Congressional candidates debate immigration, economy

North American Correspondent

The three main Democratic candidates, State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows), State Assemblywoman Grace Meng (Flushing), City Council member Elizabeth Crowley (D- Glendale) for the sixth district of Queens, had a ‘face-off’ last week on issues affecting diverse ethnic communities in New York. The 6th District runs from Flushing and Bayside to Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale and part of Ridgewood.

Large numbers of Guyanese-Americans are settled in the district and community activists are lining up behind their candidates with some backing Meng and most backing Lancman who along with Crowley, is well known among Guyanese voters. But analysts say the race is a top-up between Lancman and Meng.

During the ‘face-off’ in the presence of reporters and voters, the candidates made their pitch to win support. Lancman said he is running a campaign on issues, rattling off a list of stops where he has taken questions from the public and reporters on social security, veterans’ affairs, taxes and federal finances, education grants, violence against women and the U.S.-Israel alliance.

On the economy, Lancman said he wants equity in [tax] rates. “We should eliminate things like oil company subsidies, and agriculture subsidies that most small family farms can’t get.”

The candidates say a way to tackle the $16 trillion deficit is simply getting more people back to work, something he said could be jump-started by the formation of a national infrastructure bank that would fund public-private partnerships to repair and replace the country’s bridges, tunnels and roads.

Lancman also called for easy access to loans for small businesses. “Banks will go to the Federal Reserve discount window [for money], but they’re not lending it out”.

He said he would increase the Social Security Trust fund by eliminating the $110,000 cap on income subject to taxes.

On education, Lancman said “No Child Let Behind” should be “left behind” as it has resulted only in more testing of students and more school closings as an unintended result.

Meng and Crowley both adopted the same positions as Lancman on certain key issues.

Meng told the audience she wants more job training and improvements in mass transit and highways, which would increase jobs. Crowley and Lancman concurred.

Crowley said construction “is an important engine for the economy and that some money now used for defense can go to such projects. Meng and Lancman agreed with Crowley.

Meng felt that the national budget debt, now at a staggering US $16trillion, should be increased to fund projects.

She also called for reductions in military spending and related that she agreed with President Obama in withdrawing troops, “but don’t cut basic human services.”

Lancman and Meng called for comprehensive immigration reforms. Meng noted she is the product of the American dream and wants everyone to have the same chance.

More exchanges among the candidates are planned during the month of June as Primary day voting approaches.