Issues

 

Consumer Protection and Financial Reform

The Wall Street special interests and politicians in Washington have been lining their pockets with our tax dollars and sticking Arkansans with the bill.  That’s got to stop.

Arkansas families are accountable for their finances, Wall Street should be too. We need to prevent future Wall Street bailouts, hold the banks that received bailouts accountable to the American taxpayer and continue to strengthen community banks. We must get lending and credit flowing to Main Street and small businesses while preventing the casino-like atmosphere in Wall Street from bringing down our financial system in the future.

I support the strongest possible reforms to do this, and I hope Congress addresses this in a way that gets real results for Arkansas families, not just another Washington shell game. We need an independent watchdog agency, stronger enforcement of what's already on the books, an end to sky-high corporate compensation, and better checks and balances on the more outrageous financial industry practices.



Economy

Arkansas families are worried about jobs, pensions and the rising cost of living. As I've traveled around the state, I know that we've lost far too many good-paying jobs as a result of the economic crisis. One of the things that worries me most is that we're losing our middle class, that our fire fighters and teachers and nurses and grocery workers are falling behind.

We need to invest in the jobs of the future: promote Arkansas’s lead in clean energy like wind turbines and make broadband access available to every corner of the state so businesses can compete in a global economy.

For too long, Congress has been approving trade deals that send Arkansas jobs overseas and let other nations undercut our workers by not requiring the same working conditions as American businesses have to meet.  That needs to stop.

I support raising the minimum wage, because I believe workers are consumers, too. As the President says, when workers do well, they buy the products that help businesses do well. We need to enact policies that support an economy that works for all of us, not just those at the top, including making it easier for workers to be part of a union.



Education

To give Arkansans the skills they need to compete in a global economy we have to eliminate the hurdles to higher education for every Arkansas family.

In Arkansas, we did that by taking the scholarship lottery to the people – and by passing it with a simple up or down vote.  Now, this year there will be over 28,000 families better able to afford a higher education - and we did it without raising taxes. Just this week we saw the power of providing scholarships to Arkansas students as applications to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville are up by 26%. It has worked here in Arkansas and it will work for the country.

We need to make loans and grants more available and more affordable. Unfortunately, for Arkansas families, Blanche Lincoln has been siding with the big banks who want to profit from the student loan business. I support the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The Act will take subsidized profits for big banks out of the process and provide over $67 billion of additional financial resources for students over the next ten years. But Blanche Lincoln sided with the big banks who gave her money, and voted against the act.



Health Care

Health care costs to consumers and businesses alike are exploding, bankrupting Arkansas families and making it difficult for Arkansas businesses to compete.

Congress and the President have done the right thing by reforming health care – although I would also have supported a bill that would have allowed the public to buy into a system that would have also provided more competition and choice.

While the bill wasn't perfect, and it could have been improved with more decisive action instead of only-in-Washington tactics, it will prevent people from being denied health care insurance due to pre-existing conditions and it will begin to provide more than 450,000 uninsured Arkansans the health care they need.

We need to continue to make progress on health care – and that means standing up to the insurance industry and special interests who like the system the way it is.  I supported the bill Congress recently passed to rein in health care costs and reduce our national debt.  And it helps our seniors who need it most by ending the donut hole in prescription drug coverage and improving Medicare solvency.  But Blanche Lincoln sided with the insurance companies and HMOs who gave her campaign more than $800,000 and voted against this effort to make health care reforms even better.



Social Security

As the former Deputy Commissioner of Social Security, I understand the importance of this program to all American families. I never have and never will support privatizing Social Security. While serving under President Clinton, I worked hard to protect the Social Security Trust Fund from Republican schemes to put taxpayers' retirement benefits at risk.

When the Bush Administration threatened to play the stock market with personal investments, I traveled the country to help rally support against the Republican plan. With the help of great people like James Roosevelt - grandson of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the father of Social Security - we defeated this risky Washington-Wall Street proposal.

"I know personally and professionally that Bill Halter is opposed to Social Security privatization," James Roosevelt says. "I was proud to work with him then and I am proud to work with him now when it comes to Social Security."

As your next United States Senator, I will continue to fight any plans that would privatize Social Security retirement funds. I also will challenge any effort to raise taxes on Social Security benefits. And I will work to bring federal spending under control so we do not ever risk seeing the Social Security Trust Fund run dry.



Arkansas Farmers and Rural Communities

As a fourth-generation Arkansan, it is one of my top priorities to support family farms and rural communities. Agriculture isn't just a big part of Arkansas's economy; it is a part of our cultural fabric. So we need to do what's good for Arkansas farmers, not Washington lobbyists.

We need a farm policy that helps family farmers, not corporate agribusiness. Too much of our farm policy is directed at sending taxpayer subsidies to those who need it the least and not providing a safety net for family farmers. I believe our agriculture policy needs to be in the business of providing a hand up, not a hand out, and I will listen to the needs of Arkansas farm families and the rural communities they support first.



Energy and Environment

Arkansas has tremendous natural resources that deserve to be protected for future generations. Climate change threatens our way of life, and we are duty bound to protect the state we all love. Our natural resources can lead the path to energy independence which will help preserve our environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We need to take control of our natural resources and lead the way with a responsible energy policy for the 21st Century.

I support robust investment in green technologies that can lead to jobs right here in Arkansas. From wind energy to biofuels to natural gas, Arkansas has the potential to lead the nation in alternative energy sources. Most experts agree we could create as many as 17,000 jobs right here in The Natural State with an aggressive plan to develop environmentally friendly jobs, from manufacturing to agriculture to upgrading buildings to meet new efficiency standards. And we can do all of this while preserving our forests, lakes, and streams for future generations.



National Security, Veterans, and the Military

Arkansas is home to military bases that are critical to our nation's security. I believe in a cohesive and thoughtful approach to the security of our nation and supporting the mission of our men and women in uniform. American leadership in the world is critical to helping ensure peace, democracy and human rights. This is particularly true in the face of complex challenges in fighting terrorism and transnational threats, ensuring success in Iraq and Afghanistan and crafting a strong, forward-leaning foreign policy.

We have a moral responsibility to keep our promises to those who have sacrificed to protect our country. This includes providing them with a lifetime of quality physical and mental health care and ensuring that their families are supported with a strong domestic economy.



Second Amendment Rights

My father gave me my first shotgun when I was 10 years old. After I proved I knew how to handle a shotgun, he gave me my first rifle at the age of fourteen. I have long cherished those gifts, still have them in my home, and believe firmly in gun owners’ rights. I believe owning a firearm is a fundamental right, and I will stand by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.

I also firmly support keeping weapons out of the hands of criminals. Those efforts should not, though, infringe upon the rights of lawful citizens. While serving in the United States Senate I will protect the rights of sportsmen, collectors, and other responsible gun owners.