Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Ross discusses upcoming session

Mike Ross will be fighting for the same causes in his second term he fought for in his freshman term.

The most important issues for him will be a prescription drug bill, saving Social Security and Medicare.

And, party lines have no meaning for Ross when it comes to helping his constituents. He worked with Congressman Jo Ann Emmerson (R-Mo.) on a prescription drug plan which would have required drug companies to give rebates to offset the cost of programs the same way they are given to HMOs

This bill, though, went nowhere because, Ross said, it took on the drug manufacturers, so the Republican national leadership wouldn't give it a vote.

"There still needs to be a prescription drug plan," he said. "I'll keep working with both parties on it."

Ross said he hopes the two parties can come together in an off election year and work on this issue.

Corporations that "cook their books" will be in more trouble than ever. As a member of the Financial Services Committee, Ross said those companies that play games with their books and manipulate the market for bonuses will face stiffer penalties.

Legislation has already been passed requiring stricter accounting practices, with stiff penalties for those who fail to follow the rules.

Many 401k plans were severely devalued, Ross said, because of corporations manipulating the market and playing with their books, and this hurt the employees who had placed their trust in the CEOs and the corporation to protect the retirement plans.

Ross is also concerned with the economy. He said the government needs to restore the people's confidence in the economy, create jobs. "This is an important part of my agenda."

Protecting Social Security is also important to Ross. He said the government needs to make sure it will be there for future generations.

The federal government borrowed $1 trillion from the Social Security trust fund without a proviso for paying it back. Now, he said, even if the money were paid back, the fund will be broke by 2041.

"We have an obligation to leave the country in better shape for our children and grandchildren," he said. "One way to do this is to shore up Social Security."

Privatizing the fund isn't the way to go, he said, especially with the current market conditions.

Had 2 percent of the fund been placed in the stock market in 1998, he said, it would have lost $31 billion, and benefits would have been cut $357 per person.

"A lot of people live on these checks and can't afford cuts. They need increases."

As one of the 30 members of the Blue Dog Coalition, Ross works to bring both sides the middle and find common sense solutions to the nation's problems.

One of the big issues, he said, is fiscal responsibility. The U.S. is $6 trillion in debt and paying $1 billion per day in interest on the national debt.

This debt, he said, was created by the government, and it's up to the government to do something about it. "We need to learn to live within out means."

Two years ago the government was talking about a $10 trillion surplus, and tax cuts were given to all citizens in the nation. The surplus was projected over a 10-year period.

Now, though, the country is back in a deficit spending situation for the first time since 1997.

"We need to pay down our national debt," Ross said. "I was one of 28 Democrats to support the Bush tax cut. When it was passed, we were told there would be a $5 trillion surplus in the next 10 years, but now it's gone and we're in deficit spending."

The United States, he said, will spend between $160-$180 billion more than it takes in this year, while the tax cuts will remain in effect for the next 10 years.

But, Ross said he can't imagine the cuts not being extended after the 10 years is up, unless America is in a state of emergency.

He said Congress may also make the repeal of the marriage tax penalty permanent as well, while he also supports making the repeal of estate taxes permanent.

One of the most important way to stimulate the economy, he said, is by building roads and highways. This creates immediate jobs, while attracting new business and industry to the state.

"We still need $1.5 billion to finish the I-49 project between Texarkana and Fort Smith," he said.

In talking about a possible war with Iraq, Ross said Saddam Hussein is a madman who's responsible for the deaths of more than a million people.

The Iraqi military is a third less than it was during the Persian Gulf War, while America's equipment is more high tech and accurate than it was in 1990.

"I supported the war on terrorism and giving President (George W.) Bush the authority to do what has to be done in Iraq to protect the United States."

The Middle East, he said, is training terrorists to make and use weapons of mass destruction the likes of which the U.S. has never seen before.

One bomb, Ross said, can cause more destruction than Americans saw on Sept. 11, 2001, when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center's twin towers.

"We don't want war. We want peace. If we go to war, it will be swift and fast," he said.

"We need to realize the world has changed, our enemy has changed. It was a difficult decision to vote to go to war with Iraq. As a nation, we've never been engaged in a preemptive strike before. This is a historic first."