U.S. House of Representatives hopeful Stephene Moore, Democratic candidate in the 3rd Congressional District, will chat live with LJWorld.com users on Monday, Oct. 25 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

selliott9

Do you think that being a small business owner is good for Congress?

kujayhawk7476

What guarantees do we have that if elected, you won’t be simply a rubber stamp and continuation of your husband’s stance on key issues such as cap and trade, card check, deficit spending, and healthcare?

LogicMan

Thanks for coming in for the chat session.

We all make big mistakes in life. Please list yours, and what you learned from them.

merrill

What are your thoughts?

Republicans want to turn Social Security over to Wall Street brokers which is extremely reckless This is fraud against the taxpayer. Since when can Wall Street be trusted?

During the 20th century, there were several periods lasting more than 10 years where the return on stocks was negative. The Dow Jones stock index went down by over 75% between 1929 and 1933 until 1953 = 24 years.

Social Security would have lost tons of money during the Bush/Cheney fiasco.

Republicans still want to turn Medicare over to the insurance companies which is extremely reckless. Why be reckless and turn OUR tax dollars over to one of the largest special interest groups in America.

What increases the cost of medical insurance? High dollar reckless spending on:

* corp jets

* bureaucracy of 2000 providers

* extreme profits to support reckless spending

* high corporate salaries generated by 2000 providers

* advertising

* billions in over charges
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/24/AR2009062401636.html
* sales commissions

* Shareholders CERTAINLY increases the cost of insurance

* Health care tax dollars becoming special interest campaign dollars

* Golden parachutes

* Politicians as shareholders:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/12/AR2009061204075.html

Throwing more our our hard earned tax dollars at the medical insurance industry is nothing more than fraud against consumers.

Republicans are simply too dangerous to be in charge of OUR money and OUR economy!

Medicare CANNOT afford any of the above!

Sooner or later the nation must adopt IMPROVED Medicare Insurance for ALL because it is fiscally responsible.

douglas6280

What votes of your husband (cap and trade, stimulus, card check, health care, and the TARP bill) do you not support and why?

UndecidedVoter

Mrs. Moore, if elected would you support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House?

TheManBehindTheCamera

You claim to be a moderated Democrat, why do you support Nancy Pelosi who is seen by many as a liberal?

kansanjayhawk

Why in the world should the taxpayer have to pay for abortion in the healthcare bill? Why do we want to increase mandates, regulations, edicts, and redtape in the area of healthcare? Do you favor parental consent prior to authorization to commit abortions?

bartstop

What can be done to stop the intrusion of Religion in to the Federal Government?

Lakatos

What is your stance on the rent being too high? How do you look to change that?

Also, how much lower would you like to see the sales tax set at? When do you feel that sales taxes are a sunk cost?

Did_I_say_that

Do you have any insight as to why Dennis Moore changed a portion of his resignation announcement from: “But I have always sought to represent the moderate mainstream of the district, which I hope now will host a robust competition between the two parties to fill this congressional seat. As the first Democrat elected to represent this district in 40 years back in 1998, I know that there didn’t used to be partisan competition in northeast Kansas. This progress is good for democracy and important in ensuring that all voices are heard.”

To: “But I have always sought to represent the moderate mainstream of the district, which I hope will also be the case with my successor .”

Lakatos

What is your stance on the rent being too high? How do you look to change that?

Also, how much lower would you like to see the sales tax set at? When do you feel that sales taxes are a sunk cost?

jnetneil

How does you being a nurse translate into making a good congress woman?

lawrenceguy40

Why should I pay for your health care costs?

Liberal

As compared to Dennis Moore are you to the left or right of him politically?

mk9992

How did you feel about Mr. Bouman throwing up the double shocker after a touchdown in yesterdays Chiefs game?

fundamental

You mentioned above your experience in the health care industry as one reason why you would make an effective representative. Would you support repealing some or all of the recent health care bill? If only some, which parts would you support repealing?

getreal

Will you pledge to fund IDEA

Moderator

Hi everyone! I’d like to welcome Stephene Moore, Democratic candidate in the 3rd Congressional District to our live chat on LJWorld.com. Thank you for joining us today!

Moderator

A quick reminder before we get started — you can submit questions anytime below where it says “Submit a question for Stephene Moore.”

Let’s get going with the first question.

Stephene Moore

Thank you very much for having me. I’m happy to be here.

Moderator

To start off, I’d like you to explain what sets you apart from your opponents, Kevin Yoder and Jasmin Talbert.

Stephene Moore

I am not a career politician, I have life experience. I’ve lived in this community for over forty years. I helped start a small business, raised a family, and been a nurse for over 25 years in our community.

I am the only moderate in this race, and will work with Democrats and Republicans to get the job done for the people of Kansas. I’ve said it before, but I truly believe that it doesn’t matter if an idea is a Democratic or Republican idea, if it’s a good idea for Kansas I will support it.

jkealing

If your husband has decided now is the time to get out of politics, why have you decided now is the time to jump in?

Stephene Moore

When Dennis decided not to run for reelection, I supported his decision. We have a large family with 7 children and 9 grandchildren between us. Dennis has an aging mother in Wichita, who he would like to visit more frequently. He and I will spend as much time together as always.

As time went on, I heard discussions about what type of candidate would best fit our district. People talked about nominating a woman, a moderate, and someone with a background in health care. I have always had an interest in serving our community, and when this door opened, I decided to step through it. I know that I am the best fit for our district, and will represent the people of our community well in Congress.

Moderator

You often mention your career as a nurse and how important healthcare is to you. Which parts of Obama’s healthcare plan do you support? Which parts do you not support?

Stephene Moore

As a nurse, I have seen all too often that our health care system is broken. The health care reform bill was far from perfect, but doing nothing was not an option. The law needs appropriate oversight, accountability, and implementation. I will use my experience working in health care for over 25 years to reduce costs for all families and businesses. I will work tirelessly to ensure that we implement electronic medical records and focus on prevention, instead of giving power back to predatory insurance companies.

The law makes progress on allowing children with pre-existing conditions such as asthma to be covered, giving tax incentives to small businesses, closing the donut hole for seniors, and allowing young adults up to the age of 26 to be covered under their parent’s health care plan. I disagree with the language dealing with small businesses and 1099 forms. We need to support our small businesses, and that section places an unnecessary burden on small businesses.

In Congress right now, there are only 3 nurses. And fewer than two dozen physicians. The implementation of this law is crucial, and with my background in health care, I am uniquely qualified to aid in this effort.

stopit

With unemployment at this level. Would you support another stimulus package?

Stephene Moore

The time for stimulus has passed. I will not support a second stimulus plan. While I did not like the stimulus program, leading economists said that we were on the brink of another great depression had we failed to act. The stimulus provided tax relief for 95% of Americans and according to the Congressional Budget Office it saved or added 3.3 million jobs.

Job creation will be my number one priority in Congress. We must support our small businesses and ensure they have the resources they need to expand. As we know especially well in the 3rd district, long-term economic strength depends on having an educated workforce. Education for small business growth and attracting larger businesses to the area is crucial to our overall economic development.

This is one area where my opponent, Kevin Yoder, and I disagree. Last spring, Kevin Yoder authored a budget in Topeka which would have slashed education funding by $172 million, while forcing massive property tax hikes across the state. Education must be a priority in our state for the future of our children and our economic strength.

Government alone cannot solve the unemployment crisis in our country. We need to encourage private sector job growth to have a sustainable, robust economy.

Did_I_say_that

Have you or will you borrow from your husband’s campaign war chest? If so, how much? Are you required to pay it back?

Stephene Moore

No. Legally we cannot borrow any funds from his campaign.

cutthroat717

Since you brought up tax relief. . .how would you vote on the current tax cuts that were enacted under President Bush? Would you vote to keep them in place, or repeal them, or a mixture of the two?

Stephene Moore

Given the fragile state of our economy, we cannot raise taxes on any American. I would support proposals similar to those laid out by Peter Orszag and Mark Zandi, two highly regarded economists from both sides of the political aisle. I support a permanent extension of the tax cuts for 98% percent of Americans, that is anyone making less than $250,000 a year. I believe a temporary extension for the wealthiest 2% of Americans will help stabilize our economy and encourage our tenuous economic growth. We cannot, however, afford a permanent extension for people making over $250,000 which would add to our debt by $700 billion over the next 10 years.

Kevin Yoder claims to be a fiscal conservative, but every policy he lays out saddles our children and grandchildren with more debt, we can’t afford his Topeka politics.

One thing that is important to point out is that Kevin Yoder is the only candidate in this race who has ever voted for tax increases. In Topeka, he voted for a $266 million income and sales tax increase. In addition, his proposed budget this spring would have caused massive property tax increases, according to his fellow Republican state legislators.

fundamental

For voters who did not support your husband but aren’t sold on the other options in this race, can you identify specific policy positions in which you disagree with your husband?

Stephene Moore

As any couple knows, you do not always agree with your partner. I would say that two important policy differences would be on the TARP bank bailout and earmarks.

I would not have voted for the bailouts, which were hastily put together without enough oversight and accountability. I would have insisted that no taxpayer funds were used irresponsibly, or on things such as CEO bonuses or employer vacations.

I will work to eliminate earmarks. If there are worthy projects that need funding, they should be brought out into the light of day, openly discussed, and decided through the normal appropriations process.

Moderator

Unfortunately, our time with Stephene is up! I’d like to thank her for participating in today’s live chat, and thank our users for submitting so many great questions.

Stephene Moore

Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to do this, and all the thoughtful questions. Remember to vote! Advance voting is open now, and I ask for your vote. Stephene