture scandals in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo?

[Coloradem]

Senator Allard,

How does my relationship and aspirations for legal recognition of it, a threat to your marriage or any other marriage? Do you not think agree that the biggest threat to marriage is not gay marriage, but heterosexual divorce? Why not apply your energies towards making divorces more difficult or impossible instead of making marriages or domestic partnerships between loving gay couples impossible?

[Chris Beaty]

Hello Senator.

You've been notably silent with regards to immigration reform and the illegal alien crisis; while we've heard non-stop from your colleague in the House, Mr. Tancredo.

Are you holding off comments to allow Tom to fight on his favorite issue, or do you have a position? What is your position on further limiting (or stopping altogether)the H1-b program, and what about illegals, ICE, and Colorado?

Respectfully,

Chris Beaty
Centennial CO

[Phoenix Rising]

Thanks for putting up a question from the GOP side of the aisle, Chris. I've been afraid that the Dems were going to rack the vast majority of the questions to the Senator. He deserves questions from all sides - c'mon, all you Republicans and Libertarians out there!

[thinkin]

I'd like to know what the Senator thinks of that "filibuster deal" and, specifically, Ken's broken campaign pledge-new found popularity.

[Alva Adams]

Be sure to ask your questions, to quote Alex Trebek, "in the form of a question." We don't want to paraphrase your questions and screw up the intent of what you wanted to ask.

For example, Thinkin, we're not sure what you're getting at in your question above.

[thinkin]

Senator, could you please explain the process of the "judicial filibuster" and what your perspective on the "deal" is? It seems you've been reletively quiet during this whole process - though we know you would have voted in favor of the "Constitutional Option". What is your reasoning for this?

And along those lines - has your relationship with your fellow Senator, Ken Salazar been strained during this process? It's apparent that for a freshman senator (ranked 100 out of 100) he's been in the news quite a bit - and getting lots of credit for being a part of the compromise - in spite of his re-consideration of the "up-or-down pledge" he made Coloradoans.

[marshall]

Senator Allard,

Will you vote up-or-down for any bill that privatizes Social Security?

Marshall

------------------------------------

Several others have asked similar questions but I would like to get a firm "up-or-down pledge" from Senator Allard on if he will support the privatization of Social Security. I am also trying to word my question in a way that will avoid the usual squishy answers. If anybody else has any other ideas on a better way to word this question then please post.

Thanks for arranging this Pols.

[Ter Ducken]

Senator,

Thank you for participating. You won two elections against the same opponent, Tom Strickland. Do you think it is more difficult to run against the same opponent in consecutive elections, or does familiarity make it easier? I'd be interested to hear what you thought were the positives and negatives to running against the same opponent.

[Becky]

Can you clarify the provisions of a bill introduced by Cong. James Sensenbrenner that would enforce two year minimum mandatory sentencing for not reporting knowledge of an illegal drug transaction. Do you support this legislation?

[Bricmont]

Why does President Bush run around like Henny Penny on an issue like Social Security going bust in 20+ years, but when it comes to an issue like the deficit and the national debt, and the fact that the treasury is bankrupt NOW-- he shows no sense of urgency?

[MITeam]

Senator,

American workers are facing a retirement catastrophe. Workers pensions, particularly multi employer pensions are in real financial crisis. As you know, most Labor Union members participate in multi employer pensions. Last year, congress granted marginal relief to multi employer pensions while at the same time offering a life line to single employer pensions. Many people believe that these actions were a direct attack on Labor Unions. Do you support real relief to American workers that belong to Unions in the form of multi employer pension relief?