民主党众议员候选人Dee Thornton回答华人社区提问

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Why are you running for Congress? 你为什么要竞选国会议员？

 

I am running for congress to truly represent the people of Indiana’s 5^th District. We have too many representatives that are looking out for a few and not all of us.

我竞选国会议员，代表担任第五选区的选民。现在有太多国会议员只代表少数人的利益，而不代表所有选民。

 

What is your campaign platform? 你的竞选纲领是什么？

 

Focus on reducing the rising national debt      降低激增的国债。

Provide Affordable Quality Healthcare for all 为所有人提供可支付的、高质量的医疗保险。

Protect and Strengthen Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid 确保并加强社保、老年人健康保险和医疗补助

Fully Fund Public Education为公共教育提供其所需的资金

Protect our Environment保护我们的环境

 

 

• What would be your first priority if elected? 如果你成功获选，你第一步要做什么？

 

Campaign Finance Reform 开展金融改革

Voting Rights   选举权

Ethics in Government 政府的道德规范

 

What do you want to accomplish in office? 你希望实现哪些业绩？

 

Be a part of the new legislators that will ensure the checks and balances that our founder fathers envisioned will truly transform our government to work for the people and not special interest to make life better for everyone.

作为一个新上任的立法人，我将确保国父们制定的检察和平衡，使我们的政府真正为人民服务，而不是只为少数利益集团服务，让所有人生活得更好。

 

For US Senate and Representative

• Lawmakers have worked on immigration reforms for many years but are unable to reach an agreement. Comprehensive bills failed by the party line. Do you think legislators should focus on piecemeals, i.e., smaller bills that address part of the immigration debate? What do you think are priorities of the immigration reform that legislators should consider first?

在移民改革上，你认为立法者应该优先考虑什么？

 

 

The Senate brought forth a bipartisan bill to address immigration and I think it’s worth revisiting. We must offer illegals in the US a chance to earn citizenship. We must reduce the flow of undocumented immigrants through a new visa program. We must invest in border security to include surveillance with technology (drones). Federal agents and security fencing and drive legal entry to our ports of entry.

我认为应该重审参议院提出的、两党支持的移民提案。我们应该为美国的非法移民提供成为公民的途径。我们必须通过新的签证程序，以减少无证移民。我们必须加强边界安全，如高科技检测（无人机）、增加联邦人员、治安围墙，使进入美国者必须通过合法口岸。

 

 

• A lawsuit with affirmative action at its center accused Harvard of intentionally discriminating against Asian-American applicants. A following analysis found Harvard consistently rated Asian-Americans lower on personal traits which dragged down the chance of being admitted despite Asian-American’s high test scores. What concerns do you have, if any, on the admission process and practice by elite colleges such as Harvard? The lawsuit came at a time when schools at all levels across the nation are embracing the idea of equity in education. Which do you think is more important, preserving affirmative action to ensure diverse campuses or using race-blind admissions so no racial groups will experience bias?

以哈佛大学录取政策里对种族的限制为例，您认为保证校园多样化和不分种族每人享有公平受教育机会，哪个更重要？您认为大学录取时对种族人数进行限制，是种族偏见吗？

 

 

The Trump Administration is on a mission to reverse anything that the Obama Administration did, so it is no surprise that he wants to abandon this policy. To suggest that someone is admitted to a university because of affirmative action and they didn’t qualify or that their race predicts outcomes in classrooms is ridicules. It’s interesting that the lawsuit was not filed by Asians complaining but by a white person who was unsuccessful in winning a suit in Texas involving a white student claiming race-based admissions policies. When the attempt to overturn Affirmation Action in Texas was unsuccessful they had to find a different approach and this time it is using the Asian community as the pawn.

川普政府致力于推翻所有奥巴马政府制定的政策，所以他要改变这项政策不足为奇。如果大学录取仅根据平权法案而不是申请人的资格，或被录取人的成绩由种族决定，是毫无道理的。有趣的是，一个德州白人，而不是亚裔，对在录取过程中的种族不平等进行起诉，但他没有成功。因为在德州推翻平权法没有成功，他们就改变了切入点，于是就利用了亚裔社区。

 

America isn’t ready to be a race-blind society. If people of color didn’t face discrimination at all, I’d be the first to say we don’t need affirmative action. Unfortunately this country isn’t there yet.

美国还没有实现种族平等。如果有色人种不再被歧视，我会第一个站出来说，我们不需要平权法了。不幸的是，那一天还没有到来。

Now more than ever, we need race-conscious policies to achieve diversity. If we’re not intentional, diversity won’t happen.

为了实现多元化，我们比过去更应该考虑种族因素。否则，多元化将不可能实现。

Affirmative action in admissions is still needed in this country and has helped to reverse historical governmental discrimination of diverse populations and to create an even playing field. We know that diversity in schools help low income people as well as the wealthy.

在美国，录取过程中仍然需要平权法。过去，平权法改变了政府对有色人种的歧视，提供了平等的机会。我们知道，学校的多元化不但帮助了低收入的学生，也帮助了富裕学生。

We have seen an increasing number of mass shootings in recent years. Do you think we need more stringent gun control measures? If so, what specifically? What’s realistic to expect? 对于枪支管理政策，您是什么观点？

 

I support the Second amendment and acknowledge the context in which it was written. I do not think our founding fathers envisioned the technological advances in fire arms and would expect current legislators to use common sense and create policy that demonstrate responsible gun ownership to help preventing mass shootings. We should reinstate the semi-automatic weapon ban, strengthen background checks and licensing requirements, close loopholes and ban bump stocks.

我支持原第二修正案。我们的国父们可能没有预见到枪支在科学技术上的进展，期望现任立法人用常识来立法，确保理性使用枪支，防止大规模枪击。我们应该立法禁止使用半自动枪支，加强购枪者的背景审查和许可的要求，防止漏洞和Bump stocks。

 

Many US businesses including some in Indiana are affected by the recent trade war. What is your assessment of the current state of the US economy? How can the US economy maintain momentum during a trade war? 您对目前中美贸易战的看法，以及您认为在这场贸易战中美国该如何保持势头？

 

 

It’s unfortunate that US businesses are subject to this self-inflicted trade war by the Trump administration that will start to slow US economic growth. There are seldom winners in a trade war. The biggest losers will be business as they will pay more for intermediate goods used in manufacturing and consumers will see rising prices in homes, appliances, cars and food etc. Employers are already starting to reduce hours and lay off workers and many are looking to move production out of the country. Supply chains and relationships with foreign suppliers that took many years to establish are being threatened and will be hard to rebuild. We must look for WIN/WIN solution to free trade.

不幸，川普政府发起的贸易战影响了美国商业和经济增长。在贸易战中没有赢家。最大的输家将是企业，因为他们将面对原材料的价格上涨，消费者也将看到物价、房价、车价、食品价格的上涨。现在雇主已经开始减少工作时间，裁减雇员名额，还有不少在寻找机会把公司搬离到其他国家。这些企业花了很多年形成供应链，培养和外国供应商的关系，但现在这些都受到了威胁，难以再建立。我们必须在自由贸易中寻找双赢的途径。

• Opioid overdose is a national health crisis. What measures will you take/suggest to combat the epidemic? 鸦片类药物过量使用危害全美健康，对此事情您有什么对策？

 

 

The opioid epidemic is a public help crisis that will affect the country and our communities for years to come. It will take everyone working together to solve this problem. This would include pharma, hospitals, physicians, patients/addicts, families, and treatment centers. I am optimistic by the actions taken by the Department of Health and Human Services to push grant money to the states to help fight this problem. We must have intense focus on treatment and recovery, promotion of the use of overdose-reversing drugs, use better public health surveillance; invest in research for non-additive pain medications and pain management. We must hold big pharma accountability and make sure the physicians are following proper prescribing procedures to help solve the problem. Additionally, we must not only provide the funding but make sure that the states have developed plans and are tracking outcomes and are using those funds responsibly.

鸦片泛滥是社会关心的危机，将会影响到我们国家和社区。我们必须一起来解决这个问题，包括医药公司、医院、医生、病人、吸毒者、家庭和治疗中心。我很高兴国家卫生服务部为了解决这个问题，开始为各州提供项目资金。我们必须关注治疗和康复、使用治疗药物、更好的公共医疗检测，投资研究无瘾镇痛药物。我们也必须让大医药公司负起责任，让医生开药时遵守规则。另外，我们不但要为各州提供项目资金，还要保证这些资金有的放矢，起到其应起的作用。

 

• 45 states have passed bias crime (“hate crime’) laws to promote an inclusive culture. Can you comment on Indiana’s lack of hate crime bills?

全美有45个州拥有“反仇恨”法，您对印州没有“反仇恨”法有什么看法？

 

 

 

Indiana needs to move forward and pass a hate crimes bill in the January session. I am optimistic that we will have a group of legislators that will find courage and make it happen.

印州需要在明年一月通过反仇恨法。我有信心，我们会有一些立法人推进这一法案的通过。