National Journal's latest rankings of key 2006 U.S. Senate races -- AKA "The Top 20" -- were just released. GoodBiz113 will leave the hot-button issues -- e.g., Iraq, terrorism, stem-cell research, energy independence, immigration, abortion rights, gay marriage -- for prime-time soundbites. Here, we'll glimpse where candidates stand on issues that directly impact our nation's 25.8 million small businesses and serve the greatest possible good: health care, jobs, tax reform and technology.#1 -- Pennsylvania: Junior Sen. Rick Santorum [R] advocates increased offshore drilling; has pledged to continue opposing the estate tax [AKA "death tax"], which would eventually eliminate the tax imposed on estates and gifts by 2010, at an estimated cost of $75 billion annually when fully phased in; and has proposals for health savings accounts and privatized Social Security, which would benefit few wage earners. He voted "no" on repealing a tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "no" on replacing farm price supports; "yes" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "no" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "yes" on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends; "yes" on telecom deregulation; "no" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates; and "yes' on permanently repealing the estate tax.
Santorum's No. 1 challenger is State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. [D], who advocates alternative fuel development; pension security; a minimum-wage increase; repeal of tax cuts on the top 1% of earners; and has touted a proposal that would make health insurance available to more Americans by developing a purchasing pool for small businesses that would give them more purchasing power, thus reducing rates.
#2 -- Ohio: Senior Sen. Mike DeWine [R] broke with his party on a federal minimum-wage hike by voting for it, but he has not come out to support the state proposal to raise the minimum wage. He voted "yes" on limiting the self-employment health deduction; "no" on repealing a tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "yes" on killing an increase in the minimum wage; "yes" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "no" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "yes" on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends; "yes" on telecom deregulation; "no" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates; and "yes" on permanently repealing the estate tax.
DeWine's challenger, U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown [D], has voted "no" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts; "no" on eliminating the estate tax; "no" on making Bush tax cuts permanent; "yes" on providing tax relief and simplification; "no" on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains and dividends; "no" on allowing telephone monopolies to offer Internet access; "yes" on establishing "network neutrality" [non-tiered Internet]; favors Ohio's constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage; and has declared that health care should be a right, not a privilege.
#3 -- Rhode Island: In 2000, incumbent Sen. Lincoln Chafee [R] voted against phasing out the estate tax. Since then, he voted "yes" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "no" on repealing a tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; and "no" on permanently repealing the estate tax.
Chafee's challenger, former Rhode Island Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse [D] holds that, "Small businesses keep our economy growing," and aims to "raise the minimum wage to a living wage" while "rolling back the tax reductions to America's wealthiest." Whitehouse has declared the Bush tax cuts to be "improvident and unfair," and need to be repealed. "They've been improvident because they've run up our budget deficit to the highest levels ever," Whitehouse said during a recent debate with Chafee. "Middle-income Rhode Islanders [got less tax relief than] somebody making more than $200,000. It has not been fair. We need to repeal the Bush tax cuts." Whitehouse also wants to provide all families with health insurance.
#4 -- Virginia: Junior Sen. George Allen [R] voted "yes" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "no" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "yes" on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years; "no" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates; "yes" on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends; "no" on repealing the tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "no" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates; and "yes" on permanently repealing the estate tax.
In his April 2006 campaign announcement, challenger Jim Webb [D] declared, "We hear a lot of talk about helping the average American, words about patriotic people who work hard and do the best they can for their families, hoping for an even break. But anyone who watches the news knows that this administration -- always supported by my opponent -- has put the interests of big business and corporate America before your interests. It's time for Democrats to stand up again for working people, for working Virginians who expect their leaders to listen." Webb also intends to make tax reform a main priority: "Our economy is in trouble. Our tax policies make no sense. Our country is breaking into three pieces, with the people at the top living in a luxury never before dreamed of, even as our middle class sees its jobs being outsourced overseas, their health care slipping away and our public education systems declining, and as the people at the bottom are becoming a permanent underclass." On health care, Webb has noted, "Legislation should focus on providing people access to health care, not simply on corporate profits...Don't let drug-company lobbyists write prescription drug plans."
#5 -- Montana: Junior Sen. Conrad Burns [R] voted "yes" on limiting the self-employment health deduction; "no" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts; "yes" on killing an increase in the minimum wage; "yes" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "no" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "no" on repealing the tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "no" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates; "yes" on telecom deregulation; and declared that a minimum wage increase is OK -- provided that it's packaged with a tax cut.
Burns' No. 1 challenger, Montana Senate President Jon Tester [D], is a third-generation Montana farmer. As state senator, he helped pass funding of workforce training grants; eliminated taxes on 13,000 small businesses; established a Main Street Montana program to revitalize downtown areas across the state; and passed his bill to promote Made in Montana products. Tester also successfully fought to lower the cost of health insurance for small businesses, and to expand renewable energy production. If elected, he aims to fight for affordable health care ["Families can't afford to get sick; that's not health care," Tester declared.]; raise the minimum wage to a fair and livable wage; and "focus tax cuts on the middle class, not the rich."
#6 -- Missouri: The state's minimum-wage ballot issue looms as a key issue itself and as a catalyst for getting voters to the ballot boxes Nov. 7. Junior Sen. Jim Talent [R] hasn't taken a position on the ballot measure to raise the state's minimum wage, and supports federal increases only if they include tax breaks or other breaks for small business. Among the votes he cast: "no" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "yes" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts; "no" on repealing a tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "yes" on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends; "no" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates; and "yes" on permanently repealing the estate tax.
Talent's challenger, State Auditor Claire McCaskill [D], favors Missouri's minimum-wage ballot initiative and, if elected, will work to try and get a "long-overdue" federal minimum-wage hike passed. "It is a shame Congress has not raised the minimum wage in 10 years," said McCaskill. "This issue is pretty simple. You just can't make it in America on $5.15 an hour. We must increase the minimum wage. Too many Missourians are working too hard at too many jobs just to scrape by. I strongly support rewarding their hard work. It's immoral for full-time workers in America to live in poverty." McCaskill will also "expand Medicare for people, not drug companies."
#7 -- Maryland: Open seat. U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin [D] represented Marylanders in Congress since 1987. Since then, he voted "no" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts; "no" on replacing illegal tax breaks with $140 billion in new breaks; "no" on eliminating the estate tax; "no" on making Bush tax cuts permanent; "yes" on providing tax relief and simplification; "no" on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains and dividends; and "yes" on establishing network neutrality.
Cardin's key opponent, Lt. Gov. Michael Steele [R], aims to expand opportunities for minority-owned businesses; create legacy wealth for future generations; make tax relief permanent; and repeal the "death tax." He also advocates association health plans. "I believe we need to create a health-care system that works for small-business owners and small-business employees," Cardin told the Baltimore Sun. "Millions of them are going without health care today just because bureaucrats in Washington won't wake up to the fact that our current system is burdensome and ineffective. That is why I support allowing small businesses to band together and compete for better insurance options. With Association Health Plans, small employers will be able to pool their health-insurance costs and have greater purchasing power to achieve better benefits for their employees."
#8 -- Arizona: Junior Sen. Jon Kyl [R] voted "no" on establishing medical savings accounts; "yes" on limiting the self-employment health deduction; "yes" on killing an increase in the minimum wage; "yes" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "no" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "yes" on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years; "yes" on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends; "yes" on permanently repealing the "death tax"; "yes" on telecom deregulation; and "no" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates.
Kyl's challenger, Jim Pederson [D], a commercial developer and chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, supports increasing the minimum wage; negotiating better prescription drug prices; and opposes Kyl's "Paris Hilton Relief Act of 2006" [AKA estate-tax repeal], which would drastically raise the thresholds at which the estate tax kicks in -- to $5 million per individual and $10 million per couple -- while slashing the estate tax rate from 46% to 15%.
#9 -- New Jersey: Incumbent Sen. Robert Menendez [D] has voted "no" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings acccounts; "no" on replacing illegal export tax breaks with $140 billion in new breaks; "no" on eliminating the estate tax; "no" on making the Bush tax cuts permanent; "no" on permamently repealing the estate tax, holding that doing so only benefits the wealthiest 1%; and advocates limiting tax breaks on our nation's wealthiest 1%, to help pay for affordable health care for everyone. "Tom Kean Jr. and his friends in the Bush administration have chosen to create bigger and bigger federal deficits by granting tax breaks to giant corporations and the super-rich, rather than address the vital health-care needs of America's families," Menendez responded during a debate held this September. "No one should ever have to choose between filling their prescriptions and their refrigerator. Everyone deserves quality health care and access to vital medicine at an affordable price."
According to Menendez' challenger, Tom Kean Jr. [R], "Governments don't create jobs; businesses do." Kean wants to make permanent the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts; repeal the "unfair" death tax and marriage penalty tax; and will support "pro-growth policies, such as lower taxes and less regulation, to attract the business investment that will create high-paying jobs for the future." He also advocates establishment of individual health savings accounts.
#10 -- Tennessee: Open seat. In Congress, Rep. Harold Ford [D] has voted "yes" to spending $167 billion over 10 years for farm price supports; "no" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts; "yes" on eliminating the estate tax; "no" on a tax-cut package of $958 billion over 10 years; "no" on making the Bush tax cuts permanent; "yes" on providing tax relief and simplification; "yes" on establishing network neutrality; and has consistently supported minimum-wage increases.
Ford's No. 1 challenger, Bob Corker [R], is a businessman who advocates "letting competition determine drug prices, not negotiation"; encourages establishment of health savings accounts; wants to stimulate job growth by "reducing taxation, litigation and regulation"; and aims to make President Bush's tax cuts permanent. "The tax cuts passed by Congress and signed by President Bush in 2001 and 2003 must be made permanent to keep our economy growing," says Corker.
#11 -- Michigan: Junior Sen. Debbie Stabenow [D] voted "no" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts; "yes" on repealing a tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "no" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "yes" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "no" on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years; "no" on permanently repealing the estate tax; and "yes" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates. Affordable health care is among Stabenow's top priorities. "Health-care coverage needs to be a right, not a privilege," she declared during a senate debate in Grand Rapids, Mich., in October 2006. "I've been laser-focused on working with the auto industry to more adequately and effectively to lower the costs of prescription drugs. I've also worked bipartisan to allow people to bring prescription drugs back from Canada legally."
Stabenow's No. 1 challenger, Mike Bouchard [R], avidly supports the manufacturing sector as being "the heart of the economy"; holds that the tax burden and government spending are too high; aims to make the Bush tax cuts permanent; and advocates health savings accounts to "empower individuals."
#12 -- Minnesota: Open seat. In Congress, Rep. Mark Kennedy [R] voted "yes" on replacing illegal export tax breaks with $140 billion in new breaks; "yes" on zero-funding OSHA's Ergonomics Rule; "yes" on eliminating the estate tax; "yes" on a tax cut package of $958 billion over 10 years; "yes" on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains and dividends; "yes" on allowing telephone monopolies to offer Internet access; and "no" on establishing network neutrality.
Kennedy's No. 1 challenger, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar [D], pictured above, aims to "crack down on the price of health care"; "insist that our government negotiate lower prices with pharmaceutical companies"; "aggressively fight health care fraud"; "push for a fair Medicare reimbursement system that doesn't leave Minnesota at the end of the line"; "work to reduce health-care administrative costs"; "level the playing field for farmers"; roll back tax cuts on people making over $336,000 a year; and reduce our nation's $250 billion deficit by rolling back lucrative tax benefits for the top 1%. "Our debt is approaching $9 trillion," Klobuchar noted during her debate with Kennedy on "Meet the Press" [Oct. 15, 2006]. "This administration and this Congress took a $200 billion surplus and turned it into $250 billion deficit. One out of 12 of the federal tax dollars that Minnesotans are paying goes to interest on this debt. And this is my solution: First of all, let's look at those $70 billion that's being sheltered in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda for multimillionaires. Get rid of those shelters. Next, look at capital gains. Not changing the rate, but having a third-party validator like brokerage houses post those because there's underpayment. That brings in $17 billion. Roll back the tax cuts to the Clinton levels, to the top 1%. That brings another $56 billion in. Get rid of the no-bid contracts, so we have competitive bidding: $10 billion more."
#13 -- Washington: Junior Sen. Maria Cantwell [D] has voted "no" on repealing a tax subsidy for companies that move U.S jobs offshore; "yes" on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada; "no" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "yes" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "no" on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years; "no" on permanently repealing the estate tax; and "yes" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates. As a state legislator, Cantwell co-sponsored a bill to ensure that uninsured individuals with pre-existing medical conditions could get coverage. She's vowed to continue supporting increased federal funding for expanded health-care coverage: "It is critical that we ensure that all citizens have access to basic, quality health care."
Cantwell's challenger, Mike McGavick [R], a businessman, holds that "tax increases are counterproductive"; "health savings accounts give stewardship to families"; and aims to "harness competition and put people back in control of their health-care dollars."
#14 -- Nebraska: Junior Sen. Ben Nelson [D] has voted "yes" on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada; "no" on repealing a tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "no" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "yes" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; and "yes" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates.
Challenger Peter Ricketts [R] supports health savings accounts; a line-item veto; fair and simple taxes; and holds that the so-called "death tax" is based on "jealousy of high achievement."
#15 -- Nevada: Junior Sen. John Ensign [R] voted "yes" on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada; "no" on repealing a tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "yes" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "no" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "yes" on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years; "yes" on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends; "yes" on permanently repealing the "death tax"; and "no" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates.
Ensign's challenger, Jack Carter [D], a businessman, opposes elimination of the sales-tax deduction by the GOP, holding that they've "provided significant federal income tax relief." If elected to the Senate, Carter said he plans to focus on health care and education. "We need some sort of universal standard for health care, just like a universal standard for education...There should be some basic coverage for everyone. It should be modeled after the public education system." Carter explained that, with the public education system, people have the choice to go to a public school or to a private school at their own expense. With a health-care system that's similar to education, people would have the choice to go to a no-cost medical center or to a private doctor at their expense.
#16 -- West Virginia: Senior Sen. Robert Byrd [D] has voted "yes" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts; "no" on limiting the self-employment health deduction; "yes" on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada; "yes" on repealing the tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "no" on killing an increase in the minimum wage; "no" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "yes" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "no" on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years; "no" on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends; "no" on permanently repealing the estate tax; "yes" on telecom deregulation; and "yes" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates.
Byrd's challenger, multimillionaire John Raese [R], aims to roll back regulations to spur business and job growth; reduce government regulation of private-sector employment; support tax cuts to spur economic growth and job growth; and support health savings accounts. "The free-market approach to ensuring that Americans have affordable health coverage is the best way to achieve affordable health care," he holds. "Big-government, socialized medicine doesn't work, and the American people have rejected it out of hand."
#17 -- Vermont: Open seat. In Congress, Rep. Bernie Sanders [I] voted "no" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts; "yes" on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs; "no" on eliminating the estate tax; "no" on making the Bush tax cuts permanent; "yes" on providing tax relief and simplification; "no" on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains and dividends; "no" on allowing telephone monopolies to offer Internet access; and "yes" on establishing network neutrality.
Richard Tarrant [R], aims to provide more support and advocacy for farmers; raise the federal minimum wage, and tie in COLA increases; raise the estate tax exemption, but not eliminate it; extend capital-gains and dividend tax cuts; and advocates a free-market-based system for the uninsured.
#18 -- Florida: Senior Sen. Bill Nelson [D] has voted "yes" on repealing a tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "yes" on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada; "no" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "yes on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "no" on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years; and "yes" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates. He initially voted against repealing the estate tax when he served in Congress, but has supported it since this summer, "upon realizing that a full repeal was warranted when larger-than-expected budget surpluses materialized."
Nelson's challenger is Rep. Katherine Harris [R], who came to national attention while serving as Florida secretary of state, responsible for presiding over the state results of the closely contested 2000 U.S. presidential election. [Does the term "hanging chads" ring a bell?] In Congress, she voted "yes" on replacing illegal export tax breaks with $140 billion in new breaks; "no" on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs; "yes" on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains and dividends; "yes" on providing tax relief and simplification; and "no" on network neutrality.
#19 -- Connecticut: Junior Sen. Joe Lieberman [D/I] has voted to expand microloans to small businesses; "yes" to allowing reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada; "yes" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts; "no" on limiting self-employment health deductions; "yes" on replacing farm price supports; "no" on killing an increase in the minimum wage; "no" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "yes" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "no" on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years; "no" on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends; "no" on permanently repealing the estate tax; "yes" on telecom deregulation; and "yes" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates.
Lieberman's Democratic challenger, Ned Lamont [D], a telecom businessman, holds that health care is a fundamental right of every American, and aims to create a business-required, federally subsidized insurance pool. He also advocates investing in our infrastructure to create local jobs; developing an interconnecting transportation strategy; and holds that network neutrality is necessary for an uncensored Internet. "It's very important that you don't allow the ISPs and the large operators out there to determine who gets access to what content," he said this summer. "When it comes down to net neutrality, this is a pipe and we're providing equal access to all of the content providers out there. And the last thing you want is large conglomerates picking and choosing who gets access to what. I can understand where, if there's some services that use up a lot more bandwidth than others, there's a tier or cost that's associated with that. But when it comes to what people can see, everybody has equal access to that. That would be wrong, like de facto censorship."
Republican challenger Alan Schlesinger [R] supports increased competition in health-care services; opposes higher taxes and more "wasteful" spending; and supports tax simplification.
#20 -- Hawaii: Junior Sen. Daniel Akaka [D] has voted "yes" on repealing a tax subsidy for companies that move U.S. jobs offshore; "yes" on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts; "no" on limiting the self-employment health deduction; "yes" on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada; "yes" on replacing farm price supports; "no" on killing an increase in the minimum wage; "no" on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress; "yes" on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25; "no" on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years; "no" on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends; "no" on permanently repealing the estate tax; "yes" on telecom deregulation; and "yes" on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates.
Akaka's challenger, state Rep. Cynthia Thielen [R], opposes a tax increase for Honolulu rail project, and strongly supports network neutrality. "Before the Internet, most free speech had to pass through those who owned the various media in the world," said Thielen. "With the Internet, everyone has the capability at no cost to present his or her point of view...As a Republican, I strongly believe in the power of the free market. Net neutrality gives us the freest market, for both ideas and products, in the history of civilization. As a Republican, as a supporter of open political discourse for all -- and as a supporter of small businesses both today, and those yet to be created -- I strongly support net neutrality."
Who's friendly to small business? You decide -- and please make time to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Sources: The Cook Political Report, National Journal, OnTheIssues.org, U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, Wikipedia
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New on Nov. 7: The West Wing -- The Complete Seventh Season
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