Treadwell says he will support property tax cap in NY
October 26th, 2008 - Posted in nuclear energyBy Jim Planck
HUDSON — Former NYS Secretary of State Sandy Treadwell, of Lake Placid, Essex County, is running for the 20th Congressional District seat on the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines.
Treadwell served as Secretary of State from 1995-2001 under Gov. George E. Pataki.
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On taxes, Treadwell pledged that he will “never vote to raise taxes on an individual or a business,” and that he supports eliminating or permanently fixing the Alternative Minimum Tax, which he said “puts millions of middle class taxpayers at risk of a huge tax increase every year.”
He said he would also strongly support state-level efforts to cap real property taxes, adding that New York is “just brutally taxed.”
On the economy and the bailout, Treadwell said he does not believe the bailout bill was a good one, and would not have supported it as a member of Congress.
“The taxpayers of America are now on the hook for $7 billion in bad paper,” he said. “Secretary Paulson and President Bush proposed a really bad bill. I would have opposed it.”
He said the significant missing part was protection for taxpayers. “The key part is to spend the money on preferred shares,” he said. “Taxpayers would have gotten the first payments from the sales of those shares.”
He noted, however, that the bill did include increased funding for the federal Low Income Heating Assistance Program.
On energy, Treadwell said that “staying warm this winter is of concern” to residents of the district, and that he feels there should be a heating oil rebate so that “anybody who qualified for a stimulus check can receive up to $1,000 to heat your home, based on your cost last year.”
“Energy is a major problem,” he said, noting that it ties into both national economy and security.
Treadwell said substantial oil exists in American resources and that it should have been sought much earlier.
“I blame the Bush administration for eight years of no energy initiative,” he said. “We should have been drilling for oil years ago. For every two barrels imported, we only produce one.”
Noting the success of France’s nuclear energy program, Treadwell said the United States should follow suit.
“We need more nuclear,” he said. “We haven’t had a nuclear plant in 30 years. They have no emissions.” He said that “next-generation” nuclear plants are an energy source of the future.
He said government should energize alternative energies with tax credits, and encourage research and development.
He also said the nation needs increased availability of traditional fuels, as well as more new fuels, noting that “70 percent of our goods move by truck in America.”
He said he believes electric cars will help address some of the issue, but stressed that he wants them manufactured in the United States, not elsewhere.
On jobs, Treadwell said, “We have to retain jobs and bring in new jobs for the economics of region.”
“We’re losing all the young talented people because they don’t have a future in this state,” he said.
He said that as Secretary of State he gained solid experience helping local leaders address the issues of their communities, and that he would continue to do that.
“When I was Secretary of State I worked effectively with local and regional leaders throughout the state,” Treadwell said, “for instance, we need to put people together to figure out what to do with Kaz building.”
Regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Treadwell noted their difference.
“The reason we went into Iraq was wrong. Mistakes were made,” he said, adding that it was “originally run by politicians.”
“But the surge is working,” he said, “and 70 percent of the military operations are now being conducted by the Iraqi military.”
Treadwell noted “the superb performance of our military,” adding, “I believe we must have a secure Iraq.”
“Afghanistan is different,” he said. “The Taliban’s involved. Suicide bombers are now happening. We need more troops in Afghanistan. We have 35,000 there, and we need more.”
On affordable health care, Treadwell said Congress is not acting. “They’re not doing anything. Everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything.”
“Our system is upside down,” he said. “We’re not good at all about primary care or preventive medicine.”
He said he is opposed to the concept of a single payer system.
“They should fix the program, but they (the federal government) should not own and operate health care,” he said.
“The consumer should decide which (deliverer) to use,” he said, “and competition will lower the cost and ensure the quality of the health care system.”
On immigration, Treadwell said there is also no progress.
“That’s another issue they’re doing nothing about,” he said. “We have to secure the borders. It’s a very complicated issue.”
“Workers are necessary to the farming community, and farming is an important part of our economy,” he said, adding that the current worker visitation program doesn’t work because it has too short a permitted duration.
“Three years is a sensible amount of time,” he said, “not eight months.”
Regarding dairy farming, Treadwell noted, “We should have a North East Dairy Compact,” adding, “Energy is killing them (the farmers) — the cost of energy, the cost of fertilizer.”
On homeland security, Treadwell said, “It should be a top priority,” adding his concern that “Congress allowed a 14-month gap” in refreshing a homeland security surveillance law, and attributed their inaction to lobbyist gridlock.
“Trial lawyers and special interests have a stranglehold in Congress,” said Treadwell. “It’s a major reason why we’re in this financial mess. There was very little oversight of securities investment.”
“Securities investment (interests) have given over $70 million to Congress over the last two years,” he said, adding, “I will not cater to special interests.”
“Congress is broken,” said Treadwell. “They take too much of our money, and we don’t get enough of it back.”
He said he believes term limits would help, and wants them put in place.
“I don’t believe the founding fathers intended for professional legislators,” he said, adding that eight years for the House and two terms for the Senate should be the maximum.
“It will get people to focus more on their jobs,” he said.
In summation, Treadwell said he is running to represent the people of the district with common sense, good life experience, and good judgment.
Treadwell is married, with two children and five grandchildren.
