Medicaid is becoming quite a burden to Western North Carolina counties. Do you see a role for the federal government regarding local Medicaid costs?

Dole: I believe the first priority is to ensure that every North Carolinian has access to affordable healthcare. By lowering these health care costs, the cost burden placed on state and local governments will dramatically reduce. The first step is reforming Medicare and including a strong prescription drug plan for seniors. A plan that includes a cap on out-of-pocket expenditures and lets seniors, with their doctors, choose the medicines that are right for them. The plan would use pharmacy benefit managers to negotiate discounts with drug companies, so seniors can get quick access to discounted pharmaceuticals.

There would be an extra helping hand for low-income seniors. And it would be voluntary so seniors who have private coverage they like wouldn't be forced into another plan. By bringing this cost into the federal Medicare program, the state Medicaid costs for caring for our seniors will be reduced.

I also support setting up association health plans – risk pooling – so small businesses can take advantage of economies of scale – leveraging together to buy affordable coverage. I support increased funding for community health care centers so people without insurance can get the health care they need, and I’ll fight to ensure that every county in North Carolina has access to the vital services provided by CHCs.

I support strong medical liability reform, such as capping non-economic damages and punitive damages to $250,000. This will help lower health care costs, increase access to health care services and ensure affordable liability insurance for doctors.

Bowles: I supported additional appropriations for states and localities to deal with the exploding cost of Medicaid in the stimulus bill earlier this year; however, those additional appropriations were removed. Because rising prescription drug costs are the leading factor in rising Medicaid costs, I support efforts to reduce the overall cost of prescription drugs such as speeding up getting generic drugs to market sooner and allowing states to join into regional purchasing pools and using their purchasing power to reduce drug costs.

Does the federal government have a role to play in stimulating economic growth in Western North Carolina?

Dole: The most important issue facing North Carolinians is the economy. We need to create more jobs in North Carolina, and I’ll do everything within my power every day to help bring jobs to our state. The best thing we can do to bolster the economy is to make last year’s tax cuts permanent. By doing so, we can create a more stable financial environment for North Carolinians as they plan for their future.

We also can help boost North Carolina’s economy by investing in our community colleges, by earning more transportation dollars for our state, by vigorously promoting information technology, by opening markets for our farmers and enacting the Dole tobacco quota buyout, by ensuring strict enforcement of trade laws, by freeing entrepreneurs and small business from strangling red tape – by creating new and better jobs!

Bowles: I headed up the Rural Prosperity Task Force, and I understand well the needs of the economy in rural and Western North Carolina. I would start by working to curb air pollution in the area which is contributing to problems in the travel and tourism industry. I would continue, as I did as Chair of the Rural Prosperity Task Force, to work to expand infrastructure to the area such as new roads, water and sewer lines, natural gas and broad band access to the Internet. I believe the real strength of our economy is in its people, and I would invest new resources into our community colleges, job training programs and our public schools.

Congressman Charles Taylor introduced H.R. 5468, a bill to “effect the land exchange” between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The bill would circumvent any Environmental Impact Statement and any public input. Do you believe this is proper use of congressional authority? Would you support such legislation? Why or Why not?

Dole: Congressman Taylor is right to recognize that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is under federal jurisdiction and the federal government is also involved with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians with respect to tribal lands. Thus, any solution to this question will require a federal answer. Congressman Taylor is listening to the local concerns about this federal question. And it is a proper use of congressional authority to get the question resolved faster by creating agreement between the legislature and the administration by getting a bill passed by the Congress and signed by the President.

Bowles: I think the objective of the legislation — to provide for educational opportunities for and underserved population — is a noble one, and I’d like to see the needs of both the environment and education met. I brought Democrats and Republicans together to balance the federal budget, and I certainly believe I could find the middle ground on this issue between the Tribe and the environmental community.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most polluted parks in the nation with regards to air quality. How would you address this problem? What is the likelihood of any federal action to significantly address the problem?

Dole: I support a comprehensive clean air policy that requires Clean Air Act Standards for the Tennessee Valley Authority, enacting the Clear Skies Initiative as a floor proposal, using North Carolina’s Clean Smokestacks law as a model for faster reductions and pursuing aggressive clean energy research for carbon dioxide reductions.

North Carolina’s Clean Smokestacks law will significantly reduce power plant emissions in our state, and I believe it could serve as a national model. The cooperation that led to this law – the agreement between the state and electric utilities – is an example of how government, industry, and concerned citizens can effectively work together. Throughout my public service career, I’ve achieved results by bringing all sides to the table to reach consensus. This is how I would work to resolve environmental challenges in the United States Senate.

One of the first challenges is to bring the Tennessee Valley Authority under federal clean air laws. That pollution is a major contributor to environmental and public health problems in Western North Carolina, endangering the health of citizens and reducing visibility. It is not unreasonable to expect the federal government to comply with its own environmental laws, and I’ll fight to hold TVA accountable.

I support (George Bush’s) Clear Skies Initiative because it will reduce nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and mercury by roughly 75 percent in the southeastern United States. Clear Skies is predicted to reduce air pollution “farther, faster, and with more certainty” than existing clean air laws.

However, neither Clear Skies nor Clean Smokestacks addresses carbon dioxide emissions. We need aggressive research into clean energy technology to limit emissions from mobile and stationary sources of CO2. While there is consensus that carbon dioxide plays a role in global climate change, there are still questions on how man-made CO2 emissions influence the equation. Still, the potential impact of global warming on sea levels could have devastating consequences to the Outer Banks and other coastal areas.

Bowles: I would fight to make sure that we do not back track on our commitment to clean air and clean water, and I would fight to enforce our clean air laws. I am opposed to Mrs. Dole’s so called Clear Skies Initiative which would allow more emissions of sulfur-dioxide, mercury and nitrous-oxide than the strict enforcement of our current laws. Mrs. Dole’s plan would give TVA the flexibility to spew more pollution into the North Carolina Mountains. I would not give the TVA the option to spew more pollution into the mountains, I would go to the Senate and demand that they clean it up.

What separates you from your opponent, and why should Western North Carolina voters cast their ballot for you?

Dole: One factor that sets me apart from the rest of my opponents is my experience. I have over 35 years of public service. I have served for five United States presidents, including roles as Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Labor. I also served as the President of the American Red Cross for eight years. During my years in Washington, I have learned how Washington works. I know the decision-makers in the federal government, and I know how to get things done. If I am so honored to represent North Carolina in the Senate, I can use this knowledge to accomplish such goals as making President Bush’s tax relief package passed last year permanent and ensuring that proper corporate responsibility reforms are in place to instill trust and confidence back into the marketplace.

Bowles: My number one priority in the U.S. Senate will be to create jobs and economic opportunity for the hard working families of North Carolina, while Mrs. Dole has said her number one priority will be a line-item veto. While Mrs. Dole is putting the line-item veto first, I will put families first — every time.