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Ninth District Democrat hopefuls discuss energy, immigration
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By CHRIS WALLER
The Fulton Sun
COLUMBIA, Mo. - With less than a month until the August primary, the four democratic candidates for 9th District Representative to the United States House of Representatives convened at Stephens College here Monday night for a final debate.
Topics ranged from domestic to international issues that would face Congress in the next few years, but one issue the candidates spent much of the 90-minute debate on was energy.
Missouri Representative Judy Baker likened a change in energy policy to the mission to put an American on the moon in her discourse on the current energy policy.
“We need to promote a new energy economy,” she said. “We are the world's leader in this topic. We are Americans, we are innovators, and we can do this.
“People need to know that if we drill for oil the price of gas may not come down as a result,” she continued. “I have talked about an Apollo-like project - if we can put a man on the moon, surely we can figure this out.”
Former Speaker of the House Steve Gaw stressed the importance of lowering energy costs for Americans as soon as possible.
“We need a comprehensive energy policy that stresses the consumer interests today, not 10 years from now,” he said. “I think Missourians deserve someone to say we need to look at all our available resources and that includes offshore drilling.”
Lyndon Bode, Marion County Presiding Commissioner, echoed Gaw's views, saying that producing more oil within our borders was a solution to the oil crisis.
“I think we can drill safely and we need to do that,” he said. “We need to look at short term and long term and I think that's a long-term solution.”
Bode also said in terms of electricity production, nuclear power was a viable option to solving Americas ever-growing energy needs.
“We need to continue to look for alternative energy sources,” he said. “There is an important program taking place in Callaway County with the nuclear power plant and I support that, it's a great source of energy.”
Former representative and senator Ken Jacobs took a different approach, saying the environment was an important aspect in making the decision of whether or not to drill.
“There are some places we can drill, but if scientists tell us we will damage the environment, we have to protect it for future generations - this isn't just about us and our lifetime,” he said. “We need to get away from fossil fuels, because at some point we are simply going to run out of oil.”
Another hot-button issue that was discussed at length during the debate was the candidates' stances on illegal immigration.
Baker said the American borders needed to be secured for reasons of national security.
“We need to secure the borders of our country because not everyone who comes across the border is looking for a job,” she said. “We must then crack down on employers because they have created demand, and that demand has led us to this problem.”
Gaw agreed that securing the American border was an important aspect in keeping Americans safe.
“A few years ago there was indication there were some threats from terrorists that could cross the border in Mexico,” he said. “I have supported increased surveillance of our boarders to ensure we don't have this problem any longer.
“When it comes to illegal immigration the first thing that needs to be done is to enforce the law. We ought to be able to do something about finding those individuals who are here illegally and doing something about it.”
Bode said he was still unsure about his thoughts on illegal immigration, but noted he supported making English the official language of the United States.
“I am a different type of candidate, many would make up an answer or give an answer, but I am open to the people of the 9th district, you need to let me know what you think and how you feel,” he said. “I do feel strongly, and I think our country needs one central language and that would be English.”
Jacobs focused on the economic issue tied to illegal immigration and said the only way to decrease the number of individuals from crossing the border was to eliminate their incentive for coming to the United States.
“I sat and watched the Republicans and none of them would comment on penalizing employers, they didn't support that but I certainly would,” he said. “I think that nobody is going to come over here and get a job or hire someone if there is a risk of a severe penalty for doing so. I also think the plan to fix this has to be comprehensive and working with Mexico and other countries where the immigrants are coming from.”
Topics ranged from domestic to international issues that would face Congress in the next few years, but one issue the candidates spent much of the 90-minute debate on was energy.
Missouri Representative Judy Baker likened a change in energy policy to the mission to put an American on the moon in her discourse on the current energy policy.
“We need to promote a new energy economy,” she said. “We are the world's leader in this topic. We are Americans, we are innovators, and we can do this.
“People need to know that if we drill for oil the price of gas may not come down as a result,” she continued. “I have talked about an Apollo-like project - if we can put a man on the moon, surely we can figure this out.”
Former Speaker of the House Steve Gaw stressed the importance of lowering energy costs for Americans as soon as possible.
“We need a comprehensive energy policy that stresses the consumer interests today, not 10 years from now,” he said. “I think Missourians deserve someone to say we need to look at all our available resources and that includes offshore drilling.”
Lyndon Bode, Marion County Presiding Commissioner, echoed Gaw's views, saying that producing more oil within our borders was a solution to the oil crisis.
“I think we can drill safely and we need to do that,” he said. “We need to look at short term and long term and I think that's a long-term solution.”
Bode also said in terms of electricity production, nuclear power was a viable option to solving Americas ever-growing energy needs.
“We need to continue to look for alternative energy sources,” he said. “There is an important program taking place in Callaway County with the nuclear power plant and I support that, it's a great source of energy.”
Former representative and senator Ken Jacobs took a different approach, saying the environment was an important aspect in making the decision of whether or not to drill.
“There are some places we can drill, but if scientists tell us we will damage the environment, we have to protect it for future generations - this isn't just about us and our lifetime,” he said. “We need to get away from fossil fuels, because at some point we are simply going to run out of oil.”
Another hot-button issue that was discussed at length during the debate was the candidates' stances on illegal immigration.
Baker said the American borders needed to be secured for reasons of national security.
“We need to secure the borders of our country because not everyone who comes across the border is looking for a job,” she said. “We must then crack down on employers because they have created demand, and that demand has led us to this problem.”
Gaw agreed that securing the American border was an important aspect in keeping Americans safe.
“A few years ago there was indication there were some threats from terrorists that could cross the border in Mexico,” he said. “I have supported increased surveillance of our boarders to ensure we don't have this problem any longer.
“When it comes to illegal immigration the first thing that needs to be done is to enforce the law. We ought to be able to do something about finding those individuals who are here illegally and doing something about it.”
Bode said he was still unsure about his thoughts on illegal immigration, but noted he supported making English the official language of the United States.
“I am a different type of candidate, many would make up an answer or give an answer, but I am open to the people of the 9th district, you need to let me know what you think and how you feel,” he said. “I do feel strongly, and I think our country needs one central language and that would be English.”
Jacobs focused on the economic issue tied to illegal immigration and said the only way to decrease the number of individuals from crossing the border was to eliminate their incentive for coming to the United States.
“I sat and watched the Republicans and none of them would comment on penalizing employers, they didn't support that but I certainly would,” he said. “I think that nobody is going to come over here and get a job or hire someone if there is a risk of a severe penalty for doing so. I also think the plan to fix this has to be comprehensive and working with Mexico and other countries where the immigrants are coming from.”
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