By Allison Strickland
Lois Combs Weinberg, the Democratic party candidate for United States senator, spoke on Thursday, September 19, in the Ekstrom Auditorium.
The main purpose of her speech, other than to encourage voters to support her, was to talk about the issues our country is having with Iraq.
Weinberg was the second speaker in the McConnell Center lecture series. The center is named for her opponent, Republican Mitch McConnell.
About Iraq, Weinberg said she supports the war on terrorism and the President’s efforts against it, including the possible invasion of Iraq. She said that Saddam Hussein is a dangerous player on the world’s stage, and that it is important that we disarm Iraq and eliminate their weapons of mass destruction.
According to Weinberg, President Bush must make the case as to why action against Iraq needs to happen now. She also said that there is no perfect sequence to how things should happen, but Bush is taking the right steps by contacting potential allies.
Weinberg also spoke about the U.S. economy and what can be done to improve it. She said that tax cuts should be redistributed and that the wealthiest two percent of the population should not receive the most benefit from this cut.
Weinberg attacked the Republican economic record as creating an unparalleled downward spiral. She also set forth ideas for stimulating the economy. “We need to focus on small business to expand and create jobs,” she said. She also proposed a drug importation bill, which would save about $38 billion a year.
Stressing the need to put the country’s fiscal house in order, Weinberg said, “There are many cost saving measures if we have the political will.”
Addressing the needs of Kentucky tobacco farmers, Weinberg said that a buyout or diversification would be good options for them because of changing times and economics.
“We need to make our farmers productive economically,” Weinberg said, comparing Kentucky with other states where tobacco farming is more profitable.
One piece of domestic legislation that Weinberg is very adamant about is social security. She said that it is essential that we maintain and preserve social security, instead of putting the money into Wall Street. She went on to say that, “Big Money speaks clearly in our Congress.”
Education is also a major focus of Weinberg’s campaign. She supports fully funding special education programs, saying that if this were done, it would produce great changes.
When asked if Weinberg has a good chance against incumbent McConnell, freshman political science major Jennifer O’Reilly said, “Probably not. A lot of people like McConnell, even Democrats.”
Ashley Sartaine, a freshman English and communications major, agreed. “I think she (Weinberg) is very well spoken, but she doesn’t have enough experience, especially compared to McConnell.”
Junior communications and political science major J.P. Davis said, “I respect Ms. Weinberg for coming. I appreciate her determination.”
