Fourth Congressional District candidate George Fearing made an appearance in Goldendale Friday.

The candidate, who spoke at a Klickitat County Democrats meeting, listed living wage jobs and scenic area protection as among his top priorities.

“Klickitat County needs more jobs and I would like to see some companies come here to develop alternative sources of energy such as wind power,” said the Democratic candidate.

“If we don’t do something soon, that aluminum plant is going to be torn down and used for parts.”

The Tri-Cities-area attorney, who cited listening as one of his political strengths, likened the legislative process to practicing law.

“A Congressman is like a lawyer,” he said. “You represent people and you put aside your own interests.”

Other issues the candidate touched on included public financing in campaigns, cleaning up the Hanford nuclear site, and changing current war policies.

“When I say I’m a pro-life Democrat, I mean I do not support 4,000 lives being lost in Iraq,” he said.

“I’m a pro-life Democrat who believes we need to care for our GIs when they come home.

The candidate is running against Republican incumbent Congressman Doc Hastings.

Although the Kennewick man said he firmly believes in the harmful effects global warming and runs a Democratic platform, he is not the typical liberal.

For example, the son of a Christian minister is a staunch advocate of Second Amendment gun ownership rights and said he wants to bridge party barriers.

“I’m here for Republicans and Democrats, I’m here for rich and poor, and I will listen to everyone.”

The congressional hopeful was joined at the Democratic meeting by other candidates Jerry Gaines, running for District Three County Commissioner, and District 15 State Representative candidates John Gotts and Tao Berman.

Issues on those candidate’s platforms included job creation, accessible healthcare, recycling, education, and ending the war. They also talked about bringing local services to the community.

“We don’t have enough senior citizen facilities,” said Gaines, who is from Bickleton. “We don’t have enough after school activities for the kids.”

“I like Klickitat County and I want to make a difference. I want to make it the best county around.”

George charmed the delegation with a rousing speech on Saturday afternoon. He turned a few heads when he announced he was a pro-life Democrat:

“I do not appreciate the religious right’s monopolization of the term pro-life, because as a Democrat I am pro-life.

I am a pro-life Democrat who does not want unnecessary wars that kill young American heroes and innocent Iraqi civilians. I am a pro-life Democrat who believes America has an obligation to provide first class health care and mental health services to our returning veterans to preserve their lives and America has an obligation to pay for a college education for our veterans.

I am a pro-life Democrat who wants working families to receive decent living wages and to spend leisure time with their families and I recognize the need for strong labor unions to insure working family wages. I am a pro-life Democrat who wants all Americans to receive proper health care.

I am a pro-life Democrat who recognizes the intrinsic value of everyone’s life and that each life is of equal value. I am a pro-life Democrat who believes a woman should control her own life and body, including making reproductive decisions with her physician without the interference of the government.”

It was a memorable moment in a passionate speech, and a line on the minds and tongues of Democrats later that night in the convention hallways and hospitality suites and at the Spokane Democrats Salmon Feed.

George also emphasized that Washington is not two separate states, but Eastern Washington and Western Washington share many values and ideals.

We in Central Washington know the commonalities of both halves of the state more than anyone else. We are diverse, yet unified.

George and all of us in the campaign are thrilled to see the support, passion and enthusiasm from not only Democrats here in the 4th Congressional District but our friends across the state! The gracious reception from activists and party leaders alike is truly inspiring.

There are so many notable races and candidates across the state as well as the nation. It’d be overwhelming to name them all, but we have some other competitive congressional races here in Washington that are worth mentioning.

Mark Mays is running for Congress in Washington’s 5th, right next door to the 4th. We’re proud to stand by Mark in his bid to unseat Cathy McMorris Rodgers. He is a fine choice for representative of the people of Eastern Washington.

Darcy Burner’s race in Washington’s 8th congressional district is one that the entire country is watching. Darcy is admired for her values and commitment to public service. Darcy lead the charge in providing a unified voice opposing the current politics over the War in Iraq, spearheading the effort to draft and push the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq. Many candidates for Congress have signed on to this plan, including George Fearing. We are confident that Darcy will be headed to Congress with George this November. There are few better congressional candidates in the nation.

Thank you for joining us in our efforts. Please support George’s run for Congress by donating to the campaign today. Please also support our friends across Washington state.

Washington State Democrats
Darcy Burner for Washington’s 8th
Chris Gregoire for Governor
John Ladenburg for Attorney General
Jim McIntire for State Treasurer

Fearing notes the unfairness and irrationality of allowing reimbursement to a facility owned by a large for-profit corporation, headquartered in another state, while denying reimbursement to a facility owned by local medical practitioners. The federal government should encourage local ownership of health care facilities.

“We are in absolute agreement on this issue,” noted Fearing. “The question is who will work better in the Democratic Congress to ensure it stays protected.”

Hastings has attempted to protect the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center for months, but has been unable to pass any legislation to help the clinic.

Alternatively, Senator Patty Murray, a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Senate Democratic leadership, has taken steps to ensure the clinic remains open. She secured a special dispensation to help Wenatchee Valley Medical Center. This bill recently passed in the Senate, and will come up soon in the House.

On June 8th, the New York Times reported that Senator Murray’s assistance was essential to protect the hospital. Without the Senior Senator from Washington’s help, the hospital may have been forced to either close its doors or sell 60 percent of its stock.

“The real issue here is who can get results for Central Washington,” commented George Fearing. “Mr. Hastings has been working on this issue for a long time and has gotten nothing accomplished. Working with the Democratic Congress and our strong Senators, I know we can protect the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center for a long time.”

Democratic congressional candidate, George Fearing, today criticized Doc Hastings for being “missing in action”, and failing to support the 21st Century GI Bill which updates college education benefits for combat veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congressman Hastings first voted against the GI Bill last May and now has a chance to change and support this bill, which awaits another vote in the House following Senate action two weeks ago.

“Honoring our troops means honoring them when they come back home, not just when they are serving on a battlefield in Iraq,” said Fearing. “After standing up again and again to serve under the most terrible conditions, I call on Doc Hastings to stand up and give them a chance at a first rate education. Helping our GI’s get through college is the best investment our country can make, for their future and ours. We know that a college graduate earns at least $500,000 more in their lifetime, and with our economy in a downturn, we need a highly skilled and educated workforce to lead us out of recession.”

Fearing cited a l988 Congressional study which found that every dollar spent on educational benefits under the original GI Bill added seven dollars to the national economy in terms of productivity, consumer spending and tax revenue. Fearing also noted, “the original GI Bill, first signed into law in 1944 by President Franklin Roosevelt, is credited with building America’s strong middle class following WW II. Today there are seven current US Senators and many members of Congress who received their college education because of the GI Bill.”

Although the original GI bill paid full tuition, housing and living costs for some 8 million vets, over time it has been scaled back to the point where the maximum a veteran can receive is $9,000 per year, which covers a little more than half the costs of attending a four year public university.

Under the new GI Bill, members of the military, including guards and reservists, who have served on active duty since 9/11 are eligible to receive education benefits equaling the highest tuition rate of the most expensive in-state public university, along with a monthly housing stipend which is to be determined by geographical area. It also creates a dollar-for-dollar match for contributions from private educational institutions that have higher tuition rates than those covered under the bill.

Fearing criticized Republicans who have opposed the GI Bill on the grounds it will hurt re-enlistment and retention rates. “Denying college benefits to our veterans because you are afraid they will not re-enlist for combat is cruel and unfair. Divorce rates for these military personnel are up 65% and their suicide rate is twice as high as the national average. After serving their fourth or fifth tours of duty, they have earned the right to stay home, graduate college and begin earning a decent living for themselves and their families. It’s the least we can do for them.”

Fearing also cited a current report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office stating that any loss in troop retention and re-enlistment would be balanced out by an equal increase in new recruits attracted into the military by the prospects of college education.

Republican Senator John Warner, who supports the new GI Bill compared this legislation to “putting a big piece of cheese out there, which will induce more qualified people to join just to get this. It should be a tremendous incentive for recruitment.”

Some Republicans have asserted that these new GI Bill college benefits are too costly, although this bill appropriates only $2.5 billion per year, roughly equivalent to what we are now spending for just one week in Iraq.

President Bush has signaled he will veto the new GI Bill and Hastings is expected to stand with the President in any attempt to override this veto, as Hastings has a record of voting with Bush over 90% of the time. Fearing is calling upon veterans and concerned citizens to call or write Hastings’ office in Pasco at (509) 543-9396, Yakima (509) 452-3243, or Washington DC (202) 225-3251, and urge him to support this bill.

The 21st Century GI Bill, first introduced by Senator Jim Webb, was co-sponsored by Republican Senators Chuck Hagel and John Warner. It is widely endorsed by veterans’ organizations, including the non-partisan Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Currently Republicans have offered up a water-down GI Bill in the Senate, which excludes many service members by allocating the most generous benefits to soldiers who have served at least 12 years. The Webb-Hagel-Warner GI Bill would provide full college benefits to combat veterans after 3 years of service.

Congressman Richard Hastings has spent his political life engaging in partisan conflict, and our children are paying the price.

On June 4, The Star Online ran a press release from Congressman Hastings on his failure to have Congress adopt two amendments he proposed to an education bill related to the federal government’s responsibilities under the Impact Aid program. Hastings would have us believe that his amendments were blocked because the Democratic Congress does not want to fund education.

This explanation is absurd on its face. Democrats have fought long and hard to fund education because we know it is important to prepare our children to compete in a global society. The explanation is especially preposterous in light of the fact that the bill in question was to authorize $20 billion of federal spending for school construction and maintenance.

The truth is that the reason the House Leadership won’t listen to Hastings has nothing to do with ideology, and everything to do with Hastings’ long history as a partisan politician. Since his election to Congress in 1994, and during his tenure as a state representative before, Hastings built his entire career on partisan politics. Hastings has never built alliances with anyone on the other side of the aisle. He prides himself on practicing politics as a perpetual partisan attack.

Doc Hastings almost always votes with his party’s leadership. After he votes with his party, he blames the Democrats.

Hastings’ quotes in your June 4 article about his failure to get his amendments passed were more partisan attacks. Hastings was successful with this unproductive behavior with Republicans in the majority, but now that they are not, central Washington pays the price. That’s why it’s time for a change. Democrats are in the majority in Congress, and will be in the extended future. Doc Hastings’ partisan ways will thus continue to harm our district.

Unfortunately, Hastings never accomplished anything even when his party controlled Congress. His ability to accomplish anything is even worse now. As long as Congress continues to be controlled by the Democrats, Hastings is going to continue to be ignored. His failed amendments related to the Impact Aid program are just another example of his inability to adequately represent our interests.

(Yakima) Saturday, two hundred Democrats turned out for the 4th Congressional District nominating convention at Eisenhower High School in Yakima. The 4th Congressional District spans Central Washington including Yakima, Tri-Cities, Wenatchee, Ellensburg, Moses Lake and Othello. Ten Central Washington Counties are within the district’s boundaries.

The Democrats used their time to determine delegates to go onto the state convention and then to the national convention in Denver. Democrats also used this time to establish their unanimous support of George Fearing (D-Kennewick) in his bid to unseat Doc Hastings (R-Pasco).

George opened the morning with a speech raising concerns over Doc Hastings’ leadership on the issues that matter most to Central Washington including the economy, gas prices, energy independence, and ending the war in Iraq. Fearing suggested that our economic woes directly relate to the occupation of Iraq, arguing that the cost of this war will likely be trillions of dollars, resulting in both the continuing escalation of prices at the pump and the devaluing of the American dollar.

“President Bush said the war in Iraq would bring down gas prices,” said Fearing, “yet soon it will cost more than $4.00 per gallon.”

Fearing also argues that Doc Hastings is failing on the issues that matter most to Central Washington by not serving on either the agriculture or energy committees. He does not understand Central Washington’s priorities and he cannot get the job done for us. George ended his speech with a call for change urging Democratic activists to participate in the 50 for Change program. Activists will register 50 voters, knock on 50 doors, or make 50 calls for change in Congress this November.

Immediately following George’s speech, Ron Bonlender, local business owner in Yakima, moved that Democrats of Central Washington nominate George to for the official 4th Congressional District endorsement. The motion was seconded unanimously, and then carried unanimously.

Democratic wins in special elections in Illinois, Louisiana, and rural Mississippi indicate that victory is within Fearing’s reach.

Energy for change extends far beyond the race for congress this year. John Gotts (D–White Salmon), running against Bruce Chandler (R-Granger) for the 15 Legislative District, is leading an effort across Central Washington to get Democrats to run for legislative positions. “I believe it’s time that Democrats in Central Washington have a voice in the House. The only way for people in our 4th Congressional District to have a voice is to find and elect people who represent our values and needs.”

Richard Brinkman, chair of the 4th Congressional District Democratic organization called the event to order and presided over Fearing’s unanimous vote.

“Today is a great day to be a Democrat,” said Brinkman, “the party is very engaged in the presidential nomination process, is united behind George Fearing, and is fielding competitive candidates in races all across Central Washington. 2008 really is the year for change.”

While accepting the nomination Fearing concluded, “I’m humbled and honored to be the unanimous choice of Democrats in Central Washington.  I will fight hard for change this November and I implore Democrats across the Central Washington to give their time, money, and labor for change.”

George’s unanimous nomination comes two weeks after receiving a unanimous endorsement from the AFL-CIO at their yearly committee on political education (COPE) convention. It also comes a few days after the 15th LD Democrats provided their unanimous support. The 14th LD Democrats, Yakima County Democrats and Benton County Democrats also gave Fearing unanimous support.

States with an income tax automatically can deduct their state taxes from their federal income taxes. The sales tax deduction that passed Congress is targeted towards states like Washington who do not have an income tax. This deduction saves Washington families itemizing their deductions more than $350 million each year on their federal income tax returns. That money results in an estimated $530 million in economic activity.

George Fearing, who is challenging Hastings for Congress, was dismayed by the incumbent’s move. “This is clear evidence that Hastings succors off-shore corporations, not the middle class. It’s an aristocratic mentality, and it’s time we change.”

Offshore corporations were once American companies but now base their business in other countries to pay their workers less and to avoid U.S. taxes. Apparently, Doc Hastings thinks they deserve additional tax breaks too.

“It’s dishonorable to reward corporations who are moving jobs overseas with tax breaks in America,” said Fearing. “Even more, it’s disgraceful that he would vote for these corporations over helping taxpayers right here in Central Washington. This is another example of how Doc has the wrong priorities for us.”

George Fearing is the Democrat running for Congress against Doc Hastings. He is the only candidate endorsed by Democratic organizations in Central Washington.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Kennewick — Today, George Fearing, Democrat running for Congress against Rep. Doc Hastings, signed onto ‘The Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq.’ This past Saturday noted the five-year anniversary of the War in Iraq.

‘The Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq’ is presented to the nation by a growing list of candidates for Congress and retired military officers who have the courage to call for change, the ‘Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq’ provides solutions to the most important obstacles for getting out of Iraq and onto restoring America’s moral standing in the world.

This plan can be downloaded here.

“A responsible plan to end the war means we must prepare for troop withdrawal in Iraq much more carefully than the current administration planned the initial invasion,” said Fearing. “It means we must end U.S. combat missions and lead with our diplomatic power.”

“But a responsible plan to end the war in Iraq does not end there,” Fearing continued. “It extends to helping create a stabilized region and addressing humanitarian concerns. It ends with restoring our Constitution, our military and the media.

“At the heart of the matter is that we must create a new U.S.- centered energy policy,” said Fearing.

Fearing concluded with a call to join the effort. “Join with me in calling for the ‘Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq. Together we can get out of Iraq, strengthen America and restore our moral standing in the world.”

The plan answers two important strategic questions facing U.S. involvement in Iraq and provides a comprehensive plan to end the Iraq War responsibly:

1. How do we bring American military engagement in Iraq to a responsible end?

There is no military solution to the problems faced in Iraq: the real progress that can be made requires diplomatic, political, and economic means. We must stop counter-productive military operations by U.S. occupation forces and end our military presence in Iraq.

2. How do we prevent a repeat of the mistakes we’ve made?

The breakdown of checks and balances in our government led to bad decision-making which damaged America’s national security. Ending this war and preventing future situations like it requires that we restore these Constitutional checks and balances and fix the ways in which our governmental, military, and civil institutions have failed us.

End U.S. Military Action in Iraq:

There is no military solution in Iraq. Our current course unacceptably holds U.S. strategic fortunes hostage to events in Iraq that are beyond our control; we must change course. Using diplomatic, political, and economic power, we can responsibly end the war and bring all of our troops home from Iraq.

Using U.S. Diplomatic Power:

Much of the remaining work to be completed in Iraq requires the effective use of diplomatic power. Many of Iraq’s neighbors are currently contributing to instability and need to be persuaded to assist instead in stabilization.

Addressing Humanitarian Concerns:

The humanitarian crisis caused by Iraq’s situation is destabilizing to the region and damaging to America’s moral credibility. We must both take responsibility for the Iraqis who are now endangered because of their assistance to the U.S., and we must begin to address the regional problems of displaced Iraqis.

Restoring Our Constitution:

Many mistakes were made in the course of this war, and our systems of checks and balances have failed us at critical moments. To prevent repeating those mistakes, we must repair the underlying Constitutional framework of our republic and provide checks to executive authority.

Balance must be restored between the executive and the judicial branch (for instance through the restoration of habeas corpus), between the executive and the legislative branch (for instance through clarifying that the President does not have the Constitutional authority to unilaterally alter legislation through signing statements), and between the executive and the people of the United States (for instance by clarifying that the Fourth Amendment requires probable cause and a warrant for the government to spy on Americans).

Restoring Our Military:

Repairing the damage done to our military will require reforms in contracting procedures, restoring benefits for members of the military and veterans, and investment in repairing or replacing damaged military equipment.

The need for contracting reform is substantial. Private mercenary militias have direct incentives to prolong the conflict rather than resolve it; their use needs to be phased out. Contractors and mercenaries must be legally accountable for their actions. War profiteering must be stopped, and those who have engaged in it need to answer for their actions.

The safety of our men and women in uniform requires that we adhere to international standards with respect to treatment of prisoners. We must also make it clear that the United States does not torture, and that we do not send people to other places to be tortured, either.

The military is having substantial difficulty with recruiting and retention; we could begin to help by delivering on more of the promises the original Montgomery G.I. Bill made and by delivering on our promises regarding healthcare for veterans.

Restoring Independence to the Media:

The consolidation of our news media into the control of a relatively few corporate entities stifled a full and fair discussion and debate around Iraq. A more robust debate could be encouraged by expanding access to media.

Creating a new U.S.-Centered Energy Policy:

Finally, we are clearly tied to Iraq through our dependence on oil, which makes us vulnerable. Moving away from that dependence is necessary for strategic, economic, and environmental reasons.