Questions for the candidates: Sam Granato (D)

Candidate Questionnaire: Sam Granato (D)1. What is your top priority for the United States?The top priority for all elected officials right now should be jump-starting our economy and getting Americans back to work. In order to do that, we need to put job creation first — starting with small businesses. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They employ more than 50 percent of the American workforce, and they will be a crucial part of our economy's recovery. The first thing Congress needs to do is cut taxes and extend credit for those small-business owners. We must give them every resource we can to encourage them to begin hiring once again.

1. Describe your solution to the U.S. illegal immigration problem. What specifically should be done about the over 10-million illegal immigrants who are now in the United States? Do you favor or oppose some kind of pathway to legal status for the current illegal immigrants? First, we start with a big fence. A sovereign nation needs to secure its borders. But a fence is not enough. We also need a large gate in that fence that swings both ways. Legal immigration needs to be simpler and easier, and we also need to provide a way for those who want to work in this country to return home when seasonal work is over. A large percentage of illegal immigrants don't come here in the dead of night — they arrive here legally and then let their visas expire. Many want to go home — but they stay here because they are afraid they won't be able to get back to the United States if they leave. However, eliminating the demand for illegal immigration is just as important as cutting off the supply. This requires a two-pronged approach. First, we must enact strong penalties on business owners who choose to employ undocumented workers and send a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated. Additionally, we should also establish a responsible guest worker program that will allow the Border Patrol to focus on those who want to cross our borders to do us harm, not just those who want to pick fruit or change sheets at Utah's ski resorts. We also need to address the issue of those undocumented immigrants already here. It is important to remember that the estimated 12-18 million illegal immigrants in this country represent more than 6 million families. Haphazard deportation of these individuals would not only be an extremely expensive new government expenditure, but it would also tear those families apart. That's unacceptable to me. We need to find a comprehensive immigration solution that sets forth appropriate punishment for any illegal action without breaking up families. Most importantly, we cannot afford to let this important discussion get bogged down by extremism and incivility. This complex issue requires a thoughtful, comprehensive solution that fully addresses the problem. Immigration reform is a federal responsibility that Congress has put off for far too long. If elected, I will lead the charge on this important issue and ensure we finally pass the type of common sense immigration reform we so desperately need.
2. Do you support the Affordable Care Act (health care reform)? If not, how would you fix America's health care crisis? Health care reform is essential and, unlike Mike Lee, I do not believe the government should completely abandon all of its health care programs and let citizens fend for themselves. Many people fail to realize that the United States currently has a health care system that provides care for all of its citizens — but it does so in the most cumbersome, costly, and inefficient way possible. Anyone who is sick can get treated in an emergency room, regardless of their ability to pay. The problem is that emergency room care is the most expensive way to distribute health care services. My common sense approach would address the fact that we need to be able to provide health care in a way that expands coverage and drives down costs. The most recent bill that passed Congress does not sufficiently address these issues — it provides more coverage without adequately containing costs for small businesses and self-employed individuals. We need to fix that. Senator Bob Bennett's health care bill, co-sponsored by Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, would be an excellent starting point for discussion. It provides universal coverage, eliminates insurance companies' ability to withhold coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, lowers health care costs by $2 trillion over ten years. Those are the type of worthy goals we should keep pursuing in a bipartisan effort to continue reforming and improving our health care system. It's unacceptable for 45 million Americans to go without health insurance in the wealthiest country in the world. We must continue to reform our health system to expand coverage and reduce costs for all Americans.
3. What can be done to improve the U.S. economy? How will you help? Jobs, jobs, jobs. Until working Americans have jobs and the ability to put food on the table, any economic recovery will be tenuous and fragile at best. I know the economists say the recession officially ended sometime last year, but it certainly doesn't feel that way to the hundreds of thousands of Utahns who are still hurting financially. These aren't strangers in a foreign country. They're our friends and neighbors — and we need to do our best to help them get back on their feet. To do that, we must create jobs and reduce unemployment. Not temporary government-sponsored work like in the Obama stimulus, but long-term, well-paying jobs that will put Utahns back to work and back on a solid financial footing. This effort must begin and end with the private sector, particularly small businesses. We should cut taxes and extend credit for small business owners, giving them the resources they need to begin hiring again. Our economy will be rebuilt on the backs of small businesses and the hard work of the American people. We must begin that process today. The people of Utah cannot afford to wait any longer.
4. Utah is famous for its beautiful landscapes. What will you do to protect and promote these areas? Utah is the most beautiful state in the country — we have been richly blessed with truly stunning landscapes and natural wonders. However, we have also been blessed with many natural resources that have the potential to bolster our economy and improve life for the people of Utah. Many people often describe this situation as an either/or proposition — we can't use our natural resources without destroying our beautiful wilderness areas, or vice versa. I don't believe that's true. We can and should be doing both. This will require an approach specifically tailored to local needs and conditions, much like the one recently employed by Senator Bob Bennett and Congressman Jim Matheson in Washington County. We need to bring all the stakeholders together around a table — local elected officials, environmental advocates, energy developers, and concerned citizens — and develop a solution that works for everyone. This approach worked in Washington County, solving a decades old dispute over public land use. We can continue this process in San Juan and Piute counties, as well as in other areas of the state — we can reject the conventional wisdom. We can both protect our wilderness areas and develop our natural resources in an effective and environmentally sustainable manner.
5. What are your views on federal funding for embryonic and adult stem cell research? Stem cell research presents a multitude of opportunities for our scientific and medical communities, and I fully support federal funding for further research. With so many suffering from disease and sickness in our world today, I believe it's important that we do all we can to make advancements and find cures that can save lives.
6. Are you willing to work with members of other political parties to accomplish changes in Washington? The biggest threat facing our country today is ideological extremism and partisan gridlock -- on both sides of the aisle. Our elected officials in Washington are spending so much time yelling at each other that there's no time left over to get anything done. The extreme elements in both parties are pulling Congress further and further away from the moderate middle. No one is speaking up for mainstream, moderate solutions that work for middle-class families. I hope to change that when I'm elected. I will stand in the middle of the aisle and reach across to both sides on the key issues we will face in the coming years. I'm not interested in extreme ideology or scoring political points — I want to do what's best for the people of Utah and for our great nation. I want to find solutions that work and I will work with anyone, regardless of party affiliation, to make that happen.
7. What are your views on nuclear testing? Too many Utahns have paid the ultimate price for the reckless nuclear testing conducted in Nevada many years ago. We have to make sure that never happens again. I would vigorously fight any attempt to revive that deadly program. The lives of the people of Utah are literally at stake and I will protect our state from any further nuclear exposure. My opponent, Mike Lee, has been on three sides of this issue — first he supported it, then he opposed it, and now he supports it again. He needs to make up his mind. I have always opposed it — and I always will. My fellow Utahns can trust me on this important issue.
8. When you are forming an opinion on an issue, who do/will you ask for advice and information? I don't claim to know the ins and outs of every single issue that will come across my desk as Utah's senator. I'm not a political insider, I'm a businessman — but I'm also a good listener. When I'm forming an opinion, I will listen to points of view from every side of the issue, including the top experts on the subject at hand. However, there will be one voice that I will always put above all the others — the voice of the people of Utah. I pledge to always remain connected with my constituents, and to represent them and their best interests faithfully and effectively. We don't need any more ideologues in Washington. We've already got more than enough. What we need now — and what the people of Utah deserve — is a common sense senator who solves problems and does the people's work. That's who I am and that's what I will do in the U.S. Senate.
9. What is the one personal trait/characteristic that you want voters to know about you, and why is that important in this race?I'm a small businessman, and I will bring a businessman's approach to my duties as a senator. I've balanced a budget, I've made payroll, I've created jobs — and I will bring that experience to Washington and use it to address the many difficult issues facing our great nation. I think we need a more practical, real world approach — we have enough lawyers and lobbyists in the senate. We need someone with common sense who knows how to bring people together to solve problems. I've done that in my business and in my career as a public servant, and I'll bring those same mainstream Utah values to the Senate if I'm elected.