December 6, 2001 - The Park Falls Herald: Uzbekistan RPCV John Smart talks to Senator Feingold about Peace Corps Issues at Senator's listening session

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Directors of the Peace Corps: Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez: The Gaddi Vasquez Nomination to Peace Corps Director: Gaddi Vasquez's Confirmation Vote in the Senate (12/22/01): December 6, 2001 - The Park Falls Herald: Uzbekistan RPCV John Smart talks to Senator Feingold about Peace Corps Issues at Senator's listening session

By Admin1 (admin) on Saturday, January 12, 2002 - 10:47 pm: Edit Post

Uzbekistan RPCV John Smart talks to Senator Feingold about Peace Corps Issues at Senator's listening session





Read and comment on this excerpt from a story from the Park Falls Herald in which RPCV Uzbekistan John Smart questioned Senator Fiengold of Wisconsin (shown in the photo above) about Peace Corps issues and raised the nomination of Gaddi Vasquez to the Senator. Senator Fiengold subsequently voted against Gaddi Vasquez in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Read the full story at:

Uzbekistan RPCV John Smart talks to Senator Feingold about Peace Corps Issues at Senator's listening session*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.



Uzbekistan RPCV John Smart talks to Senator Feingold about Peace Corps Issues at Senator's listening session

John Smart, chairman of the Price County Democratic Central Committee, said of the issue of lower prices for pharmaceuticals in other countries that while he was in the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan, he regularly obtained a prescription drug for 25% of the cost for the same drug in the United States.

Smart also raised an issue pertaining to the Peace Corps, entirely separate from health care. He objected to the Bush Administration's intent to appoint Gaddi Vasquez, chairman of the Orange County, CA, board until resigning when the county went bankrupt, as director of the Peace Corps. Asked to elaborate after the session, Smart said that after his resignation "just short of a recall," Vasquez donated $100,000 remaining in his re-election campaign fund to the Republican Party. Smart said Vasquez has no qualifications for the job, and his appointment as Peace Corps director would be entirely a political payoff.

Feingold said one of the problems was that some past Peace Corps directors weren't particularly well qualified either, but Smart said that was no justification for appointing someone unqualified for the position now. Feingold said he would be looking closely at the proposed Vasquez appointment.

Although Smart was generally complimentary of Feingold's performance in the Senate, he complained that presently there was no "loyal opposition" in Congress, and he criticized Feingold for voting to confirm the nomination of John Ashcroft as attorney general.



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