We have created a blog post to contrast the candidates. Because of space issues, we only took the main points of the candidate's stances on the issues. Order was random
*All candidates claim to be pro-life
*All candidates claim to be pro-second amendment
*Candidates discuss different issues on their websites and not all discuss the same issues we have chosen below
Cleve Tidwell- Businessman
Taxes- I do support the fair tax proposal. I am a believer that a fair tax which is a consumption tax could prove healthy for our society based on what I have studied over the past 9 months. I have spent a lot of time going through the fair tax proposal and all the information and videos seemed well done and supported by some capable people. If all the projections are even close to being correct it seems it would be a good move for everyone. I would support a resolution for it provided we ended up with solid proof of its validity. As for the IRS, I believe we could make great improvements to this system if not doing away with it totally while implemented the fair tax. A good step in the right direction.
Energy- I support the reintroduction of cost effective Nuclear Power. I also strongly support bio fuel, bio diesel, clean coal and the continued research and development of renewable energy sources like wind, solar and hydrogen. I believe we must explore and develop the natural resources in and offshore of the United States. Sending our money to other countries is not good fiscal responsibility and we must not allow others to hold us hostage for our energy needs. In Colorado we have some of the greatest opportunities for development of oil and gas. The time is now to have Colorado be the leader in oil and gas exploration in the United States. We must stop sending our money to offshore counties and start helping to reduce the burden of oil and gas high prices and demand here in our country. Colorado could and should be the backbone of this venture for progress in oil and gas.
Foreign Policy and Defense- Iran and North Korea pose exceptional dangers because of their possession of nuclear materials. Careful relations with these nations should be a top foreign policy priority. We must be firm in our insistence that Iran and North Korea renounce any nuclear weapons programs. We must stay focused on solving this problem in this term. We must strengthen our defense department. There are people in the world that want to hurt us and we must not allow that to ever happen again.
*Cleve Tidwell also served in the Marine Corps
Immigration- Border security is essential to national security. In an age of terrorism, drug cartels, and criminal gangs, allowing millions of unidentified persons to enter and remain in this country poses grave risks to the sovereignty of the United States and the security of its people. We simply must be able to track who is entering and leaving our country. We need to make sure that we allow people to work here, but only if they’re legal. We need instant employer certification so employers know if people they’re hiring are legal, & punish employers who don’t. We have workers come here from around the globe and we must follow the rule of law. I do oppose amnesty. The rule of law suffers if government policies encourage or reward illegal activity. The American people’s rejection of a mass legalization is especially appropriate given the federal government’s past failures to enforce the law
Ken Buck- Weld County District Attorney
Taxes- I promise not to vote for tax increases as Colorado's U.S. Senator. We are not under-taxed. The federal government is overspending. And as the endless string of spending in Congress continues so will the call for higher taxes. As the push for higher taxes emerges, I will be the Colorado Senator pushing to downsize government, not raise taxes. I'll stay true to the Taxpayer Protection Pledge I have signed.
Energy-While I am in favor of moving as quickly as is practical to new energy alternatives to replace our dependence on foreign oil, I'm not in favor of sending our country on an economic suicide mission that would come with the passage of a "cap and trade" system. We can't meet our energy demands with windmills and solar panels and other alternatives in the near term. We may get to the point in the next decade or two, but we're not there today. For now, we must continue to depend on our traditional sources of energy -- coal, oil and especially natural gas. It means we must aggressively expand energy production in our country, including stepping up off-shore drilling and looking to nuclear power as one of our best sources for non-carbon energy.
Iraq and Afghanistan- We definitely need to continue a major effort in Afghanistan. We are told this effort will take at least 10 years. It will require both military and civilian personnel to help build up the country. The generals on the ground tell us we are likely to be in Afghanistan for the long term with a difficult and complicated mission. As Colorado's Senator I will always look first to the advice of the generals, and I will strongly support the mission of our troops who are in harm's way.
Health Care-We have the best health care system in the world, and I will not lose sight of that fact as we work to solve the nagging problems within the system that must be fixed. Like the majority of Coloradans, I understand that there are specific health care problems that need to be addressed, such as the uninsured, pre-existing conditions, and escalating costs. I'm not for the public option. That's another big difference between the "appointed" Senator, Michael Bennet and me. He's strongly for a "public option" takeover of our private health care system by the federal government. I am strongly against it.
Immigration-We should start the path to immigration reform by finally sealing our borders to illegal traffic, both north and south and at our ports. Then we must enforce the laws that are already on the books to deal with illegal immigration. We need to have a finely crafted guest worker program that is sufficient to meet the needs of our economy. I believe we can do that and still get serious about dealing effectively with the larger illegal immigration problem.
Jane Norton- Former Lt. Governor
Taxes- Lower taxes.
Energy- I oppose cap and trade.
National Security- Our first priority is to keep our nation safe from terrorists. Colorado’s military assets are an important part of the success of this mission and we need to support our troops, not cut Defense spending at a time when we are asking our troops to do more.
Health Care- What we need are common sense and market-based solutions that will slash costs without ceding control of 17% of our economy to the federal government: medical malpractice tort reform that limits expensive and frivolous lawsuits that drive up healthcare and insurance costs and result in unnecessary defensive medicine; tax equity so that those who buy their own insurance receive the same tax benefits as those who get insurance through their employers; high risk pools so those with pre-existing conditions may be covered; portability of health insurance; making cost and quality information plainly available to consumers; changing regulations that discourage individuals and small businesses from utilizing Health Savings Accounts; and giving small businesses the opportunities to pool risk and resources across state lines.
Immigration- I believe that we must secure our borders and end illegal immigration. And because we are a nation that relies on the rule of law, I steadfastly oppose amnesty for those illegal immigrants already in our country. The true measure of any plan, though, is sensibility and workability. To that end, I support the expansion of the E-Verify system to insure that American jobs are filled by Americans and temporary workers who are legally present. We also need an expanded and effective temporary worker program to insure that critical Colorado industries have the personnel they need in order to thrive.
Tom Wiens- Former State Senator, Rancher
Taxes- In over 5,000 votes in the legislature, I have never once voted for a tax increase. Government was growing at an alarming rate even before the massive bailout, so-called stimulus spending and Obamacare. The breakdown of our economy was not the result of too few taxes, but in part because tax rates are too high. We need to cut taxes everywhere that it will stimulate the economy. For example, the elimination of payroll taxes would have added a substantial number of jobs to the economy, for less money than the so-called stimulus, which has produced practically no jobs at all according to recent media reports
Energy- The U.S. can break its dependency on foreign sources of energy with clean and inexpensive resources right here in America. As United States Senator from Colorado, I will advocate policies that makes Colorado energy resources more accessible by removing excessive taxes and regulation on Colorado energy so that Coloradans get back many of the high-paying energy jobs that have been shed in an attempt to solely promote untested, unproven and expensive energy theories.
Foreign Policy- Nothing threatens the stability of the world more than the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran. And make no mistake; Iran's nuclear program is aimed at one thing: developing nuclear weapons. Iran's leader has said that Israel must be wiped off the map. A nuclear armed Iran with aggressive intentions against one of the most faithful and staunch of U.S. allies should be a matter of grave concern. The U.S. should consider sanctions, and other means, including military means to stop Iran from threatening its neighbors, especially our ally Israel. Our surge strategy in Iraq worked, but we must demand that in every military action that the American people fully understand the necessity of our action and what our strategy is to win. We cannot fight wars by half measures. It's not right to put our soldiers in harm's way, when the politicians themselves have no clear strategy for victory.
Health Care- Not on website
Immigration- Not on website
